Meeting Notes 2023-09-06

Attendees

Andy, Ian, Paige, Jonathan, Kent, Jake, Muiren

Agenda

• temescal brewing event
• Reimagining the new member process

Membership

• Andy: membership process needs to be less confusing / less of an obstacle. New name for membership more like "authorized user."

Hey everyone! This is all great insights, and I want to remind everyone we have a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, September 5th) at 8 PM if people want to chat about some of this in person.

My personal opinion is that we should change the terms we use. What we currently call "Members" should be called "admins" or something that better describes highly involved members engaged in managing the space. And I think we should apply the term "members" to anyone who walks in the door and wants to feel a sense of belonging. Basically, if you agree to adhere to the code of conduct and sign up for the malinglist, you're now a "member".

> we should apply the term "members" to anyone who walks in the door and wants to feel a sense of belonging.

Love it. Ironically this reminds me of the way sudo used to be, before incorporating or formalizing any process or moving to omni. Except there were always stark inequities in who felt comfortable actually declaring a person's membership to exist. I hope we can do better this time around.

This also begs the question of whether or how we keep track of membership - should there be a centralized list or not? Is sudo-humans appropriate or up to the task? Either way, sudo-humans would need to be changed.

Do we need a member list

• Andy: Member list useful for knowing who can endorse
• Jonathan: we can create a proposal today to send to the mailing list
• Jonathan: what we want sudo room - to be a semi public space. Access space limited when no "sponsored members" are here, but otherwise we want people coming in freely.

Discussion of sudo humans

• Andy: useful to boil this down, what are the problems,
• Jonathan: primary goal - getting new people to feel comfortable using the space. Right now current membership is a lot for people. Also not clear to some

===== people that they are able to participate even while endorsement process takes place two tiers - member idea of a sponsoring member. Responsibility to do monthly donation, and get ability to vote in meetings and cardkey access

• Andy: membership - only requirement: agree to code of conduct. Name of "admin" works well with theme of sudo.

• Kent: how does noisebridge deal with membership?

we looked up - 4 weeks with 2 sponsors for membership. Also sliding scale

• Jake: how I encourage people to join, is to tell them how easy the process it is, escort them around, make them feel welcome personally. I make them feel welcome by offering them a key right away. I dont think its that much of a burden to pay $10. What works is taking their hand, giving them access key, opening membership form for them. No substitute for that.

• Andy - if we tell people to come to an event, they may get lost. We mean membership to mean something greater than "access"

• Jonathan - another way of definining the challenge - it is not immediately obvious to a new member that this is not a private space. We are not a biker club, the masons, we dont need someone to shuffle you in there. But practically, front door is locked, often sudo room too. The other option would be through signage, how we market, to be clear that this space is an open space for community to use. Whereas members are people who steward and sustain the space (through monetary funds).

• Andy: Lets use new member (who was confused) as an example. Was very difficult, and confusing for this person. Biggest barrier was person asked: "how do I join and become a member." Maybe this person just needed a welcoming in, but instead we went straight to the membership process.

• Andy: I also felt the process was confusing when I first applied. I didn't feel like anyone wanted me to be in this space. The process doesnt feel easy or enthusiastic.

• Paige: If we underscore to new members that this is a community space, that can help people feel more welcome

• Kent: when I joined, Jake helped becoming member and that was easy. Payments was cumbersome -- instructions weren't clear and was clunky. Signing up for a mailing list is the first step. I'm with Jake, the best thing is to get the person to come in person. Give them a brief tour. Right now Tuesday night is the only day we do that, so more days would be great

Proposal

• Jonathan - not enough people coming to these meetings to make quorum. At a meeting, people can propose and discuss things they like to change. If no quorum, then put proposal to mailing list. If by the time the next monthly meeting occurs, and no major opposition on mailing list, whoever is at the next meeting can do an up or down vote and make deciscion.

• Andy - another way we can get more stuff done is by having our working groups active. Working groups can research and come to meetings to make their proposals.

• Jonathan - necessary before better organizing: an asynchronous way to share information. From experience the wiki is not set up currently to be very

• Jonathan - first Wednesday meeting, anyone can make proposal. If no quorum, not enough people for consensus, then based on discussion they had with who was at the meeting, they can post proposal to mailing list. Proposal period 30 days. Votes made through the mailing list or at that second meeting are tallied, and at that point it is either up or down. Simply votes can be made through email when quorum is not met at 1st Wednesday meeting.

Is vote a simple majority? Yes.

• Jonathan - open up deciscion making to more than just 1x a month.

• Jake - introducing proposals should be able to be done via email.

• Jake - consensus is usually defined as one person can block

• Muiren - a lot of people use consensus colloqially, are we

• Jake - sudoroom is no longer a 5013c, it is now a fiscally sponsored project of omni common. no longer has to comply with state of california rules of having a board.

• Andy - requires consensus, need 7 ppl. No hard block. Requires 30 days on email list if less than 7 people.

• Ian/Muiren - we could change it, because bylaws no longer apply that we are not a 5013c

• Muiren - no need to reshape the wheel, software that does this. Cooperative? Democratic 1 person 1 vote?

• Jonathan - meaningful deciscions in a reasonable amount of time, keep it simple

• Muiren - flat organization, no executive power. higher burden on individuals.

=====

• Jake - sometimes things may merit being 2 weeks. I.e. a lot of people out of town and unreachable. Innapropriate to try and fast track a proposal. However how to keep spirit of being a superuser and doing things themselves with own initiative.

• Jonathan - we are talking about major proposals here,

Events

• Jonathan - Silver has mention that on Sep 21, Omni is tabling at Temescal Brewing. I think its an excellent opportunity for community outreach. Couple ideas - demoing the snyth (Paige interested), small 10-12 linux laptop give-away, welcome to other ideas

• Jake - I want help from others to pull people in by granting key card access/welcoming