OSI Membership Effort Suggestion

[Fr Brian S Bainbridge]

Dear Michael
For the record, this is what I wrote to Ric Giardina.  It includes a bit
about his geography question, too.
Glad you are likely to be in Berlin.  And "keeping it simple" is mandatory.
For us, we see it as probably a neutral development which will make little
or no difference here.
Dear Ric,
I don't think we would have any objection to what you suggest.  It makes
good sense.
Let me add two comments.
ONE.  We have tended to encourage membership along the lines of supporting
the OSI-OZ work of letting people know about OST and spreading the word and
promoting OST training and other programs.  In our periodic Newsletter (copy
attached) you'll see the text we have been using towards the end of the
newsletter :  "OSI-OZ MEMBERSHIP is set at $25 per annum.  You don't get a
lot for $25 today, but it helps spread the word about OPEN SPACE and arrange
and promote programs as can be.   Maybe you can help keep the spirit growing
by your membership.   And thanks to those who already help with this work."
We are small, of course, and have some 38 paid-up members, up from about 24
a year ago.
And we have had 100% renewal each year, so far - which proves miracles, as
you know.
We don't advertise or promote it, but I am able to be a kind of sounding
board for OST users, a central clearing-house for information of a local
nature, a kind of promoter of OST books and publications, as well as doing a
fair bit of OST facilitation here in OZ and in other countries.  I suspect
my "doing this" helps keep things going, and the fact that I am here and not
in North America and not a North American and yet very much in touch with
other countries like the USA lends a proper flavor to things.  I am probably
a bit in touch with many of the people in Australia using Open Space,
members and otherwise (of whom there are perhaps 70 or more, I think).
We also have a wider-than-member e-mail list to which we send info, and that
involves about 128 e-mail addresses.  I send only about three postal
messages each time there is a mail-out.  I'd be happy to yarn about all of
that at the Berlin meeting and both Andrew Donovan and Denis Cowan would be
involved in that, I expect.
TWO.  Re geography.  We see ourselves as part of Asia in a slightly
different fashion than most Asian or ASEAN nations see themselves.
Physically and trade-wise and migrant-wise and tourism-wise, we have strong
and strengthening connections with Asia in its many manifestations.
Asian and ASEAN countries see us, however, as having some kind of presence
in the area, but being tied to the US-UK-Europe culture and therefore quite
unable to be acceptable within Asian culture.  They have a point, of
course.  So we are and we aren't Asian, I guess.  Sort of.
Meantime, we keep on working with and visiting (I've just been ten days in
Japan) and touring and trading and being visited by and all - with the
cultures of Asia.  Dare I suggest we have a great deal more understanding of
those cultures than almost every North American I have ever met - for
obvious reasons.  But I shouldn't get started on that line of expression
lest I utter some awkward heresies (as my US colleagues put it).
Finally, I am quite unsure and have no feeling for the number of times
anyone from here accesses the WEB sites for OST.  I do so very rarely
indeed.  Many of us are privately/self funded consultants and watch our use
of the web and the internet quite carefully - it costs us dearly.  But it's
great, even so.  Most of us are part of the OSLIST.
Look forward to being with you in Berlin.
Cheers and blessings,    BRIAN.

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu
Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

===========================================================
OSLIST at EGROUPS.COM
To subscribe,
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign up -- provide an email address,
    and choose a login ID and password
3.  Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions

To unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at egroups.com:
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign in and Proceed