Issues to talk about

[This was originally sent to -ops as my "new years resolutions";
the points below describe what _I'd_ like to see the Guild doing
this year.  If the candidates and members on this list are in
need of topics to discuss -- how about some of these?  Most -- if
not all -- of these are real issues that would be facing the
Board this year, and it would be interesting to see how the
candidates would react to them, and what their take would be.

You don't have to agree with me to impress me, of course; I think
I learn more from "how you disagree" rather than your opinions.
Remember, the Board -has- to be able to work together, even if
we have personality conflicts; the GB got pretty damn un-
productive for months when were unable to set aside disagreements,
and nobody on the current Board wishes to see a repeat of _that_
again.  --Kynn]

What I'd like to see the HTML Writers Guild do in this
new year:

* W3C

  I think membership in the World Wide Web Consortium is a
  long overdue step we need to take; I feel we've finally
  reached the point at which we can do this.  This is in
  line with both our charter and our purpose; I really think
  we need to pursue this vigorously.

* Classes

  The Guild's mission is primarily one of education; there
  are proposals in the works to get online classes going, and
  I want to see this come about.  This may be the biggest
  and most important thing the Guild will do this year.

* Expansion beyond Mailing Lists

  For a long while, a superficial view of the Guild has been
  "a collection of mailing lists."  Mailing lists, while good,
  are not the be-all and end-all of web communication, and I would
  like to see us expand our offerings into other areas, such
  as chat rooms, web boards, and other online media.

* The First Elections

  The Guild's elections are scheduled for February 19, 1998;
  this will mark the first time in which the membership has
  been granted the right to vote regarding the direction the
  Guild will take.

* Increased Visibility

  So far, we have not had any concerted advertising/marketing
  plans, nor even a concerted effort at managing our public
  image.  I want to see the Guild taking steps to establish
  itself as a leading resource for web designers and web users
  in the mind of the public; I would like to see coverage of
  the Guild in major online and offline media as well as
  some advertising efforts.

* Increased Paid Membership

  Thus far, we have not had a concerted "membership drive" to
  encourage current "basic" members to upgrade to "value" or
  "plus" membership.  I think that it's important for us to
  emphasize the value of the Guild, even at "basic" levels, and
  encourage anyone who has found value in our offerings to join
  at a paid level as a way of supporting the HWG.

* Reliable Income

  The Guild needs to become self-sufficent, and to do this, we
  need to be able to provide for our expenses.  The primary
  ways I see for doing this include:  donations from large
  internet/computer corporations; business ventures such as
  publishing a series of books under the auspices of the
  Guild; and selling advertising "banner ad" space on the
  HWG's website.

* Fair Compensation for Essential Staff

  Our reliance upon purely volunteer labor needs to be end;
  we need to be able to hire reliable part-time staff who are
  charged with the responsibility of providing some of the
  services essential to the Guild's operation.  No one will
  be getting rich from this, but at the same time, we can't
  reasonably expect the Guild to survive based on unreasonable
  sacrifices by our volunteers.

* Delivery of Promised Services

  A number of programs from the Guild have been announced, but
  not yet fully implemented, including the Mentor program, the
  Vendor program, and the Jobs/Contracts programs.  These must
  be delivered as soon as we are able to do so in a complete
  and high-quality way.

These are my goals for the HWG for the next 12 months, and I
intend to do everything within my power and ability as a member
of the Board and officer of the corporation in order to see
that we meet these aims.

Any comments?


--
Kynn Bartlett <kynn(at)hwg.org>
President, HTML Writers Guild
http://www.hwg.org/

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