 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Charles Wright charles@melbpc.org.au |
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It seems we were a little pessimistic about our performance for the financial year. My preliminary report to you suggested an excess of about $90,000. In fact we made just over $130,000, after spending more than $150,000 on projects like the Internet.
The size of that excess - as a not-for-profit body, we can hardly describe it as a profit - is important. It means that we will be able to continue to fund the program of membership service development that has driven our expansion, and the high rate of membership retention, over the past few years. Unlike the average company, we don't borrow to finance our operations, but instead must either draw from our reserves, or fund them out of our income.
There's certainly no shortage of things we can spend money on, although none, I believe, is more important than the continuing improvement of our Internet service. I'm pleased to say the system, having gone into shock with the sudden increase in lines and accounts, has now recovered its senses, and although we are still putting newcomers onto a waiting list, rather than tempt fate, we expect that we will shortly be able to provide access for more members to what is a highly valuable service. We have begun the investigations and trials which will shortly lead to the doubling of bandwidth, which means users will notice improved response times, and we will also be investing in more powerful hardware, and more lines and modems.
Of more fundamental importance is the fact that we have also begun advertising for a technical officer who can give us the in-house support we need to maintain a service which is simply too complex and too demanding for our volunteer resources alone. I am continually amazed by the level of devotion that the Internet team displays, often providing the sort of hands-on attention that no commercial service would even contemplate. The technical officer will also provide some back-up for the BBS team, and perhaps reduce the extraordinary number of unpaid hours that they put in to keep things running.
In my reports to you I've indicated that increasingly we are going to have to be prepared to pay for professional services like these. Over the next few months, the executive committee is going to be looking closely at the best way to introduce that support, without imposing to great a financial burden, and just as importantly, without losing the essential spirit of the group. In my view that is the greatest challenge which will face the new committee after the elections in December - how to deploy a small team of paid professionals in such a way that they enhance the work and encourage the participation of enthusiastic volunteers.
Over the past few years we've managed to resolve the financial and administrative problems which threatened to engulf the group. Now, with our future apparently assured, we have to look more at some of the human issues.
We need to foster an atmosphere in which members will feel more willing to participate in the group's activities. Too many people don't understand that we're not simply a service organisation. People have made life-long friends in Melb PC, and in all of our activities there's a social element.
The Boston Computer Society, which is the world's largest user group, seems to have handled that aspect quite well, and we will be taking advice from that club as we reshape our structure. They also do much more to foster membership participation, despite the fact - or perhaps because of the fact - that they have a very large team of paid staff.
I'd very much like to see a system where, rather than having our committee members burning out because of the workload they typically take on, they become coordinators of teams and communicators, reporting their activities and views to the committee, influencing as well as making policy decisions.
I'd also like to see many more members standing for office. I'd like to think there are at least a couple of hundred people out there, among a membership of close to 9500, who have the time and the experience to guide this group over the next few years.
I haven't yet decided whether I will re-present myself for election, but even if I do, I'd like to think the club had the choice of perhaps half a dozen candidates for presidency, to say nothing of the other elected positions, each with a coherent plan for the future. I'd be happy to stand down in favour of, or even to lose to someone like that. What I would not like to see is the same old faces, mostly focussed on past grievances, rather than an inspiring vision, presenting the same old negative messages.
Although under the rules of the group, each candidate can be given only 100 words at election time, I can't see why over the next few issues of this magazine before the election, we could not devote space to letters and thoughts from potential candidates for office.
They might inform members of their particular interests, identify issues, propose initiatives, and address some of the other challenges the group faces. I'd be the first to admit that there are areas of the group's activities that are simply not performing as well as they ought to. I think a vigorous debate - and that doesn't necessarily have to involve mud-slinging - is a sign of good health in an organisation like this.
One new initiative that the committee is going to try to launch is the first of what we hope will be a series of weekend one-day seminars on subjects of interest to members. The first topic, which we think is highly appropriate, is Windows 95. We're aiming for an October date, although that will depend on a couple of factors: firstly whether we can get a small group of interested members to assist
Stan Johnstone, who once again has put his hand up to take on a demanding job, and secondly, whether Microsoft will be able to fit such an event into their schedule.
We'll be looking to them to provide some presenters and support for the day. We have been working with Microsoft to establish better communications, and I'm confident that provided the demands of their road show series and other promotional events haven't left them entirely exhausted, we'll be able to put together a highly stimulating, informative day at very low cost to members. The aim is to provide members with helpful tips, tricks and insights into this new operating system.
These are the sorts of initiatives that I want to try to stimulate, not just because they meet our objectives of advancing community knowledge of computing, but also because they foster that spirit of camaraderie that is so important to us.
The second topic, assuming we get to a second event, would almost certainly be the Internet. If you've got a little spare time and enthusiasm, please get in touch with Stan.
Reprinted from the September 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
