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Index of Subjects > Some background. > > Individuals who join CCN go through a procedure to obtain an account. Various > forms are completed, an account is set up, and the new member proceeds to use > CCN services. Depending upon the fee paid, the individual is classified as > assisted, individual, supporting, sustaining, family, family supporting or > family sustaining. Resources and services assigned to the account are based on > classification. > For IPs, there are additional steps in the procedure. Besides the need of an > editor account (as above), additional forms, and a training/certification > procedure were required to be completed. In the past, these additional steps > were deemed necessary so that web page installs, updates could be performed > competently by the IP editor from the text browser. Additional resources (web > space) etc. were assigned to the IP organization, dependent upon the fee paid. This seems inaccurate to the extent that in the past no restrictions have been placed on an IP's use of CCN resources which have never been exceeded... > With the advent of FTP service, web page updates can be performed, in most > cases, without the need to know the nuances of the text environment. Which > begs the question - 'why is an IP member required to follow a projected sign > up procedure?'. Could IPs be viewed as other class(es) of member (business, > organization)? There would appear to be potential benefits in establishing closer and stronger bonds with IP's, more training rather than less might be a more appropriate approach. Adopting a single view encompasing IP's and a business member (class) is clearly outside the original vision. IP's carry some hope of providing some 'redeeming' social value to the community that most businesses would regard as sentimental (someone elses' concern) and a contradiction of the business motivation to guarantee profit and a return on equity to shareholders. The discussion relating to IP's should reference the situations of individual IP's... IP's such as the late Janet MacKay. Any changes to the IP systems and structures should clearly offer the options and support that allowed/encouraged Janet to develop her heritage resource. Lumping all IP's together (or all membership classes) and searching for generalizations is a short step from optimizing our efforts, strategic deployment of resources, viewing 'assisted' members as outside our ability to accomodate... freeloaders... (we've had users report instances of this impression surfacing already). There is no question that we need funds to survive... but surviving is not the objective, providing service is. If we become money driven, there is nothing to hold volunteers, the organization becomes a third-rate ISP. > If the proposition that membership should be expanded to include an > organization level and a business level, then the procedure for joining CCN > could be streamlined into one procedure, with the appropriate fees and > services. > The question for discussion is: > - should the IP stream and the general membership stream be merged? How would this (and other recent) proposals[s] (have) affect[ed] Janet MacKay? How will it affect support systems, will the IP Committee system be replaced by paid staff and a mailing list? We should be sure that we're not trying to get a chair to sit level by cutting off one of the legs only to find we can't stop cutting. I still want to see/hear the revised 'vision' that's driving this ...because many of these initiatives do not appear to _support_ the original vision. > Please reply in the IP Merge thread. Clarification, or correction to the > brief description of the process is invited, particularly where it can be > shown that the merging of the streams may be untenable. david potter --------------------------------------------------------------- This mail was sent through the Nova Scotia Provincial Server. http://nsaccess.ns.ca/mail/ (in development)
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