[imc-st.louis] MC-StL Kickoff Meeting Minutes-Aug07

[scottie a.]

	** IMC-StL_Monthly Meeting Kickoff **
	   Sunday, 12 Aug. '07, 7:00 Pm @ CAMP

	Meeting Minutes
	-- from Ben's draft + whiteboard + notes
	-- Scribe:  sca

             Agenda:
o  Website "Premiere"
o  Crew Reports
o  Media Training - status
o  Set-up: Association & Membership
o  Being an IndyJournalist
o  Stories to Get


              Sign-in List & Intros:
	(Appended below)

__Website "Premiere"__

	'Virtual Barnraising' held yesterday (8/11), experiment in 
site-building... moderate success -- vols got familiar with the 
interface, set up a workspace called "Crew Studio" to collect notes 
and draft pages.  Some good inputs got it started, but it's not built 
yet.

	New site is the latest incarnation of indymedia website (now 
3rd generation... 2001, 2005, 2007), online at 
http://reboot.stlimc.org
- take advantage of modern, collaborative, web technologies (using 
Drupal software)
- the website will be able to support many different types of user 
spaces, e.g. open-posting Newswire, discussion forum, 
blogs/commentary, columns, audio/video content

	Still need to resolve these components:
- put together "publish" page and other customized forms for 
submitting content (work out how to support non-text media)
- set up areas of the site visible to members
- online form to let folks sign up to be members
- mentioned topical classification of content, e.g. subject matter, 
locale, etc.
- lingering concern about problems with submitting formatted text, 
attaching RFT, PDF, etc. files


__Crew Reports__

	3 Operating Crews, volunteers to date (whiteboard):
	Editorial		Tech  		Co-Ops
	Digger		Ben W		Scottie A.
	Ben W		Peter J		AmyCate S
	Brian M		Dave A		Linda R

	Proposed:  Core crewmembers serve committed 4-month stint, 
responsible for tasks, other volunteers can work in support & take 
stints later.

	Tech Report:		(supplementing points above)
- the website will soon have interfaces/pages built in to support 
each crew's task, similar (or identical) to wikis - e.g., space for 
editorial draft, supporting materials
- Crew workspace will have admin/member access to collected notes, 
contact lists, etc. 
- general desire to make website as transaparent as possible
- potential task for co-ops: outreach to journalism schools & 
university around town, etc. in time for Fall semester

	Co-Ops Report:
- Scope of Work... they do Coordination of IMC-StL Operations ~ 
correspondence outreach, fundraising, R & D, special projects, and 
more
- 1st Outreach Project (sca proposed):  Liaisons to universities, 
journalism schools, timely at start of school year, set up contacts & 
collaborations.  Aaron: we should engage with more than just 
journalism programs, e.g. communication schools.  Volunteers:
	Aaron: teacher, Webster U.
	Adam: offer to assist
	Lisa: correspondent in carbondale, IL
	Don: membership in St. Louis Metro Press Club
		(sca: go to one of their meeting, feel it out)

	Editorial Report:
- Do we start writing now? (yes!!!)
- We've copied over editorial and newswire policies from old site, 
building on these principles, open for revision: problem with 
editorial process being very informal
- Ben/tech crew will set up editorial voting process for proposed 
features, similar to old site
- Monitoring open channels on-site... discern between flame war and 
what follows editorial policy

	Who's on the Crews?
- co-ops: scottie, amycate, linda
- tech: ben, peter j., dave arnold, brian d.
- editorial: digger, ben, brian d. (maybe?), Dave (3rd-string, 
back-up), Linda (back-up), amycate

	General meetings once/month, crews may meet on their own. 
Scottie suggests field trip to Urbana-Champaign IMC (ucimc.org) to 
see how their organization runs, sometime in September


__Media Training - status__

	2 projects, brief summary, details & issues deferred:
- KDHX Community Media & Production classes for IMC journalists... 
got set up in May, recruitment delayed, but a few recruits getting 
started, including SCA.
- Press/Writing workshops, skill-share emphasis... 2 pilot classes 
held June 28 & early July, plans to re-start this project in 
September, per Digger.


__Set-up: Association & Membership__

- IMC's historically operated as collectives, but often tend to peter 
out/ burn out...
Scottie suggests "unincorporated association," since that allows us 
to retain a fiscal agent (like CAMP), but would still operate as a 
democratic collective
(See blurb on 'Collective vs. Association', from 3-15-07 stlimc 
reboot brainstorm)

- Aaron:  Why have legal status in the 1st place? Scottie: this would 
allow us to receive grants, manage expenses, set up an office later, 
etc... basis for IMC to act as an entity, operating on agreements of 
members - can draw up a simple charter to guide cooperation.

- The situation now:  The small Collectives who 'were' StL-IMC are 
gone, Ben & Scottie do not represent IMC, but have to re-form 
membership to restart it... affirmed Members comprise and embody 
StL-IMC as a voluntary association.

- "members" & "subscribers"... defining their participation, acting/observing:
Signups for IMC email, 2 basic choices:
     Subscribers receive periodic email notices (public info, 
announcements, some 'process' docs)... and choose to keep their email 
addresses & personal info fully private.  They may observe 
anonymously or plug in personally without obligations.
     Members are active volunteers, get to play, e.g. vote to create 
consensus, participate in IMC process, have special access privileges 
on the website... and names and contact info are available to other 
members on condition of proper use & respect for privacy.

- The 3 Crews are comprised of Members serving in these responsible 
roles... those who are not in the crews may still assist their work, 
volunteer on projects, post content to columns/blogs, vote on IMC 
policies, and retain other rights to be defined.  We expect more task 
crews or natural affinity groups to form, e.g. video production crew

- In general, "members" must do something to vote... old stlimc 
standards:  e.g., members had to attend 2 meetings, editorial crew 
had to contribute a certain number of times a month.  Standards can 
be redefined to serve the mission.


__Being an IndyJournalist__

	Discussion deferred... think about creating a pool of IMC 
reporters, the working relationships, editorial roles, how to set it 
up.  Perhaps IMC finances could be used to support folks chasing 
stories?


__Stories to Get__

	Potential Features/ Recap from 7/31 'Launch' mtg, + new ideas**:

AmyCate:	 Urban farming
Aaron:	  "  	"
	Alternative energy - residential solar power
	Time Bank (Grace HIll has a program)
	co-housing, different ways of doing it
	consensus decision-making**
Scottie:	re: Reggie Clemons, has interview with private investigator
	   (--> Confluence story in the works)
	metro east land use
Linda:	loss of civil liberties, how this locally manifests
	   (e.g. surveillance cams on stop lights)
Adam:	VFP "March to the Arch" anti-war action, Sunday 8/19**
	VFP Speak-Out on Friday 8/17**
	   (for info:  www.insteadofwar.org)
Nick:	CODE PINK bannering on Wednesdays**
	Katrina Tribunal in New Orleans**
	   (probably won't get much MSM coverage, he's going down there)
	Jobs with Justice ballot initiative on health care reform**
	  (suggest a feature ahead of time

	Start on a big story Now:  Aaron will do video-coverage on 
VFP, IOW peace actions next weekend, seeking assistance, can set up a 
crew... several folks volunteer, will talk this week.

__Discussions__

	Digger mentions importance of getting 1st-hand sources, 
relying as little as possible on MSM (mainstream media)... "things 
I'd like not to see on IMC":
--> emphasis on politics, elections, sponsoring a candidate ~ corporate media
--> Instead: people taking the power themselves, more 
radically-inspired perspective

	Don: MSM tends to lose attention of issues that are 
considered "old news"
- Scottie: media watch- rapid kick-back media criticism, especially 
local media criticism
- Nick: should we devote so much effort to media criticism?
- Keith: MSM often not covering so many topics. Does it make sense 
really to do media-watch when that energy could spent elsewhere?
- Ben: old stlimc feature that started as media watch (local radio 
station advocating vehicular assault on cyclists) which morphed into 
direct action.

	Keith: there is a website tracking the days since 9-11, and 
what hasn't been done (or not done) in that time.
- Scottie: delicate balance => highlight alternative information that 
is available (e.g. single-issue groups like stl911.org), vs. 
advocating that issue/point-of-view.  IMC can provide a "soapbox" for 
such advocacy groups, but should not be used by them as a platform. 
The boundaries must be defined by decisions of editorial crew.

	Nick: activist of the week feature?
- there is a general desire to have human interest stories
- Digger: focus instead on the people the activists are trying to 
help, e.g. Jennifer of International Solidarity Movement in old 
Confluence feature
- Aaron: "Monkey in the Mirror " syndrome, basic human nature to see 
yourself represented in what you do.

	Keith: have a bunch of folks call up different legislators' 
offices, see who doesn't want to speak on certain issues?
- Ben: it is no surprise that legislators (and their staff) are 
intentionally detached. Does it make sense to spend your energies 
further proving this?

	STLIMC Decision-Making Process, Consensus
Need guidelines for assisting decision-making process
- need to 1st decide on consensus-making process at next meeting
- have someone volunteer to be facilitator for next meeting: lisa, digger
- how to form agenda, keep meetings under 2 hours?


	Agenda Items for next meeting...
	Sunday 9/8, 7pm @ CAMP

- Consensus decisionmaking, esp. who is consenting?
- New features?
- Crew reports
- Review of what was done over the past month, what worked? what 
didn't work? Build on what works?
- Training!! Train folks how to write journalism (e.g. Digger's workshop)
- Refine and/or train folks how content is posted to the website at 
reboot.stlimc.org.


	---------------------------------------

	Folks present, Aug. 12 Meeting:

Adam Shriver
	 - CODE PINK, etc
Nikhil Kothegal
	- interested in activist organizing in city, CODE PINK, etc
Don Stahl.
	- stl911.org
Keith Baugh
	- stl911.org
Digger Daniel Romano
	- Confluence, CAMP
Lisa Brooten
	- research of indymedia & stlimc, helped write book
	"Cybermedia go to War" (includes chapter on stlimc)
Ben West
	- former/current IMC member, CAMP member
Aaron AuBuchon
	- KDHX community media training, teaching at Webster U.
AmyCate Schroeder
	- contribute what she can
Scottie Addison
	- longtime media wonk, urban planner, collaborator in reboot.stlimc.org
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