Sorry to be brief again. Sadly, online time is still precious for me
Shire model idea
Spokesperson: rotation and voting on such a position is definitely needed considering the overall democratic structure we're building for b77. I definitely like the 'no power' thingie
I'm also (as you say it so nicely Vornwe) attracted to the idea of emphasizing that common ground (tolkien), and using it to help define what b77 is about. The question is HOW we go about that and I'd rather see Tolkienish 'references' applied to content than creating a system of governance with a power hyrarchy. By all means use member titles/member categories or forum titles/categories with a Tolkienish 'ring' to it. Let's think about possible ties to e.g. Tolkien socities etc. and I agree, for that (and other purposes) we'll need a spokesperson.
The only potential flaw I see in this is how to choose a spokes-person. What are the necessary requirements for such a position? Someone who really knows the board and its members well and is fully updated at any given time during their period of office. Someone that has excellent communication skills and can invest a lot of time (not only to act in the capacity but to be able to
maintain the capacity).
I'm not saying it will impossible to find such a person, I'm saying it will be extremely difficult to replace such a person on a regular basis.
My suggestion (and yes I know it's a bit 'radical') would be: let the membership elect from a pool of volunteers for the 'spokesperson' position not only one, but 2 (preferably 3) persons that would then take on this capacity for a whole year. They would 'teamwork', have their own forum to communicate amongst each another but also where members can input ideas and participate (strictly on a 'business' basis though and not in any 'social' capacity).
Rotating this position on a more frequent basis I think would just not be practical in reality (not enough volunteers that would fit the 'job description', additional 'voting strain' on the membership – avoidance of apathy etc.)
Now, as to your suggestion Voronwe, the spokesperson(s) would be titled 'Major'. Fine by me
. Now onto the others:
The Messengers would be those who would oversaw the technical aspects of making sure that the board runs smoothly and that messages were able to be successfully passed among the community.
Technical aspects: right now on this board we don't have many technical aspects due to the fact that it's a free board and we have limited options. The future is bright however!
Estel told me that she and Lidless (having registered the board 77 dot com website) were thinking of getting
professional help (paid for). I know I'm sort of spilling the beans here and for that I apologize.
I think that's a VERY good idea. The costs of this can easily be shared amongst the membership on a voluntary basis and I'm sure we won't have a problem with financial aspects. We would need a treasurer though
, a voluntary capacity with statements e.g. one a year. Excess money could be kept in an account for future use for expanding/maintaining the site (and possible associated projects that may come out of the membership) and/or some money could be given to charity.
So – 'messengers' per se from among the membership at large is not really necessary (avoids problems of volunteering, voting etc. etc.)
The Watch would consist of two functions, those performed by the Shirriffs and those performed by the Bounders. The Shirrifs would be responsible for dealing with those rare situations where people got out line, or otherwise were wayward. The Bounders would be responsible for making sure that undesireable outsiders would be kept outside
Both those capacities would necessitate some Moderator functionally to be truly effective. It is my belief it would be better to leave that in the hands of the Admins (avoiding again member apathy and all its related problems)
Can you tell I'm a strong supporter of the no MODs camp?
I really REALLY would like to see as little hierarchy as possible and that every poster takes an active role in the daily maintenance of the board, alerting those with the 'buttons' if something needs attention.
… and just how I envisage the Admins of the future, I'll tell you all about when Jny puts the agenda up.
One addition due to
Ethel's post: I'm also sorry to see you 'postponed' from the list of Admin volunteers. But I fully understand and accept your reason for doing so. In the end we'll have to try and find a system that works for the majority and if your personal feelings go against that... well, maybe over time those will change
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Resident witch