XR Guild Monthly Roundup

March 2022

Hey folks,

We just wrapped the monthly Q&A video chat on Wednesday this week and we held the first official board meeting today, electing the Guild’s officers and approving the bylaws. Holly Hirzel is Treasurer, Evo Heyning volunteered as Secretary and I’ll serve as President for starters. The board consists of me, Evo, and Damon Hernandez.

If you’re curious, here are the bylaws we adopted: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15M44iUP7Pt1v8yGGgqCqRjKXMEF_4GbwZm8H5Z80xGw/edit#heading=h.fbt8xqrufapb

The main things to remember are that our board members are slated to serve for two years, but we elect roughly half of them every year at our annual meeting (TBD). The unpaid’s board’s main job is to hire and fire the officers as needed. The officers are also unpaid, but we can revisit that if it becomes more of a job.

Holly is currently setting up our financial accounts, so we can handle recurring expenses and accept donations. We expect the total annual budget to be between $5k and $10k depending on what we all decide to do. The minimum is about $2k for administrative expenses. We won’t ask all members for explicit dues, but we’ll encourage everyone to donate what they can. We’ll know if this is tax deductible in a few months, hopefully.

We have two committees gearing up. One is looking at an “UNConference” in June right after AWE to have some in-person exchange of ideas in a much more collaborative format than keynotes and lectures. We also have a group looking at improving our website, including adding 3D elements and perhaps some storytelling around the Principles. If you want to help out, let us know. The next committee we need to establish is the finance committee, focused on fundraising.

The main task this spring is getting ready for a public launch at AWE, perhaps with a soft launch in May. We have to think about publicity and how we onboard new members. We’ve been accepted for a panel at AWE featuring our officers and directors to help answer audience questions. And look for a new Medium article soon discussing the how’s and why’s of the Guild for the uninitiated.

After a long year of planning and resolving open questions, we’re gearing up to make this Guild a great place to belong for the most ethical approaches to XR. We’re excited to have you join us on this journey.