[IndyMedia Bombay] Re: [New-imc] Proposed new IMC!

[boud]

response to:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/new-imc/2002-June/003642.html

Dear Shekhar,
   i'm sure other new-imc people will respond too, but i think we're all
delighted that IMC Bombay is taking off with so much enthusiasm! 

Summary:
TIMETABLE
THE NEW-IMC PROCESS
WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE
SITE NAME & DECISION-MAKING


TIMETABLE:
Since you have an urgent comment, firstly an urgent reply:

> Critical Dates:         ideally, we'd like to get the site started by June
> 13th, if thats possible.

In general, some people prefer to take the time to get to know groups
more slowly (Petros wrote a recent email about this:

http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/new-imc/2002-June/003620.html

and certainly i think it would be impossible to get IMC Bombay
officially approved by 13 June (2 days from now!), since there's a
3-day limit on new-imc and then a 7-day limit on imc-process for
discussion (and possible delays or blocks if these are for good
reasons).

However, getting a *server* running up more quickly is possible, but
as Petros reminded us, we got the name alias for zimbabwe.indymedia.org
up very quickly, given the circumstances of the election, but are still
waiting for them to go through the process described at 

http://newimc.indymedia.org

For example, there are worries that they are dominated by just a few
organisations (International Socialist Organisation)...

Personally, i would have no problem with getting a server running
quickly (if you can find people at imc-tech who respond quickly,
sometimes you might need to send a few reminder emails...). Although i
do think you are taking some risk before the group has clearly thought
through and discussed and decided on things like concrete techniques
of consensus decision-making, how to implement non-hierarchy in the
group, etc., i don't think it is for me to slow you down.

And there are some people who think the process is too slow (comments
a month or so back on new-imc).

Anyway, Petros, everyone else, now is the time to make practical
comments...

IMHO, to be frank, given that the 20 (or so) million population of
Bombay might drop by 10% in the space of half-a-minute and then
another 50% in another few days (sorry, i'm not quite sure about the
numbers, but they're something like this, i think), at any moment in
the coming days, weeks or months, and that this is physical reality,
not virtual reality, and also that some of the key people involved
have been known to IMC people and the mailing lists for quite some
time, i would be in favour of letting the *site* be created immediately,
as long as shekhar, sanjay and the others make it clear that they will
actually sit down with the collective and discuss things like
consensus decision-making, the editorial policy, etc. and seriously
prepare and send in the "membership criteria" document within a
reasonable delay, so that the collective can be approved normally.


THE NEW-IMC PROCESS:
Please look up the 
http://newimc.indymedia.org
site, in particular the ten steps:

> 1.Pre-organizing: the first step is to talk with people in your community and try to get the sense if there is interest in forming an IMC. 

> 2.Look at the documents linked at this site (see below). 

> 3.When you think you're really ready to do some good organizing, fill out the form at the bottom of this page. 

> 4.Open a mailing list: newlist.indymedia.org 

> 5.O - R - G - A - N - I - Z - E !!!! 

> 6.With your forming collective, write a mission statement (see below) and editorial policy, maybe contact imc-tech at this stage. 

> 7.When you're really ready, and only when you're ready, reply to each of the membership criteria points one by one, and send to
> new-imc@indymedia.org. 

> 8.Your new-imc contact proposes your site to new-imc, if no one blocks within 3 days, this is passed to imc-process; if no one blocks
> there within 7 days, you become part of the network and are put on the cities.inc list once your web site is ready. 

> 9.The fun begins. Get involved in the global lists and Indymedia discussions and decisions. Offer to work with other IMCs from your area
> or elsewhere around the world. Do good work. 

> 10.Change the world, for the better of course. We wouldn't expect anything less. 

IMHO, you've already done 1, 3, 4, 5, 6a(mission statement), maybe 2, 
so 

WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE:

2) if you haven't yet done the reading...

6b) editorial policy (less easy than it sounds)
6c) contact imc-tech  (you can do this directly, without waiting)

7) go through the MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA document in the face-to-face
meeting + mailing list, write down the answers you already have,
debate and see if you can get some sort of consensus on the points
which you find more difficult


Then as you see in 8), there is at least a 3+7 day delay while everyone
in the network has a chance to discuss and debate. 

IMHO, if you can do 6b) + 7) quickly, others would be more comfortable 
in having the site up quickly...


SITE NAME & DECISION-MAKING:
 Hopefully there will be less controversy at new-imc about the name of
your IMC than there was for jerusalem.indymedia.org. However, what
*is* important is that the people in the collective have discussed
this and agreed on it. My guess is that "Mumbai" would symbolise the
Sangh Parivar, which are the group allegedly responsible for the
pogroms in Gujarat and now allegedly threatening nuclear holocaust, so
i expect the decision to be uncontroversial. In any case, it's a local
decision...

Solidarity
Boud


> A proposed new IMC is being requested.
> Details are as follows:
> 
> Proposed IMC Name:      IMC-Bombay (bombay.indymedia.org)
> Contact Name:           Shekhar Krishnan
> Email:                  kshekhar@bol.net.in
> Phone:                  91-22-4142843
> City:                   Mumbai
> State:                  Maharashtra
> Country:                India
> Tech Contact Name:      Sanjay Bhangar
> Tech Contact Email:     halfworm@postmark.net
> Tech Contact Phone:     91-22-4945046
> Regional Focus:         yes
> Issue Focus:            yes
> Event Focus:            yes
> Critical Dates:         ideally, we'd like to get the site started by June
> 13th, if thats possible.
> Supporting Groups:      PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge and Research)
> 
> Comet Media Foundation.
> 
> Students from all over.
> Other comments:         We've brought together a group of activists, media
> groups and students from all over and already had 2 face to face meetings.
> We've set up an IMC-Mumbai mailing list that currently has over 50 subscribers.
> We are continuing to do our best to do outreach and network with as large a
> base as possible.
> Resources to contribute: With regards to server space and hosting, it would be
> nice if we could start off by hosting through the indymedia servers - hopefully
> as we get going, we would be able to soon shift to locally hosted servers.
> We're still working out the technical angles, as unfortunately, our technical
> team isn't the best and we're still in the process of learning.
...