How do you look back on last year, since the previous board took office in San Francisco?
Matt: Last year we started off fresh, since quite a few people stepped down. It gave us a new perspective on some issues. New people with new ideas and views on things. It brought to our attention a lot of pieces of existing policy and process that were not documented properly. I was not afraid we would loose a lot of knowledge. Former board members remain active within the community and we can call upon them when needed.
This year there were less candidates nominated to the board compared to previous years. Do you think there is an issue with not enough people stepping forward?
Carol: You have to love legal stuff -- I happen to like that. Some people are more comfortable being developers and that is fine. On the board you deal with things like money, which is a rare commodity. Whilst allocating funds you sometimes have to disappoint people and that can be hard. I can imagine most community members are not interested in that.
Still, it is always nice to have a choice and it makes board elections more meaningful. What would you say to potential board members in order make them apply for the job?
Paul: It's great to make a difference, and give you a warm fuzzy feeling. You meet a lot of people to interact with. It does require time and effort, and there are scheduling issues. Being European, meetings where scheduled at 10 PM for me which is fine. If and when we get board members from Asia or other further timezones we will have to find solutions to the scheduling.
Now for the next term. What are the objectives to focus on?
Matt: Right after we took term yesterday we had our first meeting. I believe we need to strengthen our network of board advisors. People who know the community and who have a clear overview on what is going on in their region. That way we can get better feedback on how the Plone Foundation can better serve those who, until now, have been a little less in the spotlight. They can bridge gaps between communities not only in the US and Europe, but also in Africa, Australia and Asia.
Three board members stepped down and three other took term. Any thoughts on this team?
Carol: Sjoerd, Geir and Maurizio did a great job and I am sorry they left. On the other hand we are glad Steve, Elizabeth and Matthew joined us. Some already did a term and they all are well known within the community. I am sure they wil fit right in. I like to to praise Liz her motivation for stepping up. She said she sometimes comments a lot, so now it is her chance to actually do something about it.
