Circle Call 2020-11-25

CoTech Call 26th November 2020

Location: https://ca.meet.coop/b/chr-lna-sxq

Agenda

Please add items below!

1. Attendance and appols
2. Agree a chair for the meeting
3. Agree a note taker
4. Intros and updates
5. Notes from Circle Call 2020-10-28
6. Update from GreenNet
7. Spending proposal for CoTech newsletter
8. AOB
9. Date of next call 30th December 2020?

Notes

Present

• Leo - Autonomic
• Chris - Webarchitects
• Ed - Green net
• Animorph - Miko + Hannah
• Lucy - Outlandish
• Calum - Code operative
• Doug - WeAreOpen

Notes: Leo

Facilitation: Doug

Updates from last meeting

•  Hubl - Szcepan has onboarded his list of folks who were interested.
•  Sz has also been in contact with Blake House about making a new CoTech promo vid.
•  Lucy - Promoted CoTech amognst researches at Essex University. Co-operative management and marketing module and wanted to pair with CoTech. Oppitunity to join session and chat with young folks who are interesed in coops. Super loose chat. There is a thread on CoTech forum with lots of info

GreenNet CoTech Membership

Ed - Been experimenting with tagline "UK's oldest ISP" for GreenNet. Started to join CoTech 2 years ago. Have been working on becoming a legal co-op for years.

GN accepted into CoTech as they were on road to becoming a co-op as they are already runnings stuff collectivley.

Forum thread: https://community.coops.tech/t/greennets-application-to-join-cotech/1160/17

Loomio thread: https://www.loomio.org/d/W8r3ASkl/allow-greennet-to-join-cotech/76

GreenNet have been with working with their nearest co-op Calverts.

The existing legal details have been difficult to organise and therefore illuminate a path towards being a co-op. Some legal concerns. Delayed by lockdown.

Chris - Would a year's extension be suitable?

Doug - There is a balance. We need to maintain what makes cotech special.

Calum- if there is a lawyer/persons with expertise in co-operative structures it would be useful to have a working group, to explain the significance of the proposal(s) for laymen?

Doug - Could we make part of Loomio private?

Chris - Forum more suited to that.

Lucy - Will something change in a year or is coop structure not suitable?

Doug - Extension seems appropriate. We just need to build momentum. Solid fund could be an option.

Lucy - Is a year too long?

Ed - Solid fund could be a good goal.

Doug - perhaps a six month extension with option for one more extension.

CoTech Newsletter

Calum - Newsletter - Has stalled somewhat. The volunteer model for the newsletter hasn't worked so well. Might need to pay someone to write it.

Newsletter is public but only on Forum and Git repo.

Calum has put out some feelers: https://community.coops.tech/t/the-return-of-the-cotech-newsletter/2223/17

Doug - Who is the audience?

Leo - We need to work out who the audience is.

Calum - That has yet to be focused in on. We have three so far so it could go in different directions.

Doug - Is interested in taking this forward. Moving towards a tighter focus.

Ed - Is a monthly commitment too much? It can be annoying and causing compromises. Perhaps quarterly?

Hannah - seconding a lot of the conversions so far. Also the audience is a focus.

Calum - Definition can be devloped as we do it.

Date of Next Meetimg

Wednesday 16th December 2020, 4pm with a cup of tea or 7pm with a beer?