Thanks for your e-mail, DeDe. You raise some important issues.

> dehome@attglobal.net wrote:
>
> Dear Al,
>
> It was the whole board of director's decision to appoint Jason
> Schmitz to design and handle the Web Site for the AG 2003.

I remember being at the January 29 Board Meeting when this was
discussed, and I was one of those who was encouraging that Jason do the
design work for the AG, as I wasn't interested and had no good ideas for
it myself.

I do NOT remember anything about the AG2003 pages comprising a separate
website! If this was a Board decision, it was a very poor one, and I
wish I had been at least consulted on it, as I do have considerable
experience in evaluating people's webmastering expertise.


> You are the Webmaster for MN Mensa.

That's the whole point. In any group (or organization or business),
typically the Webmaster oversees and is ultimately responsible for ALL
of the group's presence on the WWW.

(Granted, General Motors has a Webmaster, and Chevrolet has a Webmaster,
etc. But we're not General Motors.)

In a MN Mensa functional organization chart, do we want the Board at the
top, and then the next row to read "LocSec - Secretary - Treasurer -
Editor - Webmaster - Webmaster - Webmaster - Webmaster" ?? I certainly
hope not.

There should be ONE Webmaster, chosen for experience and expertise,
responsible for ALL website activities carried out under the group's
aegis.

There can be lots of "sub-webmasters" and contributors, etc., but the
buck should stop at somebody's desk - some one person should be
responsible for having everything consistent, correct, technically
competent, properly linked, properly *spelled* etc.

(I still see only one Webmaster listed on the back of Mensagenda, and I
believe that's exactly the way it *should* be. And where the
responsibility should be.)

I hope the Board will vote to formalize this.


> You are not to do special Web Sites for
> other events, such as Mind Games or Gatherings.

To the best of my knowledge, Mind Games never had a "special Web Site"
-- it didn't need one, as it was a official activity of Minnesota Mensa,
and so was properly part of the Minnesota Mensa website.

Ditto for Gatherings -- they get a special section within the MN Mensa
website; that's the best way to do it.

Ditto for Annual Gathering 2003, to my mind. It doesn't need a separate
website -- it's an official MN Mensa activity. (Although the
unfortunate way it's been set up, the tax boys might question that ...)

If the Board wishes to vote on what you wrote above, so be it. But I
hope it doesn't.


> Those will be handled
> as the committee decides. If the committee decides to choose you to
> do their Web Site, that is fine. However, each committee makes those
> decisions.

The Board should vote to make those decisions. I hope the Board will
vote that all official MN Mensa committees desiring a Web presence for
their activity will consult with, and coordinate through, the officially
appointed MN Mensa Webmaster.

Keep in mind that I TOTALLY support others being recruited to design and
produce website material! (I'm working on incorporating Jason's
homepage design study for a total redesign of the MN Mensa website.)

I am also not opposed to additional MN Mensa websites -- but if it's an
official function, there would be stuff on it on mnmensa.org anyway.

Could there be something like mnmensacookbook.com to sell the cookbook?
I suppose so, but I don't see a compelling need for it.

And there should STILL be one qualified Webmaster responsible to the
Board to evaluate it and certify that it meets our minimum standards for
representing MN Mensa on the web. (This ag2003.com thing doesn't, by a
wide margin.)


> Your e-mail to Kim was totally off the wall and Pam knows what is
> going on here and so does Howard. You are not to communicate with
> these people as you are not part of the AG committee.

I do not believe my initial e-mail was off the wall in any way. I wrote
to give the national website the link to a relevant portion of the MN
Mensa website, which is certainly consistent with my job as Webmaster.
At no prior time has anyone communicated to me in any way that my duties
and responsibilities have been crippled.

(Your e-mail to Pam seemed to be deliberately worded as to disparage me
and my efforts. That seems rather heavy-handed, especially considering
that this e-mail from you is the very first time I've heard anything at
all about these issues.)


> If you have any questions, call me at home. I tried your number and
> it rang and rang.

My main question is why I should have to defend myself for exercising
the duties and responsibilities I thought the Board had delegated to me
in the first place, so my best response should probably be an e-mail to
all rather than a phone call to one.

Sorry about your phoning attempt. My answering machine is a 1987
vintage (!) and sometimes it shows its age.


>
> DeDe Tredinnick
> Local Secretary - Minnesota Mensa
>

TO ALL -- The present purported "website" for AG 2003 is a debacle in so
many ways that I am working on a separate message to describe them all.
I'll try to finish it with tonight's midnight oil.

Al
Webmaster - Minnesota Mensa

--

Al Heigl
Mill City Records
P.O. Box 177
Northfield Minnesota 55057-0177
507-663-6090
(Professional Proofreading,
Web Site Work using FrontPage 2002)
http://www.mnmensa.org/webmaster/