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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects Hello All, This is really a note I should have written some time ago. Bear with the length -- it is about fundamental, important issues. Since April of 1997, (when I became chair of the board), the following has happened: - Individual memberships have peaked and are now falling (numbers are difficult to obtain, but I would estimate from about 5200 members to about 4800). Services offered to individuals have not changed in several years and remain entirely text-based. Demand for training has fallen off sharply. - IP's as a whole have decreased in number and in particular, a number of high profile IP's have left Chebucto. Many IP's maintain multiple accounts (getting email via Sympatico so they can use a graphical interface, and an account at Chebucto for web hosting). With the exception of a pilot PPP offering, services to IP's have not changed in several years. - In March of 1997 no one knew how much money we had in the bank (it turned out to be a few thousand dollars). - In March 1997 2/3 of the Board did not renew terms or left before there terms had ended. I was never able to speak with the previous chair. Membership accumulated 1500 unanswered messages. Essentially, the communications position has remained vacant until this Sept. - Our current web site has not been redesigned (graphics or information architecture) in a number of years. On more positive notes: - Our profile across Canada remains strong - User help has continued to provide admirable service - Tech have upgraded the computers, hard drives, and software as well as added modems. The system now carries a load 20% higher than last year (individual memberships may be falling, but web site access is increasing) - The office continues to provide new and old users alike with high quality advice - A users manual is now available - Volunteer and member newsletters have been started in recent months. - As of September we have GIC's worth $15,000, an accurate accounting system, we are introducing a budgeting process, we are set to embark on the first member campaign ever, various fundraising ideas (some of which were used successfully a number of years ago) are being tried with some success. We now accept credit card payments and have applied for charitable status. Over the past 1.5 years I tried to focus on three key areas: - increase services to individuals (and therefore user interest in Chebucto, and our sustainability ($)) - increase services to IP's (provide services comparable to what is available commercially, and offer "a community of information providers" which is not offered by commercial services) - strengthen the organization (first financially, then through volunteer and communications development) But the recent Virtual Domain Name debate has left me with a sinking feeling. It has taken more than a year to get a proposal in front of the Board to charge IP's anything at all for any services! (Imagine giving away your core services without any reciprocal agreement, for years on end -- in some cases we have done just that. IP's are not to blame -- we haven't asked them for anything.) Then, after a series of meetings and proposals this summer, a draft is brought to the Board. The Board hesitates; wants more study. I start to get nervous. Really, the issues are of implementation, not of disagreement about the principles outlined in the document. The Board agrees and strikes an implementation committee. The committee has not yet met. Non-Board members say we have not considered all the issues. People say we should do studies. Others say we are forgetting our core constituency and should consider not charging for things. Still others point out that in a few cases we have already made commitments that are not reflected in the new policy. People are essentially suggesting we start again. I wonder who is going to have the time to sort all this out. Who will meet and rework the already agreed to document? Will that leave any energy to actually implement the scheme? Team, we got to get going! The bitter reality is that we are on a sinking ship. It won't be under water for awhile, but make no doubt about it. We are going down. VDN's are but one example-- there are dozens of issues we have faced and will face. I find it frustrating to think of this great organization wallowing in email debates about what are really minor issues. We need to make a number of changes. Before I detail what those changes are let me briefly explain that I think we need to grow in order to generate interest and be sustainable -- staying the same size will not work. My Vision of CCN in the year 2000 (only 14 months away): - vibrant 10,000 user community served by a range of access options including text-based dail-up, PPP modem connections, adsl/cable modem partnerships and extensive Public Access Terminals and Urban CAP sites - dynamic 500 IP community; a central hub of information and dialogue for the Halifax region - Halifax recognized across Canada as a having lead the way in providing community-based access and services to all members of the community. Whether or not you agree with my vision is less important than that we agree to move on with a number of significant changes. These include: - providing a basic service to individuals and IP's at no cost forever (to ensure access for all and community information space) - charging a tiered fee based on services offered for everything above the basic service (become sustainable and generate sufficient revenue to function in a healthy fashion) - Offer dail-up PPP access to individual users on a trial basis this fall and to all users starting in the new year - Provide IP's with FTP access, and revamp the front page and sections of CCN's web site so they highlight the services of CCN IP's. - start treating site visitors (not just text-based dail-in users) as our core user group - redesign the logon page, front page and section pages on the CCN site so that they a) better highlight our purpose and services b) better highlight our IP's and c) create a modern visually pleasing impression of CCN - start a series of initiatives to create a user community (news groups, discussion groups, etc) - hire part-time and then full-time staff for technical and executive director positions - revamp every process so that a) it is efficient from a community member point of view and b) it is easy to administer (Why not a 1-page new member sign up screen? Name, address, user agreement, options (custom name, users guide, disk space, etc) , secure credit card payment, click here to join button) - revitalize the volunteer process (and thereby provide new resources for technical, communication and other areas) - rethink the public access terminal/Urban CAP efforts and coordinate them with the wonderful work Doug is doing with Seniors, so we are rapidly expanding the number of people in Halifax with access to the Internet. - review and modify our training and user-help proc