[Imc-g8-2005] IMC London on Edinburgh Media Centre

[Planet Mail]

Hiya quick reply

1) putting extra PCs downstairs - have discussed with venue and they said 
up to a total 5 would be ok

2) infopoint issue - yes some functionality like that necessary - but 
actual designated infopoints for various groups / mobilisations will be 
just around the corner - so people can just be directed there for the most 
part.

3) space for welcome desk is there - registration idea is more about having 
the opportunity to explain space to people so they know what is there and 
gather contacts for media teams

4) meetings - do need to set regular coordination meetings - so idea of 
setting two main ones on dates mentioned is good. regular meetings with 
advertised times also needed. inviting "organisers of actions" to daily 
breakfast meetings is a bad idea. mostly there are no 'organisers', a lot 
of people wont be in edinburgh anyway, and just on the most basic level its 
a bad idea.

5) rotas - yep do need to develop a rota list for several tasks :))


At 23:29 25/05/2005, mini mouse wrote:
>Hi
>
>IMC London met tonight and touched on the matter of how to manage the 
>media centre in Edinburgh. Here'a few early (if late!) thoughts we'd like 
>to circulate and get feedback on.
>
>We need to decide what and who the centre is for. It's not for cops, 
>corporate journos, people wanting to crash or folks checking their e-mail, 
>so how do we control who comes and goes?
>
>Taking the last one first, the cafe downstairs will have wifi, so anyone 
>with an enabled laptop's OK. Unless there's any objection from the cafe 
>people we think we should have half a dozen or so desktop machines 
>specifically set aside in there for this purpose, if only to be able to 
>direct people there away from the media centre.
>
>Once people know it's a friendly space we're likely to find them turning 
>up asking for information (where can I crash, how to get to Auchtermuchty 
>etc) so there should be an infopoint to intercept these questions. Maybe 
>we can get some maps and flyers from Dissent and others, perhaps even 
>invite them to run/help run the infopoint.
>
>Then there's the gateway to the media centre (upstairs). Who gets in?
>
>As well as regular independent journos etc., we expect (and are inviting) 
>people with stories off the street. So we don't want too rigid a system of 
>entry. However they'll probably only drop in the once, so if we can offer 
>them a dedicated area near the front maybe we don't need to know too much 
>about them. We'd suggest placing the picture desk here as well, so anyone 
>can get their pictures easily published.
>
>With a little planning we could set this up as in inward facing three 
>sides of a square, so there's no easy path to wander off round the rest of 
>the centre.
>
>However anyone entering needs to pass a permanently manned Welcome Desk. 
>How do they know who can come in?
>
>Suggestions included a list of pre-registered people (IMCs should contact 
>(who?) and flag in advance how many people they expect to come from their 
>kollective). This would give us a pool of trusted people who could vouch 
>for anyone else who subsequently claimed to be part of them.
>
>After being accepted once, visitors could be issued with a laminated pass 
>or an inconspicuous (custom made) badge to speed future access.
>
>People having not "pre-registered" could be asked to fill in and sign a 
>declaration of intent, stating where they would be posting their reports.
>
>Additionally maybe IMCers could discretely monitor the room, keeping an 
>eye on what was being published and where. (Anyone thinking this is 
>sounding a bit Big Brotherish please make counter suggestions. None of 
>this is written in stone :-)
>
>It became obvious there were certain tasks that would have to be done 
>without fail, like opening and locking up, manning the welcome desk and so 
>on. We should start now to organise a rota, and, whilst keeping these 
>essential tasks to a minimum, think about what they might be. Additionally 
>we should have definitive management meetings on Thursday 30th June and 
>Tuesday 5th to make sure these roles are fully covered.
>
>One point we were all pretty much in agreement on was that NOTHING IS TO 
>BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN THE MEDIA CENTRE. Apart from personal safety it 
>leaves too much freedom for stuff to be planted prior to a raid. Anything 
>breaking this rule gets dumped into the street.
>
>Meetings: We're supposed to be news gatherers so what better way than to 
>invite organisers of actions to daily breakfast meetings. Everyone wants 
>breakfast, there's a great cafe downstairs and peeps are out reporting 
>later in the day.
>
>This doesn't cover all the bases but it's a start. One thing that might be 
>good is to compile a list of people going to Edinburgh who could help run 
>this place, even if they can only commit a few hours out of the two weeks. 
>Until we get something better set up, please mail me (mini_mouse AT 
>riseup.net) and I'll start a list.
>
>PLEASE DO MAIL ME NOW IF YOU THINK YOU CAN HELP!!!
>
>mini_mouse
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