[Ecommerce] CPSR needs your support
Manon Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org
Mon Dec 20 14:18:01 2004
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Techdev] CPSR Needs Your Support
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 10:02:11 -0800
From: "Susan Evoy" <evoy@cpsr.org>
To: techdev@lists.cpsr.org
Dear Friend of CPSR,
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility needs your
support.
These are difficult times for people who believe in a free and
open information society. In the United States, the Bush
Administration remains in office and looks primed to carry on
with its regressive agenda on information and communication
technology (ICT) issues. We can look forward to four more years
of all the wrong moves---more industry concentration,
surveillance, government secrecy, overly expansive intellectual
property laws, limitations on open access, frequency spectrum
mismanagement, media censorship, Internet misgovernance,
outsourcing, inattention to the needs of low-income communities,
and on and on and on. We can even expect the revision of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, this time with Congressional
friends of citizen empowerment and consumers' rights even more
marginalized from the inner circles of decision making. And
things do not look much better at the global level, where the
administration and many of its key counterparts abroad are
pursuing an essentially parallel policy agenda through bilateral
negotiations and multilateral institutions.
Now more than ever, we need vibrant local, national and global
public interest communities that can push back against the tide.
We need civil society organizations (CSOs) that have the
technical expertise to speak authoritatively about the risks and
benefits of ICT; the heart to articulate a compelling vision of
fair, democratic, and open information society; and the
organizational capacity and citizen support to promote such a
vision, both in the United States and around the world. Luckily,
there are quite a few dedicated CSOs out there fighting the good
fight against very difficult odds. In many cases, these are
relatively small, professional staff-based organizations that are
able to make a difference by writing reports, filing lawsuits,
drafting regulatory and legislative provisions, and generally
playing the insider game in Washington D.C. and other capitals.
Just as often, they are specialized and work intensively on one
or a few issue key areas.
CPSR fills a different and entirely complementary niche. We are
a membership organization with about 1,000 people in over two
dozen countries. And we do not limit ourselves to one or a few
issues; we can and do take on a variety of topics in accordance
with members=B9 interests. Together, these two attributes mean
that we provide an open platform from which anyone who shares our
ideals enough to participate in CPSR structures can connect with
like-minded colleagues, form special interest groups, launch or
join initiatives and so forth on any number of ICT issues. And
our grass-roots membership, expertise, and broad mandate makes us
an attractive partner for other CSOs launching campaigns at the
local, national, and global levels.
While 2004 has been a busy and challenging year for CPSR, in this
brief letter I will not go through a recitation of our past
programmatic activities in the United States and abroad. (These
items have been covered in The CPSR Compilers at
http://cpsr.org/news/compiler.) Nor can I run through an overview
of the various intra-organizational hurdles we have had to leap
before or since the Board of Directors asked me to step in as
President in late August; that must await another time. Instead,
let me look forward, and mention just a few of our current and
pending initiatives that make me optimistic about CPSR's
prospects.
* By far our most important and demanding initiative at
present is the launching of the new website at http://cpsr.org.
The goals of the new site are to enable member participation in
our online presence and engage prospective members and others
interested in CPSR's work. The site is now run with a standards
compliant, open source content management system (CMS). It
includes a new design, new dynamic features, a Spanish language
section, etc. The archived version of the old site is also
available, pending the transfer of all its content. The CMS
will allow members to submit content for the Issues and Chapters
folders, News, or Events; use forums to interact; and maintain
their own home pages. We very much hope that CPSR members will
volunteer to help maintain and add new content to the site, for
which the board and staff will have overall managerial
responsibility. Within the coming weeks, CPSR will send
information on how to apply for a user account. In the meantime,
if you would like to participate or help out, please contact
CPSR. Training on use of the system will be available for
volunteer content managers and members who want to post their
homepage within the next month. By the way, in its first full
month of activity, the new site's home page has generated nearly
700,000 hits from over 23,000 unique visitors!
* We will make a concerted effort to expand our outreach to
members and involve them---in particular by using the
functionalities of the new site as a vehicle---in programmatic
and organizational activities.
* We will relaunch and expand our Publications program. This
will include the monthly Compiler, the CPSR Journal (our first
issue in years will be released in the next weeks), and=8B-
depending on member interest---perhaps a Working Paper series and
an Issue Brief series.
* We will reconstitute the Advisory Board (this time including
more CPSR members than unaffiliated experts) in order to provide
the Board of Directors with an additional source of valuable
advice.
* We will expand our collaborations with other CSOs in US and
global policy processes. In the latter context, we will in
particular continue to work in coalitions focusing on the World
Summit on the Information Society, Internet governance, and the
democratization of relevant international institutions.
In short, CPSR is turning a corner and going into the new year
with renewed energy and organizational capacity. It promises to
be a very exciting time, but we very much need your participation
to make it a success. There are two major ways you can help.
First, if you are not a current CPSR member in good standing,
please join or renew your membership.
Second, as a member, get involved! CPSR is its membership---
there=B9s really nobody else. Our only staff member is our
half-time and wildly over-taxed Managing Director, who has been
working well beyond her paid time to try and keep up. The Board
of Directors comprises volunteers who can oversee the managerial
aspects, but cannot and should not carry the load with respect to
the programmatic activities needed to keep this a thriving,
active organization. Our success is therefore very much dependent
on members=B9 energy, enthusiasm, and engagement.
Among the things I urge members to consider:
* Volunteer to help get the new website up-to-speed, and watch
the Compiler for notices of requests for assistance. When the
requisite functionalities are fully in place, use the site to
provide content and collaborate with colleagues. Tell us if you
have time and ideas on how to help.
* Join or form a Working Group on an issue of particular
interest to you. Work with colleagues to develop our positions
and collective expertise; generate content for the website and
publications program; organize campaigns and collaborations with
other CSOs; give testimony in policy proceedings, and communicate
with business leaders and elected officials---the working groups
can be vehicles for these and related activities.
* Form, or resurrect a local, regional, or national Chapter.
Work with colleagues to build some community, organize events and
campaigns, and so on.
* Consider starting an Ongoing Project on an issue of
particular interest in order to generate support for your work
and the organization.
* Join one of the standing Committees that are responsible for
various aspects of CPSR's management, such as the Membership
Committee, Program Committee, and Publications Committee. The
committees bring together representatives of the Board of
Directors and the general membership, and thus are not only
essential for taking care of organizational business, but also an
important means of promoting an open interface between the board
and the members.
* Stand for election to the Board of Directors. The board is
responsible for setting CPSR's general direction, deciding
matters of overall policy, fundraising, and agreeing on
activities undertaken in CPSR's name. Given the volunteer nature
of the organization and the amount of work needed to keep it
together, serving on the board can be somewhat demanding, but it
can also be interesting and rewarding as well. We will have
several vacancies to fill in the next election cycle, and are
eager to get some new blood that is committed to sustaining and
growing the organization.
* Spread the word. Tell friends about CPSR. We need more
members!
It is a real shame that our financial problems have made it
impossible to give CPSR members all the services and support they
deserve. But it would be a far greater shame if the current
trend is not reversed and we are unable to sustain the
organization at a time of such need and promise. CPSR has a 23
year record of promoting the public interest and our collective
understanding of the risks and benefits of computers and related
ICT. Let's work together to secure its future for the next 23!
And remember, CPSR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For
those paying taxes in the United States, your contribution is IRS
deductible. You can use the form below, or the secure online
form at
http://cpsr.org/membershipForm.
My best wishes for a happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
William Drake
President
*****************************************************
CPSR MEMBERSHIP, DONATION, UPDATE, TSHIRT FORM
Name _________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
City/State/Zip ____________________________________
Work Phone ______________________________________
Email ___________________________________________
Company ________________________________________
Type of Work __________________________________
CPSR CHAPTERS
o AFRICA o Austin o Berkeley o Boston o CANADA
o Chicago o Denver-Boulder o EUROPE o Georgia
o JAPAN o Los Angeles o Madison o Maine
o Michigan o Milwaukee o Minnesota o New Haven
o Loyola/New Orleans o New York o Ohio o Palo Alto
o PERU o Philadelphia o Pittsburgh o Portland
o Research Triangle Park,NC o San Diego
o San Francisco o Santa Cruz o Seattle o SPAIN
o Washington, D.C.
INTERESTS
o The Internet o Privacy & Civil Liberties
o Participatory Design/Workplace o Working in the Industry
o Community Networks o Women in Computing
o Weapons & Peace o Intellectual Property
o Information Technology in Education
o Ethical Issues in Information Technology o International
o Voting Technology
CPSR MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
o $ 75 Regular Member
o $ 50 Basic Member
o $ 200 Supporting Member (begun before 1/1/01)
(5 consecutive years of $200 =3D Life)
o $ 250 Supporting Member (since 6/1/02)
(5 consecutive years of $250 =3D Life)
o $1250 Life Member
o $ 20 Student/Low-income Member
ADDITIONAL TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS:
To support CPSR in general?$ _______
To support CPSR's Election Project ? $ ____
To support CPSR's Privaterra project? $_______
To support CPSR's Public Sphere project? $ ______
"Question Technology" t-shirt Size (M, L, XL, XXL) ___
http://www.cpsr.org/store/tshirt/
$15 plus $3 postage to U.S. or Canada, or
$8 to other locations $______
Payment method: Check made out to CPSR or
Visa/Mastercard/American Express #
__________________________________________
Expiration Date: ________ Amount: $ _________
Signature: ___________________________________
Return to:
CPSR, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94302
>> --
Susan Evoy * Managing Director
http://www.cpsr.org/
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
P.O. Box 717 * Palo Alto * CA * 94302
Phone: (650) 322-3778 *
Email: evoy@cpsr.org
This form is online at
http://cpsr.org/membership
_____________________________
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is the
oldest non-profit, mass membership organization working on social
impacts of computer technology.
To learn more, go to http://www.cpsr.org
To join, use http://cpsr.org/membership
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--
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel.: 1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176
Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva
1 Route des Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727