Communicating how things work at #OM

[vicki]

The Communication Work Group is working to describe how Occupy Missoula operates internally so that that information is available to all who need or want it. We will put write-ups of this information on this Forum and at the Encampment.

Occupy Missoula is seven weeks old and we are making progress every day. Defining how #OM works can be a moving target but, with your input, we'll do our best to keep up with what's going on.

If you have questions, suggestions, observations or ideas about how Occupy Missoula works, or could work better, please let us know. If a write-up is wrong or needs updating or clarification, please don't hesitate to give us a shout. You could talk to us in person, post on this forum, send us an email c/o [e-mail], or join us our weekly work group meeting on Saturday at 11 am at the Break (so many choices.)

Tonight, I'll post a list of Communication Tools that are managed by our Tech On-line Work Group.

[vicki]

(The write-up that follows is also provided as an MS Word attachment.)


Occupy Missoula Communication Tools
Managed by the Tech Online Work Group


Here are the Tools currently used:
• Emails sent to [e-mail] are moderated by Kathleen, Debby, Ethel and Jim C and passed on to others on the "Big List."

• Our Website www.occupymissoula.org (the URL shows up as occupymissoula.wordpress.com.) To post something to the website, send [e-mail] an email. All Website postings are cross-posted to Twitter and Facebook. If you subscribe to the website, you’ll get an email notification every time a new post is made. We’ve been averaging 400 page views per day.

• Forum at occupymissoula.proboards.com. Anyone can post to the forum as a member or as a guest. Messages are posted oldest to youngest, so recent postings may not be on the first page you see. Look to the blue band at the top or bottom to see the page numbers.

• Facebook. All website postings are cross-posted to Facebook. Eight occupiers have posting privileges. It started out as an “open page” but we got a lot of spam and hate mail, so it was changed. There are about 1500 people who “like” our Facebook page.

• Twitter. All website postings are cross-posted to Twitter. Our Twitter timeline gets feed back to the website side bar. We’ve got 570 people following our feed right now and we get another 10-20 “follows” every day.

• TinyChat. An open Internet chat room for video, text and/or audio. Some of our GA’s and events have been distributed using TinyChat. It is open for anyone to use and is linked off the website.

Other tools are proposed or in the works:
• A Texting list and/or Phone Tree are proposed. Some members don’t have Internet service. Telephone messages to them, especially for last minute changes in meeting venues, would be helpful. We need someone to manage this and/or someone who knows how to send out bulk text messages to help set it up.

• A ListServe is in the works. This will allow users to send email messages to everyone on the list. It would not necessarily be moderated.

Attachments:

[hedgehog]

wow vicky, thanks a lot for putting this information here. i proposed a phone tree to a small GA two tuesdays ago. i don't know how to send bulk messages but i'm willing to learn. i'll find out how verizon charges for something like that.
~~becca

[vicki]

Wow, thanks Hedgehog. That would be great if you (or someone) get a phone tree or text notification thing going on. I'm aware of three people who don't use the Internet: Tom-down-the-Bitterroot, Charles and Melissa. There are probably others.

The word I heard from one of our Tech On-line folks was that sending out texts is time-consuming and they don't have time to set up for bulk text distribution. They are pretty busy keeping up with all the other work they do.

Would sending out bulk texts require a special kind of phone or software? I wouldn't know. Disclaimer: Tech stuff gets my eyes to glazing. I don't text. I am a poor correspondent for this information.

A phone list would work just fine in the interim, especially if there are just a few people who need to be notified of late-breaking information.-- I was on a phone tree once that involved a couple dozen people. I'd get a call and I would call three people to pass on the message. It took a few minutes.--The question is, how is the phone tree activated? The activating person (people) would need to be plugged into email and other info streams so they could receive and pass on the message.

I'm just brainstorming here all by my lonesome. Thoughts or ideas anybody? Please post if you do.

Cheers, Vicki

[hedgehog]

right, that is how a phone tree works, like a tree, with just few, 3 or 4 folks at the root to initiate it all. that way only a few #'s need be publicly 'out there' while the other #'s rest securely in the hands of the person directly responsible for calling them. ie it would work like this:
i get a call to initiate the phone tree with certain information. i make 3 or 4 calls, give the info. those 3 or 4 are the only #'s i have. i share those #'s only if the ower's have told me i can. each of the folks i call then make the same info packed calls to 3 or 4 folks. so if i make just 3 calls, already in just a few more minutes it is possible that, including myself a total of 13 people have the info and at the same moment 9 of them are each making 3 more calls. that's 27 soon to be added to the original folks! it's fast, exponentially spreads.
the intention is that the phone tree would be used only for very important, urgent, time sensitive concerns or info. unless the GA decides to use it otherwise.
a problem arises when someone does not get a hold of someone. in that case an entire branch of the tree can get missed. this can be remedied by having a certain amount of overlapping in calls. this can be good and bad but over all i've found it good. for instance with my kids in a carpool, if a driver was not going to be able to pick up my kid, i'd rather be called by two or three other mom's then not at all.

[hedgehog]

regarding the bulk texting idea: i just checked with verizon and found out to get an 'unlimited out-of- network' text package is $20/month added to my monthly bill. i already pay $10 extra but am limited to 500 out-of-network which i tend to use up most months without sending any bulk texts.
i am willing to be the bulk texter if the GA wants me to AND if the $10/mo extra it'll cost me can be reimbursed from the OM money pot.
(OMG am i crazy?) ~becca

[kim]

I am reposting the GA Structure proposal that I handed out at a GA a few weeks ago. This is the "Extended Version" with notes describing each section. This is a living document; I added some of the stuff from Sunday's GA. I attached it here in Word format so it can be changed as needed with our growth.

Here is how I stated the proposal (which was not technically ever actually adopted):
Proposal of 11/13/11: "At the first GAs we followed a consensus model structure which we are still following but not in any formal sense. As a result, the process is sometime lost and therefore the democracy of the model is threatened, as some discussions take up the entire meeting and other people’s voices or concerns are not heard. To maintain the democratic structure of the consensus model, I propose that as OM we formally adopt and agree to work within the following guidelines for the Sunday General Assemblies."
-KB

Attachments:

[Jim C]

Kim, thanks for reposting. I think that now that we have a real consensus workgroup, that we'll work on tightening up some of the points in there at our next meeting. Beings as there's a lot of overlap between consensus and facilitation workgroup, maybe the proposal to the GA could be a joint one.

I agree that we need to formalize our consensus framework. And I think that every GA tends to move it in a direction that is working better and better!

We'll be working on some material at tomorrow night's study group talking about how after a proposal is introduced, it is discussed, concerns raised, and then concerns resolved. A three step process that can really clarify how we move forward--we started doing it on sunday.

great work everybody!

[kim]

Sounds awesome. Feel free to use the file I attached as a basic framework to build from!
-K

[occupymissoula]

I sure aint't gonna retype it.

Thanks again!

[hedgehog]

yeah, thanks kim. i know this has used a lot of time and we are sure to benefit. thanks for honoring your passion in this way.
~~becca