Meeting at P&J 02-20-2012

[Stephen Marshall]

There has been talk of taking our regular meeting off line, in favor of
doing business by email and as-needed. Is there any strong dissent to
this proposal, and do we want to act on it today?

I have one check to sign. Facilitation has not stepped forward to submit
any request for our GA host. Is anyone tracking the number of meetings
we have had without paying? We usually need to look at who will be at
what events to collect donations. Does any one have business to submit?

I am trying to get print media started - or continued, depending on your
way of looking at it - and this will require funding which will
presumably, in the long run, pay us back.

What are we doing to raise money? Do we need to brainstorm projects?
What are we going to do?

I do have intentions to develop merchandise. I plan to sell it and share
the profits with OBVT. If OBVT finances, though, all of the money would
go to OBVT. What do people feel about this idea?

I think it is possible we are getting impatient with our
responsibilities, but this review shows we do have stuff to talk about.

I would like to put this conversation on the blog, so we can keep the
threads clean and public. Any objections to this concept?

--
This reply email has been edited to reduce volume and to simplify reading it.

Stephen Marshall
11 Hungerford Terrace (out back)
Burlington Vermont 05401
Dispolemic.Blogspot.Com
802-861-2316 Landline
802-922-1446 Cell

[Emily Reynolds]

Sounds fine to me.

[Stephen Marshall]

Emily, I asked a bunch of questions. What are you agreeing to?

On 2/20/2012 12:06 PM, Emily Reynolds wrote:
>
> Sounds fine to me.
>
> On Feb 20, 2012 11:59 AM, "Stephen Marshall"
> <visi...@burlingtontelecom.net

> Dispolemic.Blogspot.Com <http://Dispolemic.Blogspot.Com>
> 802-861-2316 <tel:802-861-2316> Landline
> 802-922-1446 <tel:802-922-1446> Cell

[Emily Reynolds]

All of it. Especially putting it online.

[Colleen Deignan]

Stephen, 

Thanks for getting the conversation started.  I'm here at the PJC and it seems like everyone's taken to the idea of keeping it online today.  I think we should we leave it up to facilitation to submit the request, or send them a friendly reminder. 

Stephen, have you chosen/created a working group for your print media ideas?  Obviously, finance will need to be involved in the discussion at some point, but maybe not  quite yet.  Unless you're proposing that finance start publishing work as a way of fund raising?

I don't see any upcoming events (other than WG meetings) on the Occupy Calendar.  Does anyone know of any?

Interested idea about merchandise - I think that could be a money maker.  Sort of unclear ground about where to distribute the profits.  Would you ask to be compensated for your labor if OBTV financed it? And again, would you have a working group behind you, or is this an individual endeavor?

Thanks,

Colleen

[Andrew Sullivan]

Hi Stephen,

 

Thanks for your email. I would really appreciate it if you would leave my emails off of anything that you post. Nothing that I write is a secret, and I believe in the idea of transparency to the extent that anyone who might be curious would be welcome to ask to see any omitted emails. However, I also believe in privacy. I do not think that there is any reason whatsoever to post all of our communications anywhere. In fact, I am almost sure that it will prevent people from expressing themselves with the same candour that they would use under other circumstances.

I have to say that I have not been able to contribute very much to the WG outside of meetings. I regret to say that the situation is unlikely to change. For that reason and others, I fully consent to communicating and coordinating for the WG via the internet. 

I am grateful for your work to produce merchandise. As for money for print media, I do not expect that I would have any reason to disapprove of a request from you for funds. Please do not take my tone to be curt. I only mean to ask you exactly the same questions that I would ask anyone else. I am sure you are well aware of the importance of such questions. How much will it cost? What will you get for it? How do you know how many people will read these print media? How do you know they will contribute money to the movement if they do read it?

I am inclined to think that advertisements in established media would reach more people than a whole newsletter, and I think the readers of the ads would be more likely to donate online. I think the recent insert in the PJC newsletter was fantastic. It seems like a great and inexpensive thing from which to build, at least for the time being. The online eBlurb is also great. I think networking at more churches, libraries, colleges, radio stations, newspapers, local businesses, and non-profits could be very useful. Of course, even just driving around and talking to people takes tons of time and money. I suppose a lot of these things have been happening for some time, but I hope they can increase over time. Besides your proposal, I do not know what anyone would like to do to raise money for the movement.

In solidarity,
Andrew