AGM : 15 October 2011

[Adam Raoof]

the Welcome Collection was shut when i got there at 6 pm after the meeting, but thanks nonetheless for the recommendation

I was thinking of popping in before the meetings began (three in my case) but didn't get the time. Chris - what would you recommend about the collection?

Yes, you are right, we voted for a fixed season.

[John Upham]

the meetings began (three in my case)

It must have been quite cramped. Were your sandwiches in there also?

[Michele Clack]

Would an off the peg software solution be any good? Serif Webplus x5 for instance means that anyone with a bit of practice could set up a good website, possibly using one of the templates. Even a non-techie like me would be able to use it. It includes website optimisation and a secure shopping cart. The shopping cart can link up to Paypal, Romancart and Mal's. I've not heard of the last two but I expect they would have information on them and what the transaction costs would be. Once you've got the software you can do as many websites with it as you like and I think hosting of one site is included for a few months.

We looked at it for our chess club but it was a bit too dear for one club. The whole package would cost less than £150 with the instruction manuals. Then there would be hosting costs. You would be able to use it for the ECF website and the Championship website. I suppose you could cut costs and make the Championship website part of the main site, then just one hosting fee.

[Michele Clack]

Webhosting costs for serif can be seen here:

http://www.serif.com/hosting/

[John Upham]

Webhosting costs for serif can be seen here:

http://www.serif.com/hosting/

The ECF already has excellent web hosting for

The main site: paid for by ECF (WordPress / MySQL)
CoM: paid for by ECF (PHP / MySQL)
ECF Coaching: currently paid for by myself (PHP / MySQL)
New grading database: paid for by ECF (PHP / MySQL)

all with Zen Internet. The use of a common ISP will facilitate integration of the membership database (currently lovely old standalone MS Access (ugh!)

CoM uses a PayPal API to interface the CoM application, the ECF shop and PayPal.

Processing credit card transactions is another step-up the ladder.

There is enough expertise in this place to engineer a solution without recourse to outsourcing.

Commercial charges will be prohibitive (typically £800 - 1000 per working day) I suspect.

[Jonathan Rogers]

To be precise, he [Woolgar] said that he first spoke to Sport England 2 years ago, and they explained the process which he has been following and recognition will follow in 6 months

If this turns out to be untrue, he will need to resign his position, as he misled the meeting yesterday

He was so poor at marketing himself, I wrongly thought it was obvious to all he was unsuitable, and to my regret did not press the matter further

Just why no-one else said anything, I don't know

With so many people preferring none of the above to Mr Woolgar, his position must already be very dicey. Malcolm Pein declined the non-exec position last year (after the election cock up) on the grounds that if so many preferred no candidate to him then his position was untenable. Woolgar should do likewise.

With CJ now joined by Tim Woolgar (whom he already knows, if only via an episode of Eggheads) on the Board, and the Ray Keene saga still unresolved, we can confidently predict increased coverage of chess in the national press this year.

In Private Eye, that is.

[Jonathan Rogers]

A question for John Philpott - you mentioned on Friday that one unopposed candidate had received 24 directed votes in favour, but with as many as 20 abstentions. This exchange seems to have been removed, perhaps through concern that it might have prejudiced the outcome yesterday. Now that the elections are over though, will you say who it was?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

but I think the Board is minded to have a fixed membership 'season'.

Do voters at Council ever read what they are voting for? You just voted for a fixed 1st September to 31st August membership year with only the amounts to be filled in at the April council meeting.

Provided That with effect from 1st September 2012 all Membership Fees shall cover the period from 1st September until 31st August in the following year (subject to the discretion of the Direct Membership Officer to extend the period of membership for a new member who has joined so as to play in the British Championship to cover that event and the period thereafter to 31st August in the following year) and any Direct Member whose existing membership expires after 31st August 2012 and whose category of membership is closed as from that date shall be entitled to a pro rata reduction in his or her new membership category from the date of such expiry until the following 31st August in accordance with guidance published from time to time by the Board.

I read all the papers before going to the meeting and have them on my computer. I didn't print them, though, or take my computer with me (there was little point as I was merely transmitting what had already been decided by the organisation I represented). There were some points I might have raised before the meeting if I'd looked at the papers far enough in advance. I'm sure others would have done as well. Certainly there was less discussion here before the meeting of what was said in the papers than I thought there would be.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Chris, sorry I missed you too

the Welcome Collection was shut when i got there at 6 pm after the meeting, but thanks nonetheless for the recommendation

No problem. Were you wearing the Manchester Chess Federation shirt by any chance? To answer the question both you and Adam asked, the Wellcome Collection (mainly medical and public health stuff) has various exhibitions the public can go in and see. It was just the proximity of the location that led me to mention it. Also in the same area (5-10 minutes walk east, between Euston and King's Cross) is the British Library, which also usually has an exhibition on that could be worth seeing (about books usually, though the maps one was very good). Of course, when the ECF is back in London, they might end up in a different area of London, but being able to travel into central London I always try and see things like this when I can, though there is more on than most people have time to see, especially when playing chess.

[John Philpott]

Jonathan Rogers wrote

A question for John Philpott - you mentioned on Friday that one unopposed candidate had received 24 directed votes in favour, but with as many as 20 abstentions. This exchange seems to have been removed, perhaps through concern that it might have prejudiced the outcome yesterday. Now that the elections are over though, will you say who it was?

I don't think I am (and I had no idea that any of my posts might have been removed). Looking at the overall pattern, there were actually six unopposed individuals up for election for various posts (not just the Board) who noticeably received fewer directed proxies in favour than the others. On reflection I am inclined to read less into this than I did on Friday night: in each case we are just talking about one or two directed proxy givers, but the common factor is clearly one individual who happened to be able to exercise a rather large number of multiple votes.

[Carl Hibbard]

I don't think I am (and I had no idea that any of my posts might have been removed).

No none have

On reflection I am inclined to read less into this than I did on Friday night: in each case we are just talking about one or two directed proxy givers, but the common factor is clearly one individual who happened to be able to exercise a rather large number of multiple votes.

That was who?

[Jonathan Rogers]

I don't think I am (and I had no idea that any of my posts might have been removed).

No none have

My fault then, presumably

[Mick Norris]

Chris, sorry I missed you too

the Welcome Collection was shut when i got there at 6 pm after the meeting, but thanks nonetheless for the recommendation

No problem. Were you wearing the Manchester Chess Federation shirt by any chance? To answer the question both you and Adam asked, the Wellcome Collection (mainly medical and public health stuff) has various exhibitions the public can go in and see. It was just the proximity of the location that led me to mention it. Also in the same area (5-10 minutes walk east, between Euston and King's Cross) is the British Library, which also usually has an exhibition on that could be worth seeing (about books usually, though the maps one was very good). Of course, when the ECF is back in London, they might end up in a different area of London, but being able to travel into central London I always try and see things like this when I can, though there is more on than most people have time to see, especially when playing chess.

Chris

Manchester Rapidplay 2011 black polo shirt to be precise (like John, didn't get me thrown out and allow me to go to Brisbane Road to watch the mighty Shakers, although this may have been a lucky escape)

Outside of the meeting, also wearing the Lancashire County Cricket Club hat

[Sean Hewitt]

On reflection I am inclined to read less into this than I did on Friday night: in each case we are just talking about one or two directed proxy givers, but the common factor is clearly one individual who happened to be able to exercise a rather large number of multiple votes.

That was who?

I suspect that's probably me

As I couldn't attend the meeting I cast my votes postally (by directed proxy). It was me who voted against the reports of the President, Finance Director, FIDE delegate et al. I did that because the deadline for postal votes was on Wednesday and, at that time, none of the aforementioned reports were available on the website. I didn't think that I, in all good conscience, could vote in favour of something that I had not seen!

[David Robertson]

For clarity's sake John Philpott's post, to which Jonathan Rogers refers, can be found on the 'Appeal for Board Support' thread