[ok-scotland] Fwd: first board meeting?

Paola Di Maio paola.dimaio at gmail.com
Wed Jun 30 11:52:42 UTC 2010


Hi Robin

thanks for input



> The Scotland group is more like a user group, and fortunately we don't have
> to deal with money or laws so I'd say the simplest thing is to use the list
> and occasional meetings to progress common interests without getting bogged
> down in organisational malarkey. Having a wiki space on the OKF site and
> this list is again a convenience, so let's use it productively.  I doubt
> anyone has time to add much more structure/overhead/governance to our
> activities than that.
>


I am actually not sure what you say above matches the information I have,
are we talkint about the same project here?

maybe we are working on tw different OK Foundation Scotland? :-)

I think we may be doing funded project, just nobody knows  about it :-)

what kind of openness is that ?


It says nowhere what OKScotland is/should be, nor what its relationship is
to OKF, and most importantly it does not say anywhere
how OKF makes its decisions about OKFScotland!

surely we need more clarity if we have to do work?

There are some very critical technical decisions (information structure,
metadata etc) that go absolutely nowhere because nobody
in the OKF possibly has enough competences to make such decisions, or maybe
they dont have the time, I dont know

My project is stalling because of that lack of decision, and i do have some
funding for it! it cannot wait!

I intend to undertake some very serious work in relation to open public data
under the OKF Scotland , and I need
to be a solid legal entity, and fully accountable , and the technology like
CKAN to be useful for that (else I need another platform, but wouldnt that
be a
silly thing?)

all of thisit does need discussion

I am happy not to have a board, as long as I dont have to discuss my work
done under OKS with anyone at the OKFI
if they have a board, we need a board too,



> I'd suggest using a non-OKF list if you want to start up a group that is
> not associated with OKF.


no quite the contrary, I am trying to get work done with OKF, and I am
constantly reminded that there is a board meeting
some time  coming up of which I never hear the outomes of!  ????

therefore, I see no other solution that having an independent governance
proess possibly documented

When I asked Jo  'who is OK Scotland made of' she said  only you and me for
now (that meaning jo and paola) because Robin and Stuart work for the
University

 But we (jo and I)  are planning toinvite  everyone who is intersted inbeing
part of OK Scotland, and operate transparently with open processes



> Personally I'd rather we use this list and wiki to continue to share ideas
> and projects of the sort that were shared in the recent event. And bear in
> mind if the list gets too active people will unsubscribe, so let's use it
> with care.
>


This email is to invite everyone to the next meeting and discuss governance
of OKS, it is necessary
to undertake serious, accountable work  and develop the OK platform
accordingly

this has been the subject of private conversations betweent different sets
of people



>
> I'd also suggest removing the word Board from the wiki since there are no
> terms of reference for a board and we are really just an informal group.
>

i ll make sure the term of reference is linked to (the same term of
reference that the OKF board links to, perhaps?)


PDM


>
> cheers,
>
> Robin
>
>
> Paola Di Maio wrote:
>
>> Hi Robin
>>
>> thats a great question, because technically, in the absence of a statute,
>> none of this board stuff sense
>> except that all decisions re OK Foundation are taken by a board that meets
>> secretly and is makiing decisions for OKScotland without us knowing it
>>
>> So, my comments in the notes shared with Jonathan and Joe are precisely
>> aimed at claryfying what kind of open society
>> are we working o here?
>>
>> I think that it is implicitly understood that the bord makes all the
>> strategic decisions, and the board at the moment
>> does have 'secret' meetings where members of the community are not
>> invited, nor the contents of which is divulged
>> to members via minutes. That is a very poor model of transparency afaik,
>> Of course I have a problem with an organisational structure that
>> replicates the social models open knowledge is trying to
>> impact and evolve.
>>
>> OKF as it stands is a bit stuck, and thats because all decision making
>> processes are a bit of a mess, and not particularly effective, even
>> potentially doing exactly the contrary of what it says it does :-)
>>
>>
>> being in Scotland i think its accepted tradition to strive for
>> independence and justice
>>
>> As a consequence of studying with interest this field  today it is
>> suggested that Open Knowledge Foundation Scotland is to have its own
>> decision making process which is not dependent on the non transparent  of
>> OK Foundation in the UK
>>
>> A decision that I welcome anyone to challenge on this list (if someone
>> thinks its the wrong thing to do, lets talk about it)
>>
>> And I put it to you, and to this community, whether we should have a board
>>  at all (I think 'techically' Scotlan should have its own board i
>> unless OK Foundation dissolves its board too, otherwise we depend on them
>>
>> And how do we go about self governance? I suggest we meet to discuss this
>> and all related issues when Jo is back fro holiday
>>
>> P
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 10:56 AM, Robin Rice <R.Rice at ed.ac.uk <mailto:
>> R.Rice at ed.ac.uk>> wrote:
>>
>>    Paola,
>>
>>    What is the difference between being a member of the group and a
>>    member of the board? What is the remit of a board that anyone may join?
>>
>>    Sorry if I haven't been paying enough attention.
>>    Robin
>>
>>
>>    Paola Di Maio wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>        Greetings Folks
>>
>>
>>        Following discussions with Jo and jonathan Gray
>>        I have upated the OK Scotland page
>>
>>        http://wiki.okfn.org/okscotland#preview
>>
>>         we should start thinking of the first date for a meeting, pref
>>        mid July onwards
>>
>>        Please add yourself to the page if you d like to be on the
>>        board, and write what meeting daterange  would suit you
>>        from the 15 July onwards
>>
>>        cheers
>>
>>        PDM
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>        _______________________________________________
>>        ok-scotland mailing list
>>        ok-scotland at lists.okfn.org <mailto:ok-scotland at lists.okfn.org>
>>
>>        http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-scotland
>>
>>
>>    --
>>    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>    Robin Rice
>>    EDINA and Data Library
>>    University of Edinburgh
>>
>>    R.Rice at ed.ac.uk <mailto:R.Rice at ed.ac.uk>
>>
>>    0131 651 1317 (M, W, F)
>>    0131 651 1431 (T, Th)
>>    http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/data-library
>>    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>    --
>>    The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
>>    Scotland, with registration number SC005336.
>>
>>
>>
> --
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Robin Rice
> EDINA and Data Library
> University of Edinburgh
>
> R.Rice at ed.ac.uk
> 0131 651 1317 (M, W, F)
> 0131 651 1431 (T, Th)
> http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/data-library
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> --
> The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland,
> with registration number SC005336.
>
> _______________________________________________
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> ok-scotland at lists.okfn.org
> http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-scotland
>
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