[Imc-alternatives] timeframe for new-imc application

[Jay]

Hi imc-alternatives,

Over the years I know the alternatives project has been reluctant to 
go through the official new-imc process.  My own trepidation about 
this has to do with the fact that we've taken forever to define what 
we want the alternatives site to become.  When I was on the new-imc 
working group I encouraged aspiring IMCs to do the organizational 
groundwork of forming their group and work their way through all the 
important questions asked through the new-imc process before fully 
applying to the list.

Now that we have most of our documentation and self-definitions 
together, a barebones functional newswire and content promised for 
the near future (which I, and others, have promised to post) I think 
we're getting close to putting up the "proof of concept" test site 
that will give us a basis for becoming official.

I suggest we embark on that process some time after January 1, and 
would be happy to interface with the new-imc working groupt to try to 
make that happen.

There isn't much precedence in the realm of the new-imc working group 
for Topic-based IMCs.  There used to be a Climate IMC (is it still 
out there?) and the Biotech IMC is the only topic-based IMC linked 
through the IMC cities list.  I can't remember which of those passed 
through the new-imc process.  Maybe just biotech, maybe both.  I 
vaguely recall someone coming up with a new-imc form that would be 
specific to topic-based IMCs, but I can't find it right now on 
docs.indymedia.org.  There have been several event-based IMC sites, 
like those for various global convergances, and there are 
media-organized imc sites, like radio and video, but we're different 
than that.

A few years ago the question about whether Indymedia should encourage 
global topic-based IMCs was controversial, as evidenced by the 
informatoin from 2003 posted here: 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/GlobalThemes.  Back then I was 
on the new-imc working group and was inclined to support geographical 
IMCs over topic-based ones.  Actually, I still am, but obviously feel 
as if there's room for some topic-based orgainzing too.

Here is the general information for the new-imc process: 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImc, as well as the attempt 
to gather information about what to do to form an event-based or 
topic-centered IMC: 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewTopicImc, 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewProject.

If you'd like to help the alternatives IMC go through the new-imc 
process let me know and we can work on this together.
Jay