Archive:2005-09-18

Conference call at 6pm on Sunday.

Agenda
We've loitered too long: we need to get back to doing the work of FreeCulture.org. Local chapters are great and important, but they will be at a serious disadvantage if FC.o doesn't exist. We need to turn the tide: to complete back tasks and start moving forward. We know what we need to do to make FC.o viable in the long term. But we need workers to do it.

On today's call we'll talk about what FC.o needs to do and try to divy up those tasks.

Standing tasks
We will be using the Todo page to coordinate unfinished tasks. From there, we will enumerate all the various tasks that need to get done, both un-done one-time tasks and standing / recurring tasks.

Here are some important jobs we need help with immediately:
 * Website: There are a number of un-finished tasks on the Web site, including:
 * Install BattleCart so DHB can take over our shirt orders.
 * Add prominent link to shirt shopping page.
 * Update shirt shopping page.
 * T-shirts:
 * Follow-up on previous shipments, making sure the right packages arrived at their destinations.
 * Create a list of packages that need to be shipped.
 * Re-order shirts, including XL size.
 * Outreach:
 * Follow-up on contacts, see if they need help, etc.
 * Draft Canada recruitment e-mail.

CopyNight
CopyNight is our first national project for the year. CopyNight is a great project started by Ren from the EFF to help build social capital around the idea of copyright reform. It's a monthly meet-up in bars across America that provides a neutral, non-threatening environment to start establishing relationships among lawyers, technologists, artists, activists, academics, etc. -- to build the social networks that strengthen our work and develop into political clout.

We are asking each Free Culture chapter to start a CopyNight in their city or join one in the area. You can do this even if you don't have a chapter.

What we need:
 * A guide for chapters.
 * Explain succintly what CopyNight is and why we're doing it
 * How to host a CopyNight
 * Flyers that students can print and post on campus and in the area
 * Hints on who to invite and how to invite them (e.g. pre-made e-mails)
 * A press release that students can send to their local media
 * A blog post about what we're doing and why
 * A project leader to overview progress and maintain contacts
 * Someone to contact extant CopyNights and ask for their advice

Note: CopyNight provides some resources for hosts.

Jimbo Wales
Our second national project: Jimbo, the founder of Wikipedia, has expressed interest in doing a college speaking tour. The earliest this could happen is the spring, but we need to start preparing now.

What we need:
 * A project leader
 * Someone to contact Jimbo and get more information about his availability, prices, requirements, etc.
 * A guide for chapters
 * Explain why we want to bring Jimbo to speak at our campuses
 * How to bring Jimbo: where to get money, etc.
 * A "proposal packet" for prospective funders

Note: Jimbo already has some college dates scheduled that we may be able to piggy-back on.

Present

 * University of Florida
 * Gavin
 * Pedro
 * Eldo
 * Swarthmore
 * Nelson
 * Erek
 * Nick from Franklin & Marshall
 * Karen from Scripps College, Claremont California
 * Aphid from UC Santa Cruz
 * Elizabeth from Harvard Law
 * Tyson from UIowa Law

Gavin


 * Pay attention to wiki todo page. This will be where we post everything that needs to get done.


 * We need a more take-charge leadership style. We need to have less discussion and more action.  Don't have the luxury of wasting time on deliberation, however if anyone has any issues with specific decisions they are welcome to make that known.

Website

 * We need backend programming support for the website. Will send more tasks to webteam list
 * Email freedom@freeculture.org to get on the web team email list
 * Especially need people who know backend stuff.
 * Aphid, Karen, Erek would like to be on the list.
 * Web team needs to keep everything documented in the private wiki and coordinated through the web-team list.

Tee-shirts.

 * We shipped some tee-shirts, however have not had a chance to follow up on exactly who got their shirts and who didn't/if they got everything they asked for. We need someone to go through tee-shirt list and make sure everyone has what they want.
 * Karen volunteered to call all the people who ordered shirts.
 * Someone needs to order XL shirts, and possibly other shirts as necessary. Contact person is Fred to get designs, previous vendor, etc.
 * Pedro volunteered to help with this/

Outreach

 * Someone should go through everyone who has contacted us saying they want to start a group. Followup, check on status, see if they need any other information, etc.
 * Someone should change the email addresses on the blogs to obfuscate the email addresses.
 * Elizabeth will coordinate with Nelson to follow up with international people interested in starting chapters.
 * We could still use volunteers to work with people in the states who want to start chapters.

Copynight

 * Copynight is a project to get people to meet in bars (or restaurants, coffeeshops, etc.) to talk about copyright reform. Creates a non-threatening environment to start social networks.
 * Create some resources to make it easier. Maybe a web-packet with all the information that someone needs.  Tells them how to do it, sample flyer, etc.
 * Interested Parties:
 * Elizabeth will design the flyer.
 * We need someone else to write a blurb.  Tabled to next call

Jimbo Wales

 * This person would be an ideal match for what we're about. We need someone to help facilitate us getting him to as many schools as possible.  Someone needs to contact him to find out the details.  Elizabeth will work with Nelson to get Jimbo Wales to speak at as many schools as possible.  Eldo will ask Carrie if they have a press packet for Jimbo for us to present to speaker's boards.
 * If Jimbo does not have a press packet, someone should make one up.
 * Elizabeth will send an email to the core list and the list of prospective people asking preliminarily what sort of interest there would be in having him speak at a bunch of campuses.


 * People On call Interested in Bringing Jimbo
 * Elizabeth
 * Nelson from Swarthmore
 * Aphid from Santa Cruz

Chapter Business:

 * Aphid: Most of the people in the chapter aren't back yet.  We have a couple local events planned.  Several screenings.  Starting a few workshop tutorials in gimp, inkspot, etc.  One day circuit bending workshop.  Website got hacked and knocked offline.
 * Karen: Filling out applications.  By next week will be able to get things solid.  A couple friends have offered to be around when she needs help.  Hoping to organize a copynight.
 * Nick from F&M: Had a presence at the activities fair. about 10 freshmen are interested.  Lost a lot of people last semester.  Getting funding to bring Lessig here.  Getting a local person to speak on open GIS.  Got money earmarked for Vans for a trip to DC or another group.
 * Gavin from UofF: The school year started two to three weeks. Did a Ã¢â‚¬Å“Free your PCÃ¢â‚¬? event.  Cleaned up the spyware, installed open software, and gave them lots of propaganda from EFF, etc.  Doing Copynight in October.  Trying to bring Jimbo.  Film Screenings.  Trying to get people to make mix CDs and swap them.
 * Nelson for Swarthmore:  Planning on a pirate party.  A media server.  Working with the library to get a Creative Commons Bookshelf with books that are of interest to our group.

Future Project Ideas

 * Free culture conference at an FC chapter.
 * Hill Lobbying DC trip.

Misc
Policy clarification: Students should use freeculture.org webspace or on-campus webspace so that when the current webmasters graduate and/or get eaten by hairy monsters we will still be able to give access to their replacements.
 * Post-call discussion led to the conclusion that although campus webspace or FC.o webspace would be ideal, what's most important is that you get a blog of some sort ASAP. We recommend Livejournal, because it runs on open source software and publishes an RSS feed. -- Nelson 14:46, 21 Sep 2005 (EDT)

Law School Stuff

 * Trademark paper
 * OA Law Campaign-