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</head><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">No worries about the third
person, Adrian :) <br>
<br>
Thanks to everyone who read my lengthy post and responded. I think this
thread has shown how so many people have experienced a breakdown of the
current process. <br>
<br>
Since the hot button issue is <span style="font-weight: bold;">membership</span>,
here's how we addressed membership at Freeside:<br>
<br>
1. New person interested in becoming a member comes to a meeting and
announces their intent to become a member. <br>
<br>
2. Answer two questions: 1) what are you interested in using the space
for and 2) what can you contribute to the space? (Also asked to put this
information on the list so those who could not attend the meeting can
see it)<br>
<br>
3. Go through a 3 week trial period to get 4 sponsors and make
themselves known at the space.<br>
<br>
4. After the 3 weeks is up, their name is brought up on the private
members-only mailing list. Anyone who has any MAJOR oppositions brings
them up ("he stole from the space" "was violent", etc.). If none are
brought up then they are made a member and given a key fob. <br>
<br>
5. Once a member they have option to be part of the organizational
process by voting, but not obligated to.<br>
<br>
Another thing to note (that I've mentioned several times in meeting)
regarding dues. Dues are very important to a hackerspace. Not so much
about the funding but about creating accountability. When people pay for
something, they are much more likely to be invested in the wellbeing of
the space, rather than being a passive observer when people are being
un-excellent towards the space or other members.<br>
<br>
Our dues at Freeside were $80/month or $40 for starving
hackers/students. BUT because we had fostered a community of trust and
respect, there were always exceptions to the rule who couldn't pay
anything, but contributed to the space in other ways (teaching more
classes, cleaning the bathrooms weekly, whathaveyou).<br>
<br>
I understand that a lot of Noisebridge is very anti-rules/control, but
consensus is not the way to address that. The reason hackerspaces like
Freeside and PS:One have waiting lists for members years after they've
started (and a very minimal amount of drama/theft/angst) is because they
have a strong organization with policies and procedures that can then
be amended on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.<br>
<br>
If people are interested, I'm getting together all the bylaws I have
from various spaces so people can take a look. Just let me know.<br>
<br>
<blockquote style="border: 0px none;"
cite="mid:CAJ-VmomirWeuaQBE3bhgVLeCxYF1V_7==p=54PEDs-SMmUOhEg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div style="margin:30px 25px 10px 25px;" class="__pbConvHr"><div
style="display:table;width:100%;border-top:1px solid
#EDEEF0;padding-top:5px"> <div
style="display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:6px;"><img
photoaddress="adrian.chadd@gmail.com" photoname="Adrian Chadd"
src="cid:part1.00080002.04000702@gmail.com" name="postbox-contact.jpg"
height="25px" width="25px"></div> <div
style="display:table-cell;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:middle;width:100%">
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:adrian.chadd@gmail.com"
style="color:#737F92
!important;padding-right:6px;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none
!important;">Adrian Chadd</a></div> <div
style="display:table-cell;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:middle;">
<font color="#9FA2A5"><span style="padding-left:6px">December 14, 2013
11:45 AM</span></font></div></div></div>
<div style="color:#888888;margin-left:24px;margin-right:24px;"
__pbrmquotes="true" class="__pbConvBody"><p dir="ltr">.. And to not
speak of Madelynn in the third person as that is totally not what I
intend - Madelynn, I'd like your feedback. :)<br></p>
<p dir="ltr">Adrian</p>
<div>_______________________________________________<br>Noisebridge-discuss
mailing list<br><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net">Noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net</a><br><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss">https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss</a><br></div></div>
<div style="margin:30px 25px 10px 25px;" class="__pbConvHr"><div
style="display:table;width:100%;border-top:1px solid
#EDEEF0;padding-top:5px"> <div
style="display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:6px;"><img
photoaddress="mmartiniere@gmail.com" photoname="Madelynn Martiniere"
src="cid:part2.08050405.01070907@gmail.com" name="postbox-contact.jpg"
height="25px" width="25px"></div> <div
style="display:table-cell;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:middle;width:100%">
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:mmartiniere@gmail.com"
style="color:#737F92
!important;padding-right:6px;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none
!important;">Madelynn Martiniere</a></div> <div
style="display:table-cell;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:middle;">
<font color="#9FA2A5"><span style="padding-left:6px">December 13, 2013
8:32 PM</span></font></div></div></div>
<div style="color:#888888;margin-left:24px;margin-right:24px;"
__pbrmquotes="true" class="__pbConvBody">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
I've been putting thought
into this post for about a week now, and I think it's ready to share.
I've normally tried to keep out of the list, but I think this warrants
everyone hearing, and not in a meeting.<br>
<br>
Disclaimer 1: This is long. But I made it into a numbered list to help.<br>
Disclaimer 2: It's got a lot of strong opinion against consensus, hence
the title.<br>
Disclaimer 3: I've been around hackerspaces for a while, and seen when
it goes right, and also goes very wrong. My wiki page talks more about
why I care about this: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://noisebridge.net/wiki/User:Creativetaboo"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://noisebridge.net/wiki/User:Creativetaboo</a><br>
<br>
I've been a big dissenter about consensus from the beginning of my time
at Noisebridge (I've been around sporadically for several years). I
understand that at the beginning, it may have worked very well for
Noisebridge, but if it still did, we wouldn't be having as many of the
issues we're having (particularly pertaining to security and
membership). <br>
<br>
Noisebridge is at a critical point in any organization: it can continue
as it was, not accounting for the change in ethos and turnover of
members, pretending that it's the same space it was at the beginning; OR
it can accept that it's time for some change. I don't claim it will be
at all easy, or that it will solve everything, but it's where it starts.<br>
<br>
The idea of consensus was brought up in discussion at the advent of
every hackerspace I've been involved with, and was decided against, for
good reason:<br>
<br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. It embraces the states quo.</span><br>
<br>
Every organization, particularly community orbs like hackerspaces are
live organisms, constantly changing and evolving depending on the needs
of the space and it's members. This is why you see spaces that have
specific project focuses, discourages change, which is inevitable in any
organization. Groupthink like consensus stifles innovation and disdains
dissenting opinions (as can be seen by the constant trolling and name
calling on the list, and IRL).<br>
<br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Gives malcontents and politicians
equal weight</span><br>
<br>
The reason people are concerned with the Associate Member versus
Capital-M Member dichotomy is their worried that some individuals can
derail the process. But if you've been to any of the recent meetings or
read the mailing list, it's already happening. Kevin's proposal (and
Al's before that) surrounding re-consensuing on Associate Members is a
perfect example: to get one issue passed through consensus we had to
tack on another, and other members who were not able to attend got
concerned. Furthermore, wee lost a very good person who was trying to
become a "Capital-M" member because of last week's meeting craziness,
after being blocked several weeks in a row for having different views
than another member (Tom). <br>
<br>
Something to note is that by giving all members equal power, doesn't
mean they will use it. Not everyone wants to participate in the
organization of the space, and they shouldn't have to. But every member
should be able to have weight on an issue if they so choose.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. It short circuits the most radical
ideas</span><br>
<br>
The most radical ideas often lead to the biggest breakthroughs in the
space. Small, incremental changes (those most likely to pass
consensus) aren't as quantifiable successes/not. Consensus keeps people
in a perpetual middle ground where majority approves
and mediocrity reigns.<br>
<br style="font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">
4. Leaves unresolved conflicts on the table indefinitely</span><br>
<br>
As soon as something is blocked, it leaves an issue unresolved. If
someone wants to block something indefinitely because they're not
comfortable with any of the resolutions, they have the ability to do so.
This leads to a division of power and opinion, which destroys
community. We need to give people an opportunity for heathy debate with a
common end goal: find a resolution and move on to the next topic. This
builds community and trust, and discourages drawn-out drama.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Kills the hacker spirit </span><br>
<br>
Hackers and creatives are not about status-quo, we're bigger than that.
Try to get creative people to unanimously agree on something, and you'll
lose them. We've lost so many great people through this process
already, and will continue to do so, leaving the politicians and the
leechers (those who choose to use and abuse the space and not contribute
monetarily or otherwise). <br>
<br style="font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">
So, now what?</span><br>
<br>
I don't want to do a long post like this and not propose an alternative.
I've made it clear that I don't care for consensus, and I'm not the
only one. Very few similar organizations that are successful choose
consensus, and there's good reason most hackerspaces don't use it either
(NESIT is the only one I know of that uses consensus currently, anyone
else who has in the past has since moved to a voting system...and also
have membership dues (another post for another day). Rather, I want to
paint a not-scary example of how voting works in another hackerspace,
and successfully:<br>
<br style="font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">
The Freeside Voting Model (Beer and Camaraderie Included)</span><br>
<br>
Both Freeside and PS: One use majority rule. Yes, both have their own
issues, but neither to the extreme that Noisebridge has. Both value a
quick voting process, to focus more on projects and collaboration rather
than organizational politics and drama.<br>
<br>
Freeside was my first fores in starting a hackerspace, and they're still
going strong. Here's hour our Tuesday meetings went:<br>
<br>
<div style="margin-left: 40px;">
1. Intro new guests and those interested in becoming members. Asked two
questions to those interested in becoming members "What do you want to
get out of the space, and what can you contribute?"<br>
<br>
2. Discuss any concerns "I'm noticing a bunch of sleepers in the space,
how do we address this?" to begin crafting well thought out proposal on
the topic. Usually a few people passionate about an issue would then
meet separately to create a proposal (rather than just one person and
their opinion)<br>
<br>
3. Bring up well-thought out proposals for policies and procedures,
pointing people to a Google survey link where members would have a week
to vote<br>
<br>
4. Bring up results of any past vote<br>
<br>
5. Spend last 30-45 minutes of the meeting talking about cool projects,
classes, and events people are working on and looking for
co-collaborators and conspirators. <br>
<br>
6. Drink beer and enjoy mostly drama-free hacking and camaraderie. <br>
</div>
<br>
See? It works. While Freeside and PS: One both have board of directors
that are more engaged, it's not necessary for this to work. We need to
stop talking circles around how to make Noisebridge a safer, more
collaborative and inclusive place to hack (not crash, live, or steal
from) for all involved and start acting on it. Theory without action is
little more than useless.
<span></span><br>
<br>
If anyone wants to discuss further with me off the list, feel free to
email me or say hi when I'm at the space (most evenings). Happy to
provide reference materials (and all around good reads) on the subject
as well.<br>
<br>
Happy hacking!<br>
<br>
<span></span>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br><span><span><div><small><font
color="#000000"><big>Madelynn Martiniere<br>
Community Engineer. Entrepreneur. Geek.</big><big><br>
</big></font></small></div><div><font color="#000000"><a
href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/madelynnmartiniere" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> </font>| <a
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"
href="http://www.twitter.com/creativetaboo" target="_blank">Twitter </a>|
<a href="mailto:madelynn@women2.com" target="_blank">Email</a></div><big>
</big><div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div></span> </span></div>
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