Grant's Re: [imc-alberta] paths to a new or revived AlbertaIndymedia

[Leah Orr]

I would like to add that my offer from a few months ago still stands...If
someone will show me what to do, I'm happy to spend a couple of hours a week
on IMC.

Leah

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Henry" <dh56 at mts.net>
To: "Alberta Independent Media Centre" <imc-alberta at lists.indymedia.org>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2005 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: Grant's Re: [imc-alberta] paths to a new or revived
AlbertaIndymedia


> Hey all,
> I really should not be offering, but realized that I may be able to help
> with some of this....
>
> Grant wrote:
> > Here's what I figure needs to be done (in order) if the site is to be
> > relaunched:
> > 1) Recruit some folks to the collective.
> > 2) Develop solid policies (including editorial, designation of
> > administrative and editorial authorities, designation of official
> > contacts, etc.).
> > 3) Confirm team of volunteers to cover all needed tasks in
> > maintaining the site and the collective.
> > 4) Configure/craft website code to match those policies.
> > 5) Setup new website.
> > 6) Promote the site.
> > 7) Lather, rinse, repeat.
>
> I agree that recruiting (and the ASF event should be great for this) needs
> to be the top priority.  Having lots of people is the only way to go,
IMHO.
> Many hands make quick work....
>
>
> At IMC-Winnipeg, the long, painful review of Canadian IMCs' policies
> eventually resulted in this:
> http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/ed_policy.php
>
> We have the good fortune of having three members willing to visit the
> website on a daily basis and enforce our policy.  This enables us to stay
> within the model of 'open posting' (allowing people to post freely) but
> still ensure that all racist and otherwise offensive material is taken
down
> before it becomes a serious problem.
>
> There are still difficulties with our method, but we're working on that.
I
> am hoping we can work out some technical solutions, such as having the
> 'delete this post' button turned into a 'vote to delete' button, so that
two
> editors have to agree before anything is deleted.  Some are more
aggressive
> than others want them to be....
>
> Our over-riding concern has been to make the site useful for local
> activists, and 'un-useful' to neo-Nazis and radical Right types who tend
to
> see posting to IMC websites as a hobby (and are very active out here in
the
> west).  Postings of alternative-source news articles and events has
chugged
> along quite well and grown somewhat since the site was first launched just
> over a year ago.
>
> Unfortunately, we've been terrible at encouraging content development --
> getting people to write feature articles.  So that is something I suggest
> adding to the IMC-Alberta 'to-do' list, just ahead of "Rinse, lather and
> repeat" (which made me laugh)....
>
> 7) Outreach to NGOs and progressive membership associations, etc., to
> encourage development and writing of feature articles.
>
> Such outreach really seems to need a clear vision statement and being able
> to plug people directly into something.  IMC-Winnipeg is trying to develop
a
> handful of working groups that are very focused on particular issues.  Not
> sure if it will work yet.
>
> Grant also wrote:
> >
> > At 1:19 PM -0600 2005/02/10, David Henry wrote:
> > >2) Maybe, if I understand what is happening with the Alberta Social
Forum
> > >correctly, it is worth considering having the old website restored in
> order
> > >to post documentation.
> >
> > I would make here a strong distinction between "the old website" and
> > "a functional Alberta Indymedia website". My contention is that the
> > old site does not qualify as functioning - even if we turned it back
> > on. There remains a ton of cleanup work to do to get it to a point
> > where it can serve the purpose it was intended for - and there really
> > needs to be some policies put in place to keep it functioning.
>
> I agree -- it would be so way easier to just start fresh.  This also keeps
> open the door for having an IMC-Calgary and IMC-Edmonton, if that is the
> direction people choose.
>
> Aside from this, there may be merit to putting the old site up as an
> archive -- all that Kananaskis stuff is of at least historical value.
> Archive status would mean that people could view the site, but not post
> anything new to it.  Some explanation of that status would have to be
added,
> of course.
>
> If this is something there is support for, and if someone can first make
> sure there is a backup, I'd be willing to go in and delete the massive
9/11
> posts (which were the real problem on the bandwidth side) and to take out
> posts from neo-Nazis and such -- I've seen most of it before, so I could
> work fairly speedily through those.  It might prove necessary to have
> someone else go in and look for anything I missed, or for the collective
to
> have a look before going on-line.
>
> Just to be absolutely clear:  I don't see any need to hurry to restore the
> old site, so maybe any such discussion can wait for a month or two.  It
> might make for a 'rainy day' summer project....
>
> Have great weekends, everyone!
>
> All the very good things,
> David Henry
>
>
>
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