Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Current committee stepping down on June 9th 2007

  • 01-05-2007 4:33pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭


    On the 9th of June the current committee will resign their positions in
    IrelandOffline.

    The current committee has been running for nearly three years and took
    IrelandOffline to new heights and professionalism.

    However it has been a long and tiring road and the current committee
    feels that now, with massive changes in the market, it is time for new
    fresh and invigorating blood to take up the reigns and lead
    IrelandOffline to greater successes.

    The committee would like to thank the previous committees that lead
    IrelandOffline and in particular thank the volunteers, members and forum
    posters who contributed to the current
    successes of IrelandOffline.

    Between now and the 9th of June the committee would like volunteers for
    the new committee to step forward either in public on the forum or in
    private by email. In the event of no one stepping forward the committee
    will then vote to dissolve IrelandOffline.

    In that event a number of steps will take place to ensure the privacy of
    member mailing lists etc which will be detailed in public should the
    need arise.

    Regards

    John

    Vice Chairman IrelandOffline


«1

Comments

  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 1,863 Mod ✭✭✭✭Slaanesh


    *Loud applause*

    Well done to all.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,354 ✭✭✭smellslikeshoes


    Very big shoes to fill. Fair play to the current committee for their fantastic work.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    They've left a big mark on the Irish internet landscape, with IO being the main source of unbiased information on the provision and access of competitive broadband to the media.

    Comreg, however, have only hindered consumers and IO in the last 2 years IMO (e.g the most expensive line rental in EU). ComReg have also completely ignored IO's many press releases and treated the committee and the organisation with utter contempt. And in the face of the passive-agressive crap, the committee still built up a significant media presence. Something Comreg couldn't replicate.

    I hope that John and Damien will continue to enjoy the success that IO had on many occasions. My best regards.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    Well done to ye all for the nth time. I hope people will step up to the plate to take over, as I believe there's still plenty of room for a pressure group in the area. And the last thing ye want is some tit as interim chair again.

    adam


  • Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,780 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    I'll echo the sentiments above, particularly with regard to Damien's and John's future success. You and the rest of the committee have done a sterling job over the past few years.

    It would be a shame if no-one stepped in to carry on the fight, as it's far from over. Having built up a superb media presence, it seems only right that the work should continue.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 931 ✭✭✭Xennon


    Bravo!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭FunkyChicken


    Good work guys


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Great work lads.

    But there is certainly more to do!


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,348 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Great work guys, you all did a fantastic job.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 152 ✭✭surveys


    dahamsta wrote:
    Well done to ye all for the nth time. I hope people will step up to the plate to take over, as I believe there's still plenty of room for a pressure group in the area. And the last thing ye want is some tit as interim chair again.

    adam

    Well done Damian and all the Committee. We all owe you a massive thanks for the work you did which literally got us on the internet map. Goodness knows where we would be without your considerable efforts on our behalf..

    No doubt the 'Tit' referred to above was only doing his best as well. ? :(


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭jwt


    surveys wrote:
    No doubt the 'Tit' referred to above was only doing his best as well. ? :(

    dahamsta was the 'tit' errrr interim chair :)


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    Mmmm, tits.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 74 ✭✭ChrisJefferies


    Thanks for fighting for us...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 152 ✭✭surveys


    jwt wrote:
    dahamsta was the 'tit' errrr interim chair :)

    :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Blaster99


    It sounds like Ireland Offline will be committee-less in a few weeks and therefore presumably defunct. In the event that this is the case, are you taking down the forum and site?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,755 ✭✭✭clohamon


    If Minister Dempsey is still in place, he will make hay with this.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,290 ✭✭✭damien


    Blaster99 wrote:
    It sounds like Ireland Offline will be committee-less in a few weeks and therefore presumably defunct. In the event that this is the case, are you taking down the forum and site?

    Very valid point. I think it might be good to leave the forum in some form, no matter what happens. The community around the forum has shrunk massively over the past few years but there's still a good one here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 28 Fergus Cassidy


    It's been a remarkable journey from the IOL No Limits fiasco, which, lest we forget, was only six years ago. That carry-on was the catalyst which brought people together to form IrelandOffline.

    A lot has changed since then and while there are many who still can't get broadband, I've no doubt whatsoever that the current situation would be much worse if IrelandOffline had never existed.

    There were difficult times but there were significant victories along the way as well.

    Supporting IrelandOffline (as much as I could) was always important. The internet is a radical technology and anything standing in the way of access to it has to be removed.

    Now that there is some light at the end of the broadband tunnel, it seems to me that there are newer, fresher obstacles appearing. Not as big a blockage as broadband access, but barriers nonetheless.

    The quality of service from many ISPs is atrocious. 12 month locked-in contracts; arbitrary and extremely punitive download caps; price gouging; filtering by ISPs and prohibiting use of VoIP are just some of the issues. From other threads on Boards, I've seen an increase in frustration and anger caused by ISP behaviour.

    'Stop complaining, haven't you got broadband!!!', seems to be the mantra of many of them.

    Perhaps the time has come to consider forming a watchdog organisation to engage with the ISPs, taking them on when necessary. Such a group could also maintain a watching brief on the broadband roll-out situation.

    It would be a fitting evolutionary path for the great work carried out over the years by everyone involved in IrelandOffline. Well done and thanks.

    Fergus


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    It's been a remarkable journey from the IOL No Limits fiasco, which, lest we forget, was only six years ago.
    Six years, and the company still hasn't a clue.


  • Registered Users Posts: 615 ✭✭✭rahtkennades


    It's been a remarkable journey from the IOL No Limits fiasco, which, lest we forget, was only six years ago. That carry-on was the catalyst which brought people together to form IrelandOffline.

    A lot has changed since then and while there are many who still can't get broadband, I've no doubt whatsoever that the current situation would be much worse if IrelandOffline had never existed.

    ....


    Now that there is some light at the end of the broadband tunnel, it seems to me that there are newer, fresher obstacles appearing. Not as big a blockage as broadband access, but barriers nonetheless.

    .....

    Perhaps the time has come to consider forming a watchdog organisation to engage with the ISPs, taking them on when necessary. Such a group could also maintain a watching brief on the broadband roll-out situation.

    It would be a fitting evolutionary path for the great work carried out over the years by everyone involved in IrelandOffline. Well done and thanks.

    Fergus

    All,

    To be honest, I'm pretty new to the whole IO thing, so my comments must be taken with this in mind. I must also say that I wouldn't be able to do the job myself, so hats off to the current committee.

    In terms of broadband access, I can see where Fergus is coming from, assuming that you actually have broadband. But it's also obvious that there are large swathes of the country that have no broadband, and as has been shown since the announcement of the 'National Broadband' scheme, there will continue to be large swathes that will never get broadband.

    I think that it would be playing straight to the hands of the lazy politicians and civil servants if IO effectively disbanded or morphed into something else. Their m.o. for most things seems to be to starve the dog, then throw him scraps, and wait for him to lick the master's hand with gratitude for whatever he gets.

    There is certainly a case for a 'consumer watchdog' to police the sometimes shabby implementation of broadband services, but there is surely also a role for a group to campaign for actual nationwide coverage.

    I know there's no shortage of good ideas out there, and there are certainly more experts in the broadband field reading this forum than there are in government.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 4,290 ✭✭✭damien


    jwt wrote:
    Between now and the 9th of June the committee would like volunteers for
    the new committee to step forward either in public on the forum or in
    private by email. In the event of no one stepping forward the committee
    will then vote to dissolve IrelandOffline.

    So far, one person has emailed us asking about this. Any other takers?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,243 Mod ✭✭✭✭flogen


    damien.m wrote:
    So far, one person has emailed us asking about this. Any other takers?

    Damien - you hardly expected people to jump at the chance of heading up an organisation like IoffL unless it paid well, did you?

    You seem quite keen to get out the door yourself - not anything to do with the eircom job I heard you were offered, is it?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,500 ✭✭✭viking


    flogen wrote:
    Damien - you hardly expected people to jump at the chance of heading up an organisation like IoffL unless it paid well, did you?
    Just looking back on Damien's and John's posts and clearly neither of them asked for anyone to head up the organisation, in fact they clearly state that "volunteers for the new committee" are required. If and when a committee is formed then a chairman (or woman) would be chosen from the committee.

    IOFFL is a voluntary organisation without ANY funding, so no salary or remuneration is offered. Its funny how when the last committee (and all previous committees) put themselves forward as volunteers there was no pay on offer yet they still put themselves forward?
    flogen wrote:
    You seem quite keen to get out the door yourself...
    Christ, the guy is 3 years at the helm of IOFFL, the longest serving chairman and arguably the most hardworking and you describe him as "keen to get out the door". You're having a laugh right?
    flogen wrote:
    Not anything to do with the eircom job I heard you were offered, is it?
    Jaysus, if thats true then he's probably the best man to sort out eircom from the inside... what job was he offered?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    CBO, arf arf.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,243 Mod ✭✭✭✭flogen


    viking wrote:
    Just looking back on Damien's and John's posts and clearly neither of them asked for anyone to head up the organisation, in fact they clearly state that "volunteers for the new committee" are required. If and when a committee is formed then a chairman (or woman) would be chosen from the committee.

    Well the committee itself heads up the organisation, doesn't it? The chairperson doesn't had complete power over its direction.
    IOFFL is a voluntary organisation without ANY funding, so no salary or remuneration is offered. Its funny how when the last committee (and all previous committees) put themselves forward as volunteers there was no pay on offer yet they still put themselves forward?

    Maybe times have changed and people are less charitable.
    Christ, the guy is 3 years at the helm of IOFFL, the longest serving chairman and arguably the most hardworking and you describe him as "keen to get out the door". You're having a laugh right?

    I'm not having a go at his work over time or saying he aught to stick around forever - just saying since he made the decision to step down he's been very keen to make the move quickly.
    Jaysus, if thats true then he's probably the best man to sort out eircom from the inside... what job was he offered?

    Not certain on the exact title but if what I've heard is true (and I've no reason to believe that it's not) it's far from a tea-boy position.


  • Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭jwt


    Hardly quickly, it's been under discussion for 9 months, the last 6 months agreeing when the committee should step down. The current date was agreed once the General Election date was set so as not to conflict with that and that any new volunteers would have an idea of who would be in power and what Ministers were doing what.

    As far Damien wandering off to eircom, it's news to me.

    For all of us IOFFL has cost us money. No-one has made money from this. Taking time off work, travel expenses, phone bills etc all add up. TBH I would guess I have spent a few thousand euro all in all over the 3 years and thats ignoring loss of revenue on days where I could have been makng money but was attending meetings etc.

    On the other hand I have made some good friends, useful contacts and learned a lot. So for me it's been a break even imho.

    John


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    Lies, lies, lies. We all know ye all did it for the money and the hoors.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    The biggest issue for me is time. I just don't have any. I'm 100% behind what IOFFL is trying to do, but I feel if I was on the committe I'd only be apologising all the time for doing nothing. However hopefully the "day job" helps.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,290 ✭✭✭damien


    Heh. I'm not joining eircom. Nor BT. I'd have loved that ComReg Broadband Manager job though but the person who I believe got it is dead on and should do a good job though doing it under ComReg rules might not get the results we all want.

    ALTO might be getting back into the fight though. Heard they have had a change of staff in there.

    Well, with 6 days to go it seems IrelandOffline will now fade away. It's been fun. Ah well.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,163 ✭✭✭✭Boston


    Flogen, shut up.

    Sorry to see this go. I remember when it started up, I was one of those esat people.


Advertisement