National Capital FreeNet Board Meeting, November 15, 1994 Honeywell Room RMOC/HQ 111 Lisgar Street AGENDA 1. Approval of the minutes of the October 18, 1994 meeting 2. Business arising from the Minutes a) The Resume Bank (Andrew Patrick) 3. Review of the Agenda 4. Executive Committee Report a) Operations Update (Lisa Donnelly) 5. Financial Report (Jean Wilmot) 6. Adding Executive Director to Siging Authority (Jean Wilmot) 7. Draft Mission Statement (Andrew Patrick) 8. NCF Organizational Structure Draft (Andrew Patrick) 9. NPTN Affiliate Status of NCF (David Sutherland) 10. Other Business a) Help Desk Committee to manage Public Meetings (Al Seaman) b) Gopher server facility on NCF (Dave Sutherland) 11. Next meeting 12. Adjournment 1994-10-25 *************************************************** * These are draft minutes only, and are subject * * to change until approved by * * the NCF Board of Directors. * *************************************************** Miutes of the National Capital FreeNet Board of Directors Meeting held on October 18, 1994 Colonel By Room - RMOC/HQ - Lisgar Street Ottawa, Ontario 1. Board Members in Attendance Andrew Patrick First Vice President Jean Wilmot Treasurer Al Seaman Secretary David Blackwood Julie Chahal Brett Delmage Rosaleen Dickson Marc Labelle David Loan Richard Taylor The meeting was called to order by Andrew Patrick at 7:07 PM. MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 20, 1994 MEETING 2. Motion by David Loan, seconded by Julie Chahal that the Minutes as previously circulated be approved. Motion carried. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES 3. Status of Acceptable Use Policy In response to a question on the current status of developing an Acceptable Use Policy, David Loan confirmed that he has turned over all of the material that he had to Brett Delmage. Brett indicated that he will resume work on the AUP as soon as he is finished with the current On-Line Auction project. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT 4. Summary from Andrew Patrick Andrew reported that there was no Executive Committee meeting in the month of October. In addition, he confirmed that one case of account suspension is currently under investigation. It was reported previously to the Board by Email, and will be reported on more completely when the investigation is complete. 5. Operations Update A summary of the Operations Update as available on-line was provided by Lisa Donnelly. In addition she also ommented on some additional points: - Mike Anderson (bc574) has just been hired as Administrative Coordinator to replace Kyla Huckerby, and she introduced him to the Board. - A "Big Mouth" computer based telephone answering system has been installed in the NCF office to help in dealing with the many calls to the office during, and outside of, normal office hours. - Lisa will follow up with the various work groups in the Board Development sessions to get the goals and objectives material that they developed, and will nag as may be necessary. FINANCIAL REPORT 6. Jean Wilmot tabled a Financial Report for the period January 1 to September 30, 1994 as previously posted. A copy of the report is attached to these minutes. TABLING OF DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT 7. A draft Mission Statement that was developed as part of the Board Development exercise has been posted to various newsgroups for public comment. A copy was also tabled for discussion and decision at the November Board meeting. It was noted that the original document was done in English only, and that unofficial translations have now been posted by Robert Rattey and Richard Taylor. Marc Labelle, on behalf of the Francophone Committee agree to create and post an "official" translation. PRESENTATION FROM THE "THE RESUME BANK" 8. Digger McDougall and Andrew Landanowski of the Resume Bank were present to provide information on their concept. This is not a company, but is simply a group of interested volunteers. The intent is to establish a computer based repository for personal resumes with facilities for employers to search the information to find qualified candidates for their personnel needs. They would like to have NCF provide the public interface to this system since the free access of NCF would ensure that it was available to all job seekers. A number of technical and ethical questions need to be resolved before anyinvolvement can be considered. Motion by Andrew Patrick, seconded by Al Seaman that NCF supports the initiative of the Resume Bank and that the project be referred to the Hardware/Software Committee for exploration. Motion carried. PROPOSAL FOR COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING FROM MARC GAUTHIER 9. Marc Gauthier produced a revised proposal on Oct. 11 which had been posted with the agenda documents. Gordon Pearson indicated that the proposal does not incorporate the details of prior discussions that he had wit Marc, and that it was not appropriate for the Board to spend time on the current draft. Gordon will bring the topic back to the Board when a complete draft of the proposal has been developed. BOARD DISCUSSIONS IN PUBLIC 10. Andrew Patrick introduced a previously posted discussion paper and motion formalizing the mechanics for public discussion of Board business. Motion by Andrew Patrick, seconded by David Blackwood: 1. That the NCF Board of Directors adopt and operate under a policy thatall discussions of the Board be done in public, except in cases that involve sensitive legal, financial, or personal information. Directors bringing items to the Board will be responsible for determining if an item is sensitive and should be private. If a majority of the Board determines that an item should be public, its status will be changed from private to public. 2. That the Board mailing list be restricted to Board members and the Executive Director, and that only items designated as "private" (see Point 1) be sent via this mechanism. Board members who send messages to the list that should be discussed in public will be reminded by their peers to use the public channels. 3. That in-camera sessions of Board meetings be restricted to Board members, the Executive Director, and individuals invited to discuss particular items (e.g., users involved in unacceptable use issues). Only items designated as "private" (see Point 1) will be discussed during in-camera sessions. 4. That the online discussion groups, moderated or unmoderated, be used for all other online discussions of Board business. Motion carried. OTHER BUSINESS 11. Updating and Distributing the Survival Guide A team from the Help Desk Committee including Matthew Darwin, Colin Dickinson, Pat Drummond, Miranda Gray, Heather MacFadyen, Don McCallum and Ben Kennedy has complted a total revision of the Survival Guide, including a printed version for sale to the public. The Board endorsed the concept of the document and the plans for distribution, and expressed appreciation for completion of this task. It was suggested that the document include (a) a one page information sheet on NCF, and (b) an envelope for users to mail a donation to NCF. NEXT MEETING 12. It was confirmed that the next meeting will be on November 15, 1994 at 7:00 PM in accord with the Board's monthly meeting policy. The location is to be the Honeywell Room at the RMOC/HQ. The deadline for agenda submissions is November 8. ADJOURNMENT 13. On a motion by David Loan, seconded by David Blackwood the meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM. ------------------------------------------------------------------ NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Statement of Revenue, Expense and Surplus for the period January 1,1994 to September 30,1994 (accrual basis & unaudited) Actual Budget Receipts Regular Donations 108,832 101,250 Line Sponsorships & Fundraising 12,055 24,200 Revenue from Affiliations (1) 772 n/a Public Access Site Cost Recovery (2) 2,208 n/a Government Grants 25,000 25,000 Conference & Misc. Revenues (3) 17,326 n/a Promotional Item Proceeds 1,928 n/a Deferred Contributions (4) 7,368 n/a _______ _______ Total Receipts 175,489 150,450 _______ _______ Service Expenses Phone Lines (5) 42,671 52,176 ONet fees (6) 11,070 10,834 Conference Expenses 14,917 n/a Cost of Promotional Items 1,264 n/a _______ _______ Total Service Expenses 69,922 63,010 _______ _______ General and Administrative Expenses Office Staff and Office Supplies 31,612 31,275 System Administration 36,951 44,625 Operations/Exec Director & Fundraising 21,949 27,600 Admin. & Professional Fees (7) 7,574 9,000 Public Access Sites 171 n/a Public Relations & Events 584 3,000 Depreciation of Equipment 20,750 n/a _______ _______ Total General & Admin Expenses 119,592 115,500 _______ _______ _______ _______ Net Surplus (Deficit) from Operations (14,024) (28,060) ======== ======== NOTES 1. Revenue from Network Training Services affiliate 2. Expenses for public access terminal connections to FreeNet host are recovered from the public access providers. 3. Includes '93 conference fees received in arrears, and Sutherland's speaker fee. 4. Deferred contributions relate to the unrecognized portion of contributed computer and telecommunications equipment. 5. No. of Phone Lines Actual: 160 Budget: 160 6. Includes $5,445 of the $14,445 ONet fees for May 1/93 - Apr. 30/94 and an accrual of $5,625 for the period May 1/94 - Aug. 31/94 The bill for 94/95 has not been received 7. Admin. and Professional Fees include: - printing expenses - bank service charges - accounting & audit expenses - volunteer honorariums - board & committee admin. expenses - insurance NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Balance Sheet as at September 30,1994 and December 31,1993 (accrual basis & unaudited) September 1994 December 1993 (unaudited) (audited) Assets Current Assets Cash 41,810 107,335 Current Receivables 0 3,000 Capital Assets,net of depreciation Computer Equipment 63,064 28,558 Telecommunications Equipment 77,988 53,095 Accumulated Depreciation -30,957 -10,07 ________ ________ Total Assets 151,905 181,781 ======== ======== Liabilities and Equity Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 722 35,181 Accrued Liabilities (1) 25,975 0 ________ ________ Total Liabilities 26,697 35,181 ________ ________ Equity Deferred Contribnsnet of amortization 27,020 34,388 Surplus 98,188 112,212 ________ ________ Total Equity 125,208 146,600 ________ ________ ________ ________ Total Liabilities and Equity 151,905 181,781 ======== ======== NOTES: 1. Includes accruals for a terminal server, ONet fees and Bell Canada installation and line charges for June, July, August & September NOVEMBER OPERATIONS UPDATE 1. Office and Administrative Update The last two weeks after the September Board meeting were spent primarily on working with Mike Anderson, the new Administrative Coordinator. We have cleaned and reorganized the office, as well as formalized some of the front-line volunteer activities. There has also been a refinement of the procedures for handling registration problems. The Big Mouth telephone answering system seems to be working fine. When volunteers are available they answer the phones directly otherwise the system takes the calls. Happily, we have had no major complaints. We are currently up to date on registrations. Mike has made amazing progress and I was able to begin working from my home office full-time as of 4 November. 2. We now have a Visa merchant number We plan to be accepting visa donations by mail for the auction. These will be mailed to the Development office. This has not yet been announced in the "go funding area." The Hardware/software committee is exploring ways to take Visa donations on-line in the future. The Great On-line Auction is proceeding well. We have had a variety of press coverage on the event - thanks to Mike, Gordon and the stars on the Auction committee. Gordon and Ian have been spending much of their time making this a success. Get your friends and relatives involved before the fun is over! 3. Board Recruitment As the reality of the next AGM looms ever closer it is necessary to start thinking about active Board recruitment. -I will be producing a brief report for the Board which will include an organization and Board needs assessment. This will indicate what type of people we want to attract to the NCF Board. -I will also produce a Board information package for possible candidates and for use by all Board members. 4. Committee Activity Now that the office is working smoothly, it is time to put more time into all the work carried out by the non-salaried contributors to NCF. I will be putting a great deal of energy into committee and volunteer activity. Brian and I are continuing to develop our volunteer recognition strategy. I would also like to have myself and staff (and all Board members who wish to participate) assisting in shaping the direction for individual operational committees so that activities and volunteers have good directions to work with while supporting organizational goals and objectives. Ideally, key tasks or projects will require task descriptions and active recruitment. This should result in less frustration and maximum effectiveness for all. Current Committee and Volunteer Activity Information Providers Dereck Payne ae162 & Al Seaman aa331 Dereck Payne has just returned for a two month sabbatical. He will be reactivating his involvement soon. Public Access Strategies Committee Chris Bradshaw aa122 & Julie Chahal ab161 Explores strategy and options for public access issues facing NCF. Will be meeting on Monday, 21 November. Public Access Installations Task Force Lisa Donnelly am412 Responsible for the installation, maintenance and appearance of Public Access Terminals, including signs and Survival Guides. This group is still in the formative stage. We are forming a group of Guardian angels to watch over terminals. There is also have a volunteer who will call other volunteers when repairs are needed. Help Desk Mathew Darwin aa673 & Al Seaman aa331 Answers all questions asked in the help desk or forwards the questions to the appropriate individuals or locations. Keep the help files current. Produces other versions of help documents found on the help desk. Assists in user education. Develops tools to help diagnose problems. -Will be handling public meetings until April. Documentation Task Force Heather MacFadyen ai529 & AL Seaman aa331 -The Survival Guide has gone to the printers. Documentation and fixing errors in the help files. Also documents new software: elm, trn, pine, & MMS. French Committee Charles Trahan aj279 & Marc Labelle ac078 The Francophone committee would like to interact more with the other NCF committees. Ideally we would like to see a Francophone on every committee so that Francophone issues and bilingualism will be a part of all FreeNet activities Hardware & Software Andrew Patrick aa118 This group just met on 9 November to discuss a multitude of projects. Auction Committee Gordon Pearson au167 There are two areas of activity in supporting the auction. One group is handling the promotion and logistics and a second group is handling the software and programming. So far progress is good and everything has proceeded relatively on time. Menu Design Task Force This group has been going through a restructuring phase. At this time Jim Elder, aa456, is heading the task force. Some volunteers with a great deal of relevant professional experience have been added to the group. The group is thinking in a top down manner regarding how to approaching the re-designing of the main menu. Donation Database Task Force This leaderless grou is involved in designing a Donations database that will allow all donations information to be in one place. This will be a great improvement for staff and especially for the Director of Development. NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Statement of Revenue, Expense and Surplus for the period January 1,1994 to October 31,1994 (accrual basis & unaudited) Actual Budget Receipts Regular Donations 116,292 112,388 Line Sponsorships & Fundraising 12,815 37,400 Revenue from Affiliations (1) 772 n/a Public Access Site Cost Recovery (2) 2,208 n/a Government Grants 25,000 25,000 Conference & Misc. Revenues (3) 23,326 n/a Promotional Item Proceeds 1,928 n/a Deferred Contributions (4) 7,368 n/a _______ _______ Total Receipts 189,709 174,788 _______ _______ Service Expenses Phone Lines (5) 49,135 58,259 ONet fees (6) 12,195 12,038 Conference Expenses 26,599 n/a Cost of Promotional Items 1,264 n/a _______ _______ Total Service Expenses 89,193 70,296 _______ _______ General and Administrative Expenses Office Staff and Office Supplies 34,506 34,880 System Administration 41,117 49,534 Operations/Exec Director & Fundraising 29,607 37,434 Admin. & Professional Fees (7) 8,489 9,990 Public Access Sites 257 n/a Public Relations & Events 584 3,300 Depreciation of Equipment 20,750 n/a _______ _______ Total General & Admin Expenses 135,309 135,168 _______ _______ _______ _______ Net Surplus (Deficit) from Operations (34,793) (30,677) ======== ======== NOTES 1. Revenue from Network Training Services affiliate 2. Expenses for public access terminal connections to FreeNet host are recovered from the public access providers. 3. Includes '93 conference fees received in arrears, and Sutherland's speaker fee. 4. Deferred contributions relate to the unrecognized portion of contributed computer and telecommunications equipment 5. No. of Phone Lines Actual: 160 Budget: 190 6. Includes $5,445 of the $14,445 ONet fees for May 1/93 - Apr. 30/94 and an accrual of $6,750 for the period May 1/94 - Oct. 31/94 The bill for 94/95 has not been received 7. Admin. and Professional Fees include: - printing expenses - bank service charges - accounting & audit expenses - volunteer honorariums - board & committee admin. expenses - insurance ------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET Balance Sheet as at October 31,1994 and December 31,1993 (accrual basis & unaudited) October 1994 December 1993 (unaudited) (audited) Assets Current Assets Cash 24,580 107,335 Current Receivables 0 3,000 Capital Assets,net of depreciation Computer Equipment 63,064 28,558 Telecommunications Equipment 77,988 53,095 Accumulated Depreciation -30,957 -10,207 ________ ________ Total Assets 134,675 181,781 ======== ======== Liabilities and Equity Current Liabilities Accounts Payable (1) 12,036 35,181 Accrued Liabilities (2) 18,200 0 ________ ________ Total Liabilities 30,236 35,181 ________ ________ Equity Deferred Contribns,net of amortization 27,020 34,388 Surplus 77,419 112,212 ________ ________ Total Equity 104,439 146,600 ________ ________ ________ ________ Total Liabilities and Equity 134,675 181,781 ======== ======== NOTES: 1. Includes Conference invoice of $11,851.82 2. Includes accruals for a terminal srver and ONet fees ADDING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SIGNING AUTHORITY BACKGROUND The FreeNet's banking resolution was prepared prior to the existence of the Executive Director position. Now that we have a person in this capacity, they should be added to the list of NCF signing authorities in our banking resolution. This will streamline the cheque preparation process by enabling the Executive Director to be one of two signatories, and eliminate routing of cheques between the President and Treasurer in two different locations. A second signature from one of the Treasurer, President or Vice-President will still be required. MOTION BANKING RESOLUTION OF DIRECTORS RESOLVED: 1. THAT an account in the name of the Company shall be kept at THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA (herein called the "Bank".) 2. THAT any two of the President, First Vice-President, Treasurer, or Executive Director are hereby authorized on behalf of the Company: (a) to borrow money from the Bank upon the credit of the Company on cheques, promissory notes, bills of exchange or otherwise in such amounts and subject to such terms as may be considered advisable; (b) to assign, transfer, convey, hypothecate, mortgage, charge or pledge to or in favour of the Bank any property of the Company, real or personal, moveable or immoveable, present or future, including book debts, unpaid calls, rights, powers, undertaking, franchises and the Company's own debentures, as security for the fulfilment of any liabilities or obligations, present or future, of the Company to the Bank and to empower the Bank or any person or persons to sell by public or private sale, assign, transfer or convey from time to time any such property; (c) to sign, make, draw, accept, endorse, execute and deliver on behalf of and in the name of the Company all such cheques, promissory notes, bills of exchange, drafts, acceptances, orders for the payment of money, warehouse receipts, bills of lading, agreements to give security, assignments, transfers, conveyances, hypothecs, mortgages, pledges, securities and other agreements, documents and instruments as may be necessary or useful in connection with the borrowing of money by and other banking business of the Company. 3. THAT any one of the President or Treasurer be and is hereby authorized on behalf of the Company: (a) to negotiate with or transfer to the Bank for deposit or discount with or collection by the Bank (but for the credit of the Company's account only) cheques, promissory notes, bills of exchange, drafts, orders for the payment of money and other instruments, whether negotiable or not, purporting to be signed or endorsed on behalf of the Company by any one of them or having the name of the Company impressed thereon by rubber stamp or other device without any signature; (b) to arrange, settle, balance and certify all books and accounts between the Company and the Bank and to receive all paid cheques and other vouchers, unpaid and unaccepted bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and to sign the Bank's form of settlement of balances and release; (c) to delegate any authority conferred on such person by sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of this paragraph to any other employee of the Company, by notice in writing filed with the Bank. 4. THAT all agreements, documents and instruments signed, made, drawn, accepted, endorsed or executed as aforesaid shall be valid and binding on the company. 5. THAT the Company shall furnish the Bank with a list of the names of all persons authorized by this Resolution to do any act or thing, together with specimens of their signatures, and shall notify the Bank from time to time in writing of all changes of such persons; and such list when received by the Bank shall be binding on the Company until written notice to the contrary shall have been given to the Bank and receipt of such notice acknowledged by the Bank. 6. THAT this Resolution shall be communicated to the Bank and shall continue in force as between the Company and the Bank until written notice to the contrary shall have been given to the Bank and receipt of such notice acknowledged by the Bank. DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT After a long development process, the Board of Directors has drafted the following mission statement. We believe that this statement expresses the vision and values of the National Capital FreeNet. We invite your comments and discussion on this statement. The draft Mission Statement will be tabled for discussion at the October Board meeting, and a motion for adoption will be brought forward at the November meeting. National Capital FreeNet Draft Mission Statement The National Capital FreeNet is a free, computer-based information sharing network. It links the people and organizations of this region, provides useful information, and enables an open exchange of ideas with the world. Community involvement makes FreeNet an important and accessible meeting place, and prepares people for full participation in a rapidly changing communications environment. **** nonc‚ de mission """"""""""""""""" (‚bauche) Le Libertel de la Capitale nationale est un r‚seau informatique d'information partag‚e et gratuite. Il relie les gens et les organisations de la r‚gion, produit de l'information utile et favorise un ‚change ouvert d'id‚es ... l'‚chelle du monde. La participation communautaire fait du Libertel un lieu de rencontre accessible et majeur, et contribue ... la participation efficace des gens dans un monde de communication en ‚volution constante. National Capital FreeNet Organizational Structure DRAFT Version 1.2 -- 10/16/94 At the last Board Development session we began to consider what organizations schemes would be best for the NCF. After considering a number of very different schemes, a rough consensus developed for one scheme. Lisa and I have been tasked with trying to express that scheme in an electronic format and begin discussion on the topic. Below you will find a description of the scheme in text and two diagrams. You will probably have to print these out in order to examine them, as they are difficult to view on a small screen. The fundamental principles of the scheme are: - a complex, matrix model of communication and interaction - a simple model of reporting and direction - flexible arrangements depending on the topic - combines features of collective and policy board models - board members can be actively involved in some committees Here are diagrams and notes about the relationships for both communication and reporting: Communication/Interaction Relationships --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- | Board of Directors | /| | / | ------------------------| / | | Executive Committee | / --------------------------------------------- / / B | A || D \ I / / | || \ / / ---------------------- C -------------------------- / | | Executive Director | ======= | Staff/Admin Volunteers | / | ---------------------- -------------------------- / | // || \ || / E | // D || ------------ F || | | // || \ || | ------------- G ------------- ------------- | | Committee | ---------- | Committee | | Committee | ... | ------------- ------------- ------------- | \\ || // | Group | | \\ H || // --------- | \\ || // | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | \ | | \ | M E M B E R S | \| | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: ----- - all paths are bidirectional. - || marks primary paths, | marks secondary paths. - the Exec Dir is the centre of the communications network. - the Exec Director communications upwardly to the Exec Committee (primary: A) and the Board (B). - the Staff communicate primarily to the Executive Director (C), but may at times also communicate directly with the Executive Committee (e.g., technical issues). - committees communicate primarily with the Executive Director (D), but may, depending on the task, communicate also with the Board (E), with the Staff/Admin Volunteers (F), and each other (G). - the membership communicates primarily through the committees (H), but there may be some direct communication with the Board (e.g., online discussion groups) (I). =========================================================================== Reporting/Direction Relationships --------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- | Board of Directors | | | | ------------------------| | | Executive Committee | --------------------------------------------- B | A || | || ---------------------- C -------------------------- | Executive Director | ======= | Staff/Admin Volunteers | ---------------------- -------------------------- // || \\ // D || ============ // || \\ ------------- ------------- ------------- | Committee | | Committee | | Committee | ... ------------- ------------- ------------- \\ || // | Group | \\ E || // --------- \\ || // ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | | | | M E M B E R S | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: ----- - all paths are bidirectional. "Reporting" tends to be in an upward direction, "direction" tends to be in a downward direction. - || marks primary paths, | marks secondary paths. - the Exec Dir is the centre of the network. - the Exec Director reports to and takes direction from the Exec Committee (primary: A) and the Board (B). - the Staff reports to and takes direction from the Executive Director (C). - committees report to the Executive Director (D). - the membership interacts primarily through the committees (E). - not shown here is the idea that the Board will, in some way, report to and take direction from the membership in an elected democracy. An issue is how close the direction and reporting relationship should be. Notes for Discussion -------------------- Areas that seem to require some discussion by the Board include: - the roles and responsibilities of the Executive Director. In this proposal, that position is central to the reporting and communications scheme. This means that this person should have a lot of authority and ability to act independently. What level of responsibility is the Board of Directors comfortable with? - the existence and role of the Executive Committee of the Board. In this scheme, the Executive Committee is the primary reporting place for the Executive Director. It is anticipated that this committee will provide whatever day-to-day direction that the ED or other staff members require, and continue its role in approving small spending decisions and making routine decisions. Some Board members seem uncomfortable with the role, or perhaps the very existence, of an Executive Committee. - the involvement of the Board in committee work and day-to-day operations. In this scheme, there is a provision for some committees to work closely with Board members. We anticipate that, for some functions, it will be advantageous to have Board members involved in the day-to-day work of committees and work groups. At what level are Board members interested in working on the various tasks of the NCF? NPTN AFFILIATE STATUS OF NCF From: aa001@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Dave Sutherland) Subject: NPTN Affiliate status Date: Sat, 5 Nov 1994 22:17:38 GMT For discussion at the next Board meeting: peter f. harter writes: From pfh@nptn.org Sun Oct 30 12:40:40 1994 Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 12:40:33 -0500 To: daves@ccs.carleton.ca From: pfh@nptn.org (peter f. harter) Subject: Affiliate status of National Capital Free-Net Hi Dave - From what I have been able to observe via listservs and newspaper reports, all is going well for the National Capital Free-Net. Cheers! Since the Telecommunities Canada conference in August progress has been made with regard to the working relationship between TC and NPTN. Michael Gillespie, TC's liason to NPTN, has been helpful in relaying TC information and positions on various issues. With his comments and reactions, NPTN was able to issue its policy statement on its international Affiliates and Organizing Committees. NPTN received only a few comments about it, all in support. I have been putting this contact on hold to let the foregoing events pass and have time to settle. Now it is time to address some pressing business issues that remain unresolved. To follow up on our conversation at lunch one day during the TC conference I am enclosing via snailmail a current NPTN Cybercasting Services catalog for your review. It shows that only a few of the services offerred have any nation specific content. Also, following this message will be two messages describing the benefits of being a part of the NPTN family of Free-Net(R) community omputing systems. Others have requested a "benefits" list to use when going before their board for affiliation approval. You mentioned that you would need some material along these lines for that purpose. If what you see in the following messages is not sufficient please let me know and I will work with you to provide information to suit your specific needs. Also included in the snailmail package that I am sending to you is a new Affiliation Agreement for you to review and to sign. Since the National Capital Free-Net has been online for some time now and has publicly declared itself as an Affiliate of NPTN it is time to finalize this relationship by signing an affiliation contract. Since our conversation in August a few matters have changed with regard to the Affiliate Agreement that I want to bring to your attention. On 17 September 1994, NPTN's Board of Trustees increased the affiliate fee from $1200 to $2000 U.S.. However, since the National Capital Free-Net has been online for some time now and since it has been "walking and talking like an affiliate", I am able to offer your system the old rate of $1200 at this time. Also, the Board of Trustees voted to allow Affiliates to charge user fees. Other news: * NPTN has produced a fundraising training kit for its Affiliates and Organizing Committees. It contains a videotape and training materials. It is available for $50.00. (NPTN has to defray its costs and must charge for this item.) Please contact Lori Szekely NPTN's Administrative Assistant (ljs@nptn.org), if you wish to find out more about the kit and or order one. * NPTN has legal counsel in Toronto to assist NPTN in servicing the legal needs of its Affiliates and Organizing Committees. * The content development program of NPTN is always interested in working with its Affiliates to create new content services that can be Cybercasted across NPTN's network and out to its Affiliates. Should the National Capital Free-Net be able to develop some content of interest to NPTN and of network quality, a reduction / proration in your affiliate fee would be negotiated. Please let me know what sort of time frame that you think all of these issues can be addressed and resolved. Best Regards, Peter. -- Peter F. Harter, Executive Director & General Counsel National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN) 30680 Bainbridge Road, Suite 100-B, Solon, Ohio 44139-2268 U.S.A. S-Mail: P.O. Box 1987, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-0187 U.S.A. E-mail: pfh@nptn.org Voice: 216/498-4050 Fax: 216/498-4051 "Free-Net" is a servicemark of NPTN registered in the U.S. and Canada. HELP DESK COMMITTEE TO MANAGE PUBLIC MEETINGS NCF has had a tradition of holding public meetings at the Ottawa Public Library at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of every month for almost two years. Initially, the meetings were run by members of the Board, and focussed on organizational and technical issues, and general introductory information for new users. For the past summer, the responsibility for managing and running the monthly Public Meetings was delegated to the Help Desk Committee. The emphasis of these meetings has been on providing users with general information on system usage, and dealing with questions on problems and other issues from those present. The format has proven to be quite popular. In order to provide for continuity and better planning, it is proposed that the responsibility for the Public Meeting be formally delegated to the Help Desk Committee until and including the April 1995 meeting. The meeting format is intended to cover basic introductory information along with additional topics such as advanced sessions, special events and information provider introductions at the discretion of the Committee. GOPHER SERVICE FACILITIES ON NCF I have had a number of requests for the NCF to provide gopher server facilities. The latest one is from the RCMP who wants to establish an information area accessable throughour Canada. What should our position be on supporting gopher servers? -- Dave Sutherland National Capital FreeNet Ottawa Canada