National A.A. Technology Workshop August 8-10, 2014

Transcription

1 1 National A.A. Technology Workshop August 8-10, 2014 Final Report The first meeting of the National A.A. Technology Workshop was held August 8-10, 2014 in St. Louis, MO. The NAATW is committed to helping Alcoholics Anonymous serve workers who are also bound by the spiritual principles of our Fellowship to Demonstrate and share technology related experience, strength, and hope with each other, Provide a consistent interface to the fellowship on technology and assist members where practical, Provide a useful medium for willing members and non-member friends with specific technical expertise to help A.A., and to Serve other A.A. service groups or committees with their technology concerns. The NAATW is parallels in function the National A.A. Archives Workshop: We share information, methods, procedures, ethics and our enthusiasm at each Workshop as we continue to gather, grow, and serve. (~ For more information see or chair@naatw.org. Presentations and sharing sessions at the workshop covered a wide range of topics surrounding the use of Technology in Service and the issues involved with creating Technology for Service. What follows is a very brief overview of some of the topics presented and shared. Each session is noted by its session number. Audio tracks of the sessions are available by ing secretary@naatw.org. On Sunday morning there was a brief business meeting at which those present approved the establishment of the NAATW, voted an initial charter, and selected officers. Presentation Highlights H010 - Welcome to St Louis Brouck H, acting Chair of the NAATW welcomed everyone to the workshop saying, We are all here from varying backgrounds in service and varying geographic regions. There seems to be a growing realization that AA is somehow moving into a technological age, but are not sure what form that might, or ought to take. We are here to communicate one alcoholic to another about technology. He indicated that this would be a forum for learning to frame the right questions, an occasion for cross pollination to take place. Clayton V, Southwest Regional trustee. Welcomed the workshop. He commented that technology in AA was an oxymoron three years ago and that was no longer the case, we are rapidly moving into the 21 st century. H012 - A Newcomers' View of AA Technology Use, Julie S, Area 10 This talk highlighted some of Julie s experience when a newcomer in using AA web sites to find meetings. She recalls encountering invalid addresses, maps that pointed to the wrong location,

2 2 groups that had moved or ceased to exist, meetings that required a code to enter the building and other problems. This generated a lively discussion of the common challenges facing AA entities as they seek to provide accurate meeting data online and in print. Added to the problems of maintaining a single meeting finder are those associated with overlapping meeting lists from various AA entities. The importance of staying in touch with the groups was noted. W020 -The Steps Traditions and Concepts Presented by Conley B, Clayton V, and Don M., present and past trustees. H030 - The 12 Statements of Technology and Panel for Q&A Blaine B started the session by introducing Twelve Statements of technology, followed by discussion led by a panel of three trustees and past trustees, Conley B, Clayton V, and Don M. The Twelve Statements of Technology are statements that might be useful guides in talking about technologies in A.A. They are: 1. We suggest implementing technology where it supports our primary purpose of carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. 2. We are responsible and assess value when using self-support funds for technology initiatives. 3. We are responsible where anonymity is more vulnerable to a wider audience with increased speed or new sensation. 4. An informed group conscience is paramount to technology decision-making. 5. We strive to understand where Individual versus Group values are different. 6. We perform due diligence and rely on demonstrable A.A. experience. 7. We record non-technical requirements before making technology choices. 8. We take care to understand the property value and legal implications of technology used for A.A. purposes before making binding decisions. 9. We are responsible for transparency in discovery, process, and implementation. 10. We use technology to make information available, not to limit it. 11. We communicate and support the intended service level. 12. We consider how best to Pass it on. H201 - From Web Servant to Technologist, a Panel Discussion John P, Area 72, Western Washington talked about how that Area is organized for technology. They have a standing Web Committee composed of representatives from the districts and responsible for coordinating districts in their tech activity. And they have a Web Steering Committee responsible for the Area website, etc. composed of a Web Servant and 4 appointed members. Ross D, Area 57, Oklahoma described an effort to inform the fellowship, not only of the anonymity implications of the social media, but to awaken them to the many possible ways technology can be used to carry the message. Jenn D, Area 07, California Northern Interior describes the make-up of their e-services committee, and the story of how management of the website has matured over the years.

3 3 W309 Webmaster 101 for Non-Technical Volunteers, Gayle T, Area 72, Western Washington talked about a workshop developed by the Area for its District webmasters. She told how this workshop came about, and the need for it. The workshop covers the basic information an incoming webmaster will need. W202 Video Use in Our Service Groups After a brief introduction by Chuck D, Area 05, Southern California, the session turned to general discussion of the uses of audio and video. Questions such as: How best to archive or make other use of media such as assembly recordings? Post recordings online? Speaker tapes? Workshop recordings? Use of Skype for speaker meetings? -- Streaming audio and video in particular have real potential for use in AA? There is considerable anti-aa sentiment on the web, we need positive information out there too. Uses of video conferencing? Importance of media to reach deaf alcoholics. Assembly attendance via Video or Audio conferencing? Converting archives to PPT or Video? Post archives on web? W210 Technical History of Two Successful AA Websites Keith D, Area 65, NE Texas tells the story of the development of the Dallas Intergroup website over the years, including learnings, experiences, problems and successes. The site includes a comparatively sophisticated meeting finder to find meetings near a given address. Lois L, Area 37 Eastern MO. Talked about an application for Bridging the Gap developed for their Area BTG committee. The application is useful for matching newcomers with volunteers to take them to their first meetings. She also touched on some hard-learned lessons on the importance of future-proofing applications. There was also general discussion of how best to share information and experiences among AA entities (Areas, Intergroups, etc.), such as what tools are in use and work best, application sharing possibilities, problems and solutions. How best, and to what extent collaboration might be useful. The need for communication vehicles to facilitate such sharing. W305 the Facebook Topic Curt S, Area 09, Mid-Southern California, discussed some of the types of corporate presence on Facebook and their suitability for A.A. entities, including some of the implications and problems with AA having a presence on Facebook. He also shared his own experience with using various kinds of Facebook groups. Lively discussion followed. Distinction was made between anonymity and privacy/confidentiality. Those terms seem often to be confused. W307 Technology Roadmap; A Discussion For AA, Dennis B Area 36, Southern Minnesota, tells how the area developed a long term technology roadmap for development of their technology resources. W311 Accessibility and New Technologies, Virginia M, Area 06, California Northern Coastal Area discussed various considerations for serving the deaf alcoholic in our use of technology.

4 4 W310 How to Implement Service Entity Website, Keith D, Area 68, NE Texas, covers various issues that need to be considered before beginning to build an AA website. W312 Anonymity Using Secure Area within Website. Cheri J, Area 39, Western Missouri briefly introduced the topic of the occasional need for password protected area within A.A. websites. The following discussion covered various means in use for providing that security and shared experience with such protected areas. Sharing Session Highlights An overview of the what s on your mind and where do we go from here sessions B030 What's On Your Mind? An unstructured session in which various topics were raised, such as: Please write something for the Grapevine The rising need for translation, and in particular that translating the GSC Materials will be a large task. Paid placement for AA materials on search engines? Search Engine Optimization, what are AA websites doing for that? Development of Mobile Friendly web sites B040 Where Do We Go From Here--The Need and the Issues A wide ranging discussion of our experience at this conference and ideas for future conferences. It was widely agreed that the conference was very valuable and should be continued. Specifically: How to keep the communication going, stay connected. How to get the word of the next conference out to a wider audience, perhaps to include every Area s web/technology services entity and every Intergroup/Central Office. How to make the next workshop even better. Birds of a Feather Session Highlights The Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions were breakout sessions in which participants with similar interest areas could discuss those issues. B100-A Future Proofing AA Applications - Web Standards A discussion covering the importance of source code preservation, reliable hosting, domain ownership, periodically validating html and CSS standards. Also discussed were the implications of web development for mobile devices, what development platforms various sites are using, and the use of FNV vs local data.

5 5 B100-B Convention Registration Software This session was shared experience about the various means used by A.A. entities for online conference registration. B100-C Service Position vs Professional Position Discussion of the relative advantages of using a paid professional (in or out of AA) vs an inhouse volunteer web servant for web development and maintenance. Also covered was separation of function between, on the one hand, a technical implementer/webmaster, and on the other hand, a rotating person or committee to set policy and direction and interface with the fellowship. B100-D Online Contributions Participants discussed various ways AA entities take online contributions, various means of verifying contributors are A.A. members, and how they keep track of maximum contribution limits, etc. Business Meeting Summary On Sunday morning an organizational meeting was convened for the purpose of approving the formation of the National A.A. Technology Workshop. After a brief introduction by acting Chair Brouck H, a draft of the NAATW Guidelines was considered. Then the following motion was passed: That the NAATW guidelines be approved for use of one year, and that the Steering Committee report to the 2015 Workshop with recommendations and submit the updated final guidelines for approval. The organizational meeting was then adjourned, and the first NAATW annual business meeting was convened. A motion was made, seconded and passed that the following steering committee members be approved. Acting Chair Brouck H be approved as Chair Acting Treasurer Blaine B be approved as Treasurer 2014 Host Committee Chair Don Bitter be approved as Host Committee Chair Motion made, seconded and passed to elect a Secretary. Ross D was elected Secretary Meeting Adjourned until next year.