2009 AGM

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Tim
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Postby Tim » Tue May 12, 2009 5:33 pm

I was one of the few who turned out for the AGM.

Although I'd like to see Plugged In as the BVS's regular magazine, it's clear from the figures that to do so would bankrupt the society because it costs so much more to print than Plugged In.

Yes the BVS needs updating and reform but a rant on a website won't achieve that. If you want a better BVS then:

1) As a minimum attend the AGM.

2) Be prepared to actively contribute time to committee or other society posts - you can't expect everyone else to do it for you.

I'd like to see competition for every committee position at next year's AGM, with a clear choice of candidates laying out their stall of what they'll contribute and what their future vision of the BVS is.

Regards,


Tim

on behalf of the EV Network (http://www.ev-network.org.uk)
Electric vehicles charged from renewable electricity provide the only commercially available form of zero-carbon motoring.

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ChrisB
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Postby ChrisB » Tue May 12, 2009 8:58 pm

Tim wrote: If you want a better BVS then:

1) As a minimum attend the AGM.

2) Be prepared to actively contribute time to committee or other society posts - you can't expect everyone else to do it for you.


1) Sadly the 300+ mile 5hr+ round trip was a bit out of my budget and time scale.

2) Yep, recon I put in about 30mins to an hour a day keeping an eye on this place 8)

Personally I think folks are actually put off things like AGM's, we have a very active local community based initiative down here, we put on many many local community events which 1000's of local people go to, when we had our AGM we got ONE local turn up :roll: yet the locals are always wanting us to do this and that and ask why arent we doing this and that, well they cant really complain if no one comes along to the AGM when all the action happens, if you ask them they just say AGM's isnt their thing :? .

Your dammed if you do, your dammed if you dont :lol:

ChrisB
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Tim
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Postby Tim » Tue May 12, 2009 9:38 pm

ChrisB wrote:1) Sadly the 300+ mile 5hr+ round trip was a bit out of my budget and time scale.


I got off comparatively lightly with a 240 mile round trip.

Most national organisations don't expect everyone to turn up in person to the AGM. I'd like to see postal voting on key decisions like committee appointments, constitutional amendments etc; but you'd probably a good turn out in person to get to the necessary constitutional amendments through.

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qdos
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Postby qdos » Wed May 13, 2009 8:25 am

Tim wrote:
ChrisB wrote:1) Sadly the 300+ mile 5hr+ round trip was a bit out of my budget and time scale.


I got off comparatively lightly with a 240 mile round trip.

Most national organisations don't expect everyone to turn up in person to the AGM. I'd like to see postal voting on key decisions like committee appointments, constitutional amendments etc; but you'd probably a good turn out in person to get to the necessary constitutional amendments through.


I'd Just been up the week before plus the previous year I'd done the same trip twice all because someone winged that the AGM was unconstitutional because the exact address or specific time or some such twoddle had not been published precisely 2 months in advance Basically they made a mockery of the whole thing. This year it's barely mentioned with the fewest people I've known attend it and nothing's said. Frankly I think the 2009 AGM was very questionable as to it's validity.

I think a lot will recall we had some poles running on the forum here last year asking what people wanted in relation to the major subject of Plugged In and it was overwhelming the support for the magazine. Again this year, nothing said.

I'm amazed that the new site manager is actually rubbishing the website :shock: It's been one of the best mediums the BVS has had for communicating with it's members, it's quick, effective and cheap. Plus it's been one of the main reasons for so many people and organisations finding the BVS in the first place.

With regard to the magazine being affordable we were building up companies who wanted to advertise in it. I think you'll find this is quite common even for Parish Magazines. Printing is expensive so in order to have something worthwhile adverts are a common means to pay for the printing. The Parish Magazine I also write for is actually making a profit. In fact most newspapers work this way too.

The trouble with the BVS is that they are completely disorganised and not interested in it's members. As was illustrated by this years AGM


Now here's an offer for you all. If there's sufficient interest I'm prepared to do a magazine for anyone interested in electric vehicles. This would not be a BVS magazine as it's apparent that the committee don't want it. however if members of the BVS wanted to receive it I'd be happy to look at providing one for them. indeed if the BVS want to advertise in it and or write articles for it then that would be fine too, only this time I' will not be holding it up for the committee to get themselves organised.

So hmmm...
AGM, well I can see the committee's point actually. The less said about it the better.
Website apparantly "This forum is not the official organ of the BVS" so much what the new website manager thinks of it.
Magazine, if there's sufficient interest in receiving one I'll do one

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MaryRCrumpton
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Re: 2009 AGM

Postby MaryRCrumpton » Wed May 13, 2009 12:00 pm

qdos wrote:
...and the committee are just full of their own importance. They couldn't give a hoot about the members here online, infact it was frequently rubbished by at least one of the senior members of the committee.


Speaking as a current committee member I find that comment most offensive Kelvin. Do not presume to know the mind of anyone but yourself. I am a committee member. I do care, and do work hard for the society and its members, online or otherwise.

Before making grand generalisations about how appalling the committee members are, perhaps you could remember that these are real people that you are insulting from behind the safety of your keyboard?

People who are working hard include Rob Sharpe, John Lilly, ChrisB, etc - all out there promoting the BVS and EVs. I myself worked many, many, unpaid hours to organise the conference. And I have put in lots of work organising local events too. All for members to meet and exchange info/ideas.
Your negativity towards our committee members does nothing to help the BVS, in fact, it is more likely simply to alienate those committee members who are trying to do good things for the members. Is that what you want?

Thankfully, there are SOME members who appreciate the work that I and others do. If they all had your attitude I wouldn't have agreed to continue as Secretary.

Tim wrote:
I was one of the few who turned out for the AGM.

Although I'd like to see Plugged In as the BVS's regular magazine, it's clear from the figures that to do so would bankrupt the society because it costs so much more to print than Plugged In.



Thanks Tim. And yes. If we had had a volunteer to be Advertising Sec and raise advertising revenue for the mag, then, provided we had also had a volunteer for Editor, then it might have been possible. The Chair and Vice Chairs have all expressed support for Plugged In as a format. But as you say, we simply cannot afford it at the moment, in terms of manpower or money.

Tim wrote:Yes the BVS needs updating and reform but a rant on a website won't achieve that. If you want a better BVS then:

1) As a minimum attend the AGM.

2) Be prepared to actively contribute time to committee or other society posts - you can't expect everyone else to do it for you.

I'd like to see competition for every committee position at next year's AGM, with a clear choice of candidates laying out their stall of what they'll contribute and what their future vision of the BVS is.


I agree that the BVS needs updating. Even the longest-standing committee members are saying we need to move with the times, and are looking at ways forward.

I was glad to see you at the AGM Tim, and to have you as a speaker at our conference, and involved in other BVS things too. You are just the sort of active member that the BVS needs :D

As for competition, the committee would have loved to see competition for every position. We were planning to hold a postal vote in the event that we had more than one person standing for any post, but sadly we did not, and some positions have been left vacant (e.g. press/publicity... hint hint :wink: ) Like you, I would very much like to see a proper competition for every committee post next year, and the committee would be in favour of postal voting in that event. And I know (because I asked) that the committee welcome your involvement, in any capacity.

Thanks Tim, for your constructive comments :D

Mary.
BVS North-West Coordinator, based in Manchester.
Contact via Text/Phone on 07751 696 055

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qdos
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Postby qdos » Thu May 14, 2009 9:01 am

Sorry if you are offended Mary but I'm glad to hear the committee agree the BVS needs to make some changes to get with the 21st Century.

I know only too well how much effort some people put in on the committee there's also people outside the committee who put in masses of effort too. Yes it's all volunteered too and I can tell you I never put in a single expense claim either dispite being very much out of pocket for the several thousand miles I travelled in all plus many phone calls, hardware, much ink etc etc etc. let alone the many weeks, neigh months, I've spent working on BVS things. Indeed the people you mentioned are some of the folk who have also done much the same and I do speak with them on a fairly regular basis. I also speak to other members and exe members of the BVS too.

Let's hope things are going to improve but I have to say this years AGM really doesn't seem to indicate much that's promising as has been pretty much said by each and everyone who's posted on this thread so far :( We all seem to be in agreement on that

This site is an excellent tool which is used by more members than any other facility or service the BVS has so please let's see the committee taking it seriously rather than rubbishing it. And no that's not a pop at Tim, you know there are several members on the committee who continuously rubbish the net. It's a topic that was continuously an arguing point in many committee meetings. A fair few of the members have witnessed them on several occasions and they've not been anything to do with me I hasten to add.

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MaryRCrumpton
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Postby MaryRCrumpton » Thu May 14, 2009 11:23 am

Thanks for the apology Qdos.

And I do hear what you are saying, about changes, and about the importance/excellence of this forum.

One thing I would like to see is a "The Best Of The Forum" article appearing regularly in the BVS magazine, to share with non-net-savvy members a selection of the good things that appear on here.
A summary of a recent thread that provoked discusion, for example. A regular article like that would publicise the forum, and allow non-IT types to also benefit from some of the excellent content on here, both technical and non-technical.

Anyone feel like sending something to Brian? Either just for this month, or on a more regular basis? (Articles for this month need to reach him by 20th May)

Mary.
BVS North-West Coordinator, based in Manchester.
Contact via Text/Phone on 07751 696 055

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qdos
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Postby qdos » Thu May 14, 2009 11:36 am

SaintMaryUK wrote:Thanks for the apology Qdos.

And I do hear what you are saying, about changes, and about the importance/excellence of this forum.


No worries, I know what it's like on the committee, it's much easier out here to not get stressed by complaints

One thing I would like to see is a "The Best Of The Forum" article appearing regularly in the BVS magazine, to share with non-net-savvy members a selection of the good things that appear on here.
A summary of a recent thread that provoked discusion, for example. A regular article like that would publicise the forum, and allow non-IT types to also benefit from some of the excellent content on here, both technical and non-technical.

Anyone feel like sending something to Brian? Either just for this month, or on a more regular basis? (Articles for this month need to reach him by 20th May)

Mary.


Now we're talking :) yes I totally agree and it was somethng that I did have in some of the Plugged Ins and was actively seeking people to provide me with when I was editor as a fair few of you know. Somethng I was very keen to do though was to provide articles in the magazine that were NOT on the website so that people felt the magazine was news worthy and a good read as opposed to simply regurgitating stuff that was already on the BVS website/forum.

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floydster
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Postby floydster » Mon May 18, 2009 10:44 pm

Tim wrote:I got off comparatively lightly with a 240 mile round trip.

Most national organisations don't expect everyone to turn up in person to the AGM.


I'd love to attend the AGM but a five and a half hour drive (in a diesel van) is a tad too far. Last I knew my "local" rep was about a three hour drive away :(

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floydster
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Re: 2009 AGM

Postby floydster » Mon May 18, 2009 10:47 pm

qdos wrote:
floydster wrote:
You're such a tease :D

Floydster


Sorry if I scare or offend anyone but since you asked Floyd

Image

:twisted: WOW. Does it go like it looks?

Floydster
I know I'm in my own world - it's OK, they know me here.


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