synonymous

[4:00 PM]kcdayton: Hello everyone, and welcome to the meeting! We appreciate you all for coming.
[4:00 PM]kcdayton: Before we get started, I wanted to remind everyone that if you want to make sure you don't miss a meeting, you can subscribe to our public meeting calendar (https://www.transformativeworks.org/board-calendar/) and keep an eye on the otw_news Twitter account, where all meetings are announced beforehand. We'll also @ here on this server, so make sure you enable notifications!
[4:01 PM]Satsuma: Are you planning to announce elsewhere, now that twitter is restricting access for people without accounts?
[4:02 PM]mlraven: Please use (at) everyone next time. (at) here only notifies people actively on discord.
[4:02 PM]PC: email and/or RSS would be great if it doesn't already exist
[4:02 PM]Satsuma: they currently do not, alas or i woulda subbed already
[4:03 PM]Michelle Schroeder: We'll be answering questions once we get through the rest of our agenda - happy to answer that once we get there, Satsuma!
[4:03 PM]kcdayton: (But if you can't attend a meeting, no worries, you can always backread this chat later on, or access our meeting minutes (https://www.transformativeworks.org/board_minutes/) which are usually posted about a week after the meeting!)
[4:04 PM]kcdayton: We'll open the chat for questions once we progress through our agenda. Everyone present is welcome to ask questions if you have any when we get to that point. To help make sure we see every question, please include a o/ at the beginning of your message if you have questions or comments. We'll answer one question at a time.
[4:05 PM]Satsuma: thats new
[4:05 PM]kcdayton: We know that there are a lot of questions that people have. We would like to proceed through our other required agenda items as quickly as possible, so please hold your questions that are not about those items until the end so that we have more time for you to ask them.
[4:06 PM]Marion McG: (Also not new. I think Board had the same approach at the last meeting)
[4:06 PM]kcdayton: Today's meeting is scheduled to end at 9:30PM UTC (what time is that for me? https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Public+Board+Meeting+End&iso=20230702T2130&p1=1440). Please keep in mind that due to time constraints, we might not be able to go into much detail on certain topics - you are always welcome to email the Board (https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/?who=OTW%20Board%20of%20Directors) if you'd like to discuss anything in more depth, or if you have follow up questions about anything we discuss here today.
[4:07 PM]Lucent: is there anywhere we can view the agenda?
[4:07 PM]ZG: They post the agenda at the start of the meeting, usually.
[4:08 PM]Lucent: ah okay, thanks!
[4:08 PM]kcdayton: Before we get started, could everyone here in attendance please react to this message with a 👋emoji. Thank you!
[4:11 PM]kcdayton: And without further ado, this is our agenda for today:
Decisions taken since the previous meeting
Strategic Plan vote
Update on OTW's Diversity Work
AOB (Any Other Business)
Time for questions
[4:13 PM]kcdayton: In Alex's absence, Michelle, can you share our decisions made since the last Board meeting?
[4:14 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Decisions taken since the last meeting:

*approved minutes of last meeting
*approved 2023 Budget
*approved additional virtual servers and disk caddies
*approved preliminary plans for outsourcing HR
*approved move to different CRM software for donor database
*approved new Communication chairs (Claudia Rebaza and Eskici)
*approved Legal interns
*approved new Finance member
*clarified Election requirements - minimum age
*approved update to code of conduct to include caste
*completed additional state filing
*ongoing communications with press, users, members, volunteers and other organisations
[4:15 PM]fiercynn: is the strategic plan draft available for us to see, or just the 2022-2025 vision statement that is available on the OTW website?
[4:15 PM]audrey❤otw: The SP draft was shared to all internal volunteers during the feedback period.
[4:16 PM]kcdayton: We'll give you a couple of minutes to read the above. Let us know if you have any other questions about the agenda items!
[4:16 PM]Marion McG: Minor correction - Any change to elections eligibility requirements requires a board vote, so it should probably say that you approved that change. (And thanks again for that!)
[4:16 PM]silverandblue: o/ So, no, the strategic plan draft is not available to non-volunteer community members / otw members?
[4:16 PM]ZG: o/ could y'all elaborate on "approved preliminary plans for outsourcing HR"? What are you seeking exactly?
[4:17 PM]competitiveknives: o/ could we have more detail on 'ongoing communications'. Does this include recent OTW News posts and internal communications?
[4:17 PM]Satsuma: link to the 2023 budget for those curious: https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/25468
[4:17 PM]tptigger: o/ Why aren't other stakeholders (users, OTW members) able to view/comment on the strategic plan?
[4:17 PM]dreamblooms: o/ also, what is the minimum eligibility age for election now?
[4:17 PM]carly smallbird: Can you pin the list of decisions taken since the last meeting so it doesn't get lost in the chat?
Natalia Gruber pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages. — 07/02/2023 4:18 PM
[4:19 PM]Marion McG: Elections candidates must be (at least) 18 years old at the time they declare their candidacy. Previously they had to be (at least) 18 at the time of the election. Not a big change but it makes the requirement clearer for everyone
[4:19 PM]competitiveknives: o/ On 'ongoing communications', were the board involved in decisions not to moderate for some time the comments of OTW News posts or is this standard practice?
[4:20 PM]Natalia Gruber: Thank you, Marion!
[4:20 PM]Natalia Gruber: (Marion chairs Elections)
[4:21 PM]Apple: How has the OTW reached out to fans of color to determine their priorities in making OTW’s platforms more welcoming places?
[4:22 PM]pearwaldorf: Don't forget to add the o/ or they won't answer your question! (To be clear, this is me being snarky about protocol)
[4:22 PM]impertinence: o/ regarding ongoing communications, azarias has repeatedly requested retraction of defamatory statements made about her by OTW Legal to internal volunteers. The Board's own comms seem to contradict Legal's. Will azarias be receiving an apology or any acknowledgement of her request?
[4:23 PM]Kutti: I'm happy to share that Azarias did receive an apology from the Board, and has given me permission to share that information. So I hope we have time to ask the other questions people want to
[4:24 PM]fiercynn: o/ i'll re-up apple's question with the o/: How has the OTW reached out to fans of color to determine their priorities in making OTW’s platforms more welcoming places?
[4:25 PM]kcdayton: Thank you for all the questions! We will answer as many as we can as we proceed through the meeting, but some questions might require research and more careful consideration, and won't be replied here today. If you want more information, you can always contact us (https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/?who=OTW%20Board%20of%20Directors)
Organization for Transformative Works
admin
Contact Us
[4:25 PM]Apple: Thank you! Im new to this so I was not sure what to do. Thank you for your help.
[4:25 PM]Apple: Thank you for letting me know. First time doing this.
[4:25 PM]fiercynn: o/ since we can't see the draft, does the Strategic Plan include anything around long-term plans: to combat racism both within OTW and on AO3, beyond the initial actions OTW committed to in 2020?
[4:25 PM]tptigger: You might want to re-ask once they open the floor for questions as they originally asked us to wait for non-agenda items
[4:26 PM]fiercynn: isn't the Diversity Update an agenda item?
[4:26 PM]ZG: We are on "Decisions taken since the last meeting"
[4:26 PM]tptigger: Point taken but we're still on... what ZG said
[4:26 PM]technoelbow: o/ can we get a separate channel for questions so we dont forget them until later?
[4:26 PM]competitiveknives: o/ will the board commit to answering those emails within a certain timeline? I haven't receieved any response to emails for more than three months
[4:27 PM]Lady ❤: o/ (also re: ongoing communications) How much of Board time is spent responding to questions via the contact form, and how soon can a response be expected?
[4:27 PM]kcdayton: To make sure we have time to answer as many questions as possible, we're going to move onto our next agenda item.
[4:27 PM]bookwyrmdragon: They said the diversity plan was Item 3 on their agenda. I'm...very nervous about if they'll even get there, to be honest.
[4:27 PM]kcdayton: Just a quick note regarding our Finances: our Financial Officer is unavailable to provide an update during our meeting today, but did want us to let you all know that the budget was posted earlier this year.
[4:27 PM]Amber: o/ for questions that require additional research, will the questions and answers be posted on a public and easy to find forum where any interested parties can access those answers? Contacting board via email does not allow for public responses, which is why a lot of us choose to ask here instead.
[4:28 PM]kcdayton: The budget can be reviewed here: https://www.transformativeworks.org/otw-finance-2023-budget/ - be sure to check it out!
[4:29 PM]Thebes: o/ can the agenda also be pinned for easy reference?
[4:29 PM]kcdayton: You can ask questions on the post, or email Finance directly (https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/?who=Finance) if there's anything you'd like to know more about!
[4:29 PM]technoelbow: i believe that might be really helpful to avoid wasting time due tu duplicate questions
[4:29 PM]Frings: o/ wrt the long time ongoing diversity consultant hire process, what are the goals you have in mind for the consultant to achieve? how much empowerment will the consultant have, if any, and how is the org planning to decide on items proposed by them? what is the criteria being used to consider and rule out potential hires currently?
Natalia Gruber pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages. — 07/02/2023 4:29 PM
[4:30 PM]kcdayton: Our next agenda item is about the Strategic Plan.
[4:30 PM]kcdayton: Our Strategic Plan has been finalized, and is ready to be put into practice.
[4:30 PM]bookwyrmdragon: o/Why doesn't the OTW already have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee? Do you have any plans for one to exist? What would a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee do at the OTW?
[4:30 PM]silverandblue: o/ given that the next agenda item is a vote on the Strategic Plan, is it appropriate to proceed with a vote, given that non-volunteer community members have not even seen this plan, let alone have a chance to give feedback as stakeholders?
[4:31 PM]Satsuma: o/ is there anywhere OTW members can read it and give feedback during the finalization process?
[4:31 PM]fiercynn: o/ repeating my question for earlier since we are now on this agenda item: since we can't see the draft, does the Strategic Plan include anything around long-term plans: to combat racism both within OTW and on AO3, beyond the initial actions OTW committed to in 2020?
[4:32 PM]silverandblue: I would propose that it is in fact inappropriate to not at least make this plan available to OTW members at this critical juncture
[4:33 PM]tptigger: o/ Point of order: When are questions about agenda items going to be answered? It seems weird to be moving through without answering them?
[4:33 PM]tptigger: Members haven't been given access either
[4:33 PM]roland / bloodletter: if i understand correctly, the plan has not been shared to members either, just volunteers
[4:33 PM]slumber: Questions are for the very end of the meeting per the agenda
[4:33 PM]mlraven: Including questions about the agenda itself?
[4:33 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Again, please hold questions until the end of the meeting, so that we can get through our agenda with enough time at the end to answer as many as possible. We're getting ready to share info on the Strategic Plan, which will hopefully answer some questions already asked.
[4:33 PM]Satsuma: we were told we could ask questions about agenda items during the relevant item
[4:34 PM]bookwyrmdragon: o/Why haven't you shared your Strategic Plan with everyone? Why do you want a vote taken on your Strategic Plan without everyone having read it? This seems heavily inappropriate as a course of action.
[4:34 PM]technoelbow: o/ a separate channel for questions that can be answered later??
[4:35 PM]Satsuma: also even this restriction is p new, this meeting is the first time I've ever been told off for responding to a statement with a question about the statement, regardless of said statements status as an agenda item
[4:36 PM]tptigger: o/ point of order: Do you want us to ask agenda item questions during the agenda or wait until the end? You've said two different things now. I'm trying to follow instructions here, but they're in conflict.
[4:37 PM]e.: I think (though I don't want to speak for anyone else) that moving through the agenda slightly faster might be beneficial, so that people don't feel like their questions are getting ignored/that there won't be time for them.
[4:37 PM]Amber:
We would like to proceed through our other required agenda items as quickly as possible, so please hold your questions that are not about those items until the end so that we have more time for you to ask them.

As per their earlier message, questions about the current agenda topic are allowed #⁠public-board-meetings⁠
[4:37 PM]Satsuma: also seems a little unfair to make us wait until after votes in order to raise concerns about things being voted on, surely
[4:38 PM]Michelle Schroeder: At this time we would like questions to wait until the end, so that we can get through the agenda.
[4:38 PM]impertinence: o/ process question: if there is interest in transparency and answering questions in a timely fashion why is the agenda permitted to be delayed by people asking questions on meeting start rather than questions going in a separate channel or leveraging stronger moderation in this channel?
[4:38 PM]ruze: This is going great.
[4:38 PM]hheyhalley: (Please let the boring part of the meeting happen so we can get to the questions part, thank you)
[4:38 PM]Satsuma: so...these two statements are still in conflict
[4:38 PM]potatertot: There aren't usually this many people here and the format is clearly not suited to a large audience.
[4:38 PM]coco: pretty sure the votes will be just from the board, not from random discord attendees
[4:38 PM]Michelle Schroeder: If we get through the Strategic Plan explanation and there are remaining questions about the Strategic Plan, we can answer those then. Everything else, please wait until the end of the meeting.
[4:38 PM]Satsuma: the strategic plan is actually p important and not boring to me at all!
[4:38 PM]pearwaldorf: They still shouldn't be voting on something the members haven't seen
[4:39 PM]fiercynn: it's still fair for members to be able to read it before the board votes on it
[4:39 PM]mlraven: Agreed. However, I'm not thrilled that feedback was only solicited from volunteers and not members.
[4:39 PM]Lostariel: People, can you please let the board members get on with things??????
[4:39 PM]Lady ❤: it took 15 minutes for the first agenda item to be reached, and a large part of that was not due to people asking questions (which were ignored anyway)
[4:39 PM]bjorn: Let’s maybe not argue so we can actually get through this and have questions answered
[4:39 PM]Frings: i would say this format is not suited for any audience at all, this is the least efficient "meeting" i've ever seen in my life
[4:39 PM]fiercynn: true, but the board had to have known this would be a highly attended meeting given everything that's been going on in the past couple months. there was time to outline a different process for this meeting if necessary
[4:39 PM]Lielac.4498: Assuming the board members aren't themselves the moderators (ok. bold assumption.) they can type just fine while we're typing
[4:40 PM]Satsuma: even when there's only like five of us asking questions the process doesn't really make much sense, yeah
[4:40 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Our Strategic Plan has been finalized, and is ready to be put into practice.
[4:40 PM]pearwaldorf: We're not arguing. We're getting clarification on process
[4:40 PM]Michelle Schroeder: This will be a three-year plan to guide the OTW going forward, and more information on this will be posted later.
[4:40 PM]mlraven: If you want this to work like a standard, in-person board meeting, then you need to mute everyone who isn't a board member unless we raise hands and are acknowledged by the board.
[4:40 PM]Lostariel: True, but their messages will just get lost and everyone asking questions when they were told they should wait is just making things confusing as hell
[4:41 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Thanks to our Strategic Planning committee for working hard on this! We’re excited to start seeing the fruits of their labours.
[4:41 PM]Satsuma: o/ so...you're not going to let anyone read it before it's voted on?
[4:41 PM]Frings: or use literally any of the dozens of existing solutions that are made for this purpose and not irl chatting
[4:41 PM]Michelle Schroeder: The Strategic Planning committee has prepared an infographic with a shortened overview of the plan that will be published soon, which we will share with you now.
[4:41 PM]Satsuma: really?????
[4:41 PM]bittersnake: /o so the plan was made in a silo with no member input?
[4:41 PM]Lielac.4498: Yes, it is somewhat difficult to maintain order when not using 90% of the tools available for moderating.
[4:41 PM]Michelle Schroeder: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/815167033946669076/1125164453806211082/otw_sp_23-26_visual_720.png
[4:42 PM]competitiveknives: o/ who told you this was going to be a small normal meeting and why do they hate you
[4:42 PM]potatertot: This is not a readable resolution.
[4:42 PM]Lostariel: It's too small for us to read anything aside from the titles
[4:42 PM]mlraven: Resolution is low enough that this isn't readable
[4:42 PM]Thebes: the graphic is not legible in desktop browser
[4:42 PM]fiercynn: this is not readable
[4:42 PM]Lielac.4498: o/ the text on that is too small
[4:42 PM]DC (spacebees): it's a graphic for ants
[4:42 PM]venonat: The announcements about having announcements do not help you look professional
[4:42 PM]Tessa (Taylor's Version): given the amount of people talking over each other in the chat, this seems like the most efficient way to do things.
[4:42 PM]Michelle Schroeder: We also have an alt text version here, for anyone who needs it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10p_RsMxxhXB8mhNSyfVK8d7u-PkONlBAWofokDIhexo/edit
[4:42 PM]Michelle Schroeder: We’ll give you a few minutes to check it out.
[4:43 PM]Lielac.4498: Oh boy, plain google doc instead of published google doc, really weren't expecting 100+ people to show huh
[4:43 PM]SunriseMagpie: With all due respect, Michelle, people really just want to get to the questions portion.
[4:43 PM]Kutti: Could Board please keep going with the agenda? We can read as you type
[4:43 PM]pearwaldorf: Thank you for this, but it's absolutely laughable you didn't include a graphic large enough to actually read.
[4:43 PM]bittersnake: /o is the DCRO the diversity consultant?
[4:44 PM]mlraven: /o Are there not currently personnel conflict policies??
[4:44 PM]shinelikethunder: Any chance of getting the alt text pasted into the chat?
[4:44 PM]Rain Shadow (Wrangler): No, the DRCO is the person who's going to recommend a diversity consultant to hire.
[4:44 PM]hheyhalley: Board, please just keep things moving.
[4:44 PM]Lielac.4498: No, the DCRO is the person who is supposed to research-- yeah
[4:44 PM]Satsuma: /o just to be clear, the infographic is not the actual plan? the actual plan, which you are currently voting on, is still secret?
[4:44 PM]Amara1783: Can't read the graphic as it is not at a readable resolution, and the alt text doesn't include everything the graphic does.
[4:44 PM]silverandblue: o/ could you please also provide an alternative link to the image? Looking at the image would be better for me, but discord has compressed it too much to be readable
[4:44 PM]kcdayton: Does this work better? https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/815167033946669076/1125165241177743541/OTW_SP_23-26_VISUAL.pdf
[4:45 PM]Natalia Gruber: Hi everyone. We've temporarily disabled messages so we can carry on with the agenda topics as soon as possible. Wl
[4:46 PM]Natalia Gruber: We apologize for the slowness in moderating the chat - we have failed to plan for the size of this meeting, which is larger than our usual meetings, and that's entirely our responsibility.
[4:47 PM]kcdayton: Board does have to approve the Strategic Plan before it can be formally adopted, so we’d like to do that now.
[4:47 PM]kcdayton: Is the Board ready to vote on this matter?
[4:47 PM]Natalia Gruber: Kari will carry on with agenda items, we'll proceed to reply to questions once she's done, and then, should there's still be time z we'll open for new questions.
[4:47 PM]Natalia Gruber: (sorry, Kari, go on xD)
[4:47 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Yes, ready.
[4:47 PM]kcdayton: (thanks Nat!)
[4:47 PM]kcdayton: All in favor of adopting the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, say 'Aye'!
[4:47 PM]Michelle Schroeder: Aye
[4:48 PM]Antonius Melisse: Aye
[4:48 PM]Natalia Gruber: Aye
[4:48 PM]kcdayton: We have a majority of votes in favor: the motion to adopt the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan has been approved by the Board.
[4:49 PM]kcdayton: We will let the Strategic Plan committee know so they can begin their next steps.
[4:49 PM]kcdayton: Thanks, everybody!
[4:50 PM]kcdayton: Our next agenda item is an update on the OTW's Diversity Work
[4:50 PM]kcdayton: We would like to share another update about the OTW's work on anti-racism and diversity in our organization.
[4:51 PM]kcdayton: This section will be a permanent addition to all Board of Directors public meetings going forward, as we realize the OTW needs to be more transparent and proactive with regards to keeping fans in the loop with regards to what we have been able to do so far to make our organization and projects safer and more welcoming to fans of color.
[4:52 PM]kcdayton: We know we have not historically been efficient enough when sharing updates - we hope this will be a step in the right direction, and are committed to continue sharing as much as we can on a regular basis. We are also studying whether any other communications paths could be feasible for our organization. We appreciate the feedback and suggestions fans continue to share with us, and we consider every idea carefully.
[4:53 PM]kcdayton: We are also going to be sharing this same information in our newsletter, for anyone who can’t make these meetings.
[4:54 PM]kcdayton: Please note that the timing of our public meetings means that sometimes the newsletter update will be in the monthly newsletter before the meeting, and sometimes it will be in the monthly newsletter after the meeting. We will make it clear in the newsletter when to expect these updates.
[4:56 PM]kcdayton: In this update, we'd like to talk about a small change we made to our Code of Conduct as well as talking about the recent Diversity Update that was posted to AO3.
[4:56 PM]kcdayton: For the Code of Conduct update, we recently added caste as a protected class to our Code of Conduct, that is used and followed by our volunteers.
[4:57 PM]kcdayton: You can always view our Code of Conduct by going to https://www.transformativeworks.org/code-conduct/
[4:57 PM]kcdayton: The Code of Conduct protects volunteers and provides guidelines and obligations for ethical behavior. It is signed by all OTW volunteers and they all commit to abiding by the Code of Conduct.
[4:59 PM]kcdayton: The other topic we wanted to talk about today is about a recent update posted to AO3. You can read that update by going to https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/26218
[5:00 PM]kcdayton: This post highlighted some of our past and current diversity work, including updates made to help protect users and volunteers from harassment.
[5:01 PM]kcdayton: We also discussed what is currently being worked on, including a large update to our Terms of Service.
[5:02 PM]kcdayton: We also touched on the ways we are improving communication, such as including a section in the newsletter that mirrors what we discuss in our public meetings about our diversity and inclusion work.
[5:03 PM]kcdayton: This is one of many steps towards making the AO3 a more welcoming and positive space for our users. We are incredibly grateful for your patience as the OTW slowly progresses on our goals; your support and feedback is invaluable on this work.
[5:05 PM]kcdayton: Before we move on to our next section, here is another place for everyone here in attendance to react to this message with a 👋emoji. Thank you!
[5:08 PM]kcdayton: Thank you for your patience as we worked our way through the agenda. We would like to start this question section with answering some previously-asked questions.
[5:08 PM]kcdayton: After that, we will open the floor to more questions.
[5:09 PM]kcdayton: First, there was some questions before the meeting about Pluralkit and other accessibility options. In the wake of the conversation yesterday / earlier today about a particular bot used for accessibility purposes, we wanted to talk about ways to make Board meetings more accessible. While we're still researching the bot that was mentioned, we also will be looking at and considering other bots as needed.
[5:10 PM]kcdayton: Please contact us via our contact form (https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/?who=OTW%20Board%20of%20Directors) if you have suggestions or recommendations so that we can make sure not to miss your feedback.
[5:11 PM]kcdayton: Thank you to all of the fans who took the time to bring these accessibility options to our attention.
[5:11 PM]kcdayton: Next, there were some questions that came in from someone who was not able to make the meeting.
[5:11 PM]kcdayton: "Are there still plans for the OTW to create a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion committee and/or to hire a diversity consultant?"
[5:12 PM]kcdayton: Yes, this is actively being worked on. We hope to have a diversity consultant hired by the end of this year.
[5:12 PM]kcdayton: As part of the diversity consultant process, we asked our DCRO to help with requirements gathering and to survey volunteers for high-priority topics. They have finished this feedback period and are hoping to begin entering negotiations with specific consultants by September; they’ll be reaching out to consultants early this month (July).
[5:13 PM]kcdayton: "In your May 2023 newsletter, you mentioned upcoming revisions to AO3's Terms of Service related to the Policy & Abuse Committee's responsibilities. What will be the new TOS rules about how the Policy & Abuse Committee can handle racial harassment on the site?"
[5:13 PM]kcdayton: We can’t comment on exactly how the TOS will be updated as it is still actively being worked on. However, part of the TOS revisions involve providing Policy & Abuse (PAC) more tools to respond to harassment of all kinds, including racially-motivated.
[5:14 PM]kcdayton: "How can fans both inside and outside the org help the OTW with its inclusion and anti-racism goals?"
[5:15 PM]kcdayton: From outside the OTW, we feel like the best way to help is to keep updated on the progress the org is making - whether that's by reading and commenting on newsposts, attending public meetings like this, or leaving suggestions via our contact form for us to look into.
[5:16 PM]kcdayton: Internally, providing others with space and information to learn and do better in this big, global organization will hopefully help shift the OTW as a whole to be as inclusive as possible.
[5:16 PM]kcdayton: "Are you planning to announce elsewhere, now that twitter is restricting access for people without accounts?"
[5:16 PM]kcdayton: Given Twitter’s recent… twitterness, we understand it’s getting harder to announce meetings there and trust that people will see it.
[5:17 PM]kcdayton: We’re hoping to discuss alternatives with our Communications committee in time to implement things well before our next meeting, but we will also continue to ping here once the meeting is scheduled.
[5:17 PM]kcdayton: We’re also happy to use (at) everyone next time, if that works better to notify people.
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: Next up is questions from earlier in the meeting
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: o/ could y'all elaborate on "approved preliminary plans for outsourcing HR"? What are you seeking exactly?
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: Our Volunteers & Recruiting committee is working on a plan for contracting with an HR firm to handle various internal tasks. It’s in the early stages, but we hope to share more once it gets farther in the process.
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: o/ could we have more detail on 'ongoing communications'. Does this include recent OTW News posts and internal communications?
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: Yes, it does.
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: o/ On 'ongoing communications', were the board involved in decisions not to moderate for some time the comments of OTW News posts or is this standard practice?
[5:19 PM]kcdayton: There was no decision made to this effect, though moderating comments on our news posts is definitely an area in which we need to do better, and we are in talks with our Communications committee to put better structures in place for moderation.
[5:20 PM]kcdayton: How has the OTW reached out to fans of color to determine their priorities in making OTW’s platforms more welcoming places?
[5:20 PM]kcdayton: Our inbox is always open to fans of color who would like to share their priorities in making our platforms more welcome; everyone remains encouraged to reach out to us.
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: o/ regarding ongoing communications, azarias has repeatedly requested retraction of defamatory statements made about her by OTW Legal to internal volunteers. The Board's own comms seem to contradict Legal's. Will azarias be receiving an apology or any acknowledgement of her request?
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: We’re not able to provide answers about this situation due to confidentiality reasons.
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: o/ since we can't see the draft, does the Strategic Plan include anything around long-term plans: to combat racism both within OTW and on AO3, beyond the initial actions OTW committed to in 2020?
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: Yes, there are multiple plans, including diversity in recruitment, forming volunteer coalitions, and hiring a diversity consultant to help us improve our inclusion.
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: o/ can we get a separate channel for questions so we dont forget them until later?
[5:21 PM]kcdayton: We will take this into consideration for next time; at this time, we have no moderators set up outside of Board, and we can’t commit to moderating multiple spaces at this time. That said, questions can always be asked via email: https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/
Organization for Transformative Works
admin
Contact Us
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: o/ will the board commit to answering those emails within a certain timeline? I haven't receieved any response to emails for more than three months
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: We can’t promise a timeline; questions that have been answered by a public newspost will likely not get direct responses, but we aim to respond to all other queries.
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: o/ (also re: ongoing communications) How much of Board time is spent responding to questions via the contact form, and how soon can a response be expected?
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: It varies from week to week, and depends on the question. Some involve reaching out to other committees, and some involve discussion about how to implement ideas before we can respond.
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: o/ for questions that require additional research, will the questions and answers be posted on a public and easy to find forum where any interested parties can access those answers? Contacting board via email does not allow for public responses, which is why a lot of us choose to ask here instead.
[5:22 PM]kcdayton: In some cases, it’s easier for us to publish a public update, as we did for questions about AI and requests for updates on our 2020 statement about racism. Most questions will be answered privately, but you’re always welcome to share the answers you get.
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: o/ wrt the long time ongoing diversity consultant hire process, what are the goals you have in mind for the consultant to achieve? how much empowerment will the consultant have, if any, and how is the org planning to decide on items proposed by them? what is the criteria being used to consider and rule out potential hires currently?
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: We want the consultant to do an audit of the Organization and offer recommendations for how to proceed, at which point we will do our best to follow the recommendations given. The criteria is for a person or organization who can work with an anonymous, global, all-online organization.
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: o/Why doesn't the OTW already have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee? Do you have any plans for one to exist? What would a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee do at the OTW?
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: We don't currently have plans to have an internal committee dedicated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work, as we believe an external consultant will have more expertise and also a less biased reading of our organization and its issues. That said, it's not an idea we have discarded - we'll rely a lot on the recommendations of the external consultant to help us trace the best way forward.
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: o/ given that the next agenda item is a vote on the Strategic Plan, is it appropriate to proceed with a vote, given that non-volunteer community members have not even seen this plan, let alone have a chance to give feedback as stakeholders?
[5:23 PM]kcdayton: The Strategic Planning process has been underway with ongoing feedback from Organization volunteers and stakeholders since the end of our prior plan in 2020. The Strategic Plan is a document intended to guide the progress of the Organization's work over the next several years, and is based on the Vision Statement, which has been public since July 2022. All Organization volunteers were welcomed to give final feedback to the plan this past month, and the Strategic Planning Committee received and implemented lots of great responses. Public feedback is not usually taken at the final stages of the draft, and was not part of the SP roadmap when this latest process was begun; the Strategic Planning committee does review and make changes to its workflow each cycle, however, and can take this feedback into account going forward.
[5:25 PM]kcdayton: Thank you for your patience as we worked through your questions from earlier. We have five minutes left and will open the floor to get through as many questions as possible in that time.
[5:26 PM]kcdayton: We will take questions to answer up until :30
[5:26 PM]Kutti: o/ Ten days ago the Board posted a statement addressed to the Chinese and Chinese-diaspora volunteers which placed the entire blame for the Weibo situation on the retired Comms chairs, disavowed any responsibility for setting policy for Comms, and which ignored the questions that the Weibo mods had asked in order to once again offer only a feedback form to collect suggestions.
There was no measure of accountability in the statement, or of concrete change.
And even though multiple voluteers explicitely used the words racism to describe the OTW's treatment, the statement conspiculously avoided any reference to racism or xenophobia.
The statement also had only this to say in regards to the two documented incidents of Alex Tischer making hostile statements that contributed to a culture of racialised harassment:
"We also want to apologize for the dismissive and inappropriate behavior of Board director Alex, who replied in German to your comments with the intention of making herself harder to understand. The Board absolutely does not condone this behavior in any way, and we are ashamed that this has taken place."
But shame cannot be the only official response for the all-white leadership of an organisation.
So how can I or any other volunteer of colour possibly trust a Board that refuses to hold their fellow Board Member accountable, or have any confidence in your capability to select a Diversity Consultant who will actually be empowered enough to advocate against the pervasive culture of racism that permeates this organisation?
[5:26 PM]Rain Shadow (Wrangler): o/ What has been done so far on developing a response and safety plan for another major attack on the organization?
[5:26 PM]Teyke: o/ Yesterday evening, Board announced to volunteers that it would be creating a confidentiality policy for itself. I am glad the Board is taking this measure, and I believe that it is long overdue and is a very needed measure to protect volunteers. However, my concerns about volunteer protection go beyond the May 30th letter. I have previously witnessed leadership (current and former Board and Chairs) casually sharing information that should be held confidential, or engaging in other actions that violate the Code of Conduct. Rather than meeting any apparent censure, often such incidents have been excused or openly supported by other Org leaders. Given that such behavior and attitude is widespread among current leadership, I do not think that a confidentiality policy for Board is sufficient to address the problem. It is a good measure. I do not think is not enough by itself.

Is Board willing to take any other measures, beyond a confidentiality policy, to change the Org leadership culture to one that respects its rank-and-file volunteers? Are you willing to take any other steps to ensure that the Board, Chairs, and Board Emeriti will be held accountable to the Code of Conduct?

Right now, as a PAC volunteer who has criticized the Board, I do not feel safe in this environment or under your governance. But seeing the treatment that Azarias received since she resigned, I also do not feel safe resigning either.

(Disclaimer: personal opinion as a volunteer, not representing the OTW)
[5:26 PM]Janine (naarna): o/ Could you please give details on how you plan to deal with AI fics posted to the Archive? Are there plans to make "AI fic" a mandatory label/tag?
[5:26 PM]Alena/Peter-Pantomime: o/ While it is understandably difficult to provide precise timelines for efforts that involve a lot of cultural analysis and volunteer labor, it is also vital that fans feel that the issues we are facing re: racism and harassment are being expressly prioritized. The lack of preparation for the community turn-out today is disheartening in that regard, though making Diversity Work a permanent addition to Board Meetings in encouraging.

In general, can you commit to better management and prioritization of our community’s deeply held concerns?

Having it put first on agendas with specific q&a follow-ups before other issues are discussed or holding specific public meetings, on moderated platforms, where concerns, frustrations, and questions can be voiced among our peers and answered publicly, rather than only addressed one-on-one through private communication forms, or would be ways to show these matters are being taken seriously and handled with care.
[5:26 PM]frith: o/ I do not at all understand why what are clearly pre-prepared statements are being slowly typed out in real time by Board members, rather than properly pre-prepared and just pasted in. This is wasting FAR more time than any amount of questions, and I'm not sure how what is happening counts as a "meeting" more than a "real-time newsletter".
[5:26 PM]mlraven: /o Will transparency improvements include making the actual board meetings public?
[5:26 PM]punk: o/ Will you be reading back through the Help channel before you clear it? There's a lot of constructive criticism in there about better ways to run these meetings.
[5:26 PM]Amber:
In some cases, it’s easier for us to publish a public update, as we did for questions about AI and requests for updates on our 2020 statement about racism. Most questions will be answered privately, but you’re always welcome to share the answers you get.

Please reconsider this.
[5:26 PM]Rain Shadow (Wrangler): o/ Given the massive security risk represented by the legally required subprocessor list on the OTW site, what is OTW's service continuity plan in case we lose access to one of our major tools?
[5:26 PM]Lady ❤: (for the record, the reason ⁠help is rate‐limited is because there was a contentious (nonmoderated) discussion about pluralkit late last night—acknowledeged earlier)
[5:26 PM]wildehack: /o When was the last time you met with the diversity consultant research officer? What did you discuss and what kind of obstacles have they encountered? Additionally, what goals do you have for a diversity consultant? What do you hope the diversity consultant will be able to provide?
[5:26 PM]Lielac.4498: o/ While the Board has apologized to Azarias, has Legal? Will Legal apologize to Azarias?
[5:26 PM]Alena/Peter-Pantomime: o/ The tools discussed in the update post for users to curate their own experiences are encouraging, but we need to see more efforts from the team to protect their users from malicious, targeted abuse. Further, putting it on fans of color to reach out to YOU to make the space more welcoming to them is an incredible shirking of responsibility on your part. How will these actions be changed moving forward?
[5:27 PM]Allekha: o/ Given that the org has already been through multiple rounds of CSEM/CSAM attacks starting over a year ago, why will it take another nine months to finish basic cybersecurity precautions and what has been done already?
[5:27 PM]impertinence: o/ otw legal released a factually inaccurate statement regarding file hosting on ao3. Has the Board moved to reevaluate CSAM reporting & data retention policies in light of being erroneously advised?
[5:27 PM]Lady ❤: (rather than moderating they have decided to just rate‐limit the channel, evidently)
[5:27 PM]Jane: o/ While DEI initiatives often focus largely on race and gender, are there any specific initiatives to improve accessibility for disabled users across the OTW? Is this something that the upcoming consultant position will be working on, or would their role be tailored specifically for race, gender, etc.?
[5:27 PM]Ari: o/ I'd like to hear more about the size of the Board. The current bylaws appear to allow for up to 11-12 (depending on interpretation) members however the board size appears to be consistently set at 6. A larger board may allow for additional perspectives and spread around the workload. Is there a specific reason the size is restricted beyond the limits of the bylaws?
[5:27 PM]Satsuma: o/ you're going to mute everyone until there are five minutes left and then not extend the timing whatsoever????
[5:27 PM]pearwaldorf: o/ This was an absolute joke of a meeting. If I wanted to see a newsletter typed out in chat I would have read the damn newsletter. What suggestions have you ignored from volunteers who have subject matter expertise about how to moderate and run meetings?
[5:28 PM]Satsuma: this is not a sufficient question period
[5:28 PM]dreamblooms: o/ Making OTW more diverse and inclusive has been a long-time goal. How is OTW removing barriers to becoming a voting member & increasing the demographic of its membership & committee leadership to reflect its users and volunteers?
[5:28 PM]audrey❤otw: Considering Elections was hurting for candidates to fill the current spots, I don’t believe increasing the number of seats is a viable solution.
[5:28 PM]competitiveknives: o/ when will board schedule the follow up meeting for?
[5:28 PM]bittersnake: o/ Will the board actually listen to the recommendations of the DEI consultant or are you just doing this for PR?
[5:29 PM]glitch: o/ can answers to questions posed here that are unable to be given before the session ended be provided in a broad format so that we can see the responses?
[5:29 PM]Satsuma: o/ what kind of processes are in place to ensure that the incoming board actually keeps the promises of the outgoing board re:DEI?

(considering what happened with the 2015 boards improvements which were all immediately summarily reversed)
[5:29 PM]pearwaldorf: I also don't blame anybody for not wanting to step into a bear trap for free
[5:29 PM]competitiveknives: o/ can you describe the process by which board decided no new moderation or process tools would be needed for this meeting?
[5:29 PM]silverandblue: This is a non-answer. I asked back in April 2022 about a public comment period for non- volunteer community members, and my question was ignored. I maintain that it is inappropriate and a detriment to the organization to not explicitly elicit feedback from all it’s stakeholders
[5:29 PM]darcy: o/ what does a commitment to transparency actually mean for this Board? Because in this meeting the Board has approved a Strategic Plan that OTW Members cannot even read much less comment on, announced upcoming changes to the TOS while refusing to elaborate on what those changes may concern, and failed to address several ongoing controversies to any extent, including questions surrounding the use of AI and the procedures used by the PAC to address CSEM on the AO3.
[5:30 PM]Griselda Gimpel: o/ Given that AI-generated works can't be copyrighted under U.S. law and the OTW believes that fan works do enjoy some copyright protections, what is the justification for allowing AI-generated works on the site?
[5:30 PM]Rain Shadow (Wrangler): o/ Are there any plans to deal with the ongoing exclusion and alienation of Chinese-speaking volunteers?
[5:34 PM]kcdayton: Thank you for all the questions. We are drafting replies and will respond shortly.
[5:34 PM]kcdayton: If you have further questions, or need to get in touch with the Board for any reason, you can always use our contact form: https://www.transformativeworks.org/contact_us/?who=OTW%20Board%20of%20Directors
[5:50 PM]kcdayton: The Board is actively working to listen to and communicate with all our volunteers, and we particularly care about our Chinese and Chinese-diaspora volunteers, without whom several OTW committees cannot function. We hope to continue to foster an environment of openness and communication, in order to make improvements on our internal processes. The creation of a new anonymous form specially dedicated to this situation is one step in that direction, but we do hope to keep on finding new ways to improve, with the help of our Diversity Consultant.
[5:50 PM]kcdayton: We have adopted improved tools that make it much harder to target our volunteers, and give us better ways to address similar attacks. Likewise, the Board has checked in with every committee to discuss safety and security measures, and we are drafting a policy regarding emergency communication in such cases.
[5:51 PM]kcdayton: The confidentiality policy aims to prevent and establish consequences for the sharing of any sensitive information without due processes.

We are incredibly saddened by the current state of the OTW, and the fact we have lost the trust of so many volunteers and members. We can only hope to continue working towards making the OTW a better space.

While we cannot comment on specific situations, we'd like to state that there has never been any action taken against volunteers for criticizing the Board of Directors, and that we continue to be true. (edited as I pressed enter too quickly)
[5:51 PM]kcdayton: We talked more about this in our update, available here: https://www.transformativeworks.org/ai-and-data-scraping-on-the-archive/


There are currently no plans to make AI fic or similar a mandatory tag, as that would be unenforceable by our Policy & Abuse team.

We have reached out to Tag Wrangling to discuss the feasibility of canonizing 'Work Created with AI' or a similar concept and they have let us know that they have gotten similar requests from Support and are currently working on a putting together a trial run of the No Fandom freeform canonization process as they attempt to work any kinks out of the process while they get the remaining requirements to re-open these discussions on a regular basis sorted out. They have agreed that they will include this concept alongside some other high priority canonizations in this trial run.
Organization for Transformative Works
Eskici
AI and Data Scraping on the Archive
[5:52 PM]kcdayton: We definitely want to take some of the advice from this meeting to better prepare for future meetings; hopefully we’ll be able to better address concerns in the future. Despite warnings from our volunteers, we were unprepared for the growth of this meeting in comparison to past meetings, and we apologize for that.
[6:00 PM]kcdayton: Thank you for your feedback.
[6:03 PM]kcdayton: Yes, we are planning to review the Help channel. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and making sure that we are aware of the constructive conversations happening there.
[6:08 PM]kcdayton: The Board doesn't currently hold non-public meetings, unless to discuss very sensitive matters with Legal or committee chairs. Because we are spread across multiple time zones, most of our work is done asynchronously, and waiting to schedule meetings would drastically limit how fast we can work on any matters. Thank you for attending and providing your feedback.
[6:08 PM]kcdayton: We will not be sharing confidential information.
[6:09 PM]kcdayton: Due to confidentiality reasons, we will not be discussing this.
[6:09 PM]kcdayton: We are not going to go into detail on our cybersecurity precautions; we hope to continue working on precautions but we will not be making them public as that would make them less effective.
[6:10 PM]kcdayton: We have met with Legal and we do not believe they have shared any inaccurate information. We are in compliance with US laws.
[6:12 PM]kcdayton: We would love to improve accessibility for disabled users; hopefully the consultant would be able to advise on that as well.
[6:13 PM]kcdayton: Our current Board size is set at 7 directors. The main reason we have not expanded beyond this size is largely due to the difficulty of getting volunteers willing and able to stand for Board positions.
[6:13 PM]kcdayton: By design, we do not collect information about demographics of our members or volunteers. There has recently been internal talks about making membership easier to attain, and we are constantly in touch with our Legal and Finance teams, in case there are other manners to feasibly guarantee each member's identity.
[6:14 PM]kcdayton: We are hopeful that our Diversity Consultant can help us find our blind spots and provide actionable feedback so that we are less reliant on fans getting in contact with us.
[6:14 PM]kcdayton: We meet with our Diversity Consultant Research Officer weekly and whenever she has updates to share. Recently we discussed some diversity consultant options that she has started contacting as well as a very loose timeline.

As for goals for the diversity consultant, that is part of what our DCRO was helping with - determining what priorities our volunteers had so that we could meet them as much as possible.
[6:15 PM]kcdayton: We will consider this, but as of right now, do not have an easy way to share updates publicly outside of newsposts.
[6:15 PM]kcdayton: Board holds meetings quarterly.
[6:16 PM]kcdayton: We will absolutely listen to all recommendations provided by the DEI consultant that we hire, and implement everything we can realistically do.
[6:16 PM]kcdayton: We are answering them now; any other questions can be send to us via the contact form.
[6:17 PM]kcdayton: Board meetings have traditionally not been this large. Going forward, we will definitely take the advice offered here and look into our options.
[6:17 PM]kcdayton: We will be sharing more information in newsposts, which is how we plan to be more transparent. In addition, we will be looking into better ways to run and moderate public board meetings, so that we can be more transparent here as well.
[6:18 PM]kcdayton: If works aren’t tagged, it is difficult to say for sure if a work is AI generated or not. Our policy remains maximum inclusiveness of content, though our discussion about AI remains ongoing.
[6:18 PM]kcdayton: We have opened a feedback form for our Chinese-speaking volunteers, and we hope to also get feedback from a diversity consultant on how we can improve our ongoing communication with our volunteers.
[6:20 PM]kcdayton: The time and date for our next meeting will be shared on our calendar (https://www.transformativeworks.org/board-calendar/) and the otw_news Twitter account - be sure to subscribe if you'd like to attend! (We will also be investigating alternatives to Twitter, as promised.) The meeting will also be announced in this very channel as soon as it is scheduled.
[6:20 PM]kcdayton: As usual, the minutes will be up on the website soon.
[6:23 PM]kcdayton: In between meetings this channel will be set to read only, so people should be able to come back to backread but no new messages will be allowed to be posted.
[6:23 PM]kcdayton: Thank you so much, everyone, for taking the time to attend this meeting! We hope you all have a great week ahead! 👋