Like people have said I doubt very much we will have any say this year other than the form of forum votes (which is good enough for me) I think maybe we should start taking ourselves seriously but independently of CCP. A separate entity like finn suggested earlier.

CCP doesn't think we need a CSM yet and rightly so; What have we done to show them we can produce a competent band of like minded representatives who won't bicker after the niceties have passed? Nothing.

I think we should set up an independent body with a different medium than the forums to discuss what the community has brought up. As finn said, we can elect an amount of members to this committee and leave it up to CCP to refine what they want at a later stage when they are ready.

In the mean time we can still avidly discuss solutions to common problems amongst ourselves and submit this to CCP. It's up to us to go about this in a professional, inviting scope so CCP doesn't take us for a premature group of fps players that high tail it when things don't go our way.

Like was said above, we are far too new (in the world of gaming) to be deemed a worthwhile investment to CCP - even the EVE CSM thinks this. But I don't think that means we should be complacent while we wait for other people to decide when it's our turn to show we care about this game as much as CCP / CSM cares about EVE.

From the CSM minutes I seen, it was more reactionary than proactive talk which I think doesn't achieve what the community wanted you to set out to do. Sitting there and nodding your head isn't what the community needs, I know that not only does CCP not have much time, have their own requirements to discuss and can't diverge what every member wants to make an epeen point about, but the CSM should come prepared with an already documented solution to each of their problems so that very meting isn't a brainstorming session but a many to one relational discussion and leave it to CCP to take on board.

I have setup a #dustCSM channel which is invite only (so it doesn't get jam packed with random people who don't want to talk about the channel topic) and will make a separate thread for invites. At present I will invite anyone with a vested interest in the a dust CSM, but once the making of the dust CSM is documented, I think it would be best to make it CSM representatives only. I will then pass on channel privileges to those voted and let the elected take over.

I'll setup a dust CSM site (nothing special for now) to help with documentation, news, updates, file management etc