<<< BOARD MEETING AGENDA >>> (go agenda) 1 About Board Meeting Agenda 2 The Agenda for the July 19 Meeting Information Documents for Agenda 3 Representatives to Telecommunities Canada 4 NCF Financial Report for June/94 5 Advertising on FreeNet 6 Accessibility of Seniors newsgroup 7 Removal of Newsgroups 8 Transfer of NCF information to external systems 9 Name change of System Design Committee 10 Lanark Network Update 11 UUCP Connections 12 NCF Style Guide 13 Richard Lafaboise Issue National Capital FreeNet Board Meeting, July 19, 1994 RMOC/HQ, 111 Lisgar St. Richmond Room AGENDA 1. Approval of the minutes of the June 22, 1994 meeting 2. Business arising from the Minutes a) Appointment of representatives to telecommunities Canada b) Main menu revision 3. Review of the Agenda 4. Executive Committee Report a) Operations Update 5. Financial Report 6. Acceptable Use Policy 7. Distribution of NCF Newsgroups beyond NCF 8. Advertising on NCF 9. Other Business a) Accessibility of Seniors newsgroup b) Removal of Newsgroups c) Transfer of NCF information to external systems d) Name change of System Design Committee e) Lanark Network Update f) UUCP Connections g) NCF Style Guide h) Richard Laframboise Issue 10. Next meeting 11. Adjournment Your Choice ==> 3 REPRESENTATIVE TO TELECOMMUNITIES CANADA From: aa118@freenet.carleton.ca (Andrew Patrick) Subject: NCF Looking for Delegates to National FreeNet Organization Date: Fri, 24 Jun 1994 04:08:25 GMT The second Canadian FreeNet Conference, hosted by the NCF, will be held at Carleton University August 15-17 1994. One of the main activities of that conference will be the found of "Telecommunities Canada", a national organization of FreeNets and community networks across Canada. The draft by-laws of this new organization state that each community network can have 3 representatives, and the NCF has to decide who will represent us. The Board of Directors has decided that all members be invited, and so we want to hear from anyone who is interested in representing NCF at the national level. No special qualifications are needed, although an interest in national issues and a broad outlook would be very helpful. If you are interested in representing NCF at the national body, send a brief note to Andrew Patrick (aa118) explaining why you are interested. Your note should reach me by July 8 1994. The Board of Directors will decide among the interested candidates. -- Andrew Patrick (aa118@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) Vice-President, National Capital FreeNet -- Your Choice ==> 4 NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Statement of Revenue, Expense and Surplus for the period January 1,1994 to June 30,1994 (accrual basis & unaudited) Actual Budget RECEIPTS Regular Donations 67,954 67,500 Line Sponsorships 6,660 4,200 Public Access Site Cost Recovery (1) 2,208 n/a Government Grants 25,000 25,000 Other Revenues (2) 753 n/a Promotional Item Proceeds 8 n/a Deferred Contributions (3) 4,912 n/a ________ ________ TOTAL RECEIPTS 107,495 96,700 ________ ________ SERVICE EXPENSES Phone Lines (4) 30,324 37,128 ONet fees (5) 5,445 7,223 Cost of Promotional Items 156 n/a ________ ________ TOTAL SERVICE EXPENSES 35,925 44,351 ________ ________ GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES Office Staff and Office Supplies 21,174 20,600 System Administration 24,453 29,750 Operations/Exec Director & Fundraising 7,300 13,800 Admin. & Professional Fees (6) 6,434 6,000 Public Relations & Events 584 2,000 Depreciation of Equipment 13,664 n/a ________ ________ TOTAL GENERAL & ADMIN. EXPENSES 73,609 72,150 ________ ________ _________ _________ NET SURPLUS (DEFICIT) FROM OPERATIONS (2,039) (19,801) ========= ========= NOTES: 1. Expenses for public access terminal connections to FreeNet host are recovered from the public access providers. 2. Includes '93 conference fees received in arrears, and Sutherland's speaker fee. 3. Deferred contributions relate to the urecognized portion of contributed computer and telecommunications equipment. 4. Number of Phone lines as of June 30, 1994 was 160. 5. ONet fees of $14,445 for May 1,1993 - April 30, 1994 are allocated a follows: $9,000 to fiscal year 1993 and $5,445 to fiscal year 1994. The bill for 94/95 has not yet been received. 6. Administration and Professional Fees include: - printing expense - insurance expense - bank service charges - interest expense - audit expenses - accounting services - administrative computer hardware - administrative computer software - volunteer appreciation & honorariums NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Balance Sheet as at June 30,1994 and December 31,1993 (accrual basis & unaudited) June 1994 December 1993 (audited) ASSETS Current Assets Cash 43,248 107,335 Current Receivables 0 3,000 Capital Assets,net of depreciation Computer Equipment 61,943 28,558 Telecommunications Equipment 77,988 53,095 Accumulated Depreciation -23,871 -10,207 ________ ________ TOTAL ASSETS 159,307 181,781 ======== ======== LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 258 35,181 Accrued Liabilities (note 1) 19,400 0 ________ ________ TOTAL LIABILITIES 19,658 35,181 ________ ________ EQUITY Deferred Contributions,net of amortzn 29,476 34,388 Surplus 110,173 112,212 ________ ________ TOTAL EQUITY 139,649 146,600 ________ ________ ________ ________ TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 159,307 181,781 ======== ======== NOTES 1. Includes terminal server, June phone bill and Dir. Dev't payment -- =================================================== Jean Wilmot, aa145@freenet.carleton.ca Board Member & Treasurer, National apital FreNet ================================================== Your Choice ==> 5 Proposal to the National Capital FreeNet from Communications MG Direct fo a commercialadvertisng ervic accessible from the NCF ------------------------------------------------------------ To the Board of Directors, Communications MG Direct is a partnership recently formed by Marc E. Gauthier and Carole Mainville. It is registered in Ontario and Quebec (Quebec registration pending), with the main office located in Hull QC. Our major services will consist in providing advertising, commercial and other listings accessible to the Internet via such means as WWW and gopher servers. We would like to work in concert with FreeNets in providing a venue for commercial advertising and activities, while fostering sustainability and growth of services and of FreeNets. We propose to be associated with the National Capital Freenet as their official online advertising medium, on the following terms: o The National Capital Freenet (heretofore named NCF) refers requests for advertising and commercial listings, other than that which can be answered by NCF's own fundraising activities (eg. line sponsoring), to Communications MG Direct (heretofore named CMGD); and/or, NCF provides pointers/references to this effect at appropriate places on their system directing such inquiries to CMGD or CMGD's main menu. o This official association and referrals are done with CMGD on an exclusive basis. This exclusivity is in effect only until December 31st, 1994 (ie. for a limited period of about 5 months). o CMGD will retain 15% of revenues from sales (not including taxes) of online advertising and listings services rendered, and distribute this amount to organisations that have significantly accessed the service via Internet. The amount will be apportioned according to the volume of access to the service by the users of each eligible organisation, and by geographical area such that revenues from a given area (eg. a metropolitan area, community, etc.) are distributed solely or preferentially to organisations in that geographical area. Eligible organisations must have an agreement with CMGD to receive such benefits, and satisfy other requirements such as minimum volume of access and accountability of generated traffic. The NCF is explicitly eligible via this agreement. Since services will be initially developed and publicized in the National Capital Region, and it is expected that most access will (at least initially) come from NCF users, the retained revenues (or at least those revenues from patrons located in the National Capital Region) will go entirely to NCF until such time as the mechanisms are in place that will allow proper llocation of revenues to eligible organisations. CMGD will periodically (monthly for at least the first 5 months) remit the applicable portion of retained revenues to each eligible organisation within 30 days of the end of each period. However, if an amount so due for a particular organisation is less than CDN $10, it may retained and cumulated until such time as the total amount due to that organisation equals or exceeds CDN $10. o NCF may end this exclusivity or association at any time if it considers CMGD does not maintain an acceptable level of quality of service, or for any compelling reason (eg. legal) deems it necessary, by communicating this decision and relevant details to CMGD. Similarly, CMGD may end this agreement at any time with appropriate notice to the NCF board of directors or one of its executive officers. Specifically, Communications MG Direct would have a presence on the NCF, much like a content provider, except that only minimal information would be kept on NCF (such as a disclaimer that the service being entered is not under the control of NCF, etc.). The information and services we provide would be located on our own Internet node (via a commercial Internet provider) rather than stored on NCF's machines. They would be accessed on the NCF using the Lynx web client. Defining a specific location in the menu hierarchy may be a slightly moot point at this time, considering the menu restructuring currently in progress. However, we would like a prominent entry in the business section which is likely to be present in the menus. Meanwhile, we would suggest the following locations: o under the Communications Centre menu (go cc) o under the Network Professionals Directory menu (go net-dir) with the Communications Centre menu being our main menu entry. We also suggest our keyword entry be "go ads". (We may request a more appropriate keyword when the service is officially named.) Also, some content providers might be interested in including a pointer to us (eg. SIGs that list Internet service providers, etc.). Although we would like our menu entries activated relatively soon, a more official opening / announcement will be made once we have sufficient listings and content, perhaps a couple of months hence. As a separate proposal, we would also like to run business-oriented (commercial) newsgroups, possibly under the biz.* hierarchy (exact location to be determined). Would the NCF consider providing access to these newsgroups (or a subset of them) to their members? Given the nature of newsgroups, the most efficient way to do so would probably be simply a feed of these groups from Communication MG Direct's news server to the NCF news server. We do not support or consent to unsollicited advertising or mass emailings on the Internet, nor similarly unacceptable postings on USENET (though we recognize the latter is full of grey areas). Respectfully yours, Marc E. Gauthier Partner and CEO Communications MG Direct aj313@freenet.carleton.ca 213 place des Sorbiers, Hull QC J8Y 6P9 +1 819 777 5841 +1 613 991 6975 (wrk) +1 613 952 7151 (fax) Your Choice ==> 6 Date: Sat, 28 May 1994 08:22:49 -0400 From: ac174@freenet.carleton.ca (Rosaleen Dickson) To: aa331@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: Open the door on Seniors >>The people of the Seniors newsgroup have decided. >>We want an open door. By this we mean that we would welcome participants on our newsgroup from everywhere else in Canada - the world even - and we can't provide a position paper because we have absolutely no idea how this can be facilitated. Greater minds tan mine, of which there are 14 on the board of directors, may wish to arrange for this to happen. The discussion among the Seniors 9took place after the possibility was brought up at the last NCF board meeting. I gained the impression at that meeting that opening up a newsgroup to a larger membership was a possibility. I broached it among the Seniors and they all think it would be marvellouw. Thank you. -- Rosaleen Dickson ac174@freenet.carleton.ca - rosaleen@resudox.net Your Choice ==> 7 REMOVAL OF NEWSGROUPS Article 299 of ncf.board-discussion-moderated: From: aa333@freenet.carleton.ca (Richard P. Taylor) Subject: Removing newsgroups Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 17:37:22 GMT I would like this item to be put on the agenda for the July Board meeting: Considering that at least twice in the past it has become necessary to remove FreeNet access to a particular newsgroup, I think that the NCF Board should set a policy and procedure for future cases. As a start, I suggest that the Executive should be given authority to remove or remove access to a newsgroup in cases where the purpose of the newsgroup is in violation of the NCF User Agreement - for example, violation of a publication ban or harassment of an individual NCF user. The full Board should be immediately notified of the removal and the reason for it. The newsgroup could be reinstated by vote of the full Board. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ o__ __ Richard P. Taylor |__| <- _> )_ <- |__| aa333@FreeNet.Carleton.Ca [::::] (_)<(_) [::::] National Capital FreeNet Board Member ***************** Date: Tue, 5 Jul 1994 04:02:24 -0400 From: ac078@freenet.carleton.ca (Marc Labelle) To: board@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: alt.paul-derbyshire.fix.it.now {Deleted stuff} Deleting accounts or removing newsgroups should be the prerogative of the Board only. An account should be deleted by a sole member of the Board only if the case is URGENT. In any case, a full report should be submitted to the Board so the case may be dealt with at the next meeting and in such a fashion that a decision may be overturned if the majority of the Board members are not satisfied wth the action taken. If they are available, it might be a good idea to ask different Board members to investigate or take urgent decisions when needed. Yes, I am willing to take turns (but only that). :-) Marc Labelle, Board Member Your Choice ==> 8 TRANSFER OF NCF INFORMATION TO EXTERNAL SYSTEMS Article 292 of ncf.board-discussion-moderated: From: ai071@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michal Zeithammel) Subject: Easier access to Freenet Information Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 18:39:05 GMT ================= Begin forwarded message ================= From: ai071@freenet.carleton.ca (Michal Zeithammel) To: aa001@freenet.carleton.ca Cc: ai071@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Easier access to Freenet Information Date: Sat, 28 May Dave, Natalie Strangelove suggested that I direct my proposal to you. I and lot of my friends and colegues find the information on the NCF very usefull, and even essential. We log on a couple times a day to see what's up in and around Ottawa. What we find frustrating (like many of the NCF users) is the long time it takes to get on, the amount of time to find the right sub-sub-sub menu, the slowness of the editors, and the one hour limit. The point of this email is not to complain. This is a great system at a great price! To provide better access to NCF information to ourselves, many of our friends, and to some (about 1 or 2 thousant) Ottawaians, we would like to copy NCF information in the middle of the nite, to our unix server, and make the information available to our users. In specific, we would like the local/community information, eg the information in the menus and some of the LOCAL discussion forums. We are NOT inerested in Internet News Groups. NCF would benefit as follows: - the NCF community information would be distributed to a wider audience at no incrimental cost ($, modems, admin, new servers, etc) - many users would move to our server from NCF's - less burden on NCF's servers and modems NCF users would benefit as follows: - users would not wait hours for modem line, fight through levels of menus, use slow editor on a overused server, and be cut off in an hour - users would have an option to access NCF community information using their PC (or Mac) in color within Windows and off-line readers - mouse only commands would make it easier for computer illiterate people and some physically challenged people - larger and color fonts would ease access for those who have vision limitations What do you think? Who should I be talking to? I am not very good at complex email discussions, could you please pass me the name and phone number of someone for me to talk? In advance, thank you. -- Michal Zeithammel /////////////////////////// +1 613 723-7813 // Surf the Internet! // AMB Business Networking /////////////////////////// For all your Internet needs ******************** Article 301 of ncf.board-discussion-moderated: From: aa693@freenet.carleton.ca (Brett Delmage) Subject: Re: Easier access to Freenet Information Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 17:40:03 GMT In a previous article, ai071@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michal Zeithammel) says: >[quoting of previous material deleted - AS] This request hits right at the heart of what NCF is or could be. I am glad that it has been raised now, because it will help stimulate real thinking and discussion as the Board goes through the "Boardwalk" workshops and planning exercise. I would propose that this specific request be dealt with AFTER the Board has completed its Boardwalk" planning. While many benefits were identified, there are also potential problems for at the Ottawa South Community Centre, NCF that went unmentioned. A few issues come to mind: The local information and discussion is a significant component of what makes NCF a "community". When we give that away we become more like another internet service provider. Is that all that members want? How would that affect funding, including sponsorships, grantsand individual donations, and ultimately NCF's ability to survive. Information providers have freely given considerable time in putting their information together, specifically as part of the "NCF community". I beleive that they should have a say in this decision. Additionally, it could be that each info provider has copyright on their material and NCF has no right to further distribute it without permission. -- Brett Delmage, aa693 Director, National Capital FreeNet brett@ve3pak.ocunix.on.ca voice: (613) 722-4454 fax:729-2207 The National Capital FreeNet - A bicycle for your mind **************** From: dave@revcan.ca (David Blackwood) To: aa001@freenet.carleton.ca, aa331@freenet.carleton.ca, aa332@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: Easier access to Freenet Information Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 0:19:21 EDT > [quotes from first article removed - AS] I've spoken to quite a number of people now who are quite interested in access to ncf.* newsgroups from systems other than the ncf. And I see no reason why many of these groups (there may be a problem with a select few) could not be distributed through already existing nntp and uucp connections without a great deal of effort. However I still have mixed feelings about establishing uucp connections to the FreeNet itself and even more so for news than for mail. I hope that this can be resolved t the next board meeting. -- David J. Blackwood Your Choice ==> 9 NAME CHANGE OF SYSTEM DESIGN COMMITTEE Article 300 of ncf.board-discussion-moderated: From: ak717@freenet.carleton.ca (Miranda Gray) Subject: System Management Subcom -- June Minutes Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 17:39:20 GMT In the interests of increasing communication between members of NCF I am posting the minutes rater widely. Followups to ncf.sub.stsyem-design please. System Management June 23 1994 -- Minutes and Update ==================================================== N.B. System Management was called System Design previously. [stuff deleted - AS] 5) Organizational stuff This group feels that it is poorly named. System esign implies that we will be talking about how to design the NCF. Instead we are more concerned with coping with the system we have. We have renamed our subcommitee the System Management (go sys-management). We are recommending that another committee get an informative name. The committee which actually deals with design issues and new technology should be called the Future Design committee (N.B. This committee has not been struck yet but has the working title Future Evolution.) While the name of the committee has changed and the menu changed the newsgroup remains ncf.sub.system-design for both System Management and Future Design. The chair of this committee is Sandra P Hoffan ac590 (She will have to be approved at the next board meeting July 19). [end of extract - AS] ********************* Article 302 of ncfboard-disussin-moderated: From aa18@freenet.crleton.ca Andrew Patrick) Subject: Re: System Management Subcom -- June Minutes Date: Fri, 8 Jul 1994 21:54:33 GMT [Quotation from above extract deleted - AS] ... I do not like the name "system management" for this group. Unless I am mistaken, this group does not do system management -- our system administrator and admin/root team does. This group is tasked with looking at design issues. Please readdress the name issue. -- Andrew Patrick (aa118@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) Vice-President, National Capital FreeNet Your Choice ==> 10 LANARK NETWORK UPDATE From: dave@revcan.ca (David Blackwood) To: ak717@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: Lanark Network and NCF Cc: aa331@freenet.carleton.ca Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 8:22:34 EDT > Remember back in may the board passed a motion about connecting the Lanark > Network to the NCF? Could you add a project status report to the agenda > for the meeting on the 19th? > > Thanks, > > Miranda > > -- > Miranda Gray > ak717@freenet.carleton.ca I'm afraid I've heard nothing further on this since that meeting so I too would like a status update. I will ask to have it added to the agenda though. -- David J. Blackwood Your Choice ==> 11 UUCP CONNECTIONS From: dave@revcan.ca (David Blackwood) To: aa714@freenet.carleton.ca, clewis@ottawa.elegant.com, xx610@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: Chris Lewis and UUCP Cc: aa088@freenet.carleton.ca, aa118@freent.carleton.ca, aa331@freenet.carleton.ca Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 14:47:54 EDT > >From: dave@revcan.ca (David Blackwood) Jul 8, 0:23 > >One moment please - the board has explicitly denied approval for any > >uucp connections to the freenet. > > I interpreted Andrew's approval as being "board" approval. > How shall we resolve this? > -- > -IAN! Ian! D. Allen aa610@freenet.carleton.ca System Administrator |Ottawa > The National Capital FreeNet Libertel de la Capitale nationale |Canada I will raise a motion to that effect at the next meeting. (Al are you there?) Dave Your Choice ==> 12 THE FREENET STYLE GUIDE Date: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 08:03:18 -0400 From: aa110@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (John P. Ferguson) To: board Subject: [aa673@FreeNet.Carleton.CA: The FreeNet style guide] ================ Begin forwarded message ================= From: aa673@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Matthew Darwin) To: aa110 Cc: ncf.sub.system-design Subject: The FreeNet style guide Date: Mon, 18 Jul To: John Ferguson Maybe you could bring this up at the board tomorrow, under "other business"? Either that, or you could mail it to them? ----------- As may know, discussion for creation of style guide for FreeNet has been going on for quite a while now (since November 1993). Finally, at their last meeting, the menu design taskforce (systems design committee) approved the implementation of this guide. This guide will eventually augment the one found currently in the "Information Provider's Forum". Currently documents written by the taskforce's members will encorporate this new style guide, but eventually it is hoped that will be generally accepted throughout the system. If you wish to comment on or view it, "go menu-design". -- Matthew Darwin... Chair, Help Desk Committee... aa673@FreeNet.Carleton.CA Note: could someone bring this up please? I have a late and unexpected appointment in Smith's Falls and may not make it in time for the board meeting. Thanks, John. -- John P. Ferguson l 2nd Vice-President, N.C.Freenet l Office Tel # 236-0311 ext 554 Communications Section Ottawa Policel email aa110@freenet.carleton.ca Your Choice ==> 13 RICHARD LAFRAMBOISE ISSUE Date: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 08:36:43 -0400 From: aa001@freenet.carleton.ca (Dave Sutherland) To: aa331@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: [aj698@freenet.carleton.ca: hate crime case] Another possible agenda item. ================= Begin forwarded message ================= From: aj698@freenet.carleton.ca (Richard Laframboise) To: aa001@freenet.carleton.ca Cc: aj698@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: hate crime case Date: Mon, 11 Jul Dear Dave, I would like to know if I could present my case in person at the your general meeting on July 19th 1994. Could you put this on your agenda sheet entitled "Falsly Accussed by Richard Laframboise". I do know that the gays have been collecting my postings and my private emails I have been sending them and they have informed me that they have been sending them to you. Well thats all they have on me and nothing more. I can prove that they are creating phoney evidence on me and performing hate crimes on the gay sig which is not allowed. Richard. -- Dave Sutherland (613-788-2600 x3701) National Capital FreeNet Ottawa Canada