Re: ISOC Chapters and NC membership

From: Roberto Gaetano (roberto_gaetano@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri May 12 2000 - 04:24:09 PDT


Jamie,

>
>I don't doubt the good works of the ISOC chapters, but I also don't
>think they should have separate votes in the NCDNHC. ISOC gets more
>than one vote as a large organization, and it has has greater influence
>through the protocol SO. The American Library Association has more than
>50,000 members, and lots of local chapters, but only one vote.

The main problem here is to allow wider and more diverse groups to
contribute.

If you see ISOC as a monolythic structure, that will compactly vote
according to the desiderata of its management, you are absolutely right.

IMHO, though, the problem is exactly the opposite.
If we are seeking for voices that are singing a different song, the
"periferical" chapters of ISOC may provide just that. What I mean is that
the local chapters are much more grounded in the local reality than obeying
a centralized "power".
As a matter of fact, with all due respect to Don Heath, I think that we can
have more interesting and different point of views from some chapters than
in the contributions from its formal, US-based, co-ordinating structure.

This said, I am personally not comfortable with this "seeking the voting
power" game.
The status of non-voting member for ISOC chapters will allow them to
contribute to the life of this constituency even if they do not have the
right of vote on the issues.
I would like to re-focus on the circulation of ideas rather than on voting.
The members of this constituency are very open to accept ideas, and very
sensible to issues related to diversity, problems of the developing
countries, and so on, and will be able to join an ideal battle coming from
whoever has good arguments.

The creation of an "observership" or "non-voting-membership" status has been
proposed as far back as Berlin exactly to allow this constituency to collect
the voices of as wide a group as possible, reducing the risk of capture by
groups or by hidden commercial interests. I personally do not see the need
for reviewing this fundamental pillar, in spite of the sympathy for the
arguments of the different ISOC chapters.

But I am myself a non-voting participant, so you can disregard my opinion
;>)

Roberto

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