Texaltel - legislators websites

Sherry is our main contact person at Texaltel. Charles Land is the director.

http://www.spring.com/~texaltel/ The Spring presents . . . Internet Legislative Home Page Proposal Revised 12/2/96 after initial meeting with Sherry and Charles Concept - The Spring will create websites that TEXALTEL will offer to members of the Texas legislature home pages. The provisions of the page and access service would be donated as a public service in order to facilitate communications between legislator s and constituents. Specifications: Each member would be offered a home page. Content would be at the member's selection. A picture of the office holder would be standard. The Spring has a facility conveniently located on Congress Av which would take pictures of legislators with the State Capital as a backdrop if this were desired or the Spring would digitize a picture sent in by a legistlator. Each office holder would designate a staff person to be trained by the Spring and who would then be responsible for maintenance of the page on the Spring's Server. The Spring would provide all support. The Spring would design a home page once that can be cloned for all without customized design. This page may have some options that would let each Member customize the features that they want. Features to be provided by the Spring: Introductory picture and text, with options to use a table of contents to select subjects. Email capability to permit constituents to email the Member. A location for new information and/or hot topics which the office holder might want to use to communicate recent developments to constituents. a "town hall" section where current issues are presented, perhaps discussed by the Member, and constituents have an opportunity to make comments. Members should be able to select whether each topic's discussion is open where subsequent callers can s ee the earlier comments, or "closed", such that only the Member (or his or her staff) could view the comments. a conference with topics for each politician/candidate. The Spring is uniquely qualified in this area by it's already existing conferencing system that has been written up in Newsweek, the NY Times, the Austin American Statesman (three page feature artic le), Texas Monthly and other publications and which can be seen at http://www.spring.com. a dedicated website for http://? Each legislators website would be of the form http://?/politician (where politician is the name of the candidate). Access arrangements such that the member's staff can update the home page material and such that the member can access the email and chat functions from office or home, in district or in Austin. There may be interest in linking such that one member might be accessible from another's page. Collective "delegation" pages, where all members from a town or area are on one home page, with each of them having their own sub page and features as listed above, but with a common area with the same features listed above that would be accessible to all members of the delegation. The ability to hyperlink to other pages as well as to list the member's page elsewhere in the www. Texaltel projects that they may have as many as 100 members accept their offer. Their goals are: October 15th - identify interested vendors/members who want to participate in the design of the project and/or the delivery of the service. Establish preliminary budgets. October 15th - November 1st - Refine specifications, budget and work with prospective providers to develop a short list. November 1st - November 15th - refine the specifications and select vendors and/or members who will donate and/or provide the various aspects of the services. November 21st - present the concept to the TEXALTEL board for approval. Sign any necessary contracts and complete the development of literature publicizing the service. December 2nd - Initial payment, website design process begins. December 15th - completion of website, begin critique phase. January 1st - Availability of website January 15th - training of Texatel staff (probably sooner). January 15th - May 15th - limited support Payment schedule: $750 upon completion of the basic website, conferencing area, and test legislator website. $35 to set up additional legislators websites (single page) $10 per month to maintain each legislator webpage $35 per hour for any support beyond 1 hour

Terry & Amy - I wanted to touch base on this site. First: Terry, I assume that we are working on the same fee schedule (out of the $750) that we were on childrenstory.com? Second: You need us to create a homepage and a test legislator site, and you will be creating the conferencing area. Correct? Third: Amy - I know you've been working on austentest - Have you had a chance to do anything on this? I think we should meet at the office tonight about 10pm Eastern to discuss this site. I would like to get it done by this weekend.

Oops! I just realized that I can't make it at 10pm - how about 11pm Eastern instead?

I'm here now.

Terry, it won't win any awards but here is what you wanted: "something by Monday." http://www.spring.com/~amy/texaltel/legstart.html

Thanks! I'll take a look right now!

Now take out the word Texaltel because they don't want their name in it. Make up a cool name or something (it's a legal issue) and create a conference for this website. Whatever you name it, make an account with that name, and place it in that account. Do you know how to use adduser?

Spoke to soon, you're way ahead of me, the site looks great. I wonder how they'll react to the fuzzy Texas thing, it's interesting, they'll love it or hate it. I can't make up my mind. Now I see you already created a conference. Thanks! I'll continue looking at it and give a more considered repsonse later on after I've had a better look. So far, I'm impressed.

A name I thought of his texasgovt.com so you could create an account called texasgovt and put the site there. This is just an *example* think of something short, catchy and easy to remember that is not a registered domain that shows up in a whois search. If you can't come up with anything better, sue texasgovt, but I'm hoping you can come up with a better name. Brainstorm time. Great program on PBS now about women in computing. Have you ever heard of Amy Bruckmann who started the MIT MediaMOO? She was on there.

Terry, aren't they obliged to say who they are? Special interest group, lobbying laws and all? They should check it out.

They said to keep their name out of it at least in this demo site. Can you think of a name? We *urgently* need the services of someone who knows how to set up a realaduio server so childrenstory will work. Will you please put the word out and ask around tomorrow. Jonathan is pushing me hard on this.

Amy, what's the feedback from Sherry. I suggested that she call you and get the url from you for the work you did.

We are on track now. She did not know I was not on staff, that's why I wanted you to talk to her first and explain. But we are cool. She will be getting the info from the test senator soon. I understand now why they do not want an index page. Will revise and fill you in more.

I left a message for Sherry at her house today. She's working from home. Icyyy here!

I put a gif in (of all places) the childrenstory site of Senator Lucio. And Sherry is going to be sending along some copy by email. Before we sign the final agreement, I would like to review it with y'all who are working on the site (Amy and Kath) because it involves compensation issues. There's a copy of it in the Texaltel account on wwww.spring.com.

Before we sign the final agreement, I would like to review it with y'all who are working on the site (Amy and Kath) because it involves compensation issues. There's a copy of it in the Texaltel account on wwww.spring.com. It's the homepag2.txt file, Terry?

I put a gif in (of all places) the childrenstory site of Senator Lucio. __ Where, Terry? I don't see it anywhere -- not in /~child or in the /www/webdocs path.

It is that file. I'll go look for it again and come back and post where it is.

] look for it again and come back ___ Okay, th anks.