Ideas Commitee Meeting

Ideas Meeting

Initial notes can be found from http://www.computerbank.org.au/groups/Committee/kyliesfolder/brainstorming-meeting/ideas-sub-committee-meeting

Meeting opened at 6.05pm. Held at Computerbank.

Present: Everyone: Kylie, Jan, Tony, Allan, Bill, David, Peter, Richard.

We discussed the ideas under each category. Notes follow after each point.

Meeting closed at ?

Build room productivity

• Build days with groups like LUV, MLUG, Linuxchix
  
  Notes: Not as a regular thing, too much to organise, maybe once in a while/a year.
  
• Build days with ourselves, like on a Sunday every now and then
  
  Notes: Occasionally to replenish stock. It was here where we decided that we would maintain a stock of 40 computers. One question to come out of this was how to find the computers. DP suggested that we could specify the location on the stock sheet. Extra computers for sale could be in the training room.  The Front of House people will reset the pc's at the end of each shift.
  
• Separate out cleaning keyboards and mice so it is no longer part of the QA process. This will save builders heaps of time.
  
  Notes: Front desk volunteers will now test and clean these items.
  
• Try a production line approach. Bulk build. One person tests all the USB's, one person does all the open office times, and so on.
  
  Notes: Bulk building might work in a situation like a build day but not for regular volunteers.
  
  Some discussion took place on streamlining build room processes. It was decided that only 20 mins could be spent on a PC. If a problem could not be resolved it would be recycled for valuable parts only.
  
  Boxes with leaky caps would get recycled, the camp is out over bulging caps - more research is needed.
  
  Ugly boxes and clunkers would be recycled.
  
  Monitors would also be recycled so as to get some space back.  All large chunky older style 19" monitors and all 15" CRTS to go.
  
• Improve work spaces so that all items are in a designated work space.
  
  Notes: Due to the nature of the QA process (second checks) this would be hard to achieve.
  

Marketing

• Get an image. Get a logo. Get some branding. Ask for pro bono help but if we can't get it - pay for the work to be done.
  
  Notes: We never agree on this.
  
• Adopt a trading name that is different to our actual name. .
  
  Notes: Maybe a slogan could work. At this point we formed a marketing sub committee of Jan, Peter and Allan. They will discuss marketing ideas covered in the marketing section.
  
• More flyers everywhere. Regularly.
  
  Notes: Requires concerted effort. Email lists. Send flyers to neighbourhood houses, Allan has a list somewhere.
  
• More radio announcements and shows. Magic.
  
  Notes: Marketing sub committee to research any costs associated with this.
  
• Tap more into the student and pensioner market.
• Ask some of our regular customers what community organisation they belong to and write/email our flyers to them.
• 10th Birthday Garage/Sale
  
  Notes: This and other markets to be investigated by the sub committee.
  

Shop Sales/Opening Hours

•  Increase opening hours. Start earlier on Saturday.
  
  Notes: This seems like a logical thing. New hours to become 10-5.30, the same as Fri. Some questions around whether this could work. KD to find out how many volunteers can come earlier before we decide.
  
• Add another trading day.
  
  Notes: Currently not doable. May be possible if computer sales increase.
  
• Get an A-Frame sign to put on the footpath/medium strip. Also falls in marketing. Melb City Council permit costs $50 a month. Allan got some costings for the board itself.
  
  Notes: Probably too expensive for not enough benefit. It was suggested that balloons might help to bring attention to us.
  
• Go to swap meets.
  
  Notes: This was seen as a lot to organise. Maybe once in a while and if people were keen to do it. Swap meets were not really our market, though it was recognised that many pensioners get along to them and the last time we went was quite successful.
  
• Sell dud computers/chunky boxes/other exceptions to the general public, have a mass cull of boxes.
  
  Notes: A mass cull of boxes was seen as a good thing. See notes above.  P4 3.0G boxes could possibly be sold on ebay.
  

Who will build the computers?

• Recruit more volunteers to work in the build room.
  
  Notes: We agreed we needed to change the info on our volunteer page. We will put out a call for Linux savvy volunteers who are available Wed/Thur. KD or JS to update.
  
•  In addition to the 2 trading days we already have, open 1 day (min for volunteers to come in and do builds and testing).
  
  Notes: We will maintain Wed/Thur for builds and testing.
  
• Kylie to spend her 5 hour day of admin/planning/management at Computerbank to facilitate this.
  
  Notes: We agreed that this would happen however if KD was feeling overwhelmed we could revisit.
  
• Taking work home.
  
  Notes: Maybe.
  

Other 'in general' ideas

• Look out for funding opportunities and apply.
  
  Notes: Maybe but generally a lot of work involved.
  
• Increase income from other sources so as to pay for supervisors so we can be open more. For instance - e-waste removal services, linux training and consulting.
  
  Notes: Needs more discussion. Maybe training opportunities. Maybe promote our networks to more groups. Maybe selling more of our parts on ebay. DP to look at whats involved with an ebay store.
  
• Space issue. Look at ways to go up. Get a compactus. Something like this:  http://www.jimtrade.com/equipmentsinternational/compactor_shelving_system.htm
  
  Notes: Getting rid of a lot of our clunky monitors and computers would give us more space. Being more picky about what we keep. Some more shelves in the buildroom. Improve the shop. Another idea was to use the training room PCs as shop computers. 
• Ebay - check out whether an Ebay store is suitable for us