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Session Start: Wed Jan 01 2003
* Annual New Year's -- Business Discussion -- Moderated
<JL> Calling the meeting to order here.
<JL> Nominations for awards in general? We'll discuss who gets what
in a moment.
<JL> Jean? Any nominations?
<Jean> For what?
<Jean> I can't tell what we're nominating for.
<Karen> We have lots of awards....
<Karen> DIGEN FARRIS MEMORIAL MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD
<Karen> TECH-TON AWARD (Criteria: Invented by Jacqueline
Lichtenberg in 1997, this award goes to people who have benefitted Sime~Gen
fandom by the creation and/or application of new software and online tools.)
<Jean> Karen for the Digen and Patric for the Tech-ton are obvious.
<JL> OK, then let's start with the Digen award.
<Karen> Ronnie Bob for Digen..... he does a lot of our databases and PDF's
<JL> Nominations are now open for the Digen Farris Memorial Award for
Meritorious Service, first given by Marge Robbins at a Darkover -- but I don't
recall to whom.
<Karen> To me... and maybe a few others.
<JL> Ah, yes! OK, the award for Karen-like Behavior.
<JL> Nominations for the Digen award are open.
<Jean> We should give Karen a Lifetime Digen Award so that the annual ones
are available for other nominations.
<Karen> DIGEN --- Ronnie Bob
<Jean> If it weren't for Ronnie Bob we'd never keep track of our staff!
<JL> His records are the core of our operations and he keeps them up to
date.
<Patric> Marge, for recovering the reviews. (in process) IF I
understand the award properly.
<JL> We have two nominations for the Digen and a suggestion that a fan who
helped bring in the Meisha Merlin contract should be recognized.
<JL> About 5 years ago when Meisha Merlin began operations, I ran across
them in the dealer's room at a WorldCon and stopped dead in my tracks as I saw
they were publishing some of my FAVORITE books - the vampire novels by Lee
Killough which were, I believe, the first time a vampire was cast as a
cop. That premise later became a TV show, Forever Knight, one of my
favorites.
<JL> So I stopped to talk, and they asked if Sime~Gen was available, and I
had to say no because at the time we didn't have all the rights back.
<JL> But I gave them right of first refusal when we brought the books back
to the market. At that time, we were withdrawing them so we could get the
rights back.
<JL> Well, then Jean comes up with this spiffy idea that had been noodling
in the back of MY head for a couple years - why don't we incorporate and launch
a web-based domain with ALL the stuff we do with fans and neo-pros and so on.
I said, "You took the words right out of my mouth."
<JL> So we then spent some time finalizing the retrieval of rights -- then
transferring all the book's rights to the corp. What a JOB!
<JL> So after we got the domain pretty much in progress and out there for
everyone to see, right before WorldCon Jean said, "now's the time" and
so at that WorldCon I ran around and around and around getting together a
meeting between the Meisha Merlin folks, our Agent Sharon Jarvis, and Jean and
me and Anne Phyllis Pinzow our scriptwriter.
<JL> Forgot to mention in the meantime we held back from putting the books
on the market in order to market the script.
<JL> Now we're marketing the books in order to market the script.
That's Hollywood.
<Jean> That meeting happened at the 2001 WorldCon in Philadelphia.
<JL> So we then met with Meisha Merlin and they decided they wanted to
re-read the books then make us an offer. Getting the contract together
took about a year, but they did make us a verbal offer which we negotiated and
agreed to at that WorldCon.
<JL> So since it hadn't been signed yet, at the next WorldCon (ConJose
2002) we threw the big BOOK CONTRACT SIGNING party. The photos of that
party will be posted at http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/sghistory/
<JL> Now, meanwhile we found out a few things about why Meisha Merlin was
so excited about getting S~G.
<JL> It turns out they have another series which is their best seller
which also has a web-based fandom, and it is their BEST SELLING series.
The Liad
Universe novels by Sharon Lee
& Steve Miller.
<JL> So it's the WHOLE of S~G online that has impressed Meisha Merlin and
which gives them great hopes for this series.
<JL> Alan, from Meisha Merlin,
has joined simegen-l and has dropped notes to us once in a while. He has
been so interested in the S~G tech conversations that he finally got around to
reading HOUSE OF ZEOR.
He even said he liked it!
<JL> So Karen's correct in the other window -- one of the driving forces
behind creating this coherent web presence is Jenn and Dancer who said
"yes" to Jean's crazy idea expressed at one of these New Year's chats
-- we could make our own domain if we had a server with 'net access. And
they said "we have."
<Karen> We had a small web presence with the "virtual tecton"
elsewhere, but not the domain until Jenn and Dancer began Simegen.com
<Jean> As the years pass, we really need to have a history page we can
send people to, because there is too much to include in the New Year's chat if
we begin at the beginning.
<JL> Yes, I agree.
<Karen> That information belongs in our history site....
<Jean> I think we're up to date now, so let's go to the Digen nominations,
which are Karen, Ronnie Bob, and Marge so far that I've seen. Karen?
<Karen> * jenn nods to Patric. Second Leigh.
<JL> Robyn King-Nitschke
<JL> I propose that we award the Digen Award for Online Fandom in two
sections - pre-domain and post-domain.
<JL> Pre-Domain Digen nominations -- Marge Robbins, Robyn King-Nitschke,
Chandra Lee Morgan-Henley.
<JL> Post-Domain Digen (or Lifetime Digen) awards -- I nominate Jenn and
Dancer Vesperman, Marge Robbins, Karen MacLeod, and Patric Michael creator of
the impressive Starred Cross Icon on our top page.
<JL> While people think about that Lifetime or Merlin Award achievement,
let's vote on our 2002 Digen nominations.
<JL> Nominations for the 2002 Digen Award then are Ronnie Bob Whitaker,
and Marge Robbins -- any further nominations?
<JL> Last chance for nomination.
<William> I Second the Nomination for Ronnie Bob
<JL> Patric is nominated for the 2002 Digen award.
<JL> Ronnie Bob is seconded.
<JL> Any second for Marge?
<N`omi> second for Marge
<JL> Second for Patric?
<N`omi> second for Patric
<JL> 3 nominees for the 2002 Digen Award have been seconded.
Nominations are now closed for the 2002 Digen Award.
<JL> First voting on Ronnie Bob. All in favor say AYE.
<Jean> Aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<Karen> Aye...Ronnie Bob.
<William> Aye
<Patric> aye
<Kaires> Aye
<ECJB> Aye
<ChandraMH> Aye
<N`omi> aye
<jenn> Aye
<JL> 10 of 12 voters have voted. Ronnie Bob wins the Digen Award for
2002.
<JL> Next Patric nominated Marge for her heroic recovery work during one
of our disasters. She's been seconded. All in favor of giving Marge
Robbins the Digen Award for 2002 say aye.
<MargareTZ> aye
<Kaires> Aye
<N`omi> aye
<Karen> Aye...Marge
<jenn> Aye. Tech disasters are shenned hard to fix.
<Jean> Aye
<ChandraMH> Aye
<Patric> aye
<William> Aye
<JL> aye
<ECJB> Aye.
<JL> 11 of 12 voters have awarded Marge Robbins the Digen for 2002.
WAY TO GO MARGE!
<JL> Next Patric has been nominated and seconded for his extraordinary
patience in walking folks through the tech jungle of the online world.
Frankly, he's done the same for me for COUNTLESS hours of tutelage on the inner
workings of Unity. He's been seconded. All in favor of awarding
Patric Michael the Digen for 2002 say AYE.
<N`omi> aye
<Jean> Aye
<jenn> Aye.
<MargareTZ> aye
<Karen> Aye... Patric
<Kaires> Aye
<jenn> Been there, done that. (hands Patric the t-shirt)
<ChandraMH> Aye
<jenn> Aye for Patric. I voted just below Jean.
<William> Aye for Patic
<JL> 8 of 12 votes for Patric for the Digen for 2002 - Patric Michael wins
a Digen for patience. (actually it should be saint-hood)
<JL> 9 votes
<JL> OK, after some debate, I move that we name the new award for Karen
MacLeod, the Karen Award for Creating Foundations.
<JL> All in favor say AYE to create the award, then we'll vote on who gets
the first ones. No competition here, we award as many copies as there are people
who've earned it.
<N`omi> aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<Seanara> aye
<Jean> aye
<William> Aye
<Kaires> Aye
<Patric> Aye
<bae1> aye
<jenn> Aye.
<Karen> abstain
<gurpsgm> aye
<JL> aye
<JL> 11 of 14 present have voted to name the new award the Karen -- for
creating foundations.
<JL> Nominations are now open for the first Karen MacLeod Award.
<jenn> Karen. Because she's the longest-serving fan and still working.
<Jean> Karen! Obviously.
<MargareTZ> second
<N`omi> second!
<JL> Nominations please.
<N`omi> Karen!
<Jean> Karen
<MargareTZ> second
<Seanara> Karen, of course.
<William> Karen
<JL> Karen has been nominated and seconded.
<JL> All in favor say AYE here.
<Seanara> aye!!!!!!!!
<N`omi> aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<bae1> aye
<William> Aye
<Karen> abstain -- obviously
<gurpsgm> make it so
<Jean> Aye
<JL> Aye
<Vrykalak> Aye
<jenn> Aye.
<Patric> AYE!
<JL> 11 of 14 voters have voted Karen the FIRST KAREN AWARD - I appoint
Patric to create a graphic.
<JL> Nominations are now open for the second Karen Award.
<JL> I nominate Marge Robbins who made me my first home page, and helped
Jenn and Dancer Vesperman launch simegen.com
* Patric seconds Dancer and Jenn.
<gurpsgm> Marge seconded
<N`omi> Dancer seconded
<N`omi> Jenn seconded
<JL> OK, voting one at a time so it's clear.
<Jean> aye
<William> Aye
<N`omi> I nominate Patric
<JL> All in favor of Jenn and Dancer Vesperman getting the SECOND Karen
award?
<gurpsgm> aye
<Seanara> aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<N`omi> aye
<jenn> Abstain.
<Patric> aye!
<Karen> Aye... Jenn and Dancer
<Kaires> Aye
<gurpsgm> Aye to Jenn and Dancer, too
<William> For Dancer Aye
<bae1> aye
<Jean> Aye to Jenn and Dancer
<JL> 13 of 15 voters have awarded the SECOND Karen award to Jenn and
Dancer Vesperman and I hope I'm spelling the names right!
<JL> Voting is now open on Marge for a THIRD Karen Award.
<JL> That's Marge Robbins.
<N`omi> aye
<Karen> Marge seconded
<Kaires> Aye
<gurpsgm> Marge = aye
<William> Aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<Patric> aye
<Jean> aye
<Karen> Aye...
<jenn> Aye to Marge.
<JL> 9 of 14 voters have awarded Marge the THIRD Karen Award.
<JL> I nominate Robyn King-Nitschke for the 4th Karen Award -- most of you
don't remember her, but when we had sites scattered all over Geocities, she made
a TECTON CENTRAL to index them all. It was our main hub until the domain,
which was mostly Jean's brainchild.
<Karen> I second Robyn
<jenn> Oh! Her! Seconded.
<JL> Voting now open on Robyn King-Nitschke for the FOURTH Karen Award.
<gurpsgm> Robyn - aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<N`omi> aye
<William> Aye
<jenn> Aye.
<Jean> aye
<Karen> Aye...Robyn
<Patric> aye
<JL> AYE
<JL> 9 votes of 14 for Robyn King-Nitschke for the FOURTH Karen Award.
<JL> I nominate Chandra Lee Morgan-Henley for getting me online -- if it
weren't for her there would be NO ONLINE S~G FANDOM. It was on AOL that
all these folks found me and created the first Listserv. (I had to ask
Jean -- "what's a Listserv?" )
<Jean> second
<Karen> Aye...Chandra
<jenn> Aye
<JL> Vote is now open on Chandra for the FIFTH Karen award.
<William> Aye
<N`omi> aye Chandra
<MargareTZ> aye
<Patric> aye
<William> aye
<Seanara> aye
<ECJB> aye
<gurpsgm> Chandra = aye
<Jean> aye
<JL> 11 of 14 votes give the FIFTH Karen Award to Chandra Lee
Morgan-Henley.
<MargareTZ> nominate Leigh Kimmel
<Jean> second
<Karen> I second Leigh Kimmel for her first listserve created for our
fandom
<gurpsgm> Leigh = Aye
<William> Aye
<Karen-> Aye -- Leigh
<Seanara> Aye
<jenn> aye for Leigh.
<Karen> Aye -- Leigh Kimmel
<MargareTZ> aye
<Patric> aye
<Jean> aye
<JL> aye
<gurpsgm> That's nine for Leigh...
<JL> 9 of 14 votes award the SIXTH Karen Award to Leigh Kimmel for setting
up our first listserv and bringing us together.
<N`omi> aye
<ECJB> And another Aye for Leigh?
<William> Aye Liegh
<N`omi> yes, for Leigh!
<JL> Nominations are now open for the Tech-Ton award for those who
contribute to our tech infrastructure.
<JL> Type your nominations here.
<Karen> TECH-TON AWARD (Criteria: Invented by Jacqueline
Lichtenberg in 1997, this award goes to people who have benefitted Sime~Gen
fandom by the creation and/or application of new software and online tools.)
<Jean> Patric
<N`omi> second
<gurpsgm> Patric - aye
<JL> Patric Michael has been nominated and seconded for the Tech-Ton award
for 2002. All in favor?
<Seanara> aye
<N`omi> aye
<ECJB> aye
<William> AYE
<Karen> aye -- PATRIC
<MargareTZ> aye
<Jean> aye
<Kaires> Aye
<jenn> Aye.
<JL> Aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<JL> 11 of 14 votes for Patric for the Tech-Ton award for 2002.
<JL> Any other Tech-Ton award nominations for contributions to our
technical infrastructure - scripts, programs etc?
<JL> Many of you should be grateful to Jenn who created the html page
entry to this chatroom. She got I think the first Tech-Ton for that
marvel.
<jenn> It was that or the site-at-all.
<jenn> I forget which.
<N`omi> second that grateful!
<William> Second
<Karen> OUT TERRITORY AWARD (Criteria: Sites on Simegen.com without
Sime~Gen content that bring people in to the domain)
<JL> I nominate BYGONE DAYS for the Out-T award.
<Jean> second
<Karen> I nominate L. Bruce Gray for the new bookshelves in Keybooks
<JL> BYGONE DAYS - our Historical E-zine by professional writers has been
nominated and seconded. All in favor of giving them the Out-T award for
2002 say Aye and we'll get on with the next nominee. This is not a
competition.
<Patric> Second Bruce.
<MargareTZ> aye
<Karen> Aye
<Patric> Aye to Bygone Days.
<Jean> aye to Bygone Days
<N`omi> aye
<gurpsgm> aye to bygone days
<Seanara> aye
<William> Aye
<Kaires> Aye
<JL> BYGONE DAYS wins an Out-Territory award for 2002.
<JL> Bruce Gray has been nominated and seconded for bringing onboard a
whole slate of new nonfiction shelves for Keybooks Bookstore, a children's shelf
and an OZ shelf and a Disney shelf and Classical Music shelf to write by, and
other sorts of music I know nothing about, and a fabulous array of stuff all
brought online for the Christmas buying season. All in favor of Bruce Gray
for the Out-T award, say AYE here now.
<jenn> Sorry, aye to bygone days, and aye to Bruce.
<N`omi> aye for Bruce
<Patric> Aye!
<Karen> Aye for Bruce Gray
<Seanara> Aye
<Kaires> Aye
<Jean> aye
<William> Aye for Bruce Gray
<MargareTZ> aye
<JL> Aye for Bruce
<gurpsgm> abstain
<JL> 10 0f 14 voters award Bruce Gray an Out-T award for 2002 for Keybooks
contributions.
<JL> Any other Out-T nominations?
<JL> This concludes the out-T awards.
<gurpsgm> <blush>
<Karen> The 2002 MOVEABLE FEAST AWARD -- To Kaires, and the other
attendees of the 2002 Worldcon Sime~Gen party, that traveled from room, to room,
to room, in search of a HOME in which to hold the party.
<Karen> Kaires first sponsored the party....
* Kaires says ARGGGHHHH
* JL hush Kaires everyone else takes this with grace.
<Jean> Just leave it as Karen wrote it up.
<Jean> Second
<Kaires> Grace? As Karen took the Karen Award?
<bae1> i vote aye.
<JL> I nominate Kaires for masterminding and ramrodding the hotel room (a
heroic feat), and Cherri Munoz for masterminding and organizing the CAKE with
her erstwhile uppity Gen Companion, Mary. Patric for the Tattoos which on
people and posters got people TO the room. And the folks from Meisha
Merlin who managed to follow the tattoos to the room. We have photos
to post. The photographer should be included in the FIRST NON-ANNUAL
MOVABLE FEAST AWARD
<Jean> second
<jenn> Aye for all.
<JL> All in favor of this slate of FEAST AWARDS say AYE.
<Jean> aye
<Seanara> Aye
<JL> And please dip it in chocolate.
<jenn> Ate.
<MargareTZ> aye
<gurpsgm> Aye, second the chocolate...
<Kaires> Abstain (grumble, growl)
<William> Aye
<N`omi> Aye for Kaires! Aye for Cherri! Aye for Patric! Aye
for Meisha Merlin! Aye for FEAST slate in toto!
<Karen> Aye to vote as proposed.
<JL> AYE
<Kaires> Okay, Aye for all the others (especially the cake)
<MargareTZ> aye
<JL> 9 of 13 voters present have voted the MOVABLE FEAST AWARD to the
party-group for 2002.
<JL> Fanzine awards.
<Karen> CZ'S SILVER YO-YO -- to Mary Lou Mendum and her lost, and
again found story, "Test of Courage." We're still waiting for her to
finish the story so I can post it.
<JL> SECOND
<ECJB> Aye
<jenn> Aye.
<Kaires> Aye
<Jean> aye
<MargareTZ> aye
<JL> aye
<N`omi> aye to Mary Lou
<William> Aye
<Karen> Aye for Mary Lou
<gurpsgm> Aye
<bae1> aye
<JL> 8 of what 13 voters present award Mary Lou Mendum the YOYO for
writing, losing, then reconstructing out of offsite backup, her current S~G
novel.
<JL> I hand the gavel to Jean Lorrah for the annual Sime~Gen Stock Awards.
<Seanara> add my "aye" for Mary Lou. That's a lot of work.
<Jean> Back momentarily from kitchen to see what's going on.
<JL> You have the gavel.
<JL> Present the stock awards and explain them.
<JL> Recap of the year's accomplishments.
<Jean> You have the list of people to receive stock.
<JL> Oh, I thought YOU had it. OK, digging.
<Jean> Stock in Sime~Gen Inc. is awarded every year to the people who keep
the business aspects of Sime~Gen going.
<Jean> We have had an exceptional year--especially in light of the fact
that most businesses did NOT.
<Jean> The stock of most companies decreased in value.
<Jean> Ours increased.
<Jean> And while the major part of the increase was due to the sale of the
Sime~Gen novels to Meisha Merlin,
<Jean> the fact is that for the first time, even without that sale, we
would have made a PROFIT in 2002!
<Jean> With the sale, we made a very nice profit in 2002, percentage-wise.
<Jean> Now, everyone has to understand that we are talking very small
numbers here--we still can't afford to hire even one employee (never mind that
if we did, health benefits would kill us).
<Jean> BUT, we are now worth much more than we were a year ago.
<Jean> And that means that those of you who own stock have something worth
approximately three times what it was worth a year ago.
<Jean> Now, in order to keep from diluting the value of our stock, we
cannot start creating and giving out hundreds of shares.
<Jean> You see, Sime~Gen Inc. is a closely held corporation.
<Jean> That means we do not trade on any stock exchange.
<Jean> Therefore the value of our stock depends on the actual value of our
assets.
<Jean> It is not changed by what anyone is willing to pay for the stock on
the market.
<Jean> WE could change the value drastically downward by creating and
giving out too many shares. And that would be unfair to our stockholders.
<Jean> So, we are giving out fewer shares of stock this year, but each one
is worth three times what last year's stock was worth.
<Jean> But those of you who received stock in the past--your stock has
also increased in value to match the new stock being given out today.
<Jean> Jacqueline and I get along so well as business partners because we
are both VERY conservative with our money.
<Jean> We are being conservative with YOUR money now, too.
<Jean> Hang onto your stock. It has gone up with the sale of book
rights, will go up a little with the sale of some audio rights,
<Jean> and if we ever manage to sell film or TV rights, it will REALLY be
worth something.
<Jean> I hope everyone understands my explanation.
<Jean> I can't tell you exactly what each share of stock is worth, because
we don't have a dollar-value on simegen.com itself.
<Jean> Anyway, by conservative estimate, right now any share of stock you
own in Sime~Gen Inc. is currently worth at least $20.00, up from at least $10.00
a year ago.
<Jean> If we were to liquidate everything tomorrow, you would probably get
more.
<Jean> Sorry--that was at least $7.00 a year ago.
<Jean> Was thinking that with liquidation it would have been more like
$10.00.
<JL> And we own the server hardware.
<Jean> However, we are NOT going to liquidate tomorrow!
<Jean> We are in this for the long haul, and of course the stock can go
down as well as up, if we acquire no more income and expenses continue.
<Jean> But we have great hopes, and in our four years of existence we have
made steady financial gains.
<Jean> Small, but steady.
<Jean> If we can continue on this curve for enough years, we'll grow up
into a genuine influential corporation.
<Jean> And because we built in the structure at the beginning, we are
READY to grow.
<Jean> Now, these shares of stock are for two years because with
Jacqueline's abrubt move, we didn't get last year's stock distributed.
<Jean> And again, the smaller number of shares is to prevent diluting
their value.
<Jean> Jacqueline, my IRC won't allow cut-and paste.
<Jean> Please put in the list while I run to the kitchen again.
<JL> And in all this awarding I never got around to mentioning the audio
book contracts.
<JL> In addition to all the non-S~G work of ours coming back into print,
almost all my short stories and some of Jean's (including a Zhag and Tonyo) have
the sharp interest of a company that uses professional actors and sound FX to
produce MP3 versions of short stories. We don't have a Zhag/Tonio contract
YET because it's complicated as part of the franchise, BUT 3 of my vampire
stories have been contracted and are in production. The website is
http://www.simegen.com/writers/audio/
<JL> In no particular order at all - absolutely NONE - not alphabetical or
by merit nor even in the order in which we thought of people, the list is:
6 Patric Michael
3 Karen MacLeod
2 Lois Wickstrom
1 Margaret L. Carter
1 Marge Robbins
3 Ronnie Bob Whitaker
2 Sharon Jarvis
1 Wendy Fisher
1 Carol Castellanos
1 Darlene Kendall
2 Laurraine Tutihasi
1 Shari Brennan
2 Bruce Gray
2 Eric Berlin
1 Kim Murphy
2 Kaires Tevesu
2 Katherine X. Rylien
1 Linda Nelson
1 Doreen Dabinett
<JL> Also note these are Preferred Stock shares - non-voting stock. Not
common stock. PREFERRED.
<JL> Of particular note is that 4 NEW PEOPLE have earned stock this time.
<JL> We have several other people coming along who may earn stock over
this next year.
<JL> The class of stock has these attributes.
<JL> The holder can not vote in matters concerning the corporation.
<JL> The shares however are very real. They are a PORTION of the
total net worth of the corporation.
<JL> And this class of stock is eligible for DIVIDENDS should the
corporate Board of Directors vote such a dividend.
<JL> We are a typical startup company - decades away from being able to
pay a dividend. But if even ONE share gets a dividend, all the others do
too.
<Jean> Other factors may reduce the value, but we will not deliberately do
that to our stockholders.
<JL> So you see why I look at all this as a retirement program for you
people. If we hit the BIG TIME, the hours you've spent working here will
finally begin to pay you back.
<JL> As Jean has pointed out, we create a share of stock only to REPRESENT
VALUE that has been created.
<JL> It is your work that creates that value and we try to apportion the
stock awards to reflect that -- via the number of hats you wear and the number
of hours spent.
<JL> Meeting Adjourned.
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