[Chapter-delegates] Chapter advice on live streaming

[Ted Hardie]

Hi Olivier,

Thanks for expressing your thoughts on this matter.  You ask below whether
the Board will be "formally notifying the Chair of the Chapter Advisory
Council, along with her Council Board members, of the rejection of the
Chapter Advisory Council’s Advice?"

On the question of the openness of the chapter delegate list, the board has
pointed out that there is no need for board action here, since the history
shows that the original action to close it was taken by the ChAC.  This is
not a rejection of the advice; it is a continuation of the dialogue with
the ChAC on how to accomplish their goal and a note that the staff contacts
will be able to help worth through the options with them.

On the question of live streaming, the board has reminded the ChAC that the
decision to move to a project basis for live streaming was a staff
decision, based on an analysis of the consumption patterns of the relevant
media.  The board's role here was to set the goals for the communication
plan; it does not direct the staff on how to structure contracts nor would
it be appropriate for the board to require specific contractors.  It has
also noted that data from the chapters on the consumption patterns they see
when using live streaming would be valuable input to ongoing analysis of
how to best meet the goals of the communication plan.

I do not believe I would characterize either response as a rejection of the
advice of the ChAC.  The board has responded and clarified its roles here,
and in neither case would it be the right body to take the action
requested.  We are happy to have the staff support the ChAC in meeting its
goals directly in the first instance and in the second instance to work
together with the chapters to continue the analysis of consumption patterns
and communication strategies.

The ChAC has been kind enough to invite me to the call tomorrow, September
17th, and I look forward to the opportunity for us to chat together.

best regards,

Ted Hardie

On Sun, Sep 15, 2024 at 1:36 PM Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond <ocl at gih.com>
wrote:

> Dear Ted,
>
> Thank you for explaining the process by which the Internet Society Board
> of Trustees reached its decision. I question the appropriateness of this
> process, given the formal nature of the request made by the Chapter
> Advisory Council, which included a vote and extensive documentation.
>
> Could you please clarify the rationale behind the decision not requiring a
> formal resolution? Is it not customary for the Board to formally endorse or
> reject formal Advice upon receipt? What measures of accountability does the
> Board have in its decisions if they are based on informal processes that
> lack transparency and traceability? Considering the fiduciary
> responsibilities of all Board members, how many other decisions of the
> Board are subjected to this “informal” process, of which non-Board members
> were previously unaware?
>
> Finally, will you be formally notifying the Chair of the Chapter Advisory
> Council, along with her Council Board members, of the rejection of the
> Chapter Advisory Council’s Advice?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Olivier Crépin-Leblond
>
>
> On 13/09/2024 12:36, Ted Hardie wrote:
>
> Hi Olivier,
>
> The board has an active mailing list and informal meetings once a month
> (though August's meeting did not occur this year because of low
> availability).  The discussion took place mostly on the mailing list, along
> with trustees' edits of a proposal using online tools.  Because this
> response did not require a resolution, confirmation of agreement was
> assessed on the list and confirmed at the September informal meeting,
> earlier this week.  None of those methods generate minutes in the formal
> sense, but I can confirm that there was consensus for the response.
>
> regards,
>
> Ted Hardie
>
> On Fri, Sep 13, 2024 at 12:16 PM Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond <ocl at gih.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear Ted,
>>
>> I acknowledge receipt of your response, which I have reviewed with
>> interest.
>>
>> The Chapter Advisory Council submitted its formal request on 17 July
>> 2024. The Board, through its Chair, issued its, I assume, formal response
>> on 13 September 2024.
>>
>> Upon reviewing the list of ISOC Board Meetings available at Internet
>> Society Board of Trustees Meetings
>> <https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/meetings/>, I have
>> not identified any meetings of the ISOC Board of Trustees occurring between
>> these dates.
>>
>> Given that this decision was made by the Board, I kindly request the
>> following:
>>
>>    - The minutes of the meeting during which the Board decided not to
>>    reinstate the ISOC.LIVE video production, editing, and archiving services.
>>
>> Warmest regards,
>>
>> Olivier Crépin-Leblond
>>
>>
>> On 13/09/2024 09:17, Ted Hardie via Chapter-delegates wrote:
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> One of the items in your recent advice to the board was a request that
>> the "ISOC funding for the ISOC.LIVE video production, editing, and
>> archiving services should be reinstated, as well as ISOC.LIVE should be
>> financially supported by ISOC on an ongoing basis."
>>
>> The board's role here is to set the direction for the organization by
>> establishing strategic goals; the details of the communication plan are a
>> part of the staff execution of those goals.  During the budget analysis of
>> 2023, the communications team analyzed the effectiveness of specific
>> streaming approaches and found that community engagement was driven
>> primarily by on-demand viewing.  This matches a broader shift common to
>> mainstream programming.  As a result of this analysis, the communications
>> plan shifted away from a retainer-based contract for live streaming to a
>> project-based funding model for future work.
>>
>> This was a staff management decision, taken with due care and analysis.
>> The board's role is to assess whether the overall communications plan is
>> effective in meeting the strategic goals; it does not direct the staff to
>> use specific contract types or contractors.  If the needs of the
>> communications plan change again to require live streaming on a full-time
>> basis, the board is confident that the staff will issue the appropriate RFP
>> and conduct the appropriate analysis of the submissions.
>>
>> The project-based funding model remains available, and chapters may, of
>> course, fund specific live streaming events using chapter funds or Beyond
>> The Net grants.  Any analysis of the effectiveness of those live streaming
>> events would be valuable data for any future considerations of the
>> engagement model.
>>
>> The board thanks the ChaC for its attention to the communications plan,
>> and we look forward to continued discussion of how to engage the broader
>> community in the mission of the society.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Ted Hardie
>> for the Board
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
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>> -
>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>>
>>
>>
>
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