[dlvorg] DLV 2014 organizational kick-off ...

In this mailing:

Org List
DLV 2014 Organizational kick-off
JoAnn's thoughts
Beverly's thoughts
Annie's thoughts
Welcome to new volunteers
A note about terminology
Administrative Committee election
Our electorate
2013-2014 Project Management Team
Administrivia
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Org List:

This is the DLV 2014 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg_at_geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
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DLV 2014 Organizational kick-off:

This is the first "ORG" mailing for the 2013-2014 DLV year. This is
going out to the new volunteer list which includes those who have
recently volunteered to help out with the planning and implementation
of the 2014 Diva Las Vegas event.

For the 2013-2014 season, this list will be co-produced by Annie,
Beverly, and JoAnn.

Among the topics we'll be covering in the near future are:

* Any final summarizing and wrap-up of DLV 2013.

* Confirmation of the Project Management Team for DLV 2014.

* Election of the "odd year" Administrative Committee representative.

* Selection of the dates for DLV 2014 (September).

* Selection of suggested hotels for DLV 2014 (November).

Over the past several years we've regarded the period prior to the new
year as "strategic" in nature and the period after the new year as
"tactical" in nature. We'll do our "big picture" planning prior to the
new year and our actual programming and scheduling after the new year.
If there are any changes that need to be made with a meat cleaver
instead of a scalpel, they need to be made during the strategic phase.

Unless there are urgent matters, we usually take a break right after our
hotels are selected (around or just after Thanksgiving) and resume our
planning right after the holidays.

If there are any issues of a strategic nature that need to be addressed,
now is the time to address them.
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JoAnn's thoughts:

Although we are in transition [pun intended] from 2013 to 2014 there is
one significant happening during this "down time and close out" !!! It
is getting volunteers of "yester-year - 2013" and those thinking of
volunteering "coming -year" to be our volunteers for "2014".

We need the experience and new perspectives ---

As we move forward to forming our new team of 2014 in the next few
months....

>>> current volunteers I extend another welcome to stay with us....
and...

>>> those potential volunteers I want to extend a welcome to join
us...

*We need you ALL* !!! Hugs.... and Thanks..... JoAnn
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Beverly's thoughts:

Wow, wasn't DLV 2013 fantastic! If you are like me, and you know you
are, you are having a difficult time having to wait a whole year until
it comes around again. Well, good news! There are a couple of ways to
avoid the long wait.

First is to plan on attending Pinkfest in Chicago in October. It is very
similar to Diva Las Vegas, just without all of the casinos and hot
weather. There will be plenty of great places to shop, dine, drink, and
have fun. Plus you will get to see many of your friends there. So why
not plan on attending and experiencing some good old Midwestern fun!

Another way to get yourself ready for DLV 2014 is to take up the
challenge to host and plan an activity (or 2 or 3). What did you enjoy
in past DLV's? What do you want on the schedule for next year? This is
your chance to make them happen by making them YOUR activities.

It's fun. It's easy. And it's rewarding!

Beverly
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Annie's thoughts:

I want to personally welcome all of the new volunteers to the team, and
personally thank those who worked on DLV 2013 for their efforts in
putting on one of the most successful and most enjoyable events in our
history!

I'm already looking forward to DLV 2014. Although we had a great event
this year, there are a few things we can do to make a great thing even
better.

Here are some items I would like to concentrate upon this year:

1. Use technology to overcome a few rough spots, in particular some
error-prone items we're doing manually, such as check-in and Limo Tour
ticket sales.

2. Come up with ideas to encourage everyone to be more aware of those
who are not being included in things and to work toward adjusting the
culture of DLV to reach out, actively, and include them. I don't think
that our people are being intentionally rude or exclusionary, but that
in the excitement of the moment, some folks get overlooked and ignored.

3. Eliminating the "low-information attendee" situation. We've had two
first-person reports from those whose DLV 2013 experience was not all it
could have been. We need to take these "lessons learned the hard way"
and apply them so others will not have similar experiences. Examples of
this are one attendee who arrived without enough information to make
contact with the group, and another who chose to stay miles away from
our suggested hotels and reported difficulties getting rides and
interacting with others.

I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you to put
together an exciting and successful event in 2014!
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Welcome to new volunteers:

We picked up quite a few new volunteers this year! We wish to thank
our new volunteers and welcome each and every volunteer to the team!

We would like to encourage our new volunteers to actively participate at
both the organizing and planning level and the nuts-and-bolts level.

Over 95% of the effort that goes in to organizing and planning DLV is
put forth to make our various activities happen. Just as it is said that
"Every Marine is a rifleman", it can be said that "Every DLV volunteer
is an activity Coordinator."

As you have seen, our yearly event is a sequence of activities which for
the most part are independent of each other. Each of our activities
happened because one or more of our volunteers "adopted" those
activities and took the necessary steps to make them happen.

What we ask for from each volunteer is to be involved in a meaningful
way in one of our activites, either as primary Coordinator or assistant.

That's it!

Some of our volunteers work on more than one activity and that is
perfectly fine and appreciated. We do need to watch out for volunteer
overload and burnout, and it has happened in the past. We want to share
the load fairly among the team members.

Those who act as Coordinator of an activity are "the boss" of that
particular activity and are the ones who make most of the decisions
regarding that activity. The ORG group has the final say as to what does
and does not appear on our schedule. It's been extremely rare that an
activity which is planned in good faith has been turned down and did not
make it to our final schedule.

For those new to the DLV volunteer scene, we suggest that you briefly
review our various standing rules and administrivia.

One of the more important items is the set of "Ground Rules" for our
activities. They are on line here:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/administ/gr6.html

The repository of organizational and administrative documents is on line
here:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/administ/

Some are historical, some are deprecated, but it is a record of what has
transpired, organizationally-speaking, throughout our history.

We value and encourage self-starting and initiative. You don't need
anyone's permission to start planning anything. Likewise, you don't
need any kind of permission to do things such as reach out to vendors
and such as long as you don't commit to anything until you have the OK
from the ORG group here to schedule your activity.

Please, let's hear your ideas for DLV 2014.
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A note about terminology:

Over the years we've standardized, in our notices, schedules, various
publications, etc., some of the terms and how they specifically apply
to our event:

Event: The singularity. DLV as a whole. Made up of many activities.

Activity: One of the individual happenings that makes up DLV. Such
things as the Limo Tour, the High Tea, and the daily Lunch With Ginger
would be examples activities. We consider the names of the activities
to be proper nouns, so they are usually capitalized.

Coordinator: The primary person in charge of a particular activity. We
consider this term to be a proper noun and it's often capitalized.

Venue: The location or facility at which DLV or a DLV activity happens.

You will find that, if you haven't already, that there is quite a bit of
overlapping and overloading of these terms. :)

If you choose to use your own terminology, others will most likely
understand it unless it's not in the correct context. :)

There are a few acronyms that have become common jargon among us, and if
any of these appear and are not obvious due to context, a brief list
appears here (some tongue in cheek):

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/administ/acronyms.html

There are no links to this page, so please bookmark it if you want
to refer back to it.
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Administrative Committee election:

One of our jobs in the immediate future is to elect the person who will
fill the role of the "odd year" at-large member of our Administrative
Committee. The current term will expire July 31.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Administrative Committee, it is
explained here:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/administ/admcom.html

The current "odd year" position is held jointly by Bob and Sara due to a
quirk in the election process in 2011. The vote was tied and the common
methods of breaking the tie, such as withdrawing the Project Managers'
votes, would not have resulted in a majority.

It was proposed and confirmed by a vote that Bob and Sara would jointly
hold the position for the 2011-2013 term. This was considered to be a
one-time exception to allow us to focus our attention on frying bigger
fish. :)

Therefore, the floor is now open for nominations for the "Odd Year"
Administrative Committee seat. Anyone of voting status (see below) is
eligible to hold this seat. Self-nominations are appropriate and even
encouraged.

We should not that everyone, voting status or not, may make and second
nominations.
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Our electorate:

We are usually able to make decisions by consensus, but if a consensus
cannot be reached, or in cases of major binding decisions, a vote is
called.

Those eligible to vote are those who are on record as coordinating or
assisting with at least one scheduled DLV activity during the past TWO
annual events.

Those of voting status are the ones who are called upon to make the
decisions on which a consensus can't be reached, or to confirm major
binding decisions such as dates for our events, standing rule changes,
etc.

It should be noted that ORG members (that's all of you receiving this by
e-mail) who are not of voting status can do everything other than
actually casting a vote. This includes such things as making and
seconding motions, participating in deliberations where a consensus is
sought, etc.

We currently show the following individuals being of voting status
for the 2013-2014 year.

Please look over this list carefully. If you coordinated or assisted
with any scheduled DLV activity in 2012 and/or 2013 and do NOT appear
on this list, please reply to this mailing and let us know.

Aejaie
Annie
Beverly
Bob
Cami
Cynthia
Danielle
Delaney
Dennis
Edy
Gabi
Gina
Ginger
Holly
Jane
Jill
JoAnn
Katie
Laura
Marilyn
Marisa
Nikki
Pamela Ann
Randi
Sabrina
Sara
Sarah
Sarona
Shellie
Sherry
Sue
Valorie
Vanessa
Vera
Vivian
Walter
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2013-2014 Project Management Team:

Annie and JoAnn have agreed to remain in their Project Management roles
for the 2013-2014 year.

Beverly has agreed to join the Project Management team. Beverly is a
four-time DLV attendee and volunteer and has been active in the TG
community for decades and has worked on other TG events in the past.

We would, of course, like to confirm this slate by consensus, but if
there are any concerns or objection, we'll call for a vote.
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Administrivia:

This is the Diva Las Vegas 2014 organizational list.

One address for all items regarding this list, additions, removals,
changes, submissions, questions, etc.:

dlvorg_at_geekbabe.com <--- NOTE: all lower case

Diva Las Vegas 2014
Dates to be announced autumn of 2013
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

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Received on Tue Jun 04 2013 - 07:49:55 CDT