# Session#3 - Discussion
**URL:** https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776
**Category:** commons.hour sessions
**Tags:** org-circle, community-circle, venue-space, social-relations, formación
**Created:** [8 November 2021 15:38 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776 "2021-11-08T15:38:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [8 November 2021 15:38 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/1 "2021-11-08T15:38:17Z")
### The structure and the struggle - Viable coop organisation and contributions to transition in society
This is a thread for discussion related to Session#3 of `commons.hour`.
Post-meeting links (including **video recording** and **shared notes** ) are be posted below. Take-home points still to come - watch this space.
For the original session announcement see: [Sign-up - commons.hour - session#3 - #2](https://forum.meet.coop/t/sign-up-commons-hour-session-3/775/2)
> Meanwhile . . An hour in a video meeting isn’t going to tap all the dimensions!! Do please **get started** below, on the big issues underlying this month’s session 👍
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [22 November 2021 17:03 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/2 "2021-11-22T17:03:22Z")
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [23 November 2021 17:44 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/3 "2021-11-23T17:44:42Z")
### Post-meeting links & resources
> Background notes for the session: [Spaces stewarded as commons | handbook trial](https://meet-coop-1.gitbook.io/handbook-trial/1-intentions/commoning/spaces-stewarded-as-commons)
**Full-feature** video [playback](https://de.meet.coop/playback/presentation/2.0/playback.html?meetingId=ff16731f1cbc3a25ea8332c15a0c65fb6e739b43-1637600999148). Play in Firefox or Chrome on a laptop. Includes text chat w clickable links, slide indexing, whiteboard annotations, video thumbnails, toggle between slide and thumbnail focus.
**Reduced mp4** [download](https://de.meet.coop/download/presentation/ff16731f1cbc3a25ea8332c15a0c65fb6e739b43-1637600999148/ff16731f1cbc3a25ea8332c15a0c65fb6e739b43-1637600999148.mp4) Slides & audio only - no whiteboard annotations, no video thumbnails, no text chat
Shared notes [2021 11 22 shared notes.txt - Nextcloud](https://cloud.meet.coop/s/MLD7w8b7dGXW6KQ)
Slide deck - Not yet available
Text chat [2021 11 22 public chat.txt - Nextcloud](https://cloud.meet.coop/s/2dn5XP26DnaiYRA)
All these are in the session#3 folder in [commons.hour public](https://cloud.meet.coop/s/YcbekMbBcbam2Aj)
Handbook take-home points - xxx To be added below. For now, see shared notes above
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [23 November 2021 17:55 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/4 "2021-11-23T17:55:10Z")
[@operational\_members](https://forum.meet.coop/groups/operational_members) One of the core questions arising in this discussion was the possible need for an elected **board** (council, moot, etc) in [meet.coop](http://meet.coop), with membership drawn from both operational and user members (latter in a majority?). How does this feel? Is this essential in moving from a workers’ coop to a multistakeholder coop form?
Such a Board might in effect be a Community circle, which right now only exists nominally (= @wouter @mikemh). But this would be kind-of different from the three existing circles, in composition, size and activities? Might this bend the sociocratic circle-system out of shape, or could it be a neat solution?
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [23 November 2021 18:20 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/5 "2021-11-23T18:20:21Z")
A second thing to consider from the conversation with MayFirst is how the focus is divided up, at what [meet.coop](http://meet.coop) would recognise as the Circle level.
[meet.coop](http://meet.coop) has three circles: Tech (the platform), Org (internal processes including ‘livelihood’ payments to Ops members, and working tools) and Product (user account-focused stuff including members’ subscriptions). There are no User members in any of the circles, and no formal venue for User-members to contribute in framing of strategy, division of resources or prioritising (and performing) of work.
MayFirst has two ‘programme teams’: _Engagement & communication_ and _Tech infrastructure & services_. Both teams comprise a mix of (unpaid) user members (from the elected Board) and (paid) staff members. Thus, in MayFirst, all the pieces of organisation at the circle level contain a mix of ‘Ops’ and ‘User’ members. MayFirst has many more elected (unpaid) Board members than Staff (= ‘ops’) members.
Would that kind of mix interfere with the working practice of circles as we have come to know it? Or would it helpfully extend the focus of circles, out from the internal concerns of the coop (tech provisioning, revenue, division of revenue, etc) to embrace needs of users more fully too?
Would the answer to that be different, for different circles: Tech, Org, Product?
This seems to be a dual question: balance of _contribution_ on one hand, balance of _attention_ on the other?
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### Author:  [@osb](https://forum.meet.coop/u/osb)
#### Post date: [24 November 2021 12:32 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/6 "2021-11-24T12:32:16Z")
interesting idea - but I think before I can answer I would need to know what the purpose, remit and responsibilities of the Board would be? Are those things which have been discussed / defined…? Once they have we could explore how the board should be formed and operate etc… but that seems secondary to defining the purpose etc
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [24 November 2021 12:44 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/7 "2021-11-24T12:44:17Z")
> [@osb](#):
>
> Are those things which have been discussed / defined
Ongoing, via - `commons.hour`, the drafting of a handbook and, eventually, writing a Constitution. A live discussion that needs to resolved within coming months (a year, is my guess) as [meet.coop](http://meet.coop) gets incorporated and has its first General assembly. Essential, of course, that Ops members are in this alongside and in dialogue with User members!
Regarding a ‘board’ - my hunch is, this occupies the place that we’ve designated as a ‘Community circle’ tbd. But its composition, protocols, contributions, obligations, etc differ from existing Ops circles? All under discussion . .
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### Author:  [@fowlermattie](https://forum.meet.coop/u/fowlermattie)
#### Post date: [25 November 2021 13:16 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/8 "2021-11-25T13:16:29Z")
Hello guys! I’m glad to join your community!
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### Author:  [@mikemh](https://forum.meet.coop/u/mikemh)
#### Post date: [25 November 2021 13:19 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/9 "2021-11-25T13:19:00Z")
Glad to see you here @fowlermattie thanks. Looking forward to you joining us in `commons.hour` sessions - and any aspect here in the forum.
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### Author:  [@3wc](https://forum.meet.coop/u/3wc)
#### Post date: [25 November 2021 14:16 UTC](https://forum.meet.coop/t/session-3-discussion/776/10 "2021-11-25T14:16:33Z")