[chapter-delegates] next steps after the board meeting

[Mike Todd]

James Galvin, David McAuley and other Chapter Delegates,

What we have experienced on this list over the past couple of weeks is a
massive misunderstanding and/or lack of effective marketing and/or - well,
you fill in  the blanks, chances are we have hit that wall too.

As a past vice president for membership for the Internet Society I think I
have some knowledge of the history of ISOC Individual Membership.

James is right when he states that ISOC has always been a membership
organization.  Whether it is the institutional members, individual members
or chapter members we talk about there has always been ISOC members.

While I was VP Membership, I strongly advocated free individual membership
because of so many of the reasons that have been brought up on this list,
recently.  The only real stumbling block I was never able to obliterate was
the need to ensure that each individual member had the means to vote and
that there was a way to ensure that individual members could only vote once,
leading to a strong member identification system.  Since we live in an
electronic world, electronic means of making and verifying that
identification seems most reasonable.

I have heard and understand all of the arguments about why this will not
work, why it is not logical, why technology is not a democracy, and on and
on...

The basic issue is that "Internet is for everyone" dictates that we are a
system of citizens that all deserve a vote.  It implies a political system.
That is hard for us technologists to swallow and brings in issues we would
rather not address, nor have the responsibility to manage.  It is also tough
for us to imagine a way to base individual commitment without some kind of
financial commitment but this is one of the biggest barriers to the "global
democracy" of the Internet.

If there was an easy solution, we would have done it years ago.  It is not
easy.

If the ISOC Board or the ISOC Top Management had done a bit more in terms of
education and marketing before announcing the paid membership program, it
may have been accepted as the reinstatement of a way for Individual Members
to provide voluntary, monetary support to ISOC.  It did not have to be
called "Dues" or "Membership".  It did not have to be the only way for an
individual member to vote directly for Board members.  It did not have to be
presented in such a way that "Global Members" or "Chapter Members" would
feel that they were losing something.

I have been an Individual Member of ISOC for a long time and will continue
to make that personal commitment.  I don't expect everyone in the World to
be able to, or to want to, make that kind of commitment.

I have been a Chapter Member of ISOC for as long as the Los Angeles Chapter
has been in existence and will continue in that status as long as the Los
Angeles Chapter exists.

I have not been a direct employee of any Institutional Member of ISOC but I
have provided consulting and other support to many of them and am pleased
that many of them have continued to support ISOC as Institutional Members.

I am not a member of the IETF but I do try to support the development and
implementation of Internet Standards in every way I can, including taking
every opportunity to promote and protect the open and free development of
the Internet as the only true way to make it available to everyone in the
World.

My own feelings are that we all have a lot more to agree about than to fight
about.  We also have many opportunities to reduce the perceptions of
barriers and to breech the artificial barriers that are blocking our
progress.  I guess this is a plea for positive criticism, positive actions,
and a sharing of positive feelings about the good we are all trying to
accomplish.

Mike Todd
President, Mike Todd Associates - www.MikeTodd.com
Supporting the Digital Coast

President, Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter - www.ISOC-LA.org

Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Law
Pepperdine University School of Law - mltodd at pepperdine.edu

Technology Expert Witness - ExpertWitness at miketodd.com

  310-321-5706  Office Phone
  310-321-5701  Office FAX
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James M Galvin" <galvin at elistx.com>
To: <chapter-delegates at lists.isoc.org>
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 1:17 PM
Subject: [chapter-delegates] next steps after the board meeting


Dear Chapter Members,

As you know, the ISOC Board met this past Friday and Saturday and they
discussed, in addition to other matters, the recent dissatisfaction that
a number of you have very strongly expressed regarding the new paid
individual membership level.  Historically, especially in recent years,
the Board has strongly held the position that there should be a paid
membership level and that this should be a vehicle through which
individual members could have a direct vote in ISOC Trustee elections.

We summarized your criticism as the following:

1. that a paid membership level was in direct conflict with the ethos
   that the "Internet is for everyone"

2. that the payment level is a barrier to full opportunity around the
   world for people to participate

3. that we failed to seek your input for this decision

...

Thank you, for your comments and your continued participation in ISOC.

Jim Galvin
David McAuley