Archive:2005-03-13

We should try to link to the Meetings page from each of these meeting pages. If this seems awkward, maybe we should rename the Meetings page so that it seems more natural.

Agenda
Agenda by Nick (with much copied from Gavin's agenda for 2005-03-06)

About page

 * Gavin and Nelson have gotten a good start on an About page for FC.o. Please take a couple minutes before the call and review their work. Also make sure to check out the Talk:About page

Blogshine aggregator
From Gavin's e-mail to the list: ''"You can join Blogshine Sunday by writing in your blog about open government and how it relates to you. The Blogshine Sunday blog will aggregate and link to the postings."

...Oh, we're aggregating them, are we? Well, crap. What I wrote on blogshine.org was for people to *trackback* their entry to the blogshine blog -- not aggregating, per se. But, now that I think about it -- why not? Rather than showing the blogshine blog, why not just show all the entries that others have written?''


 * Can we do this?
 * Who will do this?

Signing on to Budapest Initiative, Geneva Declaration
Luke? Status?
 * Budapest is done, we're signed on as you can see in the list of signatures. I dunno if Geneva is still accepting signatures... Luke? -- Nelson 14:30, 12 Mar 2005 (EST)

Signing on to ATA
Nelson / Andy? Status?

Signing on to other things
How do we feel about these?


 * OpenTheGovernment.org's Statement of Values
 * WIPO Manifesto for Transparency, Participation, Balance and Access

FAQ
We could avoid a lot of the clueless e-mails and flames that we get (which we have to respond to) if we had a good FAQ on the website.
 * FAQ

OPEN Government Act
Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2005 (S. 394), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). In Senate Judiciary Committee, expected hearing mid-March.


 * text as introduced (or PDF)
 * Cornyn's site
 * Cornyn's floor speech
 * overview includes endorsements

News

 * Copyfight, Feb. 18, 2005
 * Media Law, Media Law, Feb. 16, 2005
 * Library Law, Feb. 17, 2005

Endorsements
The text of endorsement letters is available in the public record of the bill's introduction
 * American Association of Law Libraries, American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Associated Press Managing Editors, Association of Health Care Journalists, Center for Democracy & Technology, Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, Committee of Concerned Journalists, Education Writers Association, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Federation of American Scientists/Project on Government Secrecy, Free Congress Foundation/Center for Privacy & Technology Policy, Freedom of Information Center (University of Missouri), The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, The Heritage Foundation/Center for Media and Public Policy, Information Trust, National Conference of Editorial Writers, National Freedom of Information Coalition, National Newspaper Association, National Security Archive/George Washington University, Newspaper Association of America, People for the American Way, Project on Government Oversight, Radio-Television News Directors Association, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Society of Environmental Journalists

Count Every Vote Act
S 450, sponsored by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and 5 co-sponsors. In Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

In House, HR 939, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio). "Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned."


 * text (Senate)
 * text (House)
 * Computerworld, Feb. 28, 2005

Voting Integrity and Verification Act
HR 704, sponsored by Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) and Rep Shelley Berkley (D-NV). In House Committee on House Administration.


 * text
 * Computerworld, Feb. 9, 2005

Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act
HR 550, sponsored by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and 102 co-sponsors. In House Committee on House Administration.


 * text
 * EFF Action Alert (in support)

Family Entertainment and Copyright Act
This dinosaur has been kicking around for a while. Can someone who understands government-ese interpret where this bill is actually at?


 * text

Local Community Radio Act
S 312, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and 2 co-sponsors. In Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


 * text

Conference call day/time

 * Should we (briefly) discuss if we should change the day and/or time of the conference calls?

Minutes
By Nick

Attendance: Amanda, Andy, Gavin, Luke, Mike, Nick

About page

 * Discuss on wiki and listserv.

Blogshine aggregator

 * Many sites have covered blogshine, though not as many have participated.
 * Maybe we can keep blogshine.org running, fix up the site so it can be longer term resource and can be used again next year.
 * Write entries in your blogs!
 * Gavin will write up a press release about how blogshine went; everyone is encourage to submit it to their local media outlets. Check the blog later tonight or tomorrow.
 * DIY journalism.

Geneva Declaration/Open Access

 * Luke will send an e-mail saying we'd like to be signed on.
 * Swarthmore FC is currently trying to get the college to sign on to the Budapest Initiative. Other groups might be interested in similar campaigns.
 * Still want to have a series of blog posts about open access. Luke is responsible for writing at least the introductory post; he'll try to finish this before the next call.

Signing on to ATA

 * Luke will mention ATA to Nelson at their meeting on Tues.

The FC.o blog

 * Why aren't we referenced more? Are we not read?
 * We still want to post new and insightful (and regularly) commentary.

1st Birthday, April 23, 2005

 * FC.o will be turning one next year.
 * Could we write a where we've been, where we're going post?
 * What problems have we had? What did we do well? What could we do better? What do we want to accomplish?
 * Let's discuss this on the list.
 * Could be a good opportunity to get people who were on board early on involved again. Need to stress that you don't necessarily need a local group to participate.

Signing on to stuff

 * When signing on to proposals, we should think about
 * Does this fit into the big-picture?
 * Will this help? Will this help us?
 * Signing on to various documents can help us link seemingly disparate subjects (one of the goals of FC).
 * OpenTheGovernment.org
 * Does this necessarily fit?
 * Luke thinks it lies on the edge of FC.o; if we sign on, we should make clear the link to FC.
 * Amanda: Old web pages never die, what we sign on to will remain on the web for years to come and will shape how people see us.
 * Gavin: issue of making sure everyone has a voice and can participate. Clear connection between open government and Blogshine Sunday.
 * Amanda: We've done well to concentrate on the principles we believe in, and not on who will benefit from their application.

Legislation

 * Luke and Nelson don't want to do more electronic voting stuff
 * Ditch local community radio act and FECA?
 * Is verified voting a free culture issue?
 * Luke argues that it isn't really
 * Gavin argues that the underlying (and primary) theme is participation, whether it's participation in artistic culture, intellectual culture, or political culture, and that this is achieved largely through technology.