[Imc] steering group minutes 2/9/01

[Mark Enslin]

attending Michael F, Mike L, Mike W, Orion, Aaron, Mark, Brian, Paul R
Jenny, Sascha, Ellen, James

group reports

finance
will be losing funding starting funding next january (losing about 
$100 total per month form founding funders)
about 4-5000 now in checking.

lib didn't meet

Tech
By December 19 all equipment should be returned for inventory, repair,
assembly!!!

they've put items in kits--components that go together (for example
headphones)

New switcing hub this week. Paul R will write some new instructions.Mother
Jones

Next meeting Wed 6pm will work on network.

Space
List of items to be fixed up around xmas. Lease: Sascha spoke with
landlord -- they'll be remodelling front in spring (making front ten feet
unusable for a while) will work bathroom 
back room: barter agreement possible, negotiations in progress
applying for city grants for space improvements in performance area (sound
insulation) Ellen: we're definitely signing a new lease? Sascha: Yes.
Landlords will be here at least another year--we'll be the first to know
when they decide to sell.

Front sign: decided vinyl. Danielle did one version at kinko's , was bad
quality and is doing another.

Outreach:
Discussed open mic/cabaret proposal: first event pushed back to 1/11.
Aaron: ad in public i? 
Anniversary party: begin thinking about event for late january
Donor drive around same time--raise a chunk of $ for endowment.

Print
Today is deadline for finished articles.
Some movement on findraising (in the abstratct) -- idea for something in
conjunction with open mic. If pi doesn't raise money, may have to suspend
publication temporarily. Next issue (Dec-Jan issue) deadline to Darrin
(layout) Dec 13. Advertising of events at IMC...

News
need more people
good shows
tech difficulites remain--lacking a step by step manual for mother jones
computer.

Old business
Groogroo web hosting at IMC
Paul worked on proposa with Zach. IMC will not be handholding for clients
(why it's so cheap). The price of full-service hosting was upped to $160
still a bargain -- includes $40 of tech support from Zach. Service terms:
made more explicit: what we do and do not offer; downtime issues--we
promise to let clients know within 12 hours when server goes down. If
longer than 48 hours, IMC reimbruses for prorated time (not before that). 
All the terms of service are as explicit as they can be. Zach is in
principle in agreement with 

Brian rationale for IMC members only can be email clients?
IMC is available to members beyond a certain point; a degree of trust
Brian then it's for the IMC community rather that the community at large.
Worried that you have to pay $50 to be IMC member plus amount for email
hosting. Some of the people we serve can't afford this. 
Ellen-- prices are negotiable (there's a low income provision for IMC
membership)
Brian as long as IMC doesn't become a clique-- I'm slightly nervous about
this-- there's a whole paragraph on IMC membership
Paul Why shouldn't the whole community be IMC members? If we start to give
service away
Brian-- two price structures: discount for members and other price for
non-members
Michael we wanted to make the cost of tech support explicit at the
beginning rather than bring it eventually.

Consensus on proposal as Paul R offered it.

update on Norm Stockwell visit; now slated for Jan 26 noon-4

New Business
Shows Jenny booked 4 out of town shows in Feb and March; spoke with 
Parasol Records about co-sponsoring shows; box of cds of visitng bands at
WEFT; articles on bands to public i. Possible co-sponsorship with Octopus?
Paul wary about co-sponsorship with Octopus. Advertising is a different
matter. Mike L: discussion later with relations with other media
organizations. Fundraising with a couple of shows in before Feb with local
bands.

Stereo system
Mike W proposal: have stereo that would have speakers through space
connected to production room, internet, PA sys
Asked to bring this proposal to tech working group.

Revision of Guidelines for web site: two issues: spamming and other
misuse.
(Mike L) Example 1-- pastor larabee that started off with straight
advertising

Mike suggests checking if someone posts to all imc's
Ellen hesitant to make posting to all newswires a category that merits
hiding--we couldn't differentiate news stories that are cross-posts. Our
guidelines already prohibit advertising. If we expand to posting to all
other IMC's then too many are covered by that.
Sascha agrees. I view prosyltizing as advertising for a religion. 
ME if say a Nation writer puts up a url of a story
Paul--our guidelines already cover spam.
Mike our guidelines are vaguer about daily posts
Do you want us to have a discussion every time we decide to hide something
Paul I want there to be a discussion when we decide to hide the posts of a
person in general. I don't want to make prohibitiions overly broad. We're
not at the point where ad hoc is overwhelming.
Sascha i'm between on this; to have this discussion repeatedly is
discouraging. 
Paul this is 
Mike W let the shit fall to the bottom; let the comment process 
Mike F that's the slashdot model, but we don't have the software
Brian ranking news is a problem
Mike W We should be local. I have a 
Ellen the software we have doesn't do that, so it's not a viable option
Mike L We've discussed that and decided not to.
Paul R proposed hiding all of Larabee's posts: advertising and posting
daily.
James has anyone tried to contact Larabee?
Mike L through comments on his posts
Paul R is willing to email him to let him know--if we don't hear anything
back in seven days, we'll started hiding his posts on a blanket basis.
Brian what if he decides to start posting news?
Paul R I'll tell him that he can appeal by emailing
info at urbana.indymedia.org

issue 2:
Whether to log emails of Bobby Meade; people tend to hope he'll go away.
but he seems not to b

discussion continues (too difficult to take notes on, sorry) and is
eventually tabled. Further discussion on the
IP logging issue at the tech meeting 6-7 Wednesday.