<style>p{margin: 0;padding: 0;}</style><div id="html-message"><p>I'll offer this
brief comment in the spirit that it might aid the Board (and
therefore OSGeo)</p><p><br></p><p>Three Ways to View the
Conference and Advisor</p><p>(a Framework for
Inquiry)</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>
Profit Center Model</p><p><br></p><p> Programs
Model</p><p><br></p><p> Organizing Principles
Model</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Profit Center
Model</p><p>--------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>premisis:</p><p> *
the OSGeo organization must generate financial revenue</p><p> * the annual
conference is OSGeo's largest revenue generating activity</p><p> * costs,
accountability, execution are foundations of making the conference
happen</p><p><br></p><p>The new advisor role is performance based. There is a
direct contract that links efficiency</p><p>and execution success (as measured
in specific ways) to compensation.</p><p><br></p><p>There is a desire to retain
crucial operational knowledge, and build visible
leadership</p><p>year-over-year. Those resources are an investment, which pays
off
in measureable ways.</p><p><br></p><p>OSGeo, if well run, could increase its
financial capacity year-over-year</p><p>this translates directly into better
services for participants, and benefits to OSGeo and
stakeholders</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Programs
Model</p><p>-----------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>premesis:</p><p>
* OSGeo exists in order to execute functions that would be unlikely to happen
without it</p><p> * resources are raised in order to see goals
executed</p><p> * specific costs and income are not a measure of success,
rather the programs themselevs are the measure</p><p> * costs and
compensation are a means to an end</p><p><br></p><p>FOSS4G is a crucial program
of OSGeo. Almost everyone involved wants to see it succeed as an
event</p><p>including intangible benefis of good-will, recognition of
accomplishment, community participation, resiliance to changing challenges,
etc</p><p><br></p><p>Costs and compensation are seen as a necessary but
secondary piece of accomplishing desired programs</p><p><br></p><p>A conference
advisor works on what is desirable to accomplish, and, how to acomplish
it</p><p>(no one has enough spare time to really tend to all the details that
come up with a big conference</p><p>except a dedicated person in that
role)</p><p><br></p><p>OSGeo, if well run, increases its programs quality and
quantity year-over-year</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Organizing Principles Model
(get ready
:)</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>premesis:</p><p>
* Computers, Programming and the Internet have unleashed fundementally new
human-machine capacities</p><p> * previously held organizational
implementations are inadequate to encompass new function</p><p>
therefore, only portions of existing forms are useful or desirable to work in
the newly created constructs</p><p> * People and computers are constantly
drawing together based on "Organizing Principles" (OP) which ought to be
recognized</p><p><br></p><p> a MMO game has organizing
principles; a sports event or big concert has organizing
principles;</p><p> participants in those two examples are
relatively *passive* where the experience is constructed and there are few
degrees of freedom</p><p> but in fact there are big teams
that enact the construct, from lighting supply to ticket vendors, etc behind the
scenes</p><p><br></p><p> both the enacting teams, and the
passive participants, recognize the OP implicitly, and
cooperate</p><p><br></p><p> wealth is often on display in
various ways</p><p><br></p><p> * more relevant is WIkipedia, or Linux
itself; there is little sharp distinction between participant and organizing
teams</p><p> however, "wealth" is in tech and knowledge
itself, and is not well represented. Wikipedia is on the rocks financially
btw</p><p><br></p><p> * roles exist for many skill levels, and group
sizes; roles are often self-organizing, evolving and
redfined</p><p><br></p><p> * OP are fundemental to civilization and
culture, commerce and science, yet are too amorphous to be useful in
isolation</p><p><br></p><p>FOSS4G is an expression, one of many possible, of an
OP for computers and people; Code sprints too</p><p><br></p><p>The reasons *why*
people go to FOSS4G, support it, work for it, pay for it, etc are declared to be
only partially known, and </p><p>an important area for inquiry for OSGeo.
to discover OP, and to express OP, is the primary task of an
Advisor</p><p><br></p><p>An advisor is a mentor to the inquiry of what and why
FOSS4G, and, as resident expert, grows that knowledge</p><p>for the benefit of
participants, Board and stakeholders, whose roles are evolving and get
redefined</p><p><br></p><p>Current monetary accounting may or may not be
adequate to express the reach and depth of FOSS4G and other OSGeo
OP</p><p>Revenue and costs are approached with discipline, but are not the
deciding principles at
all</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>=================================================</p><p>I
completed an alternative MBA program in 2004. here in California</p><p>The first
two models are roughly, business and non-profit, as they stand, off the top of
my head</p><p>The third model is a philosophical construct that may or may not
be useful</p><p>I hope this framework is useful for Board members to measure
their own priorities and concerns against</p><p>as this topic is worked
out</p><p><br></p><p>best regards from sunny San Francisco,
California</p><p><br></p><p>Brian Hamlin</p><p>GeoCal</p><p>OSGeo California
Chapter</p><p>415-717-4462 cell</p><p><br></p></div>