[chapter-delegates] New Membership Level

[Veni Markovski]

At 10:10 04-03-05  -0500, Philippe Le Roux wrote:

>A good rule for making ISOC a club of rich people from rich countrys 
>managing the whole Internet. We're far away from the Internet purpose and 
>ISOC spirit.

Philippe,
the ISOC spirit today is not the same one like 10 or 12 years ago. We still 
need to work to better define it, and make sure it's what people expect.
I think we also need to define better what the solutions to the problem 
are. By just stating that this is a problem for the poor, we don't give 
solution.


>>>Second, you just let us know that our work and commitment to ISOC has a 
>>>price which is estimated to be well below $75/year. All we do can buy us 
>>>only a  "associate" membership which does not make us a trusted enough 
>>>to be entitled to vote. OTOH anyone who sends your way a mere $18.825 
>>>gets a right to directly nominate his representative to ISOC BoT 
>>>immediately after he signs 251 cheques for $75 each.

I think that this is a potential danger, but what it means is also that 
non-paid members (and chapters, thereafter) get less value, less weight on 
the BoT (there will be 3 more Trustees of which the chapters will not 
vote). Once upon a time, the elections were held via paper ballots, 
distributed worldwide, and the only problem so far has been once in Africa, 
where someone was elected with paper ballots not being distributed, but 
being tossed back with his name marked. So, there obviously, was a control 
mechanism.

I think that while it's important to have a paid membership (and thus give 
memebrs the right to vote), it's also vital to keep the chapter in good 
shape. I don't know about Poland, but I doubt anyone in Bulgaria will join 
the $ 75 membership (which, btw, existed before, too, when the "normal" 
membership was $ 35 (or $ 12 for developing countries).
I don't think ISOC needs this money, not with the .ORG funding via PIR.

As for the other questions, it should be Jim to respond, as you ask him.

best,
veni  


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