[Osmf-talk] SOTM Africa

[joost schouppe]

 Regarding the elephant: it would be good if Board members were more
transparent vis a vis employer support for their Board role. I have the
impression that some members might have an overstated view on that in some
cases, but there is no real way of knowing.

Regarding Steve's suggestion:
- usually there is at least one OSMF Board member at larger SotM's
- I think that's great, and it's a bit of a shame if we collectively miss
one entirely

Personally, I did not have the time (winter is coming and I'm
self-installing central heating) to travel right now. I missed SotM SEE as
well, unfortunately. Next year should be better for me.
There's also the issue of money. As a Board member, I can have my flight to
the international SotM in South Africa refunded, but I must say it feels
awkward to ask OSMF for that money. On the other hand, putting this much
time into OSM is a bit of a strain on family-time, and then on top of that
also taking money out of the family budget for travelling "for the unpaid
job" would be problematic. That is without looking at what this would imply
for Board members who do not have the good fortune to have a nationality
that allows them to travel almost anywhere visa-free. And then there's the
little issue of the carbon involved. I wouldn't do several intercontinental
flights yearly without a decent carbon offsetting scheme, adding more
costs.

If the community thinks paying for travel to SotM's is a good idea, then
sure, why not. Otherwise it could be yet another barrier for people with a
bit more limited time, money or visa-power to join the Board.

Joost
(not in official capacity)



-- 
Joost Schouppe
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