VOICE - General Meeting for 2004-07-17
12:26:46 <wdl> [ ... meeting ... session ... ]
<MikeG> Back... I hate XP
<eCSNL> Oke sorry...
<eCSNL> I had to arrange something for
<eCSNL> eCS 1.2...
<eCSNL> I'm not making any promises but MAYBE in eCS 1.2 the selective installer may also be gone.
<eCSNL> No promise.
<eCSNL> Oke this meeting is now in session.
* eCSNL switched to high speed train mode :-)
<eCSNL> First point on the agenda is the
<eCSNL> VOICE elections.
<eCSNL> WDL can you start logging please.
<eCSNL> ?
<wdl> eCSNL: Been logging for 35 minutes.
<eCSNL> Sorry...
<eCSNL> Does anybody
<eCSNL> have comment
<eCSNL> on the annouchment message I send yesterday.
<eCSNL> ?
<wdl> eCSNL: Which one?
<eCSNL> I send it to the
<eCSNL> admin list...
<wdl> eCSNL: I have four from you, yesterday.
<Gord> Is that the one about the Firewire speakup being delayed?
<eCSNL> Ooops
<eCSNL> Oke I almost fell asleep behind my laptop and thought I already send it.
<eCSNL> I now see its still in my draft box.
<eCSNL> I don't you if you peopledhj caan se this but I]m typing without seeing what I type.
<eCSNL> I need to rebootm y laptop.
<eCSNL> I have no scree noutput.
<eCSNL> Re
<eCSNL> Sorry
<eCSNL> Weird my screen went blanc
<eCSNL> but it did come back.
<eCSNL> After the meeting I will send via the admin list a finished annouchment text
<eCSNL> for the elections.
<eCSNL> People can from the moment the annouchment gets send out to the next voice meeting
<eCSNL> (end of the meeting)
<eCSNL> submit people or step forward them self
<eCSNL> I think the website is good enough.
<eCSNL> I don't know what would need to listed there more.
<eCSNL> There is another issue I think that can only be done on the meeting here.
<eCSNL> Walter kind of resigned as vice president.
<eCSNL> And I understood its possible somebody can put forward a candidate with his permission.
<eCSNL> I would like todo it this meeting.
<eCSNL> But since I'm the chairman of this meeting I can't forward a motion todo this :-)
<eCSNL> Walter has already given me permission to put him forward
<eCSNL> as vice president candidate.
<Gord> I nominate Walter Metcalf for the post of Vice President.
<MikeG> You need a voice member to second?
<wdl> Seconds are not required.
<eCSNL> Oke so now Walter can be put on the election page as candidate
<eCSNL> for vice president.
<wdl> Yes.
<eCSNL> Oke gladd its official now.
<eCSNL> Ken could you put Walter his on the website as candidate for the fuction as Vice President ?
<eCSNL> I you could do that , thank you.
<eCSNL> Walter can you send Ken your biography ?
<eCSNL> Oke so I will send an email later out tonight to the admin mailing list of VOICE.
<eCSNL> WIth a proposal text to annouch the elections
<eCSNL> When approved I will send it out tomorow.
* eCSNL will be gladd when this is all over
<eCSNL> If nobody has anything to say on the topic of elections
<eCSNL> I would like to move on to the two other topics.
<eCSNL> The first is
<eCSNL> How VOICE can attracked more young members ?
<eCSNL> While sitting in the train and looking out the window for hours I came up with the idea.
<eCSNL> Its a wrong agenda point.
<eCSNL> The reason being. We need to focus on two things.
<WalterOS2> Younger that you, Roderick? :-)
<eCSNL> More young people
<MikeG> Hey I'm a young 38...
<eCSNL> and more people from other continents then North America.
<eCSNL> Nobody in VOICE can help it.
<eCSNL> But looking at the member list
<eCSNL> I gues more then 90% of the members are in Canada
<eCSNL> and the US.
<eCSNL> So somehow people from Europe, Asia and not seeing us as an international user group
<eCSNL> (Which voice is)
<eCSNL> We have a the German newsletter.
<eCSNL> And to my best knowlegde there are not that many German members of VOICE.
<eCSNL> Why not ?
<eCSNL> Why are so little people from Europe member of VOICE ?
* eCSNL is puzzled and trying to find out how we can deal with this.
<MADodel> Well you are in Europe! WHy are you a member?
<Gord> Possibly because we don't have a presence at the European Warpstock????
<wdl> VOICE offers Europeans (and others) little they can't get in other - more attractive - ways.
<eCSNL> Well the German TEAM OS/2 is always there...
<eCSNL> And they represent VOICE.
<eCSNL> Well kind of :-)
<MADodel> We moved the meetings to Saturdays to attract people from Europe. few attend, but then few attend from NA either.
<eCSNL> We discussed that as well.
<eCSNL> That might have something todo
<eCSNL> with the
<eCSNL> reason not that many people want/don't know how to use IRC ?
<Gord> IRC is very easy to learn.
<MADodel> Maybe someone should write an article on using Chatzilla
<eCSNL> And BTW to answer your question
<eCSNL> why I became a member, since VOICE is the only OS/2 organisation that focusses on the world.
<eCSNL> And team OS/2 in my opion is more or less dead.
<eCSNL> And even in a country a team is still alive.
<eCSNL> Most of the pages I have seen, have not been updated for sometimes years.
<eCSNL> But back to the question.
<MADodel> Maybe VOICE should schedule live in-person meetings at Warpstock in Denver and Europe. Maybe that might attract some members.
<Gord> Yes, it might.
<wdl> IMO, that's preaching to the choir. The blind leading the blind.
<wdl> VOICE needs to offer something to the online community, ...and beyond.
<Gord> Have there been write-ups in the newsletter on German language software?
<wdl> THEN, maybe, ..."build it, and they will come".
<Gord> If we had input to IBM regarding OS/2's future?
<wdl> Gord: IBM couldn't care less.
<MADodel> The only thing that seems to successfully attract new members are special deals, like the NVC deal.
<wdl> Mark: YES!
<Gord> Could VOICE be a 'company' for the purpose of obtaining updates? Like the new OMNI drivers?
<MADodel> Gord: then VOICE becomes a competitor to Serenity
<Gord> Yes, is that bad??
<eCSNL> Be my guest...
<eCSNL> But if you want to distribute these updates
<eCSNL> its not going to be cheap
<Gord> How do you know this?
<MADodel> At one point Dan CAsey looked into getting VOICE an OEM contract with IBM. The cost was just outrageous.
<Gord> Define 'outrageous'.
<eCSNL> You basicly need a pasport advantage contract for every person if you want to give him access to updates.
<eCSNL> Gord , how I know that ?
<eCSNL> Because I work on eComStation :-)
<Gord> Yes
<Gord> Oh
<eCSNL> Be my guest and try and find
<eCSNL> a cheap method to give people access to updates.
<eCSNL> No matter how commercial it may sound.
<eCSNL> I'm afraid eComStation is the cheapeast method.
<eCSNL> The other method is pasport advantage from IBM.
<eCSNL> Look up the pricing.
<eCSNL> But you can not for instance give IBM a ring and try and get the updated OMNI for a low price.
<eCSNL> The problem is does OMNI drivers don't have a part number.
<WalterOS2> My understanding is that Kim and Bob put forth a huge effort to get Serenity the contacts it has, both with IBM and with distributors/customers.
<eCSNL> Thats already the first thingy.
<eCSNL> Its not easy to buy a product in all cases from IBM if it does not have a partnumber.
<GG> I am not a member of VOICE, I am just watching, but if you want to attrack more - and younger - people, besides food and sex, you might have to give them something else that they can't already find *free* (legally or not) on the net...
<GG> Kind of service ?
<Gord> How about activity in the programming area?
<GG> Kind of customised help ?
<WarpedOS2> not everyone is a programmer
<GG> Kind of courses ?
<WarpedOS2> :-)
<MikeG> Thought this was brought up before, but... ask Innotek or someone else far a large discount on their products... (Charity)
<Gord> But everyone uses programs.
<MikeG> far = for
<WarpedOS2> everything from Innotek is almost free or is free except Openoffice
<wdl> IMHO, the entire effort of VOICE should be getting WarpDoctor up'n'running. Running WELL.
<Gord> wdl, you havea point.
<wdl> Then expanding it, and making it a PRESENCE on the Web.
<WarpedOS2> Yes...get this project off the ground...
<MikeG> Well that would be a start... it costs $40 for me to get OO... what kind of discount for x number
<wdl> THEN, solicite support - i.e. VOICE membership.
<eCSNL> And then I can answer that question.
<WarpedOS2> yea...I bought the bullet for OO too...
<wdl> "...Build it, and they will come."
<eCSNL> (About OO)
<WarpedOS2> with every other platform it is free :-(
<eCSNL> The thingy is
<eCSNL> With OO of OS/2 you get OO for free.
<WarpedOS2> but you can't update it from OO site
<eCSNL> The registration is in the runtime.
<MikeG> Yes it is.. but I use everything thay put out so I don't mind.
<wdl> But, but... WarpDoctor *support* for OO, ...and other things!
<WarpedOS2> OO 1.1.2 is out now, so how I update OO for eCS with that???
<eCSNL> I don't know yet.
<eCSNL> But I gues when OO 1.2 would come out or another mayor release
<eCSNL> a new release will be published.
<WarpedOS2> you can't unless it is packaged or wrapped around the 40.00m runtime
<MikeG> Too bad they don't have ECS demo CDs...
<WarpedOS2> We talking about adding Value to Voice Subscriptions?
<Gord> Yes.
<WarpedOS2> So, would it be possible to scale it, basic subsription is like 20.00USD, then 35.00 USD comes with Antivirus etc..., and scale it that way...???
<WarpedOS2> would it be possible to make a deal with whoever to get a office suite with a certain level of subsription or does that compete with what Serinity is doing and is that even worth looking at...etc..
<WarpedOS2> There must be some kind of value in it to motivate renewals and value
<WalterOS2> WarpedOS2: IMO, if we do this, we should not set it up so that we bring in more money (per member). We don't need more money--we need more people.
<WarpedOS2> Ok...good point, then we need value then??
<WalterOS2> Define "value" more precisely. :-)
<WarpedOS2> ok....then lets ask ourselves, why would I want a membership at Voice, what will I get out of it? or what is Voice offering? that would make me think my money is going to something good...for my favourite OS?
<wdl> If I provide you something you want - ANYthing you want - I've provided you with "value".
<wdl> Information is a "something" that has value. Provide information.
<Gord> The question is "
<wdl> WarpDoctor. The VOICE Newsletter...
<Gord> What do users want?"
<WarpedOS2> Ok...then what can be provided ...generally across the board that people with find useful to say, ya...i will sign up for membership.
<WarpedOS2> with=will
<wdl> OS/2 users want whatebver keeps them and their OS afloat!
<eCSNL> Well I think we should have the following approach...
<Gord> Yes. Lets the website up and working. People do want the info that will be on there>
<eCSNL> New members get for instance the posibility
<eCSNL> to take a 1 year VOICE subscription
<eCSNL> The normal
<eCSNL> or for instance with a subscription with Open Office
<eCSNL> for a little bit more
<eCSNL> (I must note this is an idea and I need to discuss this)
<eCSNL> After the first year
<wdl> My TTW has sounded the "10-minute warning" bell.
<eCSNL> You get the standard price for subscription
<eCSNL> But then get a 10% discount.
<eCSNL> Subscriptions run up 30%
<eCSNL> (Means if you are a member for 4 years
<eCSNL> you will
<eCSNL> have 30% discount on the membership fee.
<WarpedOS2> that is motivational!
<MikeG> Here - for example: Voice contacts the DFsee author - can voice purchase 10 license for $20 US each - give one to each new member. You don't make money but you get a new member.
<MikeG> Can't hurt to ask..
<eCSNL> I forgot.
<eCSNL> The idea I once had
<eCSNL> was all VOICE members
<eCSNL> join in a lotery
<eCSNL> each 2 months.
<eCSNL> And a sponsor gives a free product.
<eCSNL> A banner in the newsletter in which the winner is annouched
<eCSNL> is placed a compensation.
<wdl> Brriing! 5-minute warning.
<eCSNL> I think I have enough idea's.
<eCSNL> I will write something for the next meeting.
<eCSNL> A proposal text.
<eCSNL> And will send out the email for VOICE elections soon.
<Gord> I move we adjourn.
<wdl> Second
<eCSNL> Me to
<wdl> Er. None needed <blush>
<eCSNL> The last point will move to the next meeting.
<eCSNL> All in favor of adnournement
<eCSNL> say aye.
<wdl> aye
<WalterOS2> aye
<Gord> aye
<eCSNL> All against adjournement say nah
<eCSNL> Nobody against this !??!
<eCSNL> :-)
<eCSNL> Then I herevy declare this VOICE meeting closed.
* eCSNL hits the virtual chairman hammer
<wdl> "Magic Words"!!
<eCSNL> Whats wrong with the way I close a meeting :-)
<wdl> I'll be going in about a minute...
<eCSNL> It does not say its adjourned...
<eCSNL> It says the meeting is closed :-)
<MikeG> Anyone ever get UAE working with OS/2?
<eCSNL> Same meaning...
<eCSNL> What is UAE
<MikeG> Amiga emulator
14:00:48 <eCSNL> I hearby declare this VOICE meeting adjourned