[LINK] RFI: Suitable Tools for an Electronic Forum

[Roger Clarke]

> On 2021-06-24 11:05, Roger Clarke wrote:
>> Has anyone seen any examples of effective use of electronic fora in
>> membership-based organisations?
>>
>> Background
>>
>> A national, membership-based body is changing its form of incorporation,
>> and is preparing its new constitution.
>>
>> Three rounds of consultation are to be undertaken with members.

On 27/6/21 11:50 pm, David wrote:
> What does its' current constition have to say about the _process_ of constitional change?

Quite a bit.  And it will of course be respected (this time around).

There's currently no *requirement* for consultation as such.

But there *is* a requirement that the document, and arguments for and
against, be exposed for 3 months *before* the General Meeting is called
to consider it;  and 75% approval is required.


> Are there deep factions?  Are the ordinary members generally in favour of the proposed changes?  If not, then no amount of technology will solve the problem.

Factions is too strong a word, but there are bound to be a few areas of
difference of viewpoints.

One area that may stimulate lively discussion, for example, is the
extent to which old-style, values-driven, 'guild-like' professional
societies are passe and that in the 21st century they should be a
commercial operation.  That links with the issue of 'why not merge the
notions of professional association and industry association'.

Another is whether a Society is a member-driven body, or members are
merely customers and the organisation is a grand ship of state to be
sailed by company directors.

The document will not be a set of changes, but a freshly-written
constitution.

At this stage there is no draft.  That will follow the two preliminary
rounds that establish principles, and discuss constitutional features.


> How many members are we talking about?  What, roughly, is their age and what level of technical infrastructure would you expect them to have?  Is the consitional change likely to be a major or complicated one, and how will responses be evaluated?  Can all this be done electronically within the existing constition?  What are the security requirements (e.g. to prevent multiple responses)?

5,000 professional members plus a further 5,000 non-professional but
voting members.  (Yes, that aspect is odd).

It's a comprehensive composition of a new constitution.  (But it will of
course be checked back against the existing one, to make sure that good
features are functionally replicated, and that transition is as painless
as practicable).

The input and feedback will be stimulated by, and evaluated by, a
Working Group, and accountability addressed in some appropriate manner,
e.g. through transparency of the input and feedback, of such summaries
as are prepared, and to the extent practicable of ideas' adoptions,
adaptations and non-adoptions.  It's the nature of the thing that
balances, compromises and hard decisions will be part of the process.


> IMHO putting any of this on Google Docs or other social-media platform is just a gift to the relevant corporation, and may have unintended legal consequences if some members don't want to donate their views to Alphabet et al.

My personal views are the same, and I'll be arguing against Google Docs
as the vehicle.  From my very superficial reviews over the weekend of a
dozen services, the ones I think need deeper evaluation are (in alpha
order) bangtheteable (terrible name), Discourse and groups.io.
As Karl said, nothing leaps out and demands to be used.


However, I'm only one member of the Working Group, and discussions are
only at an early stage.  COVID isn't helping.  We didn't manage to get
the important, face-to-face launch meeting arranged before the current
closedowns.  After even one meatspace meet-up, video-conferencing will
be a lot more effective than when we're trying to gauge one another's
approaches without prior, personal familiarity.


-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University