Good work Elvira and Communication Infrastructure WG (WG2)!

<Translation please>
====================================
Update from Working Group 1 Organizing Structure

The mandate of the Organizing Structure WG was to pre-discuss and keep track
of issues facing the network, and to make recommendations where possible.

-------------------------------------------------------
ISSUES:

1 Current System of WORKING GROUPS

WG1: Organizing structure ('OURgovernance') - facilitated by Janey Gordon
and myself
WG2: Communications Infrastructure - facilitated by Elvira
WG3: Next Conference - facilitated by Clemencia
WG4: Funding, Publications & Special Projects - facilitated by Jethro Petit
Archived discussions: http://om6.engagemedia.org/index.php/Working_Groups

WG5?- 
Seems like a new working group has emerged on the global alternative media
research project, which addresses a suggestion for a bibliography project
made last year. Please give us details on this project, including how to
join and where the ML is archived.
http://www.ourmedianetwork.org/wiki/start

positive: 
+ it's simple: WGs have their own mailing lists, reducing traffic on main
mailing lists (ourmedia-l) to a reasonable amount. ourmedia-l is dedicated
to announcements and discussions of interest to all.
+ transparency: details of mailing list discussion can be checked by anyone
here: http://om6.engagemedia.org/index.php/Working_Groups

negative:
- not enough transparency: currently WGs organize and decide things without
reporting regularily to the ourmedia-l
- language barrier: WGs are mostly (all?) English for lack of
facilitators/funding

recommendations: 
---> WG facilitators should report regularily to ourmedia-l (the pace may
vary, e.g. Before conference, the conference WG should send updates every 2
weeks, but the rest of the year, not so often, etc.). These should be
translated. In case they forget, a facilitator-coordinator should be
appointed to remind them. In addition, all network members should take an
interest in what working groups are doing and ask whenever they feel like
it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 decision making structures / accountability
There are currently no defined decision making structures.

positive:
+ in most cases, the working groups work very effectively by consensus.

negative:
- there is concern that some decisions affecting the whole network are made
out of sight and without participation by all.

recommendations:
--> For certain sensitive decisions affecting the whole network (conference
locations, certain funding/fundraising issues including for infrastructure,
new working groups etc.), an alternative to small-group consensus-decision
making should be considered, for example, voting by the whole network.
Process and timeline should be spelled out, publicized, translated and stuck
to. How they do this should be left to each working group though, i.e. There
is no 'higher body' that decides how WGs should do things, their only
accountability is to the whole network, represented by our 'virtual
plenary', the ourmedia-l mailing list.

---------------------------------------------------------
3 other issues facing the network long-term:

- institutional memory (much helped by new site already)
- fundraising for the network itself (not only conferences but specific
services such as webhosting, translating, other network facilitation) +
connected financial accountability
- promotion of the network/name recognition (possible solution for sorting
out the confusion created by a US based organization owning the URL
ourmedia.org --> infrastructure WG; better presence on wikipedia ...).
- Possibility of moving beyond a 'conferencing & info exchange network' at
some point (including participation in projects like the 'labeling scheme'
suggested by Ellie ... Perhaps through creation of more working groups
within the network?)
Leftover from Sydney:
- outreach e.g. to specific geographies & constituencies, to our own home
communities and aboriginal peoples

------------------------------------------------
UPDATE ABOUT THE ORGANIZING STRUCTURE WG:

PROBLEM 1: Archives of the working group wiki (and last year's conference
wiki) had to be shut down after a troll attack. We requested that they be
archived at the ourmedianet.org site or better yet, moved to another wiki.
Is the data still available somewhere (e.g. On engagemedia.org)? --> WG 2!

PROBLEM 2: Most members were new to the OM network, had difficulty gaining
an overview of what needed dicussing, staying involved. New members and
co-facilitators wanted! (to this e-mail address or sign up directly at
http://lists.ou.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=omivoutreach&A=1 and introduce
yourself.)

=================================
All for now. Stefania Milan is in Accra and will be able to talk about these
points, and serve as a contact person.

G
(below are Elvira's report and an old report on Working Groups and issues
discussed in Sydney)

On 12/08/08 11:09 PM, "Elvira Truglia" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I agreed to facilitate WG2 - Communications Infrastructure.
> 
> As a reminder about the rationale for setting up a communications working
> group -- as explained at the OURFuture meeting at OM6 in Syndey, the
> communications infrastructure has been put together piece meal over the last
> number of years and has gotten very messy. The idea of the working group is
> to hopefully tidy things up. The housecleaning list includes: server
> hosting, mailing lists, wiki, web sites (conference & network), translation
> of content, and more.
> 
> Here's what we've done since Syndey:
> -Set up mailing lists for each working group (currently hosted on
> Clemencia's university server - https://lists.ou.edu/ <https://lists.ou.edu/>
> )
> -Set up a new OURMEDIA WEb site (http://Ourmedianet.org
> <http://Ourmedianet.org> ) using an
> interactive content management system (Drupal) (thanks to Russell Kerr!!)
> -Decided on a new ISP - http://www.ecohosting.net/
> <http://www.ecohosting.net/>  (Ecohosting is a socially
> responsible ISP in Montreal, Canada)
> -Decided on a funding the new ISP through individual contributions by
> members of the working group (thanks to all who volunteered to contribute!)
> 
> Still to be done (in progress):
> -finish transferring content to the new site
> -finish Spanish version of the new site
> -ensure transfer of web site content to the new ISP
> -ensure follow-up on contributions for setting up new ISP
> -set up current mailing lists on the new ISP and transfer e-mail addresses
> 
> Questions for OM7 in Ghana:
> -pass the ball on coming up with a system for funding the ISP in the future
> -are you happy with the work of the WG2 so far and shall we continue?
> -does anyone else have time and energy to contribute?
> 
> Current members of the WG2 (joined in Sydney or during the last year)
> Leo Berkeley
> Ampara Cadavid
> John Downing
> Alfonso Gumucio Dragon
> Usha Harris
> Deborah Heimann
> Faheem Hussain
> Russell Kerr
> Dorothy Kidd
> Stefania Milan
> Frederick Noronha
> Geraldine Peters
> Jethro Pettit
> Clemencia Rodriguez
> Juan Salazar
> Verena Thomas
> Elvira Truglia
> Adelaida Trujillo
> 
> Wishing you all a great conference and looking forward to hearing about how
> everything went!!!
> 
> Best,
> 
> Elvira Truglia
> 
> p.s. if someone could translate this message into Spanish, it would be
> greatly appreciated!
>  
> p.p.s. Wilna - could you include this in the discussions in the OURFuture
> meetings in Ghana? (Russell - maybe you could speak on behalf of our working
> group?)
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
>> ====================================================
>> http://om6.engagemedia.org/index.php/Working_Groups
>> <http://om6.engagemedia.org/index.php/Working_Groups>
>> ====================================================
>> Working Groups
>> Since 2004 OURMedia/NUESTROS Medios had been organized through the
> 'steering
>> committee' list . However, it became clear that one group is not enough.
> At
>> the OURFuture Plenary in Sydney, a system of Working Groups was set up.
> The
>> working groups organized through listservs and document their work on wiki
>> pages (collectively edited webpages like this one). Any ourmedia member is
>> free to join, read archives and/or comment.
>> --> to join a working group, contact the facilitator
>> --> to check what the working groups have been doing, go to the archive
> and
>> wiki page of each list
>> 
>> OURMedia Plenary List
>> This is the OURmedia 'Virtual Plenary' to which all OURMedia Members are
>> subscribed.
>> Facilitator: Clemencia Rodriguez e-mail: clemencia (AT) ou.edu
>> List address= Ourmedia-l (at) lists.ou.edu
>> Archives: http://lists.ou.edu/archives/ourmedia-l.html
>> <http://lists.ou.edu/archives/ourmedia-l.html>
>> 
>> Central Coordinating List
>> The old 'steering committee' list will probably be used to coordinate the
>> working groups. Details to be discussed by WG1.
>> 
>> WG1: Organizing structure ('OURgovernance')
>> facilitators G_abi H_adl email: k70 (AT) mac.com , Janey Gordon;
>> List Address: OMIVOUTREACH (AT) lists.ou.edu ;
>> WG1 List Archives
>> WG1 Wiki
>> 
>> WG2: Communication Infrastructure
>> facilitator E_lvira T_ruglia e-mail: e_truglia(AT)sympatico.co
>> List address: OMIVANNOUNCE(AT)lists.ou.edu
>> WG2 List Archives
>> WG2 Wiki
>> 
>> WG3: Next Conference
>> facilitator Clemencia Rodriguez e-mail: clemencia (AT) ou.edu
>> List address= OMIVPROGRAM (at) lists.ou.edu
>> WG3 List Archives
>> WG3 Wiki
>> 
>> WG4: Funding, Publications & Special Projects
>> facilitator: Jethro Pettit e-maiL J.Pettit (AT) ids.ac.uk
>> List address TBA
>> List Archives TBA
>> WG4 Wiki
>> 
>> Other issues that await addressing and/or working group formation:
>> outreach e.g. to specific geographies, to our own home constituencies
>> (raised at Sydney Plenary)
>> discussion on outreaching more, e.g. absence of aboriginal peoples (at
>> Plenary)
>> name confusion with ourmedia.org (longstanding unresolved issue)
>> annoted Bibliography of ourmedia related books and people
>> (OURBibliography?
>> OURMediaPedia?) -- suggestion by lisa.stefanoff(AT)nyu.edu 4/2007

************************************
OURMedia/NUESTROSMedios
A network of alternative, community & citizens media
research and practice
http://Ourmedianet.org
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
OURmailing list (subscribe/unsubscribe):
http://lists.ou.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=ourmedia-l&A=1
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6th Conference: Sydney, April 9-13, 2007
http://www.ourmedia07.net/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Join an OURFuture Working Group: Organization Structure, Communication
Infrastructure, Next Conference, Special Projects and more...
http://om6.engagemedia.org/index.php/Working_Groups