Talk:Big Meeting Minutes

These are eBeth's notes on the reports. They should be incorporated into Laurel's on the main page.

Build Production-Matteo

Production Plan-build, laptops, advanced testing printers, bulk sales and every area that helps get hardware back into the community.

Current and past issues: It is hard to start new programs and keep them going.

Predict in the future desktops will decrease and laptops will take over. We will also start getting more PDAs and may want to start a program to refurbish them.

Responses:

• Jim Cox says that there should be a preformance check on items from production and build because much of the components are broken. Reinstitute better testing procedures to improve Build.
• Marie asked why the testing stopped
• Martin said that CD roms are not being tested because there are very few that are broken and not worth testing.
• Phil are there gizmos that are getting into production that are not getting enough attention like Projectors.
• Matteo-we don't focus on a lot of this hardware at the moment.
• Matteo-we could have drop off sites around town.
• Jim-Partnerships with other organizations around town like Good Will could help us get hardware and act as drop off sites.

Facilities

We rent this 15000sq feet. We are messy and things go all over the building but we are tackling this problem with space usage committee. We are trying to modularize the building and we have zoned the building in Dec 2006. There is warehouse, office space, production and more.

Trends and predictions: look at the wiki for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

Responses:

• the address here is so well known and the bus lines are so convenient that it would take a huge effort to move to another area.

Sales

Sales numbers are definatly up but it will stop because of the size of the store. There has been better implimentation of policies. Volunteer discount is the same but being implemented more evenly. However, we do not yet have a system to stop those who abuse this policy. The store is small and there is not enough customer service on Friday and Saturdays.

Look on wiki for SWOT analysis.

Responses:

• Jim-Are you saying that we can not sell as many desktops than we can sell?
• Is it because we are getting the wrong machines?
• Luiz said that he believes that it is the because people are not comfortable with linux.
• How does someone volunteer in the Store?
• Luiz this is a good question. We have to make sure that people are good at customer service and know enough about the equipment we sell.
• Could we open a second thrift store around town?
• It has been talked about but there has been no action on this issue.

Outreach

We split into several deferent work groups, Public Relations, Inreach, Community Builders, Events and Outreach Oversight. We are looking to build new partnerships to recruit more volunteers that could benefit from our programs and with businesses that can help us get

SWOT is on the wiki

• Sophia asked why we have not rehired an Outreach Coordinator yet
• No-one can fill Oso's shoes.

Receiving

Receiving is difficult to teach because things are coming in so quickly. Have two people at a time has helped. Theft continues to be a problem. We are going to get more hardware that has to be recycled than stuff that we can reuse.

• What are the weaknesses in receiving in realation to the rest of the areas.
• Printers info is murky and it is hard to identify wanted items.

Recycling

Overview

Where stuff goes to die by 1) disassembly or 2) gaylording

Current

Changing vendors and refining relationships with them is ongoing. We focus on quality of vendors over cost. More LCDs in...and there are no good recycling options.

Trends

LCD disposal will be a sizable fixed expense. Cell phone are too much trouble for us to deal with. More small and embedded stuff will replace larger bulky stuff.

Strengths

• Volunteers

Weakness

• Lack of inputs
• Vendor verification

Opportunities

• BAN
• eWaste bill

Threat

• eWaste bill

Q and A

Q: Are we going to add new equipment for recycling (like balers and shredders) A: No, there really expensive

Q: Can we publish information about what happens to our waste A: Its complicated, to a degree, yes

Q: Do we have leverage on recyclers (to be responsible) A: Nope, we are drop in the bucket

Q: Does FG intergalatic efforts include coordination of recyclers A: No, and that's a good idea