[CivicAccess-discuss] Invite + launch + unwants

Tue Dec 6 04:03:36 AEDT 2005

yeah - i was editing it.  sorry.
On 12/5/05, Patrick Dinnen <pdinnen at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm trying to edit the CoFounders page
> (http://civicaccess.ca/wiki/Launch/PossibleCoFounders) but it appears
> as immutable to me. Anyone got any ideas?
>
> Patrick
>
> On 12/5/05, Michael Lenczner <mlenczner at gmail.com> wrote:
> > actually - i take it back.  i'm okay with the invites being personal /
> > tweakable.  But I still think that we should send out the invites all
> > in the same day.
> >
> > i guess one of the few steps left before we send out invites is to
> > check over our list of co-founders.  i just looked at it and I didn't
> > see many names that would be easy for me to take off (maybe 3-4).
> > Tracey - could you add your people there?  Patrick and Steph?  do you
> > have any suggestions?  We definitely don't need any more people from
> > Montreal and we could use women and more people from prairies and BC
> > as well as out east and the territories?  I'm afraid that my networks
> > only run towards geeks.  And I'm less likely to find non-geeks through
> > google.
> >
> > mike
> >
> > On 12/5/05, Michael Lenczner <mlenczner at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > that looks awesome.  really nice job.
> > >
> > > my stuff shouldn't be in there.  not as an introduction.  i can bring
> > > it up with people during the discussion before we open to the public.
> > >
> > > i'll suggest a few minor edits - but i think that it's basically perfect.
> > >
> > > and yeah - i was thinking that now is a bad time to send out invites
> > > because it's going to be so busy until x-mas - but maybe not.  Maybe
> > > we could invite people to be on the mailing list together and then
> > > just open to the public after x-mas (like jan 4-5).
> > >
> > > But i don't think we should invite people piecemeal  (one here, a few
> > > there).  I think if we want them to take it seriously as co-founders,
> > > then we should invite them all at once - and maybe we should send them
> > > a standard letter.  It seems more credible imho then to send out more
> > > personalized.  If context is required for a specific person we could
> > > contextualize above / below that standard text.
> > >
> > > but that's just a thought.  i'm okay with us doing it differently if
> > > it's important to any of you.
> > >
> > > mike
> > >
> > >
> > > On 12/5/05, Tracey P. Lauriault <tlauriau at magma.ca> wrote:
> > > > Hi gang;
> > > >
> > > > I had a go at the invite a bit-
> > > > http://civicaccess.ca/wiki/Launch/Invitation? I'll frenchisize after
> > > > your comments.
> > > >
> > > > When should we send this out?  Should we send to a few people we each
> > > > have close relationships with really soon and get started? I would love
> > > > to get my few DataInfo friends engaged while i have them hot - like the
> > > > next week or so.  what so you think?
> > > >
> > > > also, michael started an interesting stream on what we do not want the
> > > > group to be.  Did we want to explore how we want to address those issues
> > > > a bit?  I left them at the bottom of the letter.
> > > >
> > > > I paste the let & michael's bit below.
> > > >
> > > > Cheers
> > > > tracey
> > > > **************
> > > >
> > > > I think this invitation should be tweakable and targeted as oppposed to
> > > > general and impersonal. Perhaps for the public launch we can do
> > > > something a little more general. my guess is each of us has a variety of
> > > > relationships with the people want to invite so i am approaching this as
> > > > a template with some cut and paste content. We may wanna get this out
> > > > soon though!
> > > >
> > > > *DRAFT INVITE LETTER:*
> > > >
> > > > Hi There;
> > > >
> > > > Stephane, Patrick, Michael and Tracey (change order as required!) here
> > > > and we would like to invite you to co-found a new canadian civic
> > > > engagement space - Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and
> > > > Data (COACID). We are contacting you since we know that you have been
> > > > thinking and talking about these issues, have been actively engaged in
> > > > related activities, and also because each or you has unique expertise,
> > > > knowledge and experience to contribute to this type of activity (i.e.
> > > > social planning, data access, open source, mapping, technology creation,
> > > > etc.).
> > > >
> > > > We are a group of diverse citizens, who also happen to be technologists,
> > > > academics, and activists, who share a common belief that civic
> > > > information and data should be made easily accessible at no cost for
> > > > non-commercial purposes to citizens and civil society organizations. We
> > > > are doing this because, we understand that participatory democratic
> > > > processes require that citizens have access to information and data to
> > > > inform their engagement and to improve the quality of the decisions they
> > > > make during that process. But also because, information and data are the
> > > > essential bits and bytes required to re-imagine, re-envision, visualize
> > > > and critically anaylze the communities we live in.
> > > >
> > > > So far a COACID discussion lists has been created ([WWW]
> > > > http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca),
> > > > and a wiki ([WWW] http://civicaccess.ca/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/) has been set
> > > > up with some draft content. The wiki is an open source collaborative
> > > > tool that will host content discussed on the list. In short this is an
> > > > emerging community of citizens across Canada like you who want to share
> > > > what they know, do, their skills, information and data and these tools
> > > > are there to facilitate that.
> > > >
> > > > Please join the list and introduce yourselves, navigate the wiki, share
> > > > your ideas, interests, and add some content and discuss issues you think
> > > > are important from your unique and diverse perspectives. There is no
> > > > pre-determined way to do or say things, so feel free to say, modify, and
> > > > do as you like in this environment. The group remains small and closed
> > > > at the moment with the hope that once we have been working together a
> > > > little, and have a better handle on what we are doing, the list and wiki
> > > > can go public to some targeted some related communities of practice in
> > > > January or February of 2006!
> > > >
> > > > We are looking forward to being engaged in this information and data
> > > > community building activity with you!
> > > >
> > > > Cheers Stephane, Patrick, Michael and Tracey
> > > >
> > > > NOTE: so and so can help you with the wiki so and so can help you with
> > > > the listserve this is what you need to do to get on the Discussion list
> > > > this is what you need to do to use the wiki
> > > >
> > > > **************************** Michael, do we want to discuss this further
> > > > on the list? I am thinking that having this in the invite would be
> > > > intimidating, but think there is merit in agreeing to what we do not
> > > > want along with what we do.
> > > >
> > > > A key thing to tell you as possible co-founders of COACID is what we
> > > > don't want COACID to be. We don't want it to become it's own project. We
> > > > don't want it to become an ego vehicle for a small group of people. And
> > > > we don't want it to become something that's chasing after funding. We
> > > > want it to be a [WWW] third place <http://user.gru.net/domz/third.htm>
> > > > for people already motivated in this cause and a place for people who
> > > > are curious to find out more.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > CivicAccess-discuss mailing list
> > > > CivicAccess-discuss at civicaccess.ca
> > > > http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca
> > > >
> > >
> >
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> > CivicAccess-discuss at civicaccess.ca
> > http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca
> >
>
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