June 11, 2009 Notes

In attendance: Sylvia, Daniel, Micah, Alfredo, Jamie, Mallory, Charles, Nancy, Lou

  • Database issue:
    • We're stuck between choosing the database ourselves vs. waiting to get input from comm and resource wg
  • ICT Outreach
    • Plan for integrating new volunteers, starting now but ongoing. Needed resources: welcome document, FAQ on joining the ICT, leadership for new volunteers, training needs assessment and schedule. Rationale: If you don't have a plan ready for integrating new people, don't do outreach!
    • Plan for reaching out to likely suspects first - even though this may not result in volunteers. Write: description of the work of the ICT in 2007, 'call' for progressive tech folks (and others) to join us in building for the USSF, announcement only list (because a discussion list will drive away people who want to lurk)
    • Wish list. What do we, as the tech committee, want from the progressive tech world? A list of likely projects could help. We should start thinking of ideas that we know we won't actually deal with for some time, in hopes of recruiting project leaders with the right skill set. Example: democracy tools in the site (ranking systems), hardware procurement and setup for Detroit, and ... more ideas?
  • Proposal date to create CiviCRM installation for anyone interested in participating. Charles recommends capturing and sharing image(s) and documentation for storytelling in future. We should outreach to others on the ICT mailing list. Sunday, 6/14, 5pm EST.

Added from Nancy's notes (please change if any of this was reversed after I left the call):

  • We discussed whether we can handle donations and how to do so by the launch date and I believe people were going to investigate further -- did we come to a conclusion or delegate the decision to anyone?
  • We discussed a little what we need for the web site on June 22 - Nancy feels there should be some real human content -- showing real people, not just abstract ideas. Alfredo said the key is to show what people need to know (that it's going to happen, where, what kind of work being done, workgroups are meeting, process has begun), and encourage them to do what they need to do. Then we discussed a little: what we want them to do? I think the consensus was that we want them to be excited about the potential and have them come back, keep in touch. We talked about having an email list sign-up as the first step..

I'll move this, to be continued, to the website page.

  • Next ICT Conference Call Thurs, 6/25/09 at 5pm EST.