[Chapter-delegates] Participation in discussions was Membership or Mission?

[David Solomonoff]

Following on the issue of Chapter support ...

Even the New York Chapter is hampered by this. We have received some 
grant money but our all-volunteer group has difficulty finding the time 
to both do the projects and produce all the documentation - and we have 
Joly, a professional videographer, as one of our most active members.

We have had offers of assistance (including financial) from local ISP's 
we haven't been able to follow up on. Event space is a constant problem. 
After the controversy about Paul Brigner's appointment I invited him to 
visit us and he agreed - but I had to really hustle to get a space on 
short notice.

Despite the fact that it's possible to do so much online I think that 
the Internet Society's credibility is hurt by not having a physical 
space in a city like New York. I was recently talking to a NYC city 
council staffer about the .nyc TLD - trying to find put what was 
happening with the application process. I explained who we were and our 
mission - then he asked me where we were located. When I told him we 
didn't have an office his tone immediately changed.

That this is happening in one of the most affluent and well-wired places 
on the planet is a problem.

On 3/28/12 5:05 AM, President ISOC-KH wrote:
> Thanks for responding, Narelle. Let me >>>comment between the lines:
>
> On 03/27/2012 02:53 PM, Narelle Clark wrote:
>>> I try to understand: all trustees are following, but there was no 
>>> "need"
>>> to post in response to the many serious questions raised on this
>>> Chapters list - as being discussed these weeks?
>> For me it's largely a time and time zone thing.
>>
>> Time - this is a voluntary position
> >>> Same for most of us.
>> on top of my full time job
> >>> Same for many of us.
>> and
>> Presidency of the Au Chapter.
> >>> Same for some of us.
>> I am also a wife, mother, daughter,
> or husband, father, son
>> and friend. To be honest, I love all of these roles very much and in 
>> different
>> ways!
> Probably same.
>> Time zone - the bulk of our participating membership is in time zones 
>> out
>> of wack with mine, so much happens when I am asleep.
> Here I do not follow: I am in Cambodia, also "out of wack" - but only 
> when it is online webinars or the like.
> There is no problem to participate in the off-line discussion on 
> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>
>> So to sum it all up, for me if something has been pointed out before 
>> I get
>> to it I won't feel the need to say it again. Generally I consider that
>> ideas mean more than people to a debate. This is not always, however, 
>> the
>> case. Therefore, please accept I do what I can when I can as well as I
>> can. Sometimes that's more, and sometimes that's less.
> Same - but here is the big difference between us volunteers (busy with 
> our normal obligations apart from ISOC, and and ISOC staff, no?
>> best regards
>>
>>
>> Narelle
>
> On 27 Mar 2012 17:26:54 africa fest <africafest at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> But feedback from the Board is also part of the evolutionary process. 
> We must engage each other as often as possible to make our Society a 
> more perfect body. So sounding back in the debates ensures that we 
> know you hear us and we do not have an omni-(xxx) body out there who 
> are above us commoners.
>
> Gabriel
>
> =
>
> My best greetings to all the other unpaid volunteers, and to the paid 
> staff pleading for an understanding when a small chapter needs help as 
> a chapter, not for projects only, and responses online.
>
> Norbert
>
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