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Ace of Baes posted:It depends on how big the chapter is, if you have like 200 people it's more practical to split people off into work groups where people with similar goals (primarying dems, recruiting, focusing on racial justice, etc.) can laser in on policy goals or w.e. Every DSA chapter is guided by the national but afaik given a shitload of freedom of how they want to set up and operate. The particular meeting I went to was my first, there were maybe 100 there, but I don't remember them explaining much about different committees you can join and what they do.
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Feb 21, 2017 05:40
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blue squares posted:The particular meeting I went to was my first, there were maybe 100 there, but I don't remember them explaining much about different committees you can join and what they do. If you ever want clarification def try to contact your chapter through their website/email/facebook etc, usually the peeps running that are good about getting back to you with quality info in a timely manner. (this is assuming they arent people whove been in the DSA forever and are still stuck in defeatism/apathy)
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Feb 21, 2017 05:43
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GlyphGryph posted:All the real DSA work gets done by the work groups. The general meetings are just there for them to recruit from. blue squares posted:That's a lovely strategy that's going to make most new people drift off. Maybe they need to pick a particular local issue or area and have a series of events designed around improving it. Ace of Baes posted:It depends on how big the chapter is, if you have like 200 people it's more practical to split people off into work groups where people with similar goals (primarying dems, recruiting, focusing on racial justice, etc.) can laser in on policy goals or w.e. Every DSA chapter is guided by the national but afaik given a shitload of freedom of how they want to set up and operate. A sweet spot in the middle is to use the main meetings to have the different working groups present their status update to the main organization and advertise for the events they've planned where they need the massed actions of the group at large. If feasible, you can precede this stage of a meeting with 20 minutes or so, where everyone breaks into their group for more details. The main meetings can be a great way to re-unify all the working groups on a monthly basis, and it gives you a whole menu of events to present to the general membership. Also, it's a great opportunity to showcase how many leadership positions are occupied by women and people of color, which by golly better be how they are led.
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Feb 21, 2017 05:44
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unbutthurtable posted:A sweet spot in the middle is to use the main meetings to have the different working groups present their status update to the main organization and advertise for the events they've planned where they need the massed actions of the group at large. If feasible, you can precede this stage of a meeting with 20 minutes or so, where everyone breaks into their group for more details. I'd love that. Maybe that's the case usually. This time it was almost all people from outside groups, making me wonder what the hell the DSA even does. The only committee that talked was the tech committee and their report was "oh god please help us make a website"
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Feb 21, 2017 05:47
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Ace of Baes posted:This is the current list in the OP, I've been moving the past week so if I missed you it was probably because I read your post on mobile then didnt get to my desktop until I forgot about you, qtp if I missed you. I'm in CA and joined recently.
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Feb 21, 2017 06:11
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Internet Explorer posted:Hmm... I wish they enforced some sort of standard for usernames. Like Real Name - Chapter or something. no edit: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Feb 21, 2017 07:06
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CA is halfway to having an official chapters worth of users on here.
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Feb 21, 2017 07:11
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unbutthurtable posted:A sweet spot in the middle is to use the main meetings to have the different working groups present their status update to the main organization and advertise for the events they've planned where they need the massed actions of the group at large. If feasible, you can precede this stage of a meeting with 20 minutes or so, where everyone breaks into their group for more details. This is how it is in Seattle. They also do a pretty good job in making sure that more casual members are clued into various marches and phone call campaigns. They're also working on a system for texting alerts.
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Feb 21, 2017 07:22
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https://twitter.com/LarryWebsite/status/830073692805808128
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Feb 21, 2017 07:36
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There are a lot of people saying here and other places "they" should have this or "they" should do it this way. There is no "they" in many cases. Most chapters either didn't exist before the election or were bare bones orgs with people meeting up for coffee on an irregular basis. You need to bring some skills or at least enthusiasm and a willingness to take responsibility and start making things happen. There was no blank organizational chart with a structure already in place waiting to be filled and certainly not prescience for the amount of bullshit this administration has thrust upon the country in the last month. Nobody knew there would be this mass joinup and it's still shaking out how chapters will function best for their needs. I hope someone at National is writing a dissertation on it, would make for an interesting read. Communicate with your core group leaders and find out what needs to be done to achieve whatever your vision is then roll up your sleeves and get to work. THAT is actual socialism in action and not some socialist theory circle jerk. Not trying to be a dick but I and a lot of other people are working really hard to try and put stuff together while others sit on the sidelines and criticize. I'm the first to admit I don't know what the gently caress I'm doing and anyone who has a contribution will always be welcomed with open arms. Also, gonna rename our committee dildo dog commandos until there are enough votes to override me.
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Feb 21, 2017 08:24
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blue squares posted:I'd love that. Maybe that's the case usually. This time it was almost all people from outside groups, making me wonder what the hell the DSA even does. The only committee that talked was the tech committee and their report was "oh god please help us make a website" Yeah your single issue thing is how smaller chapters are supposed to operate and then yeah thats supposed to be big chapters. It may be your local chapter is very new and very incompetent and desperately in need of leaders and organizers. In which case, well, theres your call to action. I am still a BIT frustrated with mine, but thats only because I think they need to be engaged in active recruitment and expansion.
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Feb 21, 2017 13:04
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Ace of Baes posted:This is the current list in the OP, I've been moving the past week so if I missed you it was probably because I read your post on mobile then didnt get to my desktop until I forgot about you, qtp if I missed you. Missed me bae, I'm in CT.
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Feb 21, 2017 13:19
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Sylink posted:My county has a DSA chapter of like 10 people, and from the posts its a bunch of weird marxists. Which is fine, but I would like to actually get other people involved and constant messaging that just says " seize the means of production" across the chapter facebook page isn't helpful. DSA is a socialist organization so i don't know what you're wanting different (maybe a secret socialist org that doesn't talk about worker controlled economies?) Bok Bok posted:There are a lot of people saying here and other places "they" should have this or "they" should do it this way. There is no "they" in many cases. Most chapters either didn't exist before the election or were bare bones orgs with people meeting up for coffee on an irregular basis. You need to bring some skills or at least enthusiasm and a willingness to take responsibility and start making things happen. There was no blank organizational chart with a structure already in place waiting to be filled and certainly not prescience for the amount of bullshit this administration has thrust upon the country in the last month. Nobody knew there would be this mass joinup and it's still shaking out how chapters will function best for their needs. I hope someone at National is writing a dissertation on it, would make for an interesting read. this is exactly right. everyone itt that is wondering what we do needs to get involved and organize. if you just show up with ideas and no willingness to implement them or pull people together and get something done you aren't helping. the main bodies of these groups at this point are swamped with trying to get new people on the email lists, putting together websites and social media, finding meeting locations, starting reading groups, socials, coordinating marches, and everything else involved in trying to get a band new org off the ground. we had 5 people in our group this time last year and we're over 200 now. that has all happened since jan mostly. if you think there's a direct campaign that would provide material benefit to your community, put it together. everyone showing up wants to get involved and right now the most practical way to do that is to allow already established activist orgs give short talks because they need bodies to help with their cause and if they have a usable infrastructure that's easier than putting something together from scratch. i guarantee there will be more DSA work group stuff happening in the very near future, but recognize that you just walked into something that's growing at an incredibly rapid pace and your organizers are swamped. nobody is getting paid to do this and they almost all have other full time commitments. im extremely serious when i say that idea people are worse than useless and if you think DSA needs to be doing something, organize it. put together the work group yourself and it will happen that much more quickly.
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Feb 21, 2017 13:49
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blue squares posted:The particular meeting I went to was my first, there were maybe 100 there, but I don't remember them explaining much about different committees you can join and what they do. another thing for me to rant about is that when you show up and see 100 people understand that 50 of them are at their first meeting and another 40 are probably at their second. when you have that kind of new membership growth the main group meetings are often going to be focused on introductory stuff. your local group probably doesn't have local committees or work groups because there haven't been the numbers. rest assured that we in houston are well aware that there needs to be more DSA specific action (that goes beyond reading groups, opsec workshops, etc) but we work closely alongside many activist and political orgs and the general philosophy is that when you work with other groups you're still doing DSA work. wear your buttons, ask people to join, etc. your group is likely new enough that if you show that you're willing to do work, you will find yourself in leadership positions and will be able to help shape the group into what you think it should be.
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Feb 21, 2017 13:57
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I hope you don't mind me asking: what area your biggest bottlenecks right now?
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Feb 21, 2017 14:13
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rudatron posted:I hope you don't mind me asking: what area your biggest bottlenecks right now? the biggest bottleneck has just been the pace at which everything has happened and having the #s of people that can be trusted to do the work they sign up for. the first 30 days in office have been insanely busy (thinking about all the spontaneous mass actions that we've organized and participated in) but hopefully that starts to slow down and we can focus on doing real work. marches and rallys are fantastic for organizing and getting new people, but we do need work projects in place for them to participate in when they actually show up to a meeting. the criticisms blue squares has made are totally legit, and i've thought the same things, but i know people are just showing up to a meeting with a lot of attendees and wondering why all these people aren't doing more DSA branded work. it's just because half the people they see are just as new as them, so a lot of our organizing time has been focused around finding room for everyone and writing agendas and even lining up speakers to come talk at the meetings. we're putting together a dsa feminist working group, a reading group, as well as a direct action committee, but i'd like to see some actual community work put together that provides material benefit for houston. one thing along those lines i've been meaning to get around to putting together is a possible free meal food truck program (assuming i can get funding, participation, etc) but that's a pretty huge project that's going to take some time. realistically we've actually made huge progress because we have a really good core group of enough people that we've been able to more or less keep things moving while still participating in almost every drat march and rally and action that's been put at our feet. i think going into the next month as the pace of things slows (lol yeah right) will make it possible for the main organizers (the people that have been involved since nov and earlier basically) to start putting together actual DSA work projects.
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Feb 21, 2017 14:24
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for the record, i'm not pissed off at anyone for criticizing what they've seen at meetings. im stoked so many people are turning out and participating. just trying to shed some light on why things probably look the way they do. that and really trying to hammer home the point that if you don't see something happening you want in your group, make it happen!
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Feb 21, 2017 14:28
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Bok Bok posted:here was no blank organizational chart with a structure already in place waiting to be filled and certainly not prescience for the amount of bullshit this administration has thrust upon the country in the last month. Nobody knew there would be this mass joinup and it's still shaking out how chapters will function best for their needs. That's a really good point
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Feb 21, 2017 14:36
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jarofpiss posted:DSA is a socialist organization so i don't know what you're wanting different (maybe a secret socialist org that doesn't talk about worker controlled economies?) I just want to chime in here and point out the value in the original criticism that you're responding to. There is absolutely an issue with some places being all talk about pie in the sky Marxist theory without much attention on day to day activism and progress. Is DSA a socialist organization? Yeah, totally. Is a lot of socialism rooted in Marxist analysis? Again, for sure. But most people aren't coming to it for that. Most people are coming to it because it seems like the vehicle most able to work towards a country we all want to live in -- one where the primary motivator of policy is public good and not private profit. On a low level, that involves just fighting back against regressive initiatives by the current government and then putting forth our our policy proposals that fit our progressive agenda. Some places are great about combining theory and action. Maybe Houston is great at that. But it seems like maybe this poster's chapter isn't.
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Feb 21, 2017 14:41
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Our local chapter is doing a book club and the first book is the ABCs of Socialism. Seems like a good place to start. It's a quick read.
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Feb 21, 2017 14:53
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Internet Explorer posted:Our local chapter is doing a book club and the first book is the ABCs of Socialism. Seems like a good place to start. It's a quick read. Three Component Parts and Three Sources of Marxism - Lenin
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Feb 21, 2017 14:58
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unbutthurtable posted:I just want to chime in here and point out the value in the original criticism that you're responding to. sure, and some of the national email chains are insufferable on that front, but it's important to hold to the socialist messaging. in my experience, it can be great to work with liberals and we welcome them to participate in the groups, but you have to be careful about it. centrist/liberal dems have a bad habit about going where the energy is and directing it into pointless lovely establishment causes. not accusing the poster of that just saying im usually suspicious of people at socialist meetings that dont like hearing about socialism.
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Feb 21, 2017 15:03
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oooh I know what committee I'm going to start: the new member committee. The purpose will be to give a place for all new members to give input on why they joined, what they want to get out of being a member, what they don't understand, etc. We can have a google survey and a intro packet of links and helpful info. And yes, we have to shape new people into being socialists, not let new people shape the DSA into just being another progressive group
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Feb 21, 2017 15:05
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jarofpiss posted:sure, and some of the national email chains are insufferable on that front, but it's important to hold to the socialist messaging. Fair. And, thankfully, I somehow avoided all national email groups.
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Feb 21, 2017 15:05
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blue squares posted:oooh I know what committee I'm going to start: the new member committee. The purpose will be to give a place for all new members to give input on why they joined, what they want to get out of being a member, what they don't understand, etc. We can have a google survey and a intro packet of links and helpful info. this is extremely good and your organizers will be very happy to have people helping with that. we've got an outreach committee but it may be a good thing to copy for us. let me know how it works. also try using semaphor for group chats and things like that. cross platform and it's encrypted and people need to be verified by current members. people need to start being diligent about opsec now that the dsa is looking like a serious group to get involved with.
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Feb 21, 2017 15:10
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Yeah, one thing I've mentioned before is that security may not seem that important now, but that's only because no one gives a poo poo about us because we're not a threat. But make no mistake, our goal is to be a threat (politically, obviously), and the closer we get to our goal, the more they'll care.
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Feb 21, 2017 15:41
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blue squares posted:I went to an Austin DSA meeting and there were tons of other first timers, and I feel like the meeting had one huge flaw: it didn't give people a clear next step of action. With the numbers of DSA members shooting through the roof, lots of people are going to be just dipping a toe into the water and could easily not show up again or slowly fade away. The meeting hosted people from various groups who talked about joining their groups, or attending various advocacy days at the state legislature. But the DSA itself seemed to be doing nothing but hosting a rally where other groups advertised. That was my first meeting too and I agree with your observations. I had a conversation with our chapter head to try and get a clearer idea of how the group works and she described her organizing philosophy as "anarchic". If you want to form a committee I'm sure you could do it, and we should collaborate.
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Feb 21, 2017 15:45
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sillyloquy posted:That was my first meeting too and I agree with your observations. I had a conversation with our chapter head to try and get a clearer idea of how the group works and she described her organizing philosophy as "anarchic". If you want to form a committee I'm sure you could do it, and we should collaborate. Pm sent
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Feb 21, 2017 15:53
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unbutthurtable posted:Yeah, one thing I've mentioned before is that security may not seem that important now, but that's only because no one gives a poo poo about us because we're not a threat. not to mention that as you become involved with activist politics while you may not be skirting any laws you may be involved with people who are (undocumented immigrants, etc) and if you become compromised it's possible for leo to get to vulnerable people through you.
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Feb 21, 2017 17:21
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thing
ChickenOfTomorrow has issued a correction as of 22:01 on Sep 28, 2021 |
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Feb 21, 2017 17:40
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:For opsec reasons, sometimes it's best to operate with the minimum amount of info required. For example, if you don't need to know a members home address, why collect or store it? If you're collecting sign ups for something that doesn't need real names, let people use an alias or just their first name or something. is there an anonymous membership process? i think even the paper process requires (or at least includes) a mailing address
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Feb 21, 2017 18:21
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What if this is all an FBI honeypot?
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Feb 21, 2017 18:32
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I typed up a first draft of my proposal for a new members committee. I'd love some feedback before I submit it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgngoo780j6tixg/New%20Members%20Committee.docx?dl=0
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Feb 21, 2017 18:35
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Accretionist posted:What if this is all an FBI honeypot? 
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Feb 21, 2017 18:51
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blue squares posted:I typed up a first draft of my proposal for a new members committee. I'd love some feedback before I submit it. I know hollow positive feedback isn't exactly prone to resulting in improvements but it's pretty concise and solidly organized. One thing I could see adding is clarification of precisely what platform you intend to offer the survey through (some sort of online software, email, whatever). Also as reading suggestions go, Jacobin's The ABCs of Socialism, mentioned earlier ITT, is available freely online and is a good introductory primer to common questions about/layman critiques of socialism. It's a bit redundant for whatever percentage of your new members are already on board with Marxism or other formal socialist and/or communist ideologies, though those members probably won't need or get much out of your reading list anyway.
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Feb 21, 2017 18:59
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Accretionist posted:What if this is all an FBI honeypot? My rear end is an FBI honeypot.
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Feb 21, 2017 19:05
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blue squares posted:I typed up a first draft of my proposal for a new members committee. I'd love some feedback before I submit it. this is cool as hell and the only thing i have to mention is that be willing to develop it all and present it to the organizers even if they aren't willing to hand over the email lists to you right away. we're fairly protective of those (especially regarding new members) just because it's not uncommon to have other groups trying to get ahold of any kind of email list they can. also if you wind up going through with it and developing a survey and stuff let me know, i'd like to be able to show it to our crew in houston and see if it's something they'd like trying out
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Feb 21, 2017 19:07
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thing
ChickenOfTomorrow has issued a correction as of 22:01 on Sep 28, 2021 |
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Feb 21, 2017 19:11
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jarofpiss posted:this is cool as hell and the only thing i have to mention is that be willing to develop it all and present it to the organizers even if they aren't willing to hand over the email lists to you right away. we're fairly protective of those (especially regarding new members) just because it's not uncommon to have other groups trying to get ahold of any kind of email list they can. Will do. I'll likely use the google survey platform. SomeMathGuy posted:One thing I could see adding is clarification of precisely what platform you intend to offer the survey through (some sort of online software, email, whatever). quote:Also as reading suggestions go, Jacobin's The ABCs of Socialism, Thanks for this, too.
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Feb 21, 2017 19:11
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jarofpiss posted:this is cool as hell and the only thing i have to mention is that be willing to develop it all and present it to the organizers Yeah and if I may suggest, share this with the rocket chat - maybe in the #bylaws channel or somewhere that covers procedures. Other chapters may be wanting a similar committee or already have one that could benefit from your work. 
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Feb 21, 2017 19:13
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