[KI-LC] AOB - Taking Notes During WG Meetings

[Bob Pinheiro]

I would certainly support something like this if KI could provide such 
support, not only for meeting notes but for other administrative tasks 
such as LC secretary.  However, I understand the issue is that KI 
doesn't have the funds to hire more staff.  From what I can tell, the 
annual revenue for Internet2 in 2009 was around $35.5M, whereas for 
Kantara it is way, way less than that, somewhere around $1M.  So KI may 
not be able to support "flywheels" at this point.  On the other hand, 
individual WGs will soon be able to solicit funding from outside 
Kantara, with the funds earmarked for the individual WG.  So if enough 
WGs generate income in this way, they could perhaps pool some of their 
funds to hire a flywheel of their very own.

In the meantime, if the ability to record WG calls exists within 
Kantara, maybe each WG could be given the option of recording the calls, 
with the stipulation that the recording would not be made public, and 
would be deleted after meeting notes are made.  Each WG may want to 
decide individually whether that approach makes sense, or whether it 
would prefer that a "volunteer" take meeting minutes each time.  I've 
composed meeting notes in the past on the basis of a recording, and I've 
found that you often hear things on the recording that you may have 
missed during the actual call, or that you somehow overlooked.  And you 
can always fast-forward through the not-so-interesting parts.

Bob P.

On 3/31/2010 3:18 PM, RL 'Bob' Morgan wrote:
> As folks may know I have been involved with the Internet2 Middleware
> Initiative (now morphing into an enlarged InCommon Federation activity)
> for 10 years or so.  Perhaps the most important thing the I2MI has done
> over those years to promote successful working groups is to supply them
> with so-called "flywheels".  These are Internet2/InCommon staff whose job
> it is to provide WGs with administrative support:  call reminders, nagging
> chairs about agendas, taking notes on calls, sending out notes and AIs,
> setting up PINs for calls, etc.  Believe me, it is a tremendous relief
> when a call is starting not to have to beg a bunch of busy technologists
> to take notes, and to know that the notes produced will be professional,
> in a relatively standard format, and timely.  In those cases where the
> flywheel can't make it to a call it is recorded, and the flywheel makes
> the time to listen to the recording and notate it just as if they had been
> on the call.  There can be a startup burden on the flywheels, who are not
> technical professionals, in dealing with concepts and acronyms and such.
> It helps to have a good working relationship with the WG chairs to get
> through this, and it doesn't take that long.
>
> I think Internet2 has found that a flywheel can cover 6 or so WGs well
> while attending to "other duties as required".  I strongly recommend that
> KI consider allocating some resources in this direction.  I'd be happy to
> put people together for discussion if you'd like more details on how this
> works at Internet2.
>
>    - RL "Bob"
>
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