CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

I wasn't taking a shot at NJF, I was simply saying that claiming the board cost anything is pretty funny.

As for the social group and friends features... I've never used them, and on every site I actually own myself I've just disabled them when I install them since I have no use for them. It's great that you've found a use, but as for actually improving - that would probably need a forum software upgrade, which = $$$. You could see if the newer vB versions such as the one the CFC site uses have any more useful features, and if so, you could ask Larry if he'll pay for the upgrade. From an administrator standpoint, there is little reason to bother with an upgrade at this time.

I wrote OCC 'Website & Message Board' originally, having in mind that the Board was linked to the Website (which wasn't free). I thought that your comment that the Board was 'ad-riddled' was a shot, if not also the comment that the Board was free, but I'll now give you the benefit of the doubt.

I don't know how Facebook Friends/(Social Groups) features work, having never visited there (Neil Sullivan recommended Facebook instead of chesstalk Social Groups in another thread), but that might be a source of ideas for chesstalk Friends/(social Groups) features, even if a chesstalk upgrade has to be paid for later.

I've already mentioned in other threads what is lacking, at a minimum, as far as chesstalk Social Group features goes. Briefly: more than one Social Group Messages 'thread' to be allowed would be nice (though Group Pictures' Comments can be used to get around this, in clumsy fashion), but notifications to all Group members that someone has posted a Group Message or Picture Comment I would deem as almost essential improvements.

What makes chesstalk Social Groups especially attractive, even if they are Public ones, in case you were wondering, is that they feature a Picture Gallery. If a Social Group is Private, obviously that can be a further possible attraction.

As far as the chesstalk Friends feature goes, having someone as a chesstalk Friend can sometimes save a bit of time in contacting a given person by way of chesstalk, in terms of mouse clicks, scrolling, or going between different chesstalk 'pages'. It is also nice that someone has indicated they gave their okay to call them a chesstalk 'friend'.

Other than that there is little useful to the chesstalk Friends feature as far as I can tell. An almost essential improvement would be for chesstalk Friends to have some substantial feature(s) only available between chesstalk Friends, e.g. some info or method of communication that's unavailable if one, say, went to a non-Friend's Public Profile page (a 'Quick Links' style way of accessing one's list of Friends is nice, but not a substantial advantage). An example I can think of is having a Private Picture Album, with which you can share some or all of its pictures with a chesstalk Friend or Friend(s) of your choice [edit: my apologies, I just checked chesstalk FAQ and this feature of Friendship already does exist].

[Christopher Mallon]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

It was more of a shot at the stupid boardhost company if anything.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Governors, as electors of the CFC Executive, should have ample time to consider the candidacy of executive members, to discuss it among themselves, and to question the candidates as to their program.
...
Although members have no direct vote for the CFC Executive, it does not mean they are not interested. Members need time to hear about their candidates, so they can formulate questions for them on policy, for them to answer.

I’ll sum up things that I can think of at the moment that I would like the CFC or any of its Executive/Officers to do in 2011-12, given my present only rough feel for the CFC's limitations (slight financial impovrishment [barring raiding the Foundation], apparent disorganization [e.g. the present state of the existing CFC website & Handbook] and being undermanned). I would wish that the things that I would like accomplished might become at least part of the basis for a platform of any CFC presidential candidate - I think pretty well all of the following 'tasks' can/should be done by people other than the president, though through judicious delegation he could try to see to it that these are all accomplished:

- [get CFC public relations officer (if there is one) to] contact as many Canadian clubs as possible and remind/notify them of the CFC’s club affiliate 10% discount on memberships (a link to this section of the Handbook can be put in every Newsletter, e.g. in a president’s message)

- [get CFC webmaster (if there is one) to] list all major CFC services/benefits that make a CFC membership truly worth having, even for average adult members (including the point above, concerning club affiliates)

- [get CFC Treasurer to] make pie chart (or list percentages) of how the CFC portion of an adult CFC membership has been used by the CFC at a given point in time (this shows average members whether their membership dollars are being wisely spent)

- [get someone to] write up how to start and run a chess club (this could be added to the Handbook [and then linked to from within the CFC Newsletter] – there is a sub-section devoted to how to organize a tournament in the Handbook already [written long ago by Jonathan Berry], which could also be linked to the Newsletter)

- [get ED/volunteers to] do a mail-out to ex-CFC members, to try to woo them back

- [get Director of Fundraising officer (if there is one) to] seek sponsorship/funding for the CFC

Finally, I would add that I would want the CFC, if the question were to come up, to keep its newsletter going strong, as it is a fine and concrete service to provide for members, especially since average adult members could point to it as providing more value for their membership fees.

[John Coleman]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

- [get CFC public relations officer (if there is one) to] contact as many Canadian clubs as possible and remind/notify them of the CFC’s club affiliate 10% discount on memberships (a link to this section of the Handbook can be put in every Newsletter, e.g. in a president’s message)

I think the affilate discount was discontinued some years ago. I'm not sure. It is useless to check the online handbook... Section 1 still talks about En Passant being available at newstands. I'm sure other sections are equally far behind the times.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

I think the affilate discount was discontinued some years ago. I'm not sure. It is useless to check the online handbook... Section 1 still talks about En Passant being available at newstands. I'm sure other sections are equally far behind the times.

This may underline my earlier reference to apparent disorganization on the CFC's part, especially if the ED (or any Governor) hasn't got a near-perfect memory of all decisions or reversed decisions on the CFC's part in years past.

To perhaps state the obvious, if few clubs know about the affiliate discount being in the Handbook, regardless of whether it was later discontinued, a dilemma for the present ED is largely avoided. However if the discount was somehow meant to be still valid to this day, this incentive for clubs to affiliate that's been left to obscurity may be costing some potential new club affiliates, and even potential new CFC members, as a result.

Such disorganization on the CFC's part of course could be reduced with more manpower (e.g. to update the Handbook much faster), or else if the status of such an apparently at least somewhat important regulation as the club affiliate discount is lost in the mists of time, it should be freshly voted upon, included in a GL, and then perhaps this specific regulation's (re-)passage or (re-)repeal should be mentioned or linked to in the newsletter at least every so often until the Handbook is finally revised.

[Fred McKim]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

The affiliate discount still exists.

We have a single volunteer who is in charge of updating the handbook. I sent a slew of out of date items 6 months ago, but it is very slow going.

Unfortunately we have very few volunteers, outside the Governors.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Unfortunately we have very few volunteers, outside the Governors.

The good news is you have more than 50 governors who have presumably volunteered to do tasks.

[John Coleman]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

The affiliate discount still exists.

Well, that's interesting. Can you let me know where it is in the handbook, or the regulations, or wherever.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Well, that's interesting. Can you let me know where it is in the handbook, or the regulations, or wherever.

See 2106-[edit]2110 of section 21 of the online Handbook[edit] within the link below:

http://www.chess.ca/section_21.shtml

[John Coleman]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Kevin, thanks for the link. I thought all those old programs had fallen into disuse with the contortions of the CFC over the last few years.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

The good news is you have more than 50 governors who have presumably volunteered to do tasks.

I'll just repeat that the CFC is undermanned.

As a governor I once made up a questionnaire for ex-CFC members. The office mailed it out, but didn't share the results with the governors, nor possibly the Executive, despite my occasional reminders. Apparent CFC disorganization also extended to the ED, at least back then.

Also as a governor, I once floated the idea of a code of conduct for governors that included governors all having to perform one or more volunteer tasks (with the option of donating $100 to the CFC as an alternative). Predictably the idea was ignored or pooh-poohed. I believe one response was that the governors were meant to govern. Sort of reminded me of 'I'm entitled to my entitlements'. My response that a politician does work for his constituants, besides his interest in legislation, made no impression.

If I ever return to be a non-Executive governor, I'd think twice about performing extra volunteer work beyond governing, in light of my last two paragraphs.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Also as a governor, I once floated the idea of a code of conduct for governors that included governors all having to perform one or more volunteer tasks (with the option of donating $100 to the CFC as an alternative). Predictably the idea was ignored or pooh-poohed. I believe one response was that the governors were meant to govern. Sort of reminded me of 'I'm entitled to my entitlements'. My response that a politician does work for his constituants, besides his interest in legislation, made no impression.

Has there been any thought of instituting a pension plan for the governors?

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

Has there been any thought of instituting a pension plan for the governors?

Not afaik. :)

To be fair, at least some governors are still organizers/TDs within their own province, so that's extra volunteer work on their part, although that does not directly help the CFC as an organization - indirectly it helps of course, possibly even adding to CFC membership levels through their organized tournaments.

Another problem may be getting more governors to give national concerns more interest, i.e. looking beyond their own provincial concerns.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

The good news is you have more than 50 governors who have presumably volunteered to do tasks.

Hi Gary

I'm looking at a number of interesting decisions right now, some of which relate to this thread.

Right now there's some local behind-the-scenes arm twisting happening to bring me back to the world of CFC governance asap, maybe even higher up the chain than before, though I fear that if I got to a certain position, at the least I would acquire some persistent 'friends'. Not sure I'd make a difference if I were only a non-Executive, non-Officer governor. At least Ottawa seems to be in pretty good shape when it comes to the number of tournaments, clubs, organizers and (maybe) CFC members. I suppose there's at least CFC committee work.

More off-topic, I'm also looking at purifying my opening repertoire by dropping all but fully respectable and reliable openings. One thing that's slightly disconcerting is that there seem to be very few such major defences that throughout their 1900+ A.D. history have had no serious crisis at one time or another. At the moment I can think of the Najdorf and the Semi-Slav (though I am not absolutely sure this is true of either).

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Executive - Candidates for 2011-12 ( July AGM Elections )

More off-topic, I'm also looking at purifying my opening repertoire by dropping all but fully respectable and reliable openings. One thing that's slightly disconcerting is that there seem to be very few such major defences that throughout their 1900+ A.D. history have had no serious crisis at one time or another. At the moment I can think of the Najdorf and the Semi-Slav (though I am not absolutely sure this is true of either).

Well, I always liked attacking the Sicilian Najdorf with 6. Bg5 unless I could find my opponent liked to reply with the poisoned pawn variation.

What you play isn't always as important as who you play it against and how often you use it. In other words, don't make it too easy for your opponent to prepare against you. If you watched Kevin's games at Chapelle, you would have noticed the wide variety of openings he employed both as white and black. It's hard to prepare for that.