Please add your name and any comments if you support this campaign and believe that CouchSurfing should be more open.
Update 07-May-2007: While this petition is primarily intended for the general idea of a more Open Couchsurfing, you need not agree with all of our individual campaigns. You’re welcome to indicate which ideas you like or dislike, as some people have already done.
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/chmac
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/charisis
I support this campaign with all my heart.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/tgoorden
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/guaka
I totally support this campaign. It’s about time CS takes a change in these matters.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/arrepiadd
You have my support.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/morgant
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/dante
“Please add your name and any comments if you support this campaign and believe that CouchSurfing should be more open.”
I support that campaign to help CouchSurfing become more open. However, “more open” could be interpreted in many ways. I disagree with some of the suggestions in the wiki such as open source code, but I agree with some of the others such as transparency.
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign.
I’m on board.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/midsch
I want CS to be more open
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/pablobd
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/robino
I support this campaign.
I support definitely CS being more open. I feel a great sense of responsibility being in a position to help make this even more possible. The CS “core” team has been working a lot lately on just this thing. Thanks for the continued support and enthusiasm!
I support this campaign and hope it can move forward smoothly.
Someone erased my signature from the wiki. I demand an Open-OpenCouchsurfing.com where my data isn’t removed without my consent. Aside from that I support this.
g
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/adia
I m with you!
Gardner: sorry we moved the petition page from the Wiki to the Blog. We figured blog comments would probably be more accessible to users that are not familiar with Wiki’s. Our apologies that we didn’t realize this earlier (but to be fair, we weren’t “officially launched” back then).
I totally support this campaign !!
http://thecouchsurfingbuilding2.hyperboards.com/
I support this campaign
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/steff
Sooooo what do we offer as pragmatic and practical solutions for openess now?
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/vvas
I support this campaign. If CS is not 100% open, it risks having history repeat itself.
I support this!
I support this campaign with a breath of fresh air and thank those involved.
I too.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/mathieu
sounds hot
good ideas
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/todointx
Support yes.
i fully support this petition. in fact, i was surprised that cs is much less open than i thought.
meinhard aka planetcruiser.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/planetcruiser
I support parts of this campaign.
• Open Source campaign: I will not support the Open Source campaign until all concerns of the current admins and members of the developer team have been responded to reasonably and a feasible action plan by those defending open source has been developed.
• Transparency campaign: I support leadership being publicly accountable for their actions, and forming a clear and open communication structure empowering other volunteers taking charge in their area of expertise.
• An NDA that respects volunteers and protects members: I support an NDA that protects the intellectual property of the volunteers – it should be possible to recycle ideas you have had while volunteering for the organization even if the CS-specific implementation of them remains within CS.
• Open Organization campaign: Partial support. I believe in creating an organizational structure than enables maximum level of participation with minimal hierarchy, and builds upon already existing networks of expertise within the organization, as identified by those involved in day-to-day volunteering. I do not believe this structure is necessarily best created by elections.
• CouchSurfing Member Rights campaign: Support withheld until more information is available.
I would like to see CS become a self-governing community with its leaders accountable in some way to the broader community. I strongly support the ideals of openness, transparency and fairness while recognizing that a balance must be struck to protect the privacy and security of members.
We support this petition.
We are not admins, nor insiders- we are ordinary users.
Ordinary users care deeply about administrative issues- It was administrative issues that cuased the failure of Couchsurfing 1.0, no?
The fact that the current architecture of the “community” seems to have all the decisions being made by a small group of folks who may- just may- not be the hottest guns in the community represents at the very least a lost opportunity. We have over 200,000 folks and, it is possible, opening things up will cause an inflow of brilliant people eager to help fix the load issues, upgrade the backend and etc.
Also, the site seems entierly to lack https… The 16 admins we have in place haven’t been able to install even that minimal amout of security?
Enough.
We are loyal users and support this effort.
The Roadstars
I’m 100% with Anu.
Furthermore I have my reservations on how this whole campaign is done, but I don’t want to get into that
I fully support this petition
w!m
Go for it!!!
Good idea that should be carried out with respect and care to what CouchSurfing is today and the effort the founders have put into it!
(And I also think that it is wrong to think other organizations such as Hospitality Club are competitors! Isn’t it all about meeting new people and broadening our cultural horizons?!)
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/calum
I support this campaign, maybe not the way of doing it but with most points i agree.
Pieter ter Berg - A developer waiting for proper NDA (none?).
I support this campaign. NDAs and trade secrets and non-compete clauses have no place in collaborative projects. What would we be competing for? More users? Supremacy in the hospitality service realm? I support this campaign and its goals in their entirety - I can’t see myself contributing to anything but a truly open community.
Aaron - CS Ambassador
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/ezod
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/taleb
=-right on people
I totally support this campaign. It is really much needed.
Going in detail about every single sub-campaigns:
- I need to think more about making all CS code open source now (though I think we should start releasing some parts soon).
- I support the campaign for a better NDA
- I support the Transparency campaign
- I support the Open Organization campaign
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/phauly
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/bertus_1
I support this campaign.
i feel that the ideals that CS purports to uphold is totally in contradiction to many things in its actual functioning.
a lot of the excuses people are giving for the lack of effective dissemination of information seem weak as most of us working with actual non-profit voluntary organisations know. clarity and transparency are keystones of organisations which serve a certain ideal and attract volunteer work based on that.
a voluntary organisation has to operate respecting completely the idealogy that the volunteers believe in, as that and only that make them volunteer. the volunteers should have rights over the work they do, as should the organisation. i do not even begin to comprehend where is the conflict.
the non-compete clause, though it has nothing to do with me, is also a clear divergence from what i perceive should be the core concept of something like CS. i am surprised that we have ‘competitors’? or isn’t knowledge free under the definitions of CS? or may be i AM mistaken?
I support this campaign
I support this campaign
as long as there is no due process, no bill of rights, no transparency, no accountability and no opnness and no formal decision making process, it is not a community… openness and transparency, accountability and due process are the foundation of community…
That is the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of Independance, the Iroquois Great Peace, The Confederation of Switzerland, the Basic Law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and how communities in every culture have operated since before history… Persian irrigation engineering operated this way 6,000 years ago and the system still worked in the Sultanate of Oman throughout the 20th Century…Chinese miners built salt wells more than a kilometer deep until the Emperor nationalized all the wells dug and put them under bureacratic control, at which time miners stopped digging them. A kilometer deep wasn’t achieved in Europe until 500 years later.
Democracy works and works best.
the butterfly’s soft landing…in the tea kettle!- Issa, 1819 http://cat.xula.edu/issa/
http://www.tiwiguide.com/ http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=B6D9H5
We do not inherit it; we borrow the Earth from our children: Native American wisdom.
The only immorality is not to do what one has to do when one has to do it: Jean Anouilh
I support this campaign. It’s the best way to continue the evolution of our community.
I support this campaign. NDAs suck.
I support this campagne, because it’s the way that people should live whit eachother.
hellls yeah i suppppport it!
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign 100%.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=1PEQ5HF
Interesting posts about related topics:
Community Couches:
http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/en/CommunityCouch
CS Revolution:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=3570&post=141273
New Survey:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=3570&post=178853
“New leadership Circle”: http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=1589&post=202762
I am in full support of an open, effective, transparent CS. I am dedicated to making this a reality in the leadership of CS. I don’t support this entire campaign, but I agree about and am working on a better communication policy within the org.
i support this campaign!
riggety rockity — full support, my brothers and sisters. furthermore, i’m ready to make a blitz through the code to secure parts up for public release at any time.
NO MORE “IN CROWD”.
In support.
I support this campaign!
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/adretti
I support this campaign!
In the addition to my comment above (http://www.opencouchsurfing.org/petition/#comment-44)
* I don’t agree with all the methods used in this campaign and especially the recent rather hostile notifications of press releases
* I’m a CS developer, Global Ambassador, been to a couple of collectives (so could be perceived as part of establishment) - yet I support parts of this campaign. Should tell you something?
* Additionally, I fully support
-financial transparency campaign (here’s some info: it IS being worked on, but as always, without a tangible timeline)
-Transparency campaign
* My CS profile: http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=4XU3XP
I support this campaign!
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign, mainly my concerns are about the financial transparency.
In Italy CS would not be labeled as “non-profit” organisation.
as I stated before we need to know where money goes! The financial situations posted on the website are not enough to understand what is going on.
We totally agree with the idea of VOTING for our own ambassadors in each country, about having transparency and equal rights in decision making and access to information.
We had just enough of “private groups”, “boys bands” and “licking the ambassador’s ass” attitudes. This is not some capitalist’s private company. Couchsurfing is nobody’s private property, it belongs to it’s surfers.
Yours, Maria & Paris
Yes I do support this campaign.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/bru
I do support this campaign, too.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/folletto
Also I support this campaign
I support this campaign.
I wholeheartedly support this petition
yes with heart.
I support this petition.
Wasn’t CS and HC supposed about people and openness? Now it’s about egos, competition and power I guess. Soon we’ll have a private army?
I support the campaign on the following rationale:
The mission of CS is
“about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!”
If this is so then I cannot understand why there is the need for secrecy on the code and therefore the necessity for an NDA and especially for a non-compete clause. The more people sharing the code the better for stability and development reasons. If there are specific security concerns about leaking private data there should be a procedure covering it. Other than that I would really like to know why it is necessary to have an NDA with a non-compete clause.
I have to be persuaded of its need and I believe I am speaking on behalf of all people signing this petition.
Regarding “Democracy”, I am all for it but I doubt it will ever be instituted on this massive scale. What is more feasible is some sort of selection for people who will have specific obligations and will have accountability for their actions.
We have opened the pandora’s box… According to the ancient Greek myth all evils were loose on the world because of this. But in the end there was also hope.
I believed in the possibility of making a better world one couch at a time and I still do. Lets hope that when all the dust settles down what is left can carry this mission forward…
YESYESYES!!
I support this campaign completely. Speaking as a web developer, I really can’t understand the desire for an NDA and, indeed, I cant stand the desire for an NDA.
It would seem that such a move towards secrecy and “intellectual property” is an extremely shortsighted move, both on a business level and with regards to the future of the movement. Do they really think the strength of Couch Surfing is in the lines of code themselves? Do they think that someone can dive into this “market” and do some sort of rival “thing” just like that, without all the networks and support and volunteering and goodwill that had made CS like this?
I now feel suspicious that some sort of “realisation of assets” might take place sooner later and a certain group of people make walk away very rich, leaving CS in the hands of some corporate multinational. And who would pay big money for such a thing without some kind of aggressive “revenue structure”? And how will we know about any of this with an “inner circle” and an NDA?
Couch Surfing has become too important to let something like this happen. Perhaps this is the one thing guaranteed to provoke someone to create a rival, an open-source rival?
i support this campaign.
I support the campaign. I want Couchsurfing-Community to be open to everyone who wants to participate and I want the site to become free software.
I support this campaign.
I support (de les tipota!)
I support this campaign:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/horrendus
support!
I support this campain, being totaly covered by Manny’s reasons, and to the same level!
I support this campaign. Tragiko to “proposed NDA”
My CS profile: http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=1IWHD80
change is life: and everything has its time: but I had so much hope and faith after Phoenix CS 2 and the failure to keep the promises made then is as unfortunate as it gets: for us to keep faith with them, they have to keep faith with us: open, transparent, accountable, any less is against my most deeply help principles and values and that was what was promised at Phoenix CS 2 way back when.
My whole life has been in service to the principles of the CS I thought I knew then, and anything less than that isn’t worth the grief and the effort. Everything comes in its time and everything goes in its time. Adieu Phoenix. Godspeed. Welcome Country Fried Phoenix, newest brand in town. New secret recipe. Try it. You’ll enjoy it. That is an order.
I support this campaign.
I thought CS was a non-profit hospitality exchange community… I really hope it will not end up as a capitalistic organisation… I thought things like NDAs are only applicable to a business or corporation…
Don’t forget… People are more important than money…
OUT with the “In Crowd”, IN with “Open CouchSurfing”!
I support this campaign. And I’m still holding out hope. I think the integrity of the mission statement and CS as a whole is best served by a more open and democratic infrastructure.
I’d like to see some more nuts-and-bolts suggestions of what people would like to see the CS core be. I feel criticism works best when it offers an alternative.
My CS profile: http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=1JGL8DA
I do support this campaign, especially considerating the lack of real answers from the CS’s elite…
I’ve been reading and following the last events and I’m deeply astonished by the indifference showed by the actual and unfortunately factual rulers of a site which should be, by definition, open:
“Is CouchSurfing free? Absolutely…”
“We make the world a better place by opening…”
“As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to make the world a better place…”
Just a few samples, maybe only slogans.
Just do it.
All the very best.
Moxli
I find this impasse hard to believe; I never would’ve even *wondered*
about the right approach to a community such as CS.
Put differently: The views expressed on OCS to me are plainly obvious,
or self-evident, or whatever my dictionary translates it to. I can only
hope common sense will prevail in the long run, if not on CS.com itself,
then on bewelcome.org.
Narka,
Tom
I support this campaign.
sure, got my support. do not have enough spare cycles to get involved, though.
thumbs up!
I suport a more open Couchsurfing.com
Completely support the OpenCouchSurfing Project!
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/xoninhas
Let’s hope it does any good!
For an open process.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/schaf
An open, transparent, and responsive process is essential for such an important community as CouchSurfing!
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/AbrahamHaim
I support this campaign.
I support this campaign bacause i believe CS’s mission should be making our world smaller by helping people to travel.
In the CS Brainstorm group I’ve yet agreed with the OpenCS Campaigns, Security Concerns and Modus Operandi. Now I do it on OpenCouchsurfing.
I support the NDA, Transparency, and Member Rights campaigns fully. I support the Open Organization campaign partially, I am opposed to elections and full democracy (AKA tyranny by majority). I support a controlled migration to Open Source in stages and with both time and a timetable.
…
I also think this form should be changed to accept my perfectly valid email address (davis couch@ followed by a domain; is a legal character) so I don’t have to enter rubbish instead.
Ah, of course, the plus-sign is stripped. It’s the character I was talking about, in my email address before “couch”.
I am in full support.
I’m supporting.
I have a natural interest to know what I’m buying into an what I’m investing myself into.
So I can’t just go “baaahh! Two legs baaaaad, four legs good!, nor the opposite.
Finding a sustainable position would start with proper information.
And information management, call it transparency or accountability is yes something that could be done better within Couchsurfing as it is at the moment. This is a point I agree on.
I also agree that a volunteer’s degree of involvement in a work/development/construction process should automatically open their access to the necessary information. That’s the minimum claim for a functioning collaboration climate. If this is not given, it’s a MAJOR bug in the org structure, leading to repeated frustration of volunteers working their best time and ideas to waste.
I am, however, not sure, whether all kind of information must be open to anyone who is just interested in knowing, but not in doing.
(This is a general reflection.) In the present case, discussion is going on about opening up the sourcecode for reading, not for changes on the server, and never at all the database with all the couchsurfers’ confidential data. It’s jst about the construction plan. Okay, I’m not a tekkie, so I will never understand the sourcecode. But I understand that a team whose members are informed about the way their construction works, will be much faster and more effective both in communicating ideas and in actually progressing.
I also believe, that in a diffusely unproductive situation, an escalation is suitable to lead to a decision that makes it possible to reorientate and go on. I do NOT believe, that the immediate result of such an escalation should be allowed to harden, because this only leads to confirming a new set of debilitating, suboptimal structures.
So I welcome the debate, but I wish for fairness and assumption of goodwill on both sides. An “us vs them” is a loss setting on both sides.
I’m leaving it up to time to decide whether the recent cutback to a manageable board of fully informed (?) people will enable them to tackle and promote what a big (and up til lately growing) team of provisorically, but task-relatedly self-educated and fragmentarily, but actively interconnected volunteers had been juggling and giving a new heart to since the Crash in July 2006. Good or bad idea? Cleanup? Reatardation? Damage? We’ll see.
I deeply hope that the paths which seem to fork out these days will not get fences but have a satisfactory reunion at a near crossroad.
Disclaimer: BY THE WAY! I COULD ALSO BE SOMEONE ELSE. THIS FORUM IS OPEN FOR ANYONE UNDER ANY NAME. End of disclaimer
I fully support any initiative to make CS a more open, accountable and trustworthy organisation. Currently, I believe this is severely lacking within the founder/admin community.
I think that CS should be more open
Count me in
Chris