RE: 012. Criteria for voting membership

["Alex Milowski" <amilowski@lexica.net>]

> Any OASIS member or employee of an OASIS member organization can
> attend the face-to-face meetings of any OASIS TC as an observer
> provided notice is given the chair of the TC [insert some procedure
> about notice here].  Observers cannot vote or participate in committee
> deliberations, though they may answer direct informational questions
> put to them by the chair.

> A prospective voting member of an OASIS technical committee shall
> attend at least one face-to-face meeting of the committee as an
> observer and shall reaffirm interest in the work of the committee at
> the end of that meeting.  The prospective voting member then becomes
> entitled to participate in the committee's email list and telephone
> conferences (if any), but cannot cast votes until voting status is
> confirmed through attendance at the next regularly scheduled
> face-to-face meeting.


This doesn't quite work for two reasons:

1. No one can participate in the first meeting.  They are all 
   observers!  ;-)

2. If I choosen to participate in a committee and get support 
   from my OASIS member company to do so, then I think they 
   would be rather upset if I could not participate in committee
   discussions.  In practice, I can't see this really being
   enforced.

   I can see putting bounds on what an individual can do at
   their first meeting.  On the other hand, if I have something
   to contribute, I should be allowed to do so.

What if the face-to-face meeting doesn't happen for months or the
committee meets only on conference calls or e-mail?  I think we need
to allow individuals to participate on e-mail and conference calls
without requiring a face-to-face meeting.  Otherwise, we would 
disallow people who can afford to attend a face-to-face till it is
local.

Why not count a conference call as an official meeting that counts
towards voting membership?

 
> Voting membership is conferred upon an individual after physical
> attendance at two consecutive regularly scheduled face-to-face
> meetings of the committee and becomes effective after adjournment of
> the second meeting so attended.  A prospective member who fails to
> attend the second regularly scheduled meeting returns to observer
> status at the next regularly scheduled meeting and loses the right to
> participate in the committee's mailing lists and telephone conferences
> upon adjournment of the missed meeting.  The requirements for
> certification as a voting member of a technical committee apply to
> individuals and cannot be met through the substitution of individuals
> representing the same OASIS member organization.

I like the substitution part but I still don't like the "physical 
attendance" aspect of this.

> 
> To maintain voting membership in an OASIS technical committee, each
> member must attend at least two out of every three successive
> face-to-face meetings and telephone conferences (if any) and must also
> respond in a timely manner to at least 80 percent of all ballots
> conducted through regular and electronic mail closing during any
> calendar quarter (with the exception of properly arranged leaves of
> absence as specified [somewhere below]).  In the case of individuals
> representing OASIS member organizations, this requirement can be met
> through the action of another individual representing the same
> organization, but only if that individual has separately qualified as
> a voting member according to the procedure specified above.

Ok, so to get voting membership you must attend two face-to-face
meetings.  In W3C time periods, this would require about 4-6 months to go
by...  that is far too long in "Internet Time"!  ;-)

R. Alexander Milowski                             (415) 477-3608
XML Architect                               amilowski@lexica.net
Lexica, LLC    222 Kearny St, Suite 410, San Francisco, CA 94108