[Board] Questions about the OSGeo Journal Post Tyler Mitchell

[Landon Blake]

Board Memebers:

I’m in the process of trying to wrap up the 2010 annual report of the
OSGeo Journal. During this work some questions about the Journal kept
surfacing. I wanted to ask them here. At this point, I’m unsure if
work on the 2010 annual report should even continue.

Tyler Mitchell had a major role in previous efforts to prepare and
publish the journal. His absence has created what I feel is an
important void.

Some of this void deals with practical issues. For example:

How are decisions about the style, content, and format of the Journal
going to be made?
Who has the final say on these decisions, and how is the board going
to give its input, if at all?
Is there an official point of contact at the board for the journal team?
Will we support peer-reviewed articles on open source geospatial
topics, and if so, what will our guidelines for submission and review
be?
Will we have advertising of any form? If so, what will our guidelines
be for adertising content?
Do we want to support alternate formats for the journal, like EPUB,
MP4, Video, etc...

The void also creates some strategic issues. For example:

How does the Journal support the board’s long term goals for the organization?
How is the Journal related, if at all, to the organizations other activities?
Does the board even see a need for the Journal?

To be honest, at this point, despite repeated requests for help,
production of the Journal is currently a one-man show. If the board
decides it doesn’t want or need a journal, I’m OK with that decision.

If the board does feel the Journal is important, I’d like to talk with
board members more about what the tasks the Journal is supposed to
accomplish, how it is supposed to accomplish those tasks, and how this
work will be coordinated and supported.

Thanks.

Landon