I am echoing the sentiment of the GCM.org members when the Advisory Board was set up. History: Several long-time GCM.org members got together and held a discussion of the direction of GCM.org, if we needed to have a formal organization, and if so, what it should be like. We held another, well advertised, discussion at a geocaching event where our feelings , where the current board "mission" was agreed upon.
Again, I state that the Advisory Board has no mandate to do anything. It was established as a facilitator. This is what the GCM.org members wanted.
And I feel save, speaking for the board, that promoting geocaching in Maine would be one of our most important functions. And we're doing that. We're currently discussing the restrictions on caches in the Appalacian Trail, and what approach to it should be. I personally send a welcome message to each new member of GCM.org, and have had long email exchanges with many, answering questions and offering advice.
We're always open to other ideas and suggestions from GCM.org members.
LOL! It is interesting to note that this and similar comments are generally made by members who were not around when the current "organization" was set up. If they had been, who knows what it might be like today.
I kinda wish Haffy would jump into this discussion, because it was at an event he hosted where the organization and "scope" of the Advisory Board was discussed. And he has a better memory than I have.![]()
The one constant is change . . .
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."
"Death is only one of many ways to die."
My 2 cents for what its worth….
I think we need a couple forum moderators more than we need a board ….![]()
However…
I agree with others on this site that we need to re-elect our board. If the same board is re-elected then so be it but sometimes change is good.
Right now our board consists of veteran cachers….it couldn’t hurt to get a couple of “noobie’s” on the board to bring fresh ideas and insight to the forum.
I didn’t even know who the board was until yesterday….where on this forum are these things posted?![]()
"It may be that your soul purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others" ~Steven Wright~I'm in my own little Lat/Lon
“Danse avec les Arbres”
Some of the information is available in the "News From the Board Members" section of the fora. Unfortunately, before that area was created, any other posts are scattered about. You can find some of that information by searching the fora for "board" or "advisory board".
DNFTT! DNFTT! DNFTT!
"The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realize it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it..."
No, if you were doing what what written when it started you would be "telling" the GCM community that there will be an election instead of asking them if they want one. Which is why you started this thread isn't it? To find out if there should be an election, but the answer is already written out.
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.
Sorry for any confusion, perhaps we need to re-write the terms to make them more understandable. The Board took a fair amount of time writing this up, but it's hard to predict everyone's interpretation of it. I can see where a person could assume elections would be held every December if they didn't fully connect it with the Board Review section on the terms page.
I will quote the entire terms here once again and explain:
The Board Reviews: section states that a poll will be held to ask the members if they wish to hold an election.Current Board Members are listed here: Board Members
Eligibility: To be eligible to participate as an Advisory Board member, the person must be an active geocachingmaine.org participant as well as an active Maine cacher who has general knowledge of laws and practices that pertain to caching in Maine. This includes non-residents but the cacher must spend more time caching in Maine than occasional vacations. Current board members are eligible for re-election. The current board shall decide whether a particular person meets these eligibility requirements or not.
Office Terms: Advisory Board members terms shall be in two year intervals ending December of even numbered years, and will be up for review at that time.
Board Reviews: In the beginning of November of even numbered years, a poll will be posted to the site asking the membership if they would like to keep the board members as is or if elections should be held to refresh the board.
Elections: Names of those interested in participating in the advisory board will be collected in the first week of December and voting will be held the last three weeks of December. The current board will decide on the method to collect, count and validate the votes. All geocachingmaine.org members will be allowed one vote. The votes will be tallied at the first of January and the board will be refreshed at that time. Four board members will be elected in. The webmaster is a necessary member and will hold the position of 5th board member.
Vacancies: If a board member steps down or is removed from their position, the current board shall choose an eligible and willing member to take that persons seat. The membership shall be informed of this change at the time the change is finalized.
Dismissal: If at any time the board feels that one of the board members should be dismissed for not meeting eligibility requirements or for not contributing to the site and/or the sport as expected, they will discus and resolve the issue in a timely and fair manner. In the event the board member is dismissed, practices for board vacancies will be followed.
The Elections: section describes the details of performing the election if the poll results (Board Reviews) indicates the membership wants to hold an election.
Last edited by brdad; 10-21-2008 at 03:38 PM.
DNFTT! DNFTT! DNFTT!
"The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realize it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it..."
ok, nevermind
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.
We have had moderators in the past - Attroll, the webmaster is the only one who knows who they were - but we don't have one right now. The Advisory Board supports having moderators, but it is up to Rick to pick someone who he trusts to make good judgments and have access to the internal website.![]()