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Re: NEC convention and video of AGA's speaker
Lest there be any misunderstandings here, I have absolutely NO
PROBLEM with the NEC's policy and am not crying sour grapes. Steve asked
me if I was taping Claus's talk and I just said I wasn't because of
policy. Having taped several conventions in the past myself, I completely
concur with Karen's observations and add some of my own:
* It gets in the way of things, even just a little bit
* Could be used unscrupulously by home or other clubs
(Portland was might annoyed their own members watched my tape
of their big show instead of actually going one year)
* Might infringe on speaker's rights if speaker not asked
and suddenly Real Video transcripts of their prized lecture start
appearing on the internet.
* What can be done with the final tape legally anyway, beyond keeping
it in my personal collection and the local club's library? Not much!
I do not, for instance, think the AGA could even distribute video of
Jan B's talk on Crypts at that NJAS thing.
* More than one person has told me that some speakers don't like being
taped but feel awkward about saying so to a guy about to pin a
wireless mike onto them.
So because of this, I've lately considered videotaping a privilege, not a
right, and if I don't get agreement by BOTH speaker and hosting club, I
don't bother and I don't let it bother me either. End of story.
PS: Karen, your tape has only been seen by a friend who couldn't make
the meeting that night. And I don't think he's actually gotten to watch
it yet! :)
PPS: Seattle made $700 on our plant auction alone last week, so we will be
flying out another plant speaker. Perhaps candidate for this "AGA
Sponsored Event/Regional Meeting" idea?
- Erik
On Mon, 14 Feb 2000, Karen Randall wrote:
> At 02:53 AM 2/14/2000 -0800, you wrote:
> >Well, perhaps AGA could arrange a private taping, outside the
> >convention; something which the whole of the Aquatic Gardeners
> >Association membership might have opportunity to see.
>
> I don't know what Claus' schedule is like yet. If he ends up staying with
> me some extra time, I might be able to arrange it. But I can't make any
> promises. I don't even have a camcorder these days, and Erik has already
> said he and Kathy can _only_ stay for the weekend.
>
> >This seems like a dog in the manger attitude unless they are planning to
> >make tapes available to us themselves. This has never been a problem at
> >the Killie convention that I'm aware of.
>
> There is some history there. I guess quite a while ago, someone was
> allowed to video tape speakers, and took advantage of the situation. It's
> more a "burned once" mentality in terms of protecting the rights of the
> speakers, than a dog in the manger mentality.
>
> >The point should be made to the AGA committee, that AGA funds are being
> >used to sponsor a speaker at the NEC convention, however, not all AGA
> >members will be able to avail of this speaker. Poor use of funds IMHO.
> >>:-[
>
> That's true whenever you have a live speaker program. ANY local group is
> welcome to invite a good plant speaker to give a presentation in their
> area, and ask AGA for a contribution. I have never seen one of these
> requests denied. If you want some one out there in Vancouver, arrange it,
> and request a contribution from AGA. I'd be _very_ surprised if they
> didn't respond positively, given the number of people in the NW area that
> could benefit.
>
> I personally think it would be sort of dog in the manger-ish for AGA to
> withold funds from a LARGE group of AGA members just because not everyone
> can attend. You will never have a situation where everyone can. Why is it
> not better to make the same offer open to all? You arrange it on the local
> level, AGA will contribute as long as funds are available. So far, there
> has not been enough demand that there has been any conflict for funds. If
> that became a problem, we would have to institute some sort of "bid" or
> "approval" process.
>
> >I think in future, it should be a condition of AGA when they sponsor a
> >speaker to such an event, that a tape should be available for the OTHER
> >regional clubs to show at meetings.
>
> You forget that not all speakers are comfortable with the idea of being
> taped. I agreed to be taped in Seattle, but I wasn't really comfortable
> with it. I made some mistakes that I picked up later on the tape, just
> because I was nervous about being taped. Very few of us are professional
> speakers. The final decision has to be left to the individual speaker.
> The other problem is the speakers slides. They own _ALL_ the rights to
> their material. You can't go into a performance hall and tape a
> performance even for your own later enjoyment, let alone to distribute it
> to people who "couldn't attend".
>
> Finally, what about the rights of the convention itself? These conventions
> run on a very tight budget. How well they do this year often dictates
> whether the event will be held at all the next year. Attendance is the
> biggest factor in whether or not they will break even. Would it be
> reasonable to expect them to distribute tapes of their speakers, therefore
> allowing people to view these talks for free, in the privacy of their own
> homes, when the convention has spent thousands of dollars to put the whole
> program together?
>
> You may have an unrealistic view of what AGA is paying for its involvement
> in this event. We are donating $200 toward Claus' expenses. In exchange,
> we have negotiated that:
>
> * Claus will give 2 talks instead of 1
> * We have a table for an AGA display for the length of the convention in
> the vendors room
> * We have a large, PRIVATE conference room for our exclusive use for 4
> hours on Friday afternoon
> * We are able to give another presentation (Lee Finley) during that time
> period, which is not included in the NEC planned events
> * NEC is planning to have a plant vendor come in specifically because they
> know it will be well received by the AGA members (no cost or obligation to
> AGA)
>
> That doesn't seem to me to be a bad return on investment for AGA. Do you
> think so?
>
> >Our club would be happy to cover the
> >reasonable costs of any such tape. I'm sure the NEC committee will see
> >its to everyone's advantage to share and share alike. I doubt that the
> >mere availability of a tape would dissuade folks from attending since
> >there is so much more to be enjoyed at a big conference like this.
>
> I will forward this to both the AGA MC, and to Dave and Janine Banks, who
> are the organizers of the NEC convention, as I have no power to make or
> change this decision. (AGA doesn't either, at this point, though your
> objections are noted, and will be taken into consideration when we are
> approached for help in the future. If you want to take the matter up
> further with Dave and Janine, please feel free to do so directly, but also
> remember that the final decision rests with the speaker themselves, not
> even with NEC.
>
> Karen
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--
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
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