FROM: Parvin aka Xcept Atlas
RE: RECAP – Meeting The Future State of the Gay Archipelago
Q 1. What can the Gay Archipelago do for you, our community, and our member estates to make your experience better?
A 1. GA advertise more fully in SL magazines & radio showcasing what we have to offer overall. Gain a larger audience.
We will need a new advertisement for: Whip radio / Adonis Heights Radio / GA Radio – Sangi Phaeton and Evan GreyMyst have volunteered – Thank you Sangi & Evan.
We will need a graphic designer for a GA magazine add – Chade Dagger has volunteered
Othon Weiland continues to create magazines, advertisements and books for the GA.
People asked to continue the GA Newsletter – Parvin will do it and will need your weekly events sent to him. He will not chase you. Events to be posted in the newsletter must be to Parvin by 12pm the Monday of the week you want your event posted.
Community Forum – With moderation – Parvin will ask Sascha if it is possible to link a forum to the GA-weblog.com. Carlos Berstein, Patrick Devon Anderson, and Vana Skytower (Savannah Christensen) have volunteered to moderate it.
__________________________________________________________________
Q 2. How should the GA remain relevant in the coming days. We have younger, tech savvy individuals in our ranks. How do we reach out to them and bring them in? Do the younger ones just like to party?
A 2. The GA needs a social media director. This could be handled by the GA PR lead. There should be a GA Pinterest, Google +, Twitter. The items can be pinned directly from the blog. There is already a GA Facebook, which pretty much only has posts from merchants. Parvin will discuss with Sascha and see what can be done.
*Your GA Member Estate blog and your GA Member Estate merchant’s blogs can be added to the GA-weblog main page. Please IM Parvin with your SURL. *
————————————————————-
Q 3. How do we make GA relevant to you today and tomorrow?
A 3. We would like to see more family / non adult / friendly events – TOTH – Othon & Oliver, YUMMY INC. -Vana, GreyMyst – Evan Greymyst, MAlaika KiPeo – Leroy Voorhees, and Galleria Mexico – Owl Braveheart are going to work together on this. If you have a family friendly sim or event, please get with one of them to add it to their circle of events. These must be non-sexual open to all events. We do want to open the GA up to non-adult themes – art, culture, theater, fun.
________________________________________________
Q 4. Do you post in the GA Event group the notices?
A 4. The vendors on GA Member Estates are permitted to post two notices per week to advertise their store in the GA Events group. The clubs on GA Member Estates are permitted to post two notices per event in the GA Events group. Please let Parvin know if you do not having posting rights.
Tour your neighbor’s sims.
Othon is making the GA Calendar for 2015 – PLEASE send him your important dates.
GA Owners – Please check your GA Owners group to make sure you are getting our notices.
If someone needs notices posted and you don’t have rights – please send them to Parvin to post.
___________________________________________________
Q 5. We have held Mr. Gay, Mr. Leather, Mr. GA, Miss Wigstock. We had a discussion about this at the Owner’s meeting, we would like to see less “Mr.” events and more general events that everyone can participate in. Which grid wide events would you like to see the GA host?
A 5. We would like to see emphasis on more multi-sim events utilizing several sims at a time. Art competitions, building competitions, * GA Film Festival * people like. GA Erotic Writing / Poetry contest (Sangi Phaeton may have volunteered ;).
People would like to see more emphasis on the individual member estates during Winterfest and Summerfest and not just on the festival sim.
Best winter themed sim for GA Winterfest was proposed. We really do need three months to pull off winterfest. We can aim for it in December – but it’s going to be crazy.
The concept of TEAM WORK was proposed – Please send Parvin your team members. Rockridge Constantine may have volunteered 
Chris Blackheart Gracemount (christope.magic) has volunteered to be the event manager for Winterfest – Thank you.
Evan GreyMyst will host the Winterfest on GreyMyst.- Thank you.
Many people have wanted to hold Winterfest after the holidays.
Many people want to hold Winterfest before the holidays. – Chris Magic, Garth, Othon, and Parvin will set a date for Winterfest and will need Volunteers.
__________________________________________________
Q6. We have stayed far apart from Second Pride for three years. Should we continue that path? Or should we reach out and assist them in a mutually beneficial relationship as we both serve the same community? – I have recently sat down with Ezzie over here. He’s new to his role as SP Chair. I would like to see a show of hands if we should attempt to work with SP and or allow them into our events, and or allow us into their events.A 6. Garth gave a passionate explanation of why we should remain separate. Followed by Leroy Voorhes, Othon and Draghan, citing prior financial issues, personal attacks, and drama. Gambit feels that herding cats is not effective. Parvin does believe the GA should work with SP as they are part of our community. Parvin has promised to work with SP in the future as he personally has in the past. He acknowledges the prior SP board for reaching out to the GA last year and would like to foster that friendship. Ezzie, SP Chair was at the meeting, as he was invited by Parvin, he advised that he is new and does not know nor harbor the transgressions of the past and is looking to build a bridge. Parvin is only seeking a lifeboat to work with our neighbors in SP. Later in the meeting Parvin expects to ousted in a coup for his beliefs or hung at the gallows and is looking for others to join him.
_______________________________________________
Q 7. The GA is an International organization – What are our responsibilities? How can we live up to our commitments? Came via note card from a multiple sim owner: “My biggest gripe about the GA is that it is so much an American focused, or at least North American focused group and I would like to see it do more to reach out to other parts of the world. I was going to make some comments here but look at the timings of events, the charities that you support etc. It is all very North American focused. It is not just about translating things it is about the whole outlook of what the GA does. I know the group doesn’t want to be like this, and doesn’t include just Americans, but it is VERY American-themed. I would like to see a more international flavour. ”
A 7. We have recently had 5 Australian sims join us. We also have Tou-Gen-Kyo, Gay Zone Germany, and many other international sims.
Advertise in multiple languages – Peri Fhloston (periplus gran) was nominated as he writes in multiple languages.
Please send any info of non-english speaking LGBTQIA sims to Parvin so they may be solicited for GA membership.
Evan Greymyst of Greymyst Estates has a wide variety of languages on his estates.
Parvin needs to check Rocky’s posting rights on the GA Blog with Sascha.
Rocky (Rockridge constantine) Is still hosting www.gay-worldsnews.com which was established by Fabrice prior to his passing.
________________________________________________________
Q 8. What we are and what we can be in RL. Our organization and other have contributed to RL charities. Should we be actively seeking out RL charities? If so which ones? Any that you know have a presence in SL that we should be pulling into the boat with us?
A 8. Excess funds in the GA Treasury should be donated to a RL Charity. Draghan Marksman has volunteered to head the search for a charity. (He’s been volunteered) Parvin wants for our TG neighbors to be represented and is concerned that Fenix Mews would leave the GA. – Draghan advises that Fenix will stay on Brokeback.
Evan advises that “Broken Dreams’ also has a RL charity board.
________________________________________________________________
Q 9. Autumn / Harvest / Halloween / Winter / Spring / Summer Should we do an autumn event? – Putting together a list of events on GA sims? tou-Gen-kyo is doing one. Individual member estates can do one and it can be advertised in the GA events as one of multiple events.
A 9. If you are hosting an autumn/Halloween event, please IM Parvin aka Xcept Atlas and we can add it to the blog and advertise them as a block. Malika is in. – Sangi has volunteered.
OTHON advises – estates can send me their special days for calendar . Even when NOT a party is planned, it is promotion to see a NAME of Estate .
Parvin will need 5 volunteers for summerfest to solicit vendors, make people happy, and do general GA out reach – Please – please send them to Parvin.
GA Winterfest Dates will be decided by Garth, Othon, Evan, Chris and Parvin
__________________________________________________________________
Q 10. How do we bring the Lesbian, TG and Bi groups into the events?
A 10. Ashar wants dates and costs for Winterfest – *Parvin has proposed December 12th until December 21st. * Cost will be free for GA member estates and the groups on GA member estates. Costs for all others will be 1/2 of what Summerfest 2014 was.
Parvin will not do a Supremes act, nor wear heels, or lipstick.
Proposed themes of Winterfest – Nightmare before Christmas – Sci Fi – Camelot – Futurama – Saturnalia – Fantasy – Calvin and Hobbs – Crystal ice theme. Parvin is a fan of a Nightmare before Christmas – the Dark Crystal – and Sci-Fi and Steampunk.
*The theme will likely be Steampunk*
__________________________________________________________________
Q 11. The GA Lead Position
In the past there was a committee of five people chosen by the member estate owners to pick the new lead of the GA.
They need to be disinterested, involved in the community and able to explain their choice.
Any decisions made today will be subject to the final word of the GA Lead and the individuals who have chosen the lead.
A 11. Parvin does not want to be GA Lead but will do the job until one is picked.
A committee of 6 has been chosen to find, vet, and choose a lead they are: Sangi, Vana, Evan, Garth, Leroy and Draghan.
If you would like the full transcript please IM Xcept Atlas in SL.
