Officer reports... What about moving to blogging?

higuy · Black Bloc

Here's an idea to throw in! Why dont we bring the Guild into the 21st Century and make officers blog as opposed to writing reports in the old format. I must say I do think it has to be either one or the other because I dont think we should reasonably ask officers to do both. Blogs could be kept more up to date and would be more accessible to students generally because they will be on the website.

I dont know if we would want to vote to 'pass the blogs' as we currently do with reports, but that element of GC could do with some good discussion or debate. (I do not use the word reform because I dont want people to launch into motions when I want us all to chat about it before hand)

So what do people think?

bobby · Indymedia Hound

Great idea. Not many people read the reports ... only the 30 to 40 people who actually run and use the guild. Blogging could open up the guild o more people and this can only be a good thing!

Tom H · Indymedia Hound

way to nick my idea Marley for the Guild adopting what other unions do, lol

higuy · Black Bloc

Tom H · Indymedia Hound

No, not for officers alas, that belongs to the NUS. However, lengthly discussions with u @ regional conference and at previous GC's about how it streamlines committee and exec reports whilst removing deadlines was mine. Ah well.. whatevs

higuy · Black Bloc

Tom H · Indymedia Hound

except for you just talking to me on msn and saying sorry u took my idea, only a 'bit of banter'.

Teapotboy · Black Bloc

Jesus Christ, neither of you came up with blogging, or politicians blogging. Yes, one of you may have come up with the idea of BUGS politicians blogging, but....

A GOOD IDEA DOESN'T CARE WHO HATCHED IT

Tom H · Indymedia Hound

wow, two bottles of wine makes for un-enlightened argument. lol.
As i sed, 'wotevs', ur rite it dnt matter.
The important bit is enhancing the accountability of officers on a day to day basis and the better use of time and resources taken up in the current method of tabling reports.

Teapotboy · Black Bloc

missk · Meeting Facilitator

Well, the reports go online anyway so maybe there should be a link the the reports on the guild web site so that students can just follow the link and get up dated, we could still stick with the normal reports, and just ask someone in the guild to put them on the guild web.

Thats still sort of like a blog

Teapotboy · Black Bloc

Yeah, and to put them in html rather than all this pdf and word document crap that makes my computer freeze up (I'm in rural Germany with an ISP who are Italian, now I'm not being funny but would you buy electrical goods from a country where most houses don't have a roof... or is that Greece? I dunno, something to do with dodging tax)

Tom H · Indymedia Hound

Rhea, the current reoprts r online neway and r a waste of time and hassle to be honest. Linkng it to the reports is no good.

It would be much easier to remove the deadlines faced by officers and have them to regular blogs at various points before a GC to which they can be held accountable. These can be updated say until the day before, then there is no worries about notifying IT a week before to have them posted. The current reports will already be minimum 7 days out of date and sometimes aren't done at all.

Blogging offers a simple and 24/7 access for students as well as a means of up-to-date accountability. It removes deadlines that make the reports out of date before they are delievered and an officer can be judged on their day-to-day progress from a short blog at any point before a GC.

missk · Meeting Facilitator

i see your point, but if current officers struggle to get their report in on time as it is, then would changing to blogging really help? we would have to state clearly how frequently these blogs are to be written i think, as saying anytime before gc doesnt give people sufficient time to read them if it is say the night before gc, or even on the day of gc.

We should look at why we have reports. Its so we can see what the exec have done and if we approve of their actions, their primary use is not so other students can see what the exec are doing (although this is a good idea)
Being a week out of date is fine by me as it gives us all time to read them before gc. Moving to blogging is a good idea, but we would need to consider the practicality of this for officers and gcers.

missk · Meeting Facilitator

Just re -read ur post actually about 'various points' before gc, so u answered one part of my post already!

why are the current reports online a waste of time? and why is linking them to the guild web page no good by the way?

The more i think of it blogging is growing on me...