[Linux-aus] With elections coming up soon I thought I'd post a few ideas

[James Purser]

I posted the following on my blog and I thought I would post it here and
see if we could get some agreement on a couple of the issues (I know, I
know).

I have been hesitant to bring this up seeing as the last time it was
brought up, a couple of people managed to hijack the debate and turn it
into a flamefest, however with elections coming up soon I thought I
would throw some ideas about and see what the rest of the community
thinks. 
________________________________________________________________________
First off I would like to revisit the idea of extending the terms of the
office holders(President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary) on
the committee. One year is really not enough for someone to get elected,
get used to the position and the responsibilities and then get stuck
into long term projects. In my opinion two year terms would be best .
This allows for a period of adjustment to the role, catching up with
issues and so on and then it gives ample time to get stuck into building
the organisation and exploring new avenues and projects. Also having one
year terms for the ordinary members gives those who would like to
contribute more to the organisation a chance to see what working on the
committee will be like without having to commit to the full two years.

Secondly I would like to bring up New Zealand. Matt Brown from
Wellington LUG raised an interesting point in this message on the
linux-aus mailing list. Should we be looking at maybe taking on the role
of Linux Australasia, becoming a body that represents LUGs and the FOSS
community both here and in New Zealand? This is of course predicated on
whether the New Zealand FOSS community would want to be part of such an
organisation. Personally I think this idea is not such a bad thing.
Having a look around the community in New Zealand there is some really
cool stuff happening and they are facing many of the same issues that we
do in Australia.

Lastly I would like to touch on the sub-committee system and the
percieved openness of operations. Pia reminded us about the Sub
Committees a little while ago, and I think there is really a great deal
of potential here but we need to get the word out more about the
opportunities offered. As to the openness, I know the committee is a
volunteer org and time is a rare commodity, however I might suggest
something like a monthly Presidents report or similar, just to keep
people up to date with what is going on.

Well that's my ramble for today. If you disagree with me or would like
to add your own suggestions in a constructive manner then please feel
free to respond either below or on the linux-aus mailing list.
-- 
James Purser
Chief Talking Guy - Linux Australia Update
http://k-sit.com - My Blog
http://la-pod.k-sit.com - Linux Australia Update Blog and Forums
Skype: purserj1977