Report read by Bob W
OPENING REPORT C.A. WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE 2017 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) REPORT
INTRODUCTION AND OPENING COMMENTS:
The WSCITC Committee has been diligently at work all year. Our small and dedicated committee has worked hard throughout the year considering how we may stay safe and within our Traditions while offering our members the best opportunities to use digital media. We have been delighted to work with the Online Service Area to try and help address some hurdles they are trying to jump across and plan to continue to work with them throughout our breakout session. We have been performing “web checks” to assist with keeping any website that is linked from CA.ORG within compliance and Traditions.
COMMITTEE INTRODUCTIONS:
Daniel G. (Chairperson)
Bob W. (Vice Chairperson)
Secretary (Vacant)
Committee members
Will B.
Brent P.
Michelle D.
Dave I.
Mike S.
Randy M. (WSOB representative)
Yves W. (Trustee)
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REFERRALS THAT WERE WORKED ON DURING THE YEAR:
We plan to consolidate and compile our disclaimers for current/future websites and mobilized sites as well.
IT 2016 – 4
Mike S
Online / ASR
The online Service area would like to put forth a referral to the WSC IT Committee for the following to be included in the SR14 and be brought up on the Conference floor:
The OSA is currently using Skype for the means of conducting On Line (VoIP) meetings. It requires an invitation to be part of the meeting, does not have a waiting area that is ‘brandable’ and the 7th tradition is at another web address. There are other meetings calling themselves a CA meetings and using CA literature on line that use venues such as In The Rooms. These type of ‘meeting places’ pose affiliation issues and loosely follow CA’s traditions.
The solution found, in discussion with the ITC that would allow Online CA meetings to be accessible, and allow anyone that wishes to start an online meeting to be able to do so, as well as stay within our traditions and concepts was to use the same type of software the Trustees and WS Committees use. GoToMeeting Pro 1-Year Initial Subscription – Access to Discounted Rates G-47844 -Online web conferencing tool for one organizer and up to 25 attendees (discounted rate of $234 annually paid to Citrix) Admin Fee: $12.00
Because the OSA is a World Area and encompasses all of the physical Regions of CA, and servicing the world fellowship essentially is what CA world services should be about, we would like for the IT committee to approach this expense as a World Service Expense and have the Finance Committee add it to the annual budget.
Response:
Thank you for your referral and the exciting opportunities that this presents. We are currently in consultation with the WSOB to research different resources that we may be able to use in future to facilitate the needs of the Worldwide Fellowship of CA, for the purpose of creating an online virtual meeting place to carry the message to the addict that still suffers and also to provide space for business meetings of CA.
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CLOSING COMMENTS:
Our task is huge, and our numbers as a committee are small, we would be delighted to see new delegates join us this year who would like to work on thinking about how we can optimize our use of digital technology, while staying safe within our Traditions. If you are thinking right now ‘I like the sound of this, but I am “technologically challenged” and if you have good working experience of our 12 Traditions, which we trust includes all members of this Conference, then you are exactly the kind of member we would like to welcome. Please join us on our mission to “Carry this Message” into a new digital age.
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