Council of Guild Masters

IMPORTANT:  See Note about reduced council at bottom.

The GoMe Council consists of a team of Masters (chairs, managers, dept heads) elected by the specific group of people they serve to coordinate as noted in the descriptions below. At least two positions (40% of the council), including Grand Master, are elected by the entire guild membership. Although input from the entire membership is currently the norm, the council is ultimately responsible for making the final decisions on all matters regarding the guild. The Grand Master abstains from voting on issues unless it is necessary to break a tie.

Grand Master: (see note)

Responsible for general management of the guild. Stays informed of active projects and encourages members to post updates. Arranges, sets the agenda and presides over monthly meetings. (Communicates with Cyan on behalf of the guild.) Promotes guild harmony and mediates when necessary. Shares lessons learned with guild members. Elected by all members of the GoMe.

Affiliates Chair: (see note)

Works closely with GoMe affiliates - news and creative production organizations; promotes collaboration between them and the GoMe.

Services Chair: (see note)

Responsible for overseeing all in-house services and projects; works closely with guild project leaders to keep projects on course. Elected by GoMe project leaders.

Liaisons Chair: (see note)

Oversees communications to all other guilds and groups via the liaisons (see here for definition) and serves as the “global” liaison to guilds and groups without an appointed liaison, including Cyan. Elected by liaisons.

Reporters Chair: (see note)

Responsible for recruiting and encouraging freelance reporting by independent/unaffiliated explorers. Elected by all members of the guild. (All guild members are considered to be reporters.)

Overview:

The role of the Guild Master or Guild Mistress is to provide enthusiasm and direction for the Guild. The wise leader will listen to the members of the group, will keep abreast of developments within and without the guild to identify the best course for the group, and will work to mediate when disagreements arise (stay neutral whenever possible). When casting a tie-breaking vote, he or she shall do so by considering the options objectively and without bias. If the Guild Master or Mistress suffers a conflict of interest for a vote, the four chairs will agree (3:1 or 4:0) upon an alternative person to cast the fifth vote. The role of each Chair position is to represent your peers, to keep other members of the Guild aware of the work done within your group, to seek help for your group when needed, and to delegate or assume responsibility within your group when needed. When the Guild decides to take an action, the Chairs and Guild Master or Mistress will have the authority to make decisions in a timely and effective manner; such decisions may not involve the direct input of all guild members, but all decisions shall be made with the needs of our guild members and the community that we serve in mind.

Examples of Responsibility:

• If the Guild Master or Mistress cannot attend a Guild meeting or will be away for a time, he or she shall delegate responsibility to another member of the Guild who is not presently in an elected position.
• A Chair who cannot attend a Guild meeting or who will be away for a time shall delegate responsibility to another member of his or her represented group.
• A Chair shall assist or delegate responsibilities for another member of his or her group when that member asks for assistance
• A Chair shall proactively seek out any type of information sought by members of his or her group.

The council will collectively determine when to hold Guild meetings. In general, any and all community members are welcome to join in Guild of Messengers meetings and contribute.

Important Note - 8-May-2010:

Per http://www.guildofmessengers.com/forum/topic/2010-council-elections#comm...

In the March 2010 election nomination process, only two candidates were nominated for the Guild Council, so it was not possible to fill all 5 chairs.  The two acting guild co-leaders are Theremin and Leonardo.  As Theremin wrote, "As interest and membership grows, we will assess the need for another election for council, including Grandmaster."