Kiva Community Conference Call with Premal Shah, Jan 14th 2009 - Discussion

[Guest]

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[AccountAbility]

I won't be posting on KivaFriends the information I have referred to in the newsletter as we have a timeline which we are sticking to, for business reasons.  I'm sure you all understand that I need to keep to the timeline that we've agreed to internally. 

Would someone please translate this for me?  Its communication throughput is zero.

Dan

[Sengbe Pieh]

It's Australian for BS, Mate!! 

                                                                                                                           

EDIT: I apologize if anyone thought this comment was meant to be mean-spirited; it was not.

It was in reference to the Paul Hogan/Crocodile Dundee Foster's beer saying "Fosters - It's Australian for beer, mate!"

It was in response to Dan's query concerning that somewhat indecipherable, circumlocutious gobbledygook that left me equally confused & was only meant to inject a (very) little humor.

Once again I apologize if anyone was offended.

[Fiona Ramsey]

Dan -

I'm sorry you didn't understand what I was trying to say.  I was responding to your request that I post on KivaFriends information which Kiva is including in the January newsletter but has not yet posted anywhere else.

My response is that I will not be doing that.  My comment "I'm sure you all understand that I need to keep to the timeline that we've agreed to internally" was attempting to explain that at Kiva we've made decisions around when to announce certain things, and I'm going to stick to those decisions that we've made.  I was attempting to explain that this is not just a random decision on my part, but relates to an internal timeline at Kiva. 

I hope that clears up any confusion you had about my response.  If you are still confused, please feel free to PM my and I can explain further. 

Best,

Fiona

[YowieFreak]

It sounds like it translates to "If we were a listed company we would place ourselves in a temporary Trading Halt until we have released the information but, because we aren't, we can't discuss the matter any further until we release it to everyone at once via the newsletter.  In the meantime, our lawyers are busily picking through what we have written with a fine-tooth comb."

Am I paranoid?  Hopefully.

[Canadian Here]

Sounds about right, Geoff!

Thanks for the translation, btw.

Lorna

[Canadian Here]

It sounds like it translates to "If we were a listed company we would place ourselves in a temporary Trading Halt until we have released the information but, because we aren't, we can't discuss the matter any further until we release it to everyone at once via the newsletter.  In the meantime, our lawyers are busily picking through what we have written with a fine-tooth comb."

Am I paranoid?  Hopefully.

That explanation also sounds about right.

[Canadian Here]

By the way, Fiona...

How are you doing with preparing the draft release/waiver for the use of the photographs for the KIVA Calendar for next year?

Just wanted to give you a reminder since you failed to meet the deadline for the 2009 Calendar.

Thanks!

Lorna

[s_shewan]

I'm sorry to have to say this  ......  but the tone that some of the comments are taking here at Kiva Friends lately seem to becoming very Un-KivaFriend like. 


Susan

[YowieFreak]

I'm sorry to have to say this  ......  but the tone that some of the comments are taking here at Kiva Friends lately seem to becoming very Un-KivaFriend like. 

If my comment was one of the ones which gave a tone of un-KivaFriend-like-ness, I apologise unreservedly - both to the KivaFriend members who may have been upset and also, more importantly, to the staff at Kiva.

My comment regarding the translation of Fiona's remark as being related to some major announcement, with legal implications, was simply intended to say that - like all companies - Kiva may need to make an announcement to all people at once, without giving any special privilege to the people who just happen to be members of one particular website.  Unfortunately, those sort of announcements are rarely good news.

If it is the case that some such announcement (good or bad) is forth-coming, Fiona is doing exactly the right thing in refusing to discuss the matter any further in this forum.

Regards,
  Ian

[Natasha]

Speaking from the US west coast (PST) I cannot make it at 2pm (at work)...but neither could I make the 5pm (commuting). For me personally the weekend would be better....6-8am. But I don't think this should revolve around my schedule. As long as I can get a transcript I'm fine. I assume if there was a burning question I needed answered I would PM someone who was attending and have them ask in my place.

Because Kiva has participants from around the world (and its timezones) it is important that this is equally inconvenient for all of us. Maybe open a poll with different times and let people vote?  This world meeting planner may be helpful in locating a time that would work for most people.

- Joan

PS: Fiona, are you taking requests for the agenda? (topics rather than any specific question)

Thankyou Joan for the world meeting planner, it was a good idea

I was having a look at it and maybe next time it could be 1pm PST? That would make it 9pm for London, 8am for Melbourne and 10pm for Paris/Berlin/Amsterdam etc, allowing a somewhat more reasonable time for our European Lenders. It would also allow some of the US Lenders to be on call during a lunch break. Probably would be very inconvenient for our Tokyo& Perth Lenders (6am), Indonesian, Shanghainese & Singaporean Lenders (5am) - though I am not sure how many of them would want to participate.

Edit - Apologies I should have included that it would be 10am in Auckland, 4pm in New York