Most things in OPA-Land are doing fairly well lately. One area, video of board meetings, is worse now than it was in 2004. Major improvement is needed. What passes these days for board video is somewhat of a joke.

The meeting a couple of months ago could be titled "The Many Faces of Frank Daly." The following meeting - "The Many Faces of Stuart Lakernick." Then every meeting since the election last September could be called "What Happened to Steve Jacobs, Colette Horn, and Frank Daly?" They rarely appear on the video when attending in person. Sometimes the most prominent part of the video is a twitching foot of an audience member.

There is only one way to describe the current OPA-produced board video -- it is terrible. Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is an example of what video viewers of the January 21, 2023 board meeting see for two hours on YouTube.

How did really good video coverage of board meetings evolve into the current mess? First came the use of an iPhone a few years ago, then the current craze of meetings displayed live over the Internet via Microsoft Teams. What's missing? A real person behind a real video camera with the capability to zoom in and out and pivot around on a tripod to focus on the entire board or just zoom in for a close shot of a speaking board member.

The Communications Committee obsesses with useless electronic signs and now perhaps spending money on drone video but ignores the most important communications tool available to association members and the Board of Directors -- video of board meetings.

What should OPA do? For starters, dump the Microsoft Teams software for board meetings. Have board members attend the meeting in person, or call in on a telephone conference call as was the case for decades. Forget the unnecessary approach that the meetings must be broadcast live. Data provided by OPA indicates association members have relatively little interest in attending in person or watching a meeting live on the Internet via Microsoft Teams.

For the December board meeting, 17 individuals attended in person; 18 through Microsoft Teams. January – 15 in person; 18 through Microsoft Teams. February – 10 in person; 19 through Microsoft Teams. By the end of any meeting, very few of those attending via Teams are to be found. They become bored and log off. The primary source of interest for Teams attendees seems to be possible fireworks during public comments.

Consider that the potential audience of association members is perhaps 15,000! The terrible video on YouTube, viewed after the meeting, often later the same day or the following day, is typically viewed by about 200 or more association members.

OPA should purchase something like the Sony FDR-AX700 camcorder for less than $2,000, put a human behind it, and do the board video properly, as it was initially done beginning in 2004 and continued for a decade or more. Experienced advice is available. No one asks. Excellent automated systems, such as one used by Worcester County Commissioners, are also an option but require a fixed location for meetings and the OPA board is always changing meeting locations.

Enjoy "The Many Faces of Frank Daly"  January 21 meeting below: