ECCA Open Meeting to elect steering committee

[Lee]

I don't have a mic or webcam, even if I did I don't know if I would be confident enough to use them. I don't mind typing in stuff, helps my social shyness.

I still think Perpetua is the best bet, confident speaker, intelligent and a well informed consumer.

Vote Perpy!!

[Scylla]

The few of us pathetic human beenz here are unanimous - but what pressure we're putting on Perpy when she's already got civic responsibilities and a full-time job and she's always running around after us?!

I dunno

scylla


(Edited to change "civil" to "civic" )

[Lee]

If I can get on the committee without Skype I'd do it if Perpetua doesn't want to do it. I was'nt meaning to put any pressure on. Sorry if it seemed that way.

Also who's to say any of us would make it on anyway.

[ckc]

If of course Perpy is happy just to do the steering committee and be a rep for All About thats great in itself !

Jenny has posted this on UKVapers:-

Positions are yet to be posted on the ECCA website but assuming they are the usual needed to create a committe I would suggest as follows:

Chairman
Vice Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
News Editor
CMS Web Master
Site Link Promoter
(any others)

[CAM-VIP]

I'll be the pub going promoter,,,,tough job, but someone has to do it

[Katfish]

I've got a new mic and all is working again now, so if you need help, i'm here

[Perpetua]

Apr 17, 2011 14:20:04 GMT ckc said:

If of course Perpy is happy just to do the steering committee and be a rep for All About thats great in itself !

I'm happy to do that Ckc and don't worry Lee I don't feel pressurized . . . I do/did have the tendency to over commit myself as Scylla rightly says, but I do say no a little more thesedays.


But, there's no mystery to meetings really . . . a good Chair should and would do all the procedural work at it . . . ensuring everyone gets an equal say, that the agenda runs smoothly and to time - so on and so forth.

As member, I tend to think that once you've broken the ice and said your first 'bit' it gets easier and easier after . . . just that teeny bit of confidence can go a long way.

And don't forget, most people will also be just as apprehensive as you are about speaking. . . . I felt a right lemon talking to my laptop screen.

Apr 17, 2011 15:48:10 GMT Katfish said:

I've got a new mic and all is working again now, so if you need help, i'm here

We also have Kat, now she's up and fully operational.

Apr 17, 2011 14:23:03 GMT CAM-VIP said:

I'll be the pub going promoter,,,,tough job, but someone has to do it

Something tells me Rusty has the best job!

[Chrissie]

Apr 17, 2011 15:48:10 GMT Katfish said:

I've got a new mic and all is working again now, so if you need help, i'm here

Brilliant Kat, go for it

(((Lee))) (((Scylla))) (((Ckc))) I'm the same, even if I was feeling well enough, I wouldn't be any good at this type of online meetings

(((Perpy))) thank you so much for all you have done to represent us Can so understand though how difficult it will be for you to find the time to fit this in. I'm finding it an almost full time job administrating this forum as it has grown so much & I know how much you & the other moderators also work so much (unpaid, like me) behind the scenes to answer PM's, staff discussions, keep up with all posts etc.

[Lee]

Just posted this on ECF. I've decided if I can participate without Skype I will.

I mainly hang out at All about but am a member here and UKV. The lack of interest on all forums is a bit worrying. I don't have Skype but if it's possible to join in, text only, I'm game if no one else steps up. Just a matter of deciding which forum to represent. I have very limited knowledge of the industry but am a consumer and willing to help.

I am happy to represent any forum, just to start to get things done. The news from Canada is a huge warning to all of us.

[ckc]

I know what you mean Lee.From looking at ECF most UK Vapers end up moving to one of the UK Forums.I was a member here before ECF.But what happens on the ECCA still needs to be put there.

I really dont think it matters if you go from Forum to Forum which you represent.Its those who stick to single forums that need someone to be their voice.

One thing that seems to put peeps off is having to speak on mic but at these meetings on the Webinar you dont have too.I didn't. There is a box that you can use type your suggestions etc direct to who-ever is running the meeting. There is the option for who-ever is running the meeting to put up a Poll which people at the meeting can then vote on anonymously.Its very good !

[Lee]

I'm keen to do something and not be one of those who think "Oh, someone else will do it". As the disappointing response to the ECCA threads shows there aren't a lot of people rushing to take part.

I think once it's all set up and running there will be a greater response from people wanting to be members and be counted. I guess being a 'voice' is a bit daunting for some/most people.

I think it's important to have a member from each forum so it doesn't end up being a *insert forum name here* show. Therefore I am putting myself forward as a last resort if someone more confident can't do it.

[Meeting Agenda]

quote name='Rusty' timestamp='1303155875' post='84612']
From the ECCA (UK) website

Agenda - Wednesday 27th April 2011, 9:30pm




1. Motion - needs Proposer and Seconder
Motion #1: "This meeting will elect a temporary committee to carry out the immediate work of the Association, until an AGM can be held within three months of this date."

2. Motion - needs Proposer and Seconder
If Motion #1 is passed, then another should be proposed, to confirm the membership of the committee. That structure has been broadly agreed but it needs to be confirmed by the meeting, and some additions are suggested here that also need agreement.

It is normally expected that a committee can co-opt ('invite in') some additional persons for specific reasons, which are usually that they have some ability or knowledge or task that is otherwise not represented on the committee. A co-opted committee member is a member with full voting rights on the committee.

An example of that would be a representative from Cam-Vip. It is also normal that in some cases the committee might on occasion want to invite observers, perhaps someone from another association, or a press representative. Co-opted committee members serve for the duration (usually until the next AGM), but observers, if any, are invited on an ad hoc basis, i.e. meeting by meeting. Observers may speak if invited to by the Chair, but have no vote.

That means that the total of committee members, with Motion 2 in its current form, is nine: eight plus any co-opted (which looks as if it will be at least one, Cam-Vip). That is: 4 officers, 4 forum reps, and 1 co-opted. This is a good number for a committee.

Motion #2: "The committee will comprise officers as detailed in Note 1 below, plus one representative from each of the UK forums as detailed, plus up to three co-opted members when appropriate, and two observers if invited per meeting."

Note that a Recorder / Minutes Secretary is always present but never appears in the official list of officers or committee members.

3. Set a date for the first committee meeting.

4. Set a date for the first AGM.

5. A.O.B.
If there is any representation from the ROI (Ireland), this will be heard here.


At this point it is worthwhile stating that the meeting cannot proceed unless there is a Recorder aka Minutes Secretary, since the business of the meeting has to be recorded, circulated and then published, or it is not valid. We therefore need someone to take on this vital role. It may be that an audio recording of the proceedings is obtained but this cannot be relied on, as should be noted by the results of the first few 'ad lib' meetings, which we have no record of. This cannot continue and unless someone volunteers as Recorder, and takes a *written* record of the meeting, it cannot go ahead.


------------------------------
Note 1 - Officers suggested so far

Chairman
Vice Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
(any others)

Recorder / Minutes Secretary (not a member of the committee, but a crucial role)

There are other tasks that need to be done but these are not normally committee officers or committee positions. However the committee may want to co-opt one or more of the people doing these jobs, which is why there is always a provision for allowing this.

News Editor
CMS Webmaster
Site Link Promoter

In addition there will be one representative (to be confirmed by vote on Motion #2) from each forum. At present this list appears to be:

UK Vapers - UKV
E-Cig Reviews - ECR
All-About E-Cigarettes - AAEC
E-Cigarette Forum - ECF


Note 2 - Motions
Any Motion can be amended as needed, at any time before it is voted on. If someone wants a change then they propose an amendment. The Chair can ask for general agreement, but if there is a dispute, the Chair puts it to a vote.


Note 3 - meeting rules
As yet, until there is a committee and/or an association structure, meetings of any kind are not subject to any rules of procedure. Each and any question can be settled by a simple vote.

This will change when a temporary committee is elected as there need to be rules of procedure, in order that meetings do not end in unresolvable disputes. At that time, the committee needs to adopt a set of rules to govern both their meetings and that of general meetings. A popular choice for this is RONRIB (Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, In Brief) - see links:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert's_Rules_of_Order
www.parlipro.org/books.htm


The RONRIB version is preferred because it is simpler and briefer, and has enough substance for association meetings, without going into encyclopaedic detail. It has useful examples of exactly how things are properly done - for example in a general meeting, a motion proposed from the floor must be seconded by a member of the committee. You can see that these types of rules ensure that the procedure for meetings is set out in advance and petty disputes can be avoided.

[Perpetua]

Thank you for posting this Agenda.

[Chrissie]

Thank you from me as well Agenda.

[Lee]

I've copied this from UKV regarding the meeting on Wednesday.

This Wednesday at 9.30pm we have a General Meeting scheduled in order to decide some important matters regarding the Association's governance until it can be formally incorporated and established. The meeting will decide if a steering committee should be elected, what the structure of that committee should be, and who should serve on it.

-- The meeting is open to all ECCA members.

-- To join ECCA, register at the ECCA website and you become a member automatically.

-- Only ECCA members will be admitted to the meeting as all present may vote.

-- Voting will be live, within the meeting, using the GoToWebinar voting system. It is an excellent system that allows anonymous, real-time voting, and everyone can see how the vote is going, as it takes place. You see a bar graph increase for each candidate (or voting option if not an election), as their votes grow. It's the best voting system I've seen. We tested it out in the last GTW meeting test, on Thursday a week back, and everyone agreed it was good.

-- The voting is run by the online meeting app, it has nothing to do with the ECCA site. The online conference software we are using is a paid-for solution that can handle up to 1,000 delegates, it is the pukka job.

-- The small version is called GoToMeeting, we are using the giant version called GoToWebinar.

-- The meeting and the voting are not connected with the ECCA site.

-- You will need loudspeakers to hear the proceedings. It is an online conference. There is no video, just audio. As every laptop / PC has speakers, the meeting is open to all.

-- This is not a text meeting, it is an audio (voice) meeting.

-- If you wish to speak, you will need a microphone (mic).

-- The easiest way to get all options is a modern laptop as they have a camera, mic and speakers built in (although video is not being used in this conference).

-- If using a PC then the best option might be a headset (mic and earphones). This gives the best quality, even if using a laptop.

-- If you have a PC with speakers then all you need is a mic (but a headset is better for meetings).

-- Please make sure to register as an ECCA member well in advance as there is a possibility that last-minute joiners will not get in.

-- You can test your equipment out by going to ECR live chat. If you want to speak at the meeting it is best to test your set-up first.

-- The best set-up is Firefox browser plus a headset with mic and phones.

-- Headsets with USB or with 3.5mm jacks are said to be equally good (but that might vary from PC to PC).

-- GoToWebinar may not work in some browsers!! Get Firefox please. (Doesn't work in Opera.)



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ECR chat: www.e-cig-reviews.com/forum/chat.php

Meeting invite: Wednesday 27th April 2011, 9:30pm --