[OSGeo Oceania] membership - elections - AGM

[Cameron Shorter]

+1 to single tier membership with possibility of adding a self 
identifying system later.

We previously did this with OSGeo Advocates: 
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Advocate#Introduction

On 25/9/19 6:43 pm, John Bryant wrote:
> Hi all, really pleased to see all this input, thanks for your time & 
> energy.
>
> This is obviously a topic that people feel strongly about, which is 
> great. I feel that we're all aligned on the key principles: that we 
> want to make the organisation accessible to new members, and we want 
> it to be run responsibly, ie. members should be able to influence how 
> it's run. There's a bit of distance between the various proposals on 
> the table so far, but they're all aiming at these principles. To make 
> progress, it looks like we're going to need to make some compromises.
>
> I fully agree with Edoardo's reasoning for preferring a home-grown 
> approach to membership. We're an OSGeo local chapter, but we're also 
> more than that, notably (as Ed mentioned) we're in the process of 
> applying to be a local chapter of OSMF as well. We need to ensure we 
> wholeheartedly embrace the parts of our community that don't fall 
> under the OSGeo umbrella.
>
> I think we're roughly all on the same page re: voting membership, ie. 
> we need members who vote, and they should pass some sort of 
> eligibility threshold.
>
> The key point of disagreement seems to be whether we have a 2nd tier 
> of membership with a lower eligibility threshold, one where anyone can 
> join, but there are no rights/responsibilities associated with it. 
> There have been some questions asked about what real value this 
> provides to such a member and to the organisation, which I struggle to 
> answer. I'm also concerned about the extra messaging that would be 
> required to communicate this to the community to overcome any 
> potential confusion... this translates to work, and as a volunteer-run 
> organisation, our time & energy have limits. Finally, I don't see that 
> the eligibility threshold we're considering for membership is so high 
> that it functionally excludes anyone who truly wants to be a part of this.
>
> I strongly identify with the value proposition of making the 
> organisation accessible to everyone though, so this is difficult for 
> me...
>
> But in the interest of moving forward, and focusing on the most urgent 
> outcome (determine a process for a voting membership), let me ask this 
> question: *Can we live with a single membership type for now, which 
> includes voting privileges?*
>
> I believe this single membership type will sufficiently address our 
> key priorities (voting membership, protect the org).
>
> Once we establish this membership type, I feel we could very easily 
> extend it with some process whereby people in the community can 
> self-identify as a "community member", or "citizen", or something like 
> that. But there is much to do in the next 2-3 months, and I feel we 
> really need to stay focused on that which *must* be done.
>
> Something needs to give, so I'm hoping for some compromise.
>
> Thanks
> John
>
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-- 
Cameron Shorter
Technology Demystifier
Open Technologies and Geospatial Consultant

M +61 (0) 419 142 254

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