Important Changes - Please Read

Hello compadres,

Two major issues have come up recently demanding some technical wizardry. The first issue is that on-going integration of ics files among google/calendar, hotmail, and windows live have affected more than half of you, with varying degrees of disruption to your ability to use the co-op, but also causing your blogmeister a steady stream of non-stop tinkering. Karen has been particularly hard-hit, through no fault of her own.

So I've had a bit of a re-imagination of the calendar, and I will be changing us over from Google/calendars to a simpler but more useful calendar called 30 Boxes. You will need to register with it just once. I've tested it with 5 users and it seems to work in all the email and browser configurations I can cook up, PLUS it will enable us to change our responses to a sit request from within the calendar program. In the next day or so I you will be receiving invites from 30Boxes to register; please do. If you need help with any of that process, I am happy to go around showing people how to set up their systems.

The second major change is hopefully not one that will disrupt your life at all. I've re-published the sit report form, where you log your hours, to include mixed sleeping/awake sits, and there is also an option for last-minute sit calculations. If you have recorded a sit in the last week, I have transferred that information over and you will not lose any points.

I'll be cooking up a video tutorial for the new calendar system, but I think, given that you all got it with Google/calendar and the new system is easier, that it will be unnecessary.

Thank you for your patience (again) and hopefully no more major changes will rear their ugly heads. Plus, my improvements will ultimately make all this easier for all.

Happy springtime!
Laura

Reallocation of Roles, Responsibilities and Points

Celia's final notes as Leader. Please note that I am not sure of what the outcome for total points is. Will correct as required. - lb.


Secretary (PROPOSED CHANGE: rotates every two months)
• Facilitate sits: Responsible for monitoring sit-requests and reports, encouraging people who haven’t replied to do so, requesting that unfilled sit reports be updated, and assigning sits.
• Verify sit report accuracy: Must ensure that the calendar's events match up with the sit report. Must be comfortable with looking at a spreadsheet (no need to know how to use it) and operating a sit report form.
• Each member awards the secretary X pt per month (2 pts per rotation)

Blogmeister (Rotates every six months)
• Maintains the co-op blog and makes updates when necessary.
• Assists members with any difficulties using the blog/calendar feature.
• Calculates and posts monthly totals.
• Must be comfortable with Google Docs, Calendar, Labs, Blogger, and spreadsheet logic.
• Each member awards the blogmeister X pts every six months


Leader (Rotates every six months)
• Oversees general policy and recruitment
• Coordinates occasional playdates/get togethers
• Leads the co-op meetings, keeps minutes, and helps provide/update content for the co-op blog
• Each member awards the leader X pts every six months

Laura adds: We need to discuss what happens when you can't fill the duties of your job so that the Blogmeister doesn't get stuck being the secretary all the time.

***As a precedent has already been set, the co-op as a group can also decide to award extra points from the bank for service beyond the ordinary.

The new system begins today, June 2010.
Kevin will be the first "new" secretary for 2 months.
Karen will be the leader for 6 months.
Laura will be the blogmeister for 6 months.

Point Standings, March 2, 2010

Hello all,
I've done both versions of the accounting this month, the highly gratifying 5-minute online version, and the highly unsatisfying 90 minute paper version, and, happily, everything is the same both ways. Here are your current point standings:

Karen: -7
Jen: -9
Kevin: 5
Laura: -4
Celia: 3
Eric: 1
Bank: 23

You can look at the "deep math" here at the Sit Log. The form of the sit log will change slightly as I refine the sit report form and incorporate your feedback, but the basic idea is there. Note that Jen incurred a two point loss for non-use and that Celia and I still haven't paid ourselves from the bank for our bonus points.

Again, thank you for your patience over the last month - it seems like we are ironing out the final wrinkles, at least from the sitters' end. I hope to make the secretaryship stuff easier in the month ahead, but it would be great if you you guys could make sure that you've tried to schedule a sit. We haven't, as a group, identified who should be the correct person/s to submit a sit report, but it's kinda fun to try it (Celia's given it a whirl and it changed her life.) And please, if you have any suggestions or complaints, bring them to the meeting on Monday the 15th of March.

If anyone knows a programmer guru who would be willing to advise me for an hour, please send him or her my way!

Anyone find any fresh meat? We still need more members!!!