NJGenWeb Project Bylaws & Policy (Officially Adopted on March 15, 2007)
(A) GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
A1. The NJGenWeb Project is a volunteer-driven project, consisting of coordinators who create and maintain web sites of a genealogical and historical nature about New Jersey, free of charge.
A2. The NJGenWeb Project is composed of an elected State Coordinator ("SC"), one or more Assistant State Coordinator(s) ("ASC"), Local Coordinators aka County Coordinators ("CC") and Town Coordinators ("TC") [also herein referred to as "members"].
A3. All Coordinators (aka "Members") of the NJGenWeb Project, by accepting their volunteer position, inherently agree to abide by the Guidelines, Bylaws, and Policies of USGenWeb, and NJGenWeb, in order to remain part of this NJGenWeb Project.
A4. Members of the NJGenWeb Project do not solicit, nor do they directly accept money, products, or services from their web site visitors, in return for access to information located on our web sites [this does not include linked information to external web sites].
A5. Members, with the approval of the SC, may host their web site at the location of their choice. It is preferred that Coordinators use the free Ancestry-Rootsweb server. When using Rootsweb servers to host a NJGenWeb site, coordinators may be required to provide web server log-in information to the State Coordinator (to be kept on file). Should a coordinator decide not to continue providing that web site, any Rootsweb-located web sites (but not necessarily its contents) will remain the "property" of the NJGenWeb. Coordinators who maintain NJGenweb web sites on Rootsweb will not request a password change without first contacting the State Coordinator.
(B) VOTING PRIVILEGES AND BYLAW/POLICY CHANGES
B1. In ALL NJGenWeb elections and voting events, there may be only one vote per member, regardless of how many county or town sites a member hosts.
B3. Only NJGenWeb members may suggest changes to the BYLAWS, POLICIES and PROCEDURES. Members of NJGenWeb may submit changes or additions, as individual articles, to these bylaws and policies by endorsing a change with (5) five sponsoring representatives (no two from the same county) for a general vote by the membership. This endorsement will be made to the NJGEN mailing list, and subsequently submitted for a vote at the next monthly mailing list roll-call. Two-thirds of those voting must vote in favor of the change in order for it to become effective. The SC/ASC may submit a Bylaw or Policy article for review, input and/or voting at any regularly scheduled roll call.
B4. When Bylaw or Policy articles are submitted for a voting roll call, two weeks shall be allowed for member responses.
B4. The accepted NJGenWeb Bylaws, Policies and Procedures will be posted in a public place, such as on the NJGenWeb's state web site.
(C) RESIGNATIONS AND REPLACEMENTS:
C1. In the case that an SC resigns, or if an SC is missing in action ("MIA") for 2 months or longer, the remaining NJGenWeb members may duly elect a new SC.
C2. In the case that there are Co-SCs, both having been elected [see "Electing a State Coordinator" for details], should one of the SCs resign or become MIA, the remaining SC will complete the term as sole SC.
C3. If there are extenuating circumstances relating to an SC's absence, with a great probability that absence is temporary, the Members of NJGenWeb may opt, by a majority roll call vote (the majority of those voting in the affirmative) in the mailing list, to delay a new SC election for up to a maximum of 90 days.
C4. In the case that a CC resigns, or is missing in action (MIA) for 2 months or longer, the SC may reassign the web site to a new coordinator. The SC is not bound by a strict 60 day waiting period to consider a coordinator MIA. The SC is encouraged to continue attempting communication for 90 days before placing the county site up for adoption. [This means that although the SC must wait a
minimum 60 days prior to determining a CC is MIA, the SC may wait 90Â or more days, at their discretion, should the SC believe the CCs return is imminent.]
C5. Any member of the NJGenWeb may nominate themselves, or another member, to run for the position of SC. If nominated by anyone other than themselves, the nominee must accept the nomination in writing (email) in order to be considered a candidate.
C6. There are no limitations as to how often a member may be elected to the SC position of the NJGenWeb Project.
C7. Following an election, the SC will appoint one or more ASC(s), who will have equal access to, and knowledge of password/log-ins to the state's web site and email/mailing list, and any other important NJGen-related information.
C8. In the case of the resignation or a 60-day absence of the SC, the ASC will become the acting SC, for a maximum of 30 days, in order to facilitate a new election. If there is more than one ASC, the Co-ASCs will serve jointly. The ASC(s) may not complete the SC's unfilled term of office, however an ASC may run for election, and be elected the new SC.
C9. Should the majority of voting members within the NJGenWeb Project decide, BEFORE the next scheduled election, that the duly elected SC, or the ASC as the acting SC, is not adequately fulfilling the needs of the SC position, a minimum of one half of the total number of voting members should propose publicly, in the NJGEN mailing list, that they are requesting a new election for SC take place. When this occurs, the SC (or in the SC's absence, the ASC) should, within 7 days, request assistance from USGenWeb National Advisory Board. The USGenWeb guidelines currently in force will be used to determine whether the SC or ASC should be removed. The USGenWeb guidelines state that "State Coordinators and Assistant State Coordinators are subject to possible removal by a 2/3 vote of the Advisory Board and a 2/3 vote of the Local Coordinators within the state. A quorum of 75% of the Local Coordinators shall participate in order for the vote to be binding." [USGenWeb Bylaws, Article 7, Section 9].
C10. The state web site of the NJGenWeb Project will be hosted on Rootsweb, and NOT on a privately-owned server accessible only by or owned by the current SC/ASC. All information contained on the state web site remains the collective property of the NJGenWeb Project and its Members, and may not be copyrighted by any individual member or SC/ASC of the NJGenWeb Project.
(D) NJGENWEB COMMUNICATION:
D1. The NJGEN mailing list, although limited to member subscription, maintains archives that are viewable by the general public. Personal information about a member, other than their name and email address, will not be divulged on this email list. Prohibited information includes their age, residence, telephone number, names of family members, etc. SCs or CCs who wish to publicly post information about themselves may do so, but it is not recommended.
D2. The SC and ASC(s) are the moderators of, and will maintain, the NJGEN mailing list.
D3. Every effort will be made to ensure politeness and courtesy toward other members when posting on the NJGEN mailing list. Any member who uses vulgar or strongly rude, offensive, sexist or racist language in the mailing list may be moderated and/or removed from that mailing list. The SC, as moderator, (or acting ASC in the SC's absence) will have the final decision on whether to moderate, remove, or take no action, depending on the severity of the situation. By requesting membership in the NJGenWeb, coordinators accept these guidelines.
D4. The SC is responsible for removing links from the state web site, as appropriate, to web sites which fail to meet the established guidelines/standards for The NJGenWeb Project or to websites which display inappropriate content. [USGenWeb Bylaws, Article XII, Section 6]
D5. If you have a grievance with any member of the NJGenWeb project, concerted effort should be made to resolve such conflict directly with that member in a courteous and respectful way. If your issue is not resolved, according to USGenWeb Guidelines, "All members of The USGenWeb Project have the right to request that the Advisory Board advise on issues related to grievances and appeals and to mediate, if necessary." The first point of contact beyond the SC of NJGebWeb should be one or more of the board representatives from our region [Southeast/Mid-Atlantic].
(E) ADOPTING NJGENWEB COUNTIES AND CITIES/TOWNS
E1. When a new volunteer requests to adopt a county or town, they are screened by the SC (or CC for town adoptions) for appropriateness. This screening will include factors directly relating to their ability to adopt an area of the NJGenWeb Project, such as, but not limited to, literacy, web site creation/editing ability, and response time to email.
E2. If a current coordinator requests to adopt an additional county or a town not within their current area, other factors such as whether they have followed the NJGenWeb web site guidelines for their current site(s), may be taken into consideration to determine their appropriateness to adopt additional NJGenWeb sites. A current coordinator does not inherently take precedence over a new volunteer if both request to coordinate the same county or area.
E3. County Coordinators may, but are NOT required, to offer TOWN web sites for adoption. Those CCs who do so, are NOT required to share their county web space (or login and password) in order to provide web space to TCs, regardless of the precedent set by the previous CC.
E4. Town Coordinators will be interviewed and approved by the appropriate county coordinator, who will in turn inform the SC of their email address, so they may be added to the NJGEN mailing list.
(F) NJGENWEB GOALS
The goals of NJGenWeb are:
F1. to provide high quality, New Jersey genealogy and history-related information n web sites that assist the research needs of our visitors;
F2. to provide creative autonomy for NJGenWeb Coordinators, while setting basic standards.
(G) NJGENWEB BASIC COORDINATOR REQUIREMENTS
G1. Every NJGenWeb site MUST meet the following Basic Requirements in order to be associated with the Project and linked to the NJGenWeb State web site.
G2. A Local Coordinator [CC and TC] is REQUIRED to:
G2a. answer roll call (as the need arises).
G2b. maintain a subscription to the NJGEN mailing list for discussion of NJGenWeb business. [Note: the SC/ASC will add the coordinator's name to the mailing list when they become a project member. The coordinator is then responsible for keeping the SC/ASC aware of their current email address, and for reading/reviewing that email on a regular basis. This is a national requirement, USGenWeb Bylaws, Article XI, Section 2.]
G2c. provide (to the State Coordinator or acting SC) a contact telephone #Â and mailing address.
G2d. maintain links to both the NJGenWeb and USGenWeb web sites on their county or town web site(s). [Note: This is a national requirement, USGenWeb Bylaws, Article XI, Section 3]
G2e. display both NJGenWeb and USGenWeb logos (with links back to their respective web sites) on your MAIN or FIRST page. Sites adopted after June 1, 2006 must place these logos within the top 1/3 of the page, or in a manner that the SC agrees is "in a prominent location." [Note: USGenWeb standards are to place the USGenWeb logo in a "prominent location" on a web site.]
G2f. insure that ALL pages of your web site are identified as being (part of) a project of the NJGenWeb (for example, name of county, state, AND either the text NJGenWeb, or the project logo w/link in a prominent location)
G2g. insure that all pages of the web site contain a link back to your main/first page.
G2h. include and maintain queries, or a link to same on your web site.
G2i. provide a link to the NJGenWeb state web site's "List of Counties" page.
G2j. provide a link to the NJGenWeb state web site's "Research" page.
G2k. update your web site at least once every three (3) months.
G2l. display your email address, or link to an email form that works with the major web browsers, at least on the main/first page of your web site.
G2m. display the words, "Last Updated" [and date last updated] on the MAIN/FIRST page of your web site.
G2n. if your web site includes a copyright date, the current year must be included (for example, 'copyright 2008' or 'Copyright 2001-2008' etc.)
G2n. have no commercial advertising or selling, on the MAIN/FIRST page of any county or town site. [these are national guidelines]. You may, however, provide a link to, or logo of your web server host, if they provide your web space free of charge, and/or a link to a web site where you obtained your graphics (and the provider states in writing that you are required to link to them). This includes no links to Ancestry.com products or services, but NOT including a single link to Rootsweb if it provides your web site's server space.
G2o. have no logos of similar "free information" projects on your main page.
G3. A Coordinator is RESPONSIBLE for:
G3a. following the USGenWeb Guidelines for County Coordinators
G3b. notifying the NJGenWeb SC when you will be unavailable for an extended time
G3c. notifying the NJGenWeb SC if you change your email address, mailing address or phone number
G3d. maintaining and updating your assigned web site(s) to meet all of the basic requirements outlined here
G3e. responding to SC/ASC and web site visitor email, in a timely manner
G3f. notifying the NJGenWeb SC of new Town Coordinators, and/or changes in their status.
G3g. keeping informed about USGenWeb issues by subscribing to various regional and national USGenWeb mailing lists (recommended, but optional).
(G4) A State Coordinator/ASC is RESPONSIBLE for:
G4a. following the USGenWeb Guidelines for State Coordinators
G4b. maintaining and updating the NJGEN mailing list
G4c. maintaining and updating the NJGenWeb state web site
G4d. keeping basic records on the current status of the NJGenWeb Project (such as names of coordinators and their email addresses).
G4e. assisting electioneers (as described in the "Election of a State Coordinator" section) in the election process when appropriate
G4f. assigning adoptable counties to interested volunteers, and assisting in their transition to NJGenWeb coordinator.
G4g. responding to email sent to the NJGenWeb state web site in a timely manner.
G4h. informing CCs and TCs of urgent NJGenWeb issues, via the NJGen mailing list.
G4i. informing the USGenWeb hierarchy of urgent issues in NJGenWeb, such as changes due to elections or resignations.
(H) General Statements (not binding or mandatory):
[for further discussion by coordinators]
-- H1. Web site content is important. As much as links to web sites providing information can sometimes be helpful, NJGenWeb's intent is not to become another "List of Links." Rather our goal is to offer high quality content. If you need assistance locating original, and/or not copyrighted content to add to your web site, please contact the STATE COORDINATOR who will assist you, or ask where you can locate material resources by posting on the NJGEN mailing list.
-- H2. Coordinators should be willing to help those who are seeking genealogical help related to the County or Town that they are coordinating. Responding to an email inquiry in a courteous manner is expected. Coordinators are not required to perform research at a visitor's request. Coordinators should provide guidance as they are able or willing to offer.
[NOTE: THERE IS NO "I" SECTION"]
(J) ELECTION OF A STATE COORDINATOR
J1. The NJGenWeb SC is elected for a two-year term.
J2. Normal preparation for the election of a new New Jersey State Coordinator (SC) should begin approximately two months prior to the date the new SC is to take office.
J3. The tentative date to begin the NJGenWeb election process is on or about February 1st. March 1st should be the date at which nominations for the position of SC are officially closed. This is followed by a two-week (or 15 day) period for campaigning, following again by a two-week (or 15 day) period for voting. The goal should be to have a newly elected SC to begin their term beginning April 1st.
J4. Starting about February 1st of each election year, the SC, or the Acting SC(s) will work to obtain/set up an election committee as further defined in this election section.
J5. In the event an SC steps down from this position prior to the expiration of the election term, the Assistant State Coordinator(s) (ASC) shall perform the duties of the SC and shall be known as the Acting State Coordinator (Acting SC) until an election can be held.
J6. The USGW Election Committee (EC) will be asked to conduct the election. If the EC is unavailable, two advisors of our South/Mid-Atlantic Region, will be asked to serve as electioneers, or if they refuse, any 2 non-NJ individuals as shown at http://www.usgenweb.org/about/advisoryboard.html.
J7. The current SC or the current Acting SC, or in the absence of both, the electioneers themselves, will prepare a complete list of all voting members with working email addresses, and insure that all voting members are subbed to the NJGEN mailing list. Copies of the state membership list will be provided to the electioneers.
J8.The electioneers will be subscribed to the NJGEN mailing list for the duration of the election.
J9. One additional non-candidate NJGenWeb member may be selected by the electioneers, to assist them with the election process, if desired.
J10. A period of two weeks will be provided for nominations. In the event the current SC has stepped down prior to a regular election, a shorter nomination period may be agreed to by the state members by discussion on the state mailing list. The email addresses of the electioneers will be provided, via the NJGEN mailing list, to all state members. State members will send nominations privately to the electioneers.
J11. Information to be provided to the electioneers will be:
(1) Name of the nominee
(2) Position of the nominee within the state
(3) Current email address of the nominee.
J12. The nominees will be contacted directly by the electioneers to determine if they will accept the nomination and become a candidate for the position of SC. Nominees must be voting members of the NJGenWeb (as defined in the NJGenWeb bylaws) in order to be considered a candidate.
J13. In the event there is only one candidate for an election, the NJGENweb members will be notified of same on their NJGEN mailing list, along with a final 3-day (72 hour) call for additional nominees, and a statement that if no additional nominees are offered, the sole candidate will be declared the winner. At the end of the 3-day period, if no additional nominees have been nominated and approved, the electioneers will declare that candidate the winner, without having to hold an election.
J14. If two or more candidates are confirmed, there will be a one week campaign period within which the candidates shall be allowed to post to the state mailing list their campaign messages and enter into discussions with the current state members regarding their opinions and positions on issues within the state. Once this time period expires, then a 14 day voting period begins with the official posting to the NJGEN mailing list that same has begun, providing the beginning and ending date and times of said period.
J15. Votes shall be sent privately to both electioneers. Votes are always held in the highest of confidence, known only to the two impartial electioneers.
J16. At the end of the voting period, the electioneers will reconcile the votes, and announce the results on the NJGEN mailing list. The winner shall be the person with the greatest number of votes.
J17. In the case of a tie for first place, a run-off election of one week in duration will be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
J18. In the unlikely event of a second tie, (as described in section
J17), the two candidates will be asked to serve as Co-SCs, dividing responsibilities. If EITHER of the Co-SCs indicate that they do not want to serve jointly, the electioneers will arrange a "coin flip," using a fair method of their choosing, to randomly select an SC from the two candidates. This "coin-flip" type of selection is binding, with the decision being final.
J19. In the case when Co-SCs exist, an ASC appointment is not needed. However an ASC may also be appointed if both the Co-SC's mutually agree on a person to fill that position.
