ACM SIG Bylaws: SIGWEB

BYLAWS of the Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.

  • Adopted: January 6, 2005

  • Amended: June 24, 2011

  • Amended: May 22, 2012

Article 1. Name and Scope

  1. This organization will be called the Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web (SIGWEB) of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. (the ACM); it will be referred to herein as "the Group."
  2. The scope of the Group's specialty is the concepts and technologies of linked information that were originally conceived as hypertext and are most famously realized on the Web. The Group's scope ranges widely and includes hypertext in all its forms, social networks, knowledge management, document engineering, digital libraries, and the Web as both an information tool and a social force. The Group encourages innovative research, open discussion of new ideas and the development of methodologies and standards through conferences and a variety of communication resources for its members and the world.

Article 2. Purpose

The Group is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and technical purposes in its specialty. Its services will include:

  1. Collecting and disseminating information in the specialty through a newsletter and other publications approved by the Publications Board of the ACM;
  2. Organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM;
  3. Sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops;
  4. Organizing working groups for education, research, and development;
  5. Serving as a source of technical information for the Council and subunits of the ACM;
  6. Serving as an external technical representative of the ACM when authorized by the Council or the Executive Committee of the ACM; and
  7. Working with other units of the ACM on technical activities such as lectureships or professional development seminars.

Article 3. Charter

The Group will exist until dissolved by the Council of the ACM as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM.

Article 4. Officers

  1. The Group's officers are the Chair, the Vice-Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer. The officers are elected for two-year terms beginning July 1 of odd-numbered years.
  2. The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading the Group and managing its activities. The duties of the Chair are:
    1. Calling and presiding at the Group's Executive Committee and Business Meetings;
    2. Conducting the Group's activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM; and
    3. Making all appointments and filling vacancies as authorized herein.
  3. The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
    1. Assisting the Chair in leading and managing the Group;
    2. Coordinating conference activities of the Group; and
    3. Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent.
  4. The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer are:
    1. Maintaining the records and correspondence of the Group;
    2. Keeping and distributing the minutes of business and Executive Committee meetings of the Group; and
    3. Managing the Group's finances according to the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM. This includes preparing the annual budget, monitoring the Group's disbursements for adherence to the annual budget, and preparing financial reports as required.

Article 5. The Executive Committee

  1. The Executive Committee comprises the officers, the Information director, the past Chair, and between one and six additional members. The additional members will be active SIG members and may have assigned responsibilities for the SIG, such as representing the SIG on one or more steering committees of each sponsored conference. In general, the intention for the additional members is to ensure that each sponsored conference steering committee has a SIGWEB representative. All appointments of additional members are to be made by the Chair - in consultation with the other officers and the current executive committee.
  2. The general duties of the Executive Committee will be to advise the Chair on all matters of interest to the Group. Specific duties or responsibilities may be specified in these bylaws or assigned by the Chair. All the major management policy decisions of the Group must be approved by the Executive Committee.
  3. All members of, or candidates for, the Executive Committee must be full Members of ACM and of SIGWEB.

Article 6. Vacancies and Appointments

  1. Should the Chair leave office before his term expires, the Vice-Chair will assume the duties of Chair. Should any other office or the position on the Executive Committee reserved for the Past Chair of the Group become vacant, the Chair of the SIG Board may, on nomination of the Chair of the Group, fill the vacancy. The Chair may fill vacancies in offices he has appointed according to the procedures for making the original appointments as provided herein.
  2. Should a vacancy be unfilled, either because of inadequacy of these bylaws or because of a dispute or for any other reason, the SIG Board may fill it (as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM).
  3. All appointments expire automatically when the Chair's term of office expires. Appointees, however, will continue to serve until a successor is appointed by a new chair.

Article 7. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges

  1. SIGWEB is an open SIG as defined in Section 6 of Bylaw 6. Anyone may join the SIG.
  2. A person becomes a member only after enrolling and paying the required dues. The dues for the Group are determined by the Group's Executive Committee with the approval of the Chair of the SIG Board. In addition to the SIG dues, the non-ACM members of the SIG will be assessed annually a surcharge equal to 1/3 the dues set for membership in the ACM, rounded to the next highest dollar. Any fees for activities and services must be lower for members of the ACM.
  3. All members of the Group may vote in any ballot conducted with the Group. On any ballot, the votes cast by non-ACM members of the Group will, if necessary, be prorated downward so that their effective total cannot exceed 50% of the eligible voters; when it applies, the proration factor will be specified on the ballot.

Article 8. Reports and Records

The Group's Chair is responsible for filing reports about the Group as required by the SIG Board. These include:

  1. An annual report, due as specified by the SIG Board, on the activities of SIGWEB during the previous year;
  2. All reports required by the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM; and
  3. Closing reports on conferences and symposia (co)sponsored by the Group as required by the ACM.

The membership records of the Group will be maintained by ACM Headquarters.

Article 9. Elections

  1. By September 15 of each even-numbered year, the Chair will appoint a nominating committee which will propose at least two consenting candidates for each elective office of the Group. The slate of candidates elected by the nominating committee must be presented to all the Group's members by the following January 31.
  2. A petition from 1% of the voting members of the Group will place other consenting candidates on the ballot. Petitions must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Group no later than March 15.
  3. The election will be conducted among eligible voters by ACM Headquarters by June 1, following the election procedures of the ACM, unless different procedures have been approved by the SIG Board. Of all the ballots returned in an election, the candidates receiving the largest numbers of effective votes wins. The SIG Board will resolve ties.

Article 10. Amendments

  1. These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Council, or by a vote of the Group's members as provided below. With the approval of the Group's Executive Committee and the Executive Committee of the ACM, 2/3 of all the members of the SIG Board may amend Article 1 of these Bylaws without a referendum of the members.
  2. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Group's Executive Committee, the SIG Board, or a petition from 1% of the voting members of the Group. All proposed amendments must be approved prior to being submitted for a vote of the membership by the Chairs of both the SIG Board and the Constitution and Bylaws Committee of ACM after the Executive Director of ACM has provided advice.
  3. The ballot on the proposed amendment(s) will be conducted among the eligible voters by ACM Headquarters following the procedures of the ACM for voting bylaw amendments unless a different procedure has been approved by the SIG Board. The proposal is adopted only if at least 2/3 of the effective votes of returned ballots approve it, and only if at least 10% of the ballots are returned. The Secretary-Treasurer will send a clean copy of the amended bylaws to the Executive Director of ACM and to the Chairman of the SIG Board.

Article 11. Dissolution

Should the Group be dissolved, control of its assets will revert to the ACM.

Article 12. Meetings

The Group will conduct at least one business meeting each year, normally in conjunction with the annual conference of the ACM. All meetings sponsored by the Group must be open to all members of the ACM. The Group may hold meetings only in places that are open to all classes of members of the ACM.

Article 13. Consistency

The Constitution, Bylaws, and policies of the ACM and of the SIG Board take precedence over any conflicting provisions of these bylaws or internal policies of the Group.