[Seattle-editorial] Re: [Seasc] 12/9 IMC Meeting Minutes

[Gentry Lange]

Could we please decide where official policies should be placed? And how
they are approved.

The editorial policy on the website is here:

http://seattle.indymedia.org/policy

This page does not talk about features. It talks about the newswire. How
features work, and how the collective editors go about stuff, is only
spelled out in terms of hiding posts.

Where's the page that says how policies are approved? Where a new member
would get involved? Etc...

I find the policies and the structure of the IMC to be totally lacking.

Here's the hidden article page:

http://seattle.indymedia.org/newswire-hide.php3

It still doesn't answer basic questions about membership, how to be
involved, where we meet, whatnot.

Then there's the Glossary Page, a glossary page is a definition page, and as
such defines some policies, however it doesn't specificcally tell people how
to procede. Wouldn't it be logical to at least spell out a procedure page?

What about who is and isn't a member? Or a reporting mechanism, a rollcall,
or active assignment editors. Why not formulate and approve an actual
working IMC model, and clarify these questions, instead of treating the IMC
as a stagnant body of entrenched, though badly defined, policies?

Currently there's policies on the definitions page... why is this? The
policy page doesn't really mirror this information.

Editorial meetings aren't mentioned. These could take place online. The IMC
calendar isn't mentioned.

Heck the listserv isn't even mentioned?

The Wiki isn't clear. There's no clear way to get involved in the IMC. To
find the wiki. The information is easily misinterpreted or not found.

Filtering nor grouping, is never discussed.. even though it's a function of
the site:

My feeling is that the group has never clearly articulated the processes or
instructions around the IMC clearly to new members. So when new members make
decisions, believing the they are involved and doing their best to make
honest and open decisions, and when these new volunteers are then told that
they aren't reporting properly to people they don't know. People who never
come to the space anymore, or general meetings. People these volunteers may
never have interacted with as flesh and blood individuals.

And when this information is aslo not clearly conveyed to new and active
members through well defined policies, easily located online and in the
space. Well these new volunteers feel attacked by old volunteers.

The reality is people meet in real life, at the IMC, make decisions, and
then are blamed for not articulating their decisions to the group.

Please tell me what the proper reporting mechanism is, and where that hidden
page of procedures exists? Is it the glossary? Is that where it is? Because
the glossary spells out an online consensus process, but doesn't say where
that takes place... and a glossary is a silly place to define procedures.

Gentry


-----Original Message-----
From: seattle-editorial-bounces at lists.indymedia.org
[mailto:seattle-editorial-bounces at lists.indymedia.org]On Behalf Of Jason
Reep
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 10:25 PM
To: seasc at indymedia.org; Editorial
Subject: [Seattle-editorial] Re: [Seasc] 12/9 IMC Meeting Minutes


Hey,

I just read the minutets.  what's this about a new editorial policy?

> benjamin raises the question of when new editorial policy will go into
effect.
>-sheri suggests that discussions that have occured in meeting need to be
had on the editorial list.
>-benjamin volunteers to start the editorial discussion about having a local
and other section on the home page (like urbana champaigne).

Is this just a coming discussion about having a local section and an
other section on the newswire, or is there more that isn't out there yet
and if so, please get it out there.  the wording of these notes suggests
that some decision has already been made but I've seen no proposals or
discussion.

-jason


Brandon Faloona wrote:
> I took notes at tonight's meeting and... here they are:
>
> http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/SeaCoreMeeting2003Dec9
>
> If any attendees of the meeting notice mistakes, please make a correction
> or add a note to indicate your own notes.
>
>
> peace,
> brandon
>
> _______________________________________________
> Seasc mailing list
> Seasc at lists.indymedia.org
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/seasc
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