Candidate Statements --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- Andrew Nellis ------------- Last year, before the Net Abuse Response Team was formed, the National Capital FreeNet was immobilized -- by spam. For hours and days on end, no one could send or receive e-mail because our mail server was completely tied up by the gargantuan amounts of junk e-mail being forced on our unwilling members by spammers. It is estimated that at current rates of increase, every person the Internet will receive 150 pieces of junk e-mail per day by the year 2000. Some of the most popular newsgroups on NCF can no longer be received because the spammers have flooded them with so many pornographic advertisements that the resources needed to keep these newsgroups has become prohibitive. More than 80% of all Usenet postings are now spam or cancel messages for that spam. Clearly then, abuse of the Internet by sleazy con men out for a quick, dishonest buck is a problem that has a direct impact on the members of the NCF. Unless something is done to prevent it from happening, the entire future of both the NCF and the Internet itself is at stake. The magnitude of the problem means we can no longer afford to watch from the sidelines; the NCF must take an active role in stopping this. We must become leaders rather than observers. As one of the largest FreeNets in the world, the NCF is a role model for other systems. Others will follow our lead in how we react to this crisis, and the solutions we develop will ripple outward across the entire Internet. Is this a censorship issue? Definitely. Our resources are finite. Resources stolen by these scam artists are resources not available by YOU. Countermeasures which have to be taken to protect our system from spammers have the effect of limiting its usefulness to members. The spammers, then, are limiting your capacity for communication. They neither care for nor value the medium they are destroying in their quest for a fast dollar. If elected to the board, I promise to do everything in my power to protect you from these jackals, and to minimize the impact of doing so. A vote for me is a vote against spam. ------------ Miranda Gray ------------ I got involved first with NCF purely as a way to get an email address. But I began reading the Star Trek SIG and slowly I got sucked in. That was way back in 1993. I believe access to online material is a growing need in this area. More information becomes only available online everyday. I believe that providing that access to my neighbours is a good use of my energies. I have been an NCF volunteer, run Help Desk Live sessions, wrote help files, answered questions and diagnosed problems at Public Access Terminals. I have a history of service to NCF members. Specifically I want to work in the area of content development in the next year. I strongly believe that NCF will not survive if it is not an interesting place to visit. [While you and I know it is a neat place to hang out, NCF has to recruit new members to live on.] Information providers are one key to recruiting new members. Unfortunately, NCF has lost more Information Providers in the past year than it has managed to recruit. Even more seem to be having problems remaining active. Yet clearly in the real world, more and more organizations are moving on to the web. There seems to be a contradiction here. I don't believe NCF has to be the biggest FreeNet to be a success. I think we have to be the most interesting online site in Ottawa to survive. IMO, NCF must re-examine what services it provides to its Information Providers. This discussion has to happen at the board level. Comments and suggestions from information providers and volunteers are not enough to enact change. I am running for the board for the same reason most people run for office: to make a difference. I want to be a board member who is responsive to member's concerns, a board member who has a vision of where NCF should be in 3 years, a board member who has potential members in mind when making decisions. If you have specific concerns you would like addressed, please post them in the discussion group. Although I am a busy 3rd Psychology student at Carleton University, I do pop in daily and I will post a reply. Just in case, you've forgotten who is talking here, I am Miranda Gray ak717. Please vote for me. Thank you. --------------- Dave Sutherland --------------- I have been involved with the following NCF-related activities: - chairman of the NCF board and president from 1992 to date - chair of the original organizing committee formed at Carleton University in October 1991 - a signatory to the original Letters Patent - chaired many public meetings promoting the development of the project from October 1991 until its launch in February 1993 - part of the group that obtained the original funding for the NCF: - negotiated a $10,000 start-up grant from Industry Canada - negotiated a Sun SparcStation and its subsequent upgrade from Sun Microsystems (freenet1) as well as an additional system (freenet5). - wrote the Ontario Network Infrastructure Program grant submission that is providing $140,000 in support over 3 years. - obtained the original 24 2400 baud modems from Gandalf - represented the NCF on the board of Telecommunities Canada and ONET as well as the Information Highway Advisory Council - chaired the 1993 and 1994 Canadian Freenet conferences. I believe the NCF should be: - free to use in order to provide access to the broadest possible segment of our community - a significant contributor to the quality of life in the Ottawa-Carletion region. Education and computer literacy are important goals for the NCF. In addition, it provides both an important information resource and a meeting ground for members of our community. - accessible to as many people as possible - structured to meet the needs of the majority of users The priorities for the NCF are: - responsible stewardship to ensure continued viability - fundraising. We must seek new sources of funds as well as develop programs to encourage members to provide continuing support. - development of more efficient software to provide improved service from the limited resources - expansion of the services provided to the Francophone community. ------------ John Stewart ------------ I've been involved with the NCF from the very beginning when we first installed the Freeport software onto a Sun system at Carleton. Over the years I've spent a lot of time upgrading the system software on our Sun systems and dealing with unexpected system problems. While my contributions to the NCF have been largely in the technical area I do keep track of what the organization as a whole is doing by monitoring the board newsgroup and occasionally attending board meetings. I am proud of the contribution the NCF has made to community networking. However the world we live in has changed drastically since the NCF was started and we must be prepared to make major changes to our services if the NCF is to remain relevant into the next millenia. As someone with both a technical background and interest in community networking I believe I can make a positive contribution to guiding the NCF. ------------ Robert Blane ------------ EXPERIENCE SUMMARY My experience includes information needs assessments, organizing information content, accessing and delivering critical information, and supporting technology applications. Robert has led projects and has implemented software products in both private and public sectors. He is an experienced trouble shooter and has developed solutions that are innovative and practical. Robert has a Diploma in Business Administration and is certified in Records Management. High Technology Training in the from of the Career Transitions Program, which is a portion of CATM program. Robert has Internet knowledge and is familiar with the following softwares: WordPerfect 6.0 for windows, QuattoPro 6, dBASE 5, and Lotus 123. He is familiar with the following operating systems: Windows 95, Microsoft Window 3.1, and DOS. He has done some programming in DBASE and basic. He has worked with and made recommendations in regards to VAX based network and a Windows 95 peer to peer network. EDUCATION CAREER TRANSITIONS PROGRAM from Learnsoft, Ottawa 1997 LAW FOR RECORDS MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE from Mohawk College, Hamilton 1994 CERTIFICATE OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT from George Brown College, Toronto 1991 DIPLOMA BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WITH HONOURS from Seneca College, Toronto 1986 INVOLVEMENT in the National Capital Freenet Sept 1996 to Present: HELP DESK & ADMINISTRATION I have acted as the Administrative Coordinator while the Administrative Coordinator was away on vacation. I have been working on computer registrations, answering telephone inquires, working a voice mail & phone information system, checking cheques before deposit. Board Meetings I have been in attendance at the following board meetings to get a sense and feel for the Freenet's Board management style and directions. September 16, 1998 (note listed as a guest) October 21, 1998 December 16, 1998 January 20, 1998 February 17, 1998 Awards: National Capital Freenet Volunteer of the Month October 1997 Other Skills Upgrading Computer Systems -Software and Hardware ------------- Jessica Cohen ------------- What has always drawn me towards the Free-Net concept is the role freenets and similar community networks can play as the great equalizer, giving a voice to everyone , and providing the opportunity for an open , democratic exchange of either information or opinion, and often both. This is why NCF is so important. Community networks imply community right in their names. Through NCF anyone can access and provide information, whether they are using a top-of-the-line pentium , or a vt100 terminal at a public access site. And anyone can take part in the community, or in one of the many communities that have evolved on NCF; both on NCF, and as part of a larger Ottawa-and-area electronic community. Every IP area, every SIG houses a small community that is all an important part of the overall NCF community. And the NCF community is an important part of the Ottawa community , as well as in the Canadian community, and in fact the global community. And within any of these communities , individuals, and organizations (such as NCF's information providers) have the ability to make their voices heard, and seek out, provide, and share their information and ideas with each other, through newsgroups, through NCF menus, through the web, as a few examples). I have been a Board member of NCF for the past three years. I am running for re-election because I value this community, both the local community and the role NCF plays in the global community. I want to continue to work towards NCF maintaining, and in fact increasing its relevance. NCF has alot to offer , and I want to stay involved as it continues to grow, and reach towards its full potential. I believe strongly in electronic communities as the medium for the free and open exchange of ideas, and NCF, as an electronic community is an integral part of this communication. As a final observation, I am sure it is no coincidence that "community" and "communication" are such similar words.