Meeting Title: The Future of Meet Norwich - Minutes
Purpose: To consider platform options for the continuation of Meet Norwich
Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2019.
Place: Sprowston Sports and Social Club
Time: 19:30 to 22:00 hours
Attendees: - Facilitator: Mark Johnson
- Steering Group: Sharon Gabriel, Sandra Melton, Michael Kaye, Martyn Freear and Graham Bygrave
- Minutes Secretary: Debbie Barr
- 93 Meet Norwich Members (as per signing in sheet)
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
1. Welcome and Mark Johnson welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave MJ Introductions his background as being one of the very early Meet Norwich members. Mark introduced the Steering Group members individually and thanked the wider membership present.
Actions/Decisions • None
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
2. Apologies for Andy Hendon Anne Barbara Cannell MJ Absence Bryan C Cindy Burgess David Elsie Griffin Jacqui G Jane Hale Janice Jenny Smith Jill Jonathan Lindsey Smith Judith Jul Humble Julie Weston Kate Massey Michael Mike N Nancy Kemp Roger D Sharon Hayes Susan C Teresa Tina P Valerie Nevill Vicki G
Actions/Decisions • None Page No : 1
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
3. Which • Why we can’t use Ning: MJ Platform - For the past 11 years Meet Norwich has run on Ning 2.0 Should Meet but increasingly problems occur (including data Norwich run breaches), which are not being resolved in a timely on manner. Ning isn’t safe: online forums indicate that users have had access to other members’ accounts. Ning wanted Meet Norwich to migrate to their new platform, Ning 3.0. User forums have highlighted problems with data migration to Ning 3 and the stability and reliability of the new version.
• Facebook: SG - To access Meet Norwich via a Facebook Group you would need to have a personal Facebook account. - Personal accounts can be privatised, i.e.: you can edit your account to authorise who can and
cannot see your posts; you have full control on anything another person might try to post to your page;
you have privacy settings to authorise who sees your list of friends. - You can minimise traffic and timeline content by not accepting many/any friend requests but just use your Facebook account as a tool to gain access to the Meet Norwich Group page. Alternatively, you could build your own personal list of friends and either follow their posts or not by clicking “unfollowing” against the friend’s name (this does not alter the friendship status).
- Facebook Groups are run by Administrators and Moderators, who are responsible for accepting/refusing requests received. In addition: Administrators have the facility to manage everything, including the Group’s settings.
Moderators are responsible for daily tasks, ie respond to queries and add/delete comments.
If over 250 group members, Administrators and Moderators have access to an ‘Audience Insight Tool’ which can analyse daily member usage and time of use, detail the group’s top contributors, geographics and demographics of members, daily member numbers, ascertain which members are active/inactive, plus much more.
Page No : 2 - The on-line ‘private’ test page (not visible via searches) was shared and explained: Group chats are an option. Administrators/Moderators can pin announcements to the top of the page. Private messages are easily available. Events would follow a similar format to Meet Norwich, with photos uploaded alongside event. A calendar view is also available showing all events posted.
Different activity groups can be added or linked.
Should Facebook be the preferred option, it would be set up as a ‘closed’ group, enabling visibility when searching. - Negatives found during in-depth research: Hacking and security issues have been reported, however, some of this could be due to individuals being drawn in and clicking on click bait, fake news, playing games, etc, which can harvest personal information and can open doors to spam-filled websites with malicious content.
All events will be shown on the Meet Norwich Group page, regardless of invitees. Private events can be posted via your own personal page. Discussion within forums highlights issues encountered by Groups that have events with large numbers of invitees (500+) which can be picked up by Facebook as spam, therefore, event advertising limit must be under 500. Facebook also picks up on numbers who register to attend events and if people send a large number of invites which others are just not responding to, Facebook will limit invitees even further for a short period of time. There is no guarantee that every member would receive a personal invite, however, the event would still be posted for all to see. Questions were received and answered as follows: ALL - How much access the group would have to personal information is dependent upon the settings on your own page. - You do not have to be an administrator to create an
event, which can be undertaken by any member. - Facebook took over WhatsApp and Instagram – founders of both sites have not honoured security.
Page No : 3 - The attendee lists for each event can be seen by all members. Private events should not be advertised on the group page (also bear in mind that your friends can see events posted on your own page depending on your privacy settings). - ‘Messenger’ would most likely be required to facilitate communication one-to-one. - Membership would be monitored the same as current practice - application and acceptance by administrator.
There is the opportunity on Facebook to ask prospective members further questions.
- Administrators and moderators would be required, should this be the preferred platform. - Sharon explained the difference between the private group (where you would not be able to find Meet Norwich when searching) and a closed group (which would be visible).
• Meetup MJ - Established after the 9/11 attacks to bring people
together. Currently 225,000 groups across 80 countries. - Event attendance can be limited automatically. When numbers have been reached, anyone registering attendance will automatically transfer to a waiting list.
- In addition to members registering their own attendance at an event, they can also input their own guests. - A mobile phone app is available.
- The on-line activity area was shared, which included venue maps, attendees, photos.
- A calendar view is available. - To add events, members must click on ‘schedule’ to add the information. There are several optional settings towards the end of the page before the event can be published and, if required, a separate invitation notification can be sent to all members/selected members.
- 58 people have already applied to join the new Meet Norwich Group which was established for this meeting. They are all currently held in pending. Organisers approve applications based on the answers received to two questions.
- Message boards and a poll area are also available. Questions were received and answered as follows: ALL
- Members cannot post private events; however, they can invite specific friends to a personal event.
Page No : 4 - You have to join Meetup prior to joining individual groups (including Meet Norwich). - Every member would need to upload a profile picture. - Platform cost is approximately £138 per annum. - David has recently had a cull and Meet Norwich membership is currently 526. - Existing Meet Norwich ‘Ning’ data will be destroyed. No migrating of data is permissible. - To join Meetup you need to provide your name (forename and initial/full surname), email address
(definitely required) and the first part of your postcode. - Prospective members from outside the county would not be approved, however, if they are currently a Meet Norwich member an exception to this rule would be considered.
- Negatives, slight dilution of Meet Norwich as all groups can be seen. • GoSocial: GB
- Graham Bygrave gave his background; Committee Member for IVC prior to joining City Socialising where he was a host for a little while until it disbanded. He established GoSocial about six years ago. - The platform used is open source software on a dedicated server.
- Newsfeed is the first view when accessing the membership area, which shows the most recent ten comments.
- A calendar of events is available which can also be shown as a list view, in date order. - Events can be private or public. Numbers can be limited but an automatic waiting list is not available. - Name, postcode, date of birth and interest questions are required to be answered when applying.
- Members become ‘verified members’ once they have been met in person by Graham. Only verified members can put events on.
Verified members must have their photograph on their page. - There are currently 955 members with no membership limit.
- Voluntary membership donations fund GoSocial. Questions were received and answered as follows: ALL - There is no definitive timescale between application and membership approval.
Page No : 5 - There is no upper age limit although most members are aged between 30-50 and you must be 18 or over to apply. Membership age breakdown is currently: Teens : 01% 20s : 18% 30s : 28% 40s : 26% 50s : 20% 60s+ : 08% - The average contribution is around £5 per month per active member. - The running cost is around £50 per month which covers the dedicated server, domain name, backup plan, etc.
- The differences between the groups should be embraced. Everyone is invited to join GoSocial but the Meet Norwich name could not be maintained. This option would be a merging of one group into another.
Actions/Decisions • Check with David (Meet Norwich) to ensure all personal details / profiles are deleted automatically in one go from Ning and that members do not need to individually delete. MJ Ask David to put a message on the Meet Norwich website prior to closure. MJ
• Following the request for a show of hands on the three platform options presented - it was unanimously agreed by all those present that the preferred option would be the establishment of a Meetup Group. ALL
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
4. Management • An explanation of the differences between the three options MJ of the Group (Single Owner / Administrator; Loose Collective of Administrators / Moderators; an Elected Committee) was given.
Actions/Decisions • Following the request for a show of hands on the three management options presented - it was unanimously agreed by all those present that the preferred option would be an Elected Committee. ALL
Page No : 6 Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
5. How will the • The differences between the four options were shared. MJ Group be - No Funding – self explanatory funded? - Fundraising Events – self explanatory - Voluntary Donations – Sharon Gabriel shared the interim position regarding donations thus far, with an extra special thank you to Mike Mobbs who had made a substantial contribution. Three couples and three single people had also donated. The current balance shows a total of £346. Important that we join together to make the group strong.
- Annual Subscriptions – would involve considerable admin work, i.e. banking, recording, reconciliating, etc. Questions/thoughts were received, and answers ALL relayed as follows: - The estimated annual cost to cover insurance liability would be £173.60 plus £138 for Meetup Fees plus £35 GDPR Registration. - There is no funding available to migrate from Meet Norwich. - Just Friends, another social networking group, charges an annual fee of £15 plus £5 when joining. - The suggestion was raised to possibly start with voluntary donations and then move to fundraising events. However, consideration must also be given to the different groups of people, i.e. walkers, quiz people, etc, that do not attend fundraising events and the mechanism to receive their donations. - The establishment of direct debit/standing orders within a club environment is definitely not viable. - The suggestion was made to go with what is happening at the moment (donations and fund raising) and then review further in twelve months.
Actions/Decisions • Mark Johnson brought the discussion to a head by asking for a show of hands, in regard to donations and fundraising, with a review in twelve months. This course of action was unanimously agreed. ALL
Page No : 7 Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
6. Should the • Thanks were expressed to Carol and Allie of Alan Boswells SG Group have for giving advice and for their patience in answering all the Liability scenario questions. Insurance? • Public Liability Insurance (£5,000,000) will provide Group
cover against third party property damage, or injury, as a result of negligence at an event you organised. Every event organiser has a duty of care.
• Employers Liability Insurance (£10,000,000) will provide
Group cover in the event of an injury to an event organiser. For the purpose of Charity or Community Groups, Volunteers / Event Organisers are classed as employees. • Management Liability Insurance (£250,000) will provide cover for all the key officers/directors and/or committee members. • Cyber/Data Risk cover is not required as the platform chosen is Meetup. • An additional compulsory cost of £35 per annum is required for registration with the GDPR (data protection).
• Sharon shared a recent experience in relation to a trip
hazard rug which was brought to the attention of the venue management. Questions were received and answered as follows: ALL - Private events would definitely not be covered. - The policy document comprises 106 pages. Thanks were expressed to Sharon for looking into this area so comprehensively.
Actions/Decisions • It was unanimously agreed to purchase Liability Insurance which covers all members in respect of any injury they may sustain or in fact cause to other members, the public or to property. ALL Need to establish whether legal cover is included/whether required. SG • The Committee would be prepared to answer individual questions from members about public liability in relation to a specific planned event. ALL
Page No : 8 Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
7. Election of The Committee Nominations were presented: MJ Officers Chair: Michael Kaye Proposed by Mark Johnson Seconded by Kevin Cook Secretary: Sandra Melton Proposed by Iris Thurlow Seconded by Carol Watkinson Treasurer: Mark Ryde Proposed by Adrian Johnson Seconded by Elsie Griffin
Actions/Decisions • With a show of hands, it was unanimously agreed to elect the Committee en bloc. ALL
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
8. Any other • What happens next? MJ/ALL Business The elected Committee will draft a Constitution. The Constitution, together with the minutes of this meeting, will be taken to a bank in order to open an account. An annual AGM will be held. • Anticipate the new Meet Norwich site will go live at the beginning of June, however, you can join Meet Up in the meantime. • Thanks were expressed to Sprowston Sports and Social Club who provided the room free of charge for tonight’s meeting. Membership forms to join Sprowston Sports and Social Club were put on the door and promoted. • The annual cost is estimated to be just under a total of £400 per year, but the Committee would prefer to have a surplus in the pot. • Thanks were expressed to everyone involved in putting together this evening; a considerable amount of hard work and dedicated contribution in a short space of time. • A transition period will take place between now and the end of June. • There is the possibility that additional committee members will need to be co-opted.
Actions/Decisions • Information will be put on the Meet Norwich site giving instructions as to how members can join Meet Up. MJ
Page No : 9 • Should there be a surplus of funding, the committee will establish whether a contribution could be made to David to offset some of the out-of-pocket expenses incurred running the Meet Norwich site. Committee
Agenda Item Brief summary of discussion – facts noted Who Description (initials)
9. Closing • Thanks were expressed to everyone for attending the MJ Remarks meeting and providing valuable contributions. • Members were advised that a donation bucket would be available at the conclusion of the meeting
Actions/Decisions
Page No : 10