Using IRC for Electronic Meetings?

paenguin asks: "Our Linux User Group sometimes needs to hold Exec meetings, electronically. We have used IRC in the past, but it leaves us with a problem: there is no easy or built-in way to prove who is who. Do Slashdot readers know of a way to provide non-repudiation over IRC, or of another open source method of holding group electronic meetings where we can verify that everyone is who they say they are?" Wouldn't a private IRC server, with a combination of suitable IRC services (ala NickServ and ChanServe) and fairly restrictive policies, be one solution to this problem? How would you set up such a system? For those willing to brave the setup hassles, might some form of secure IRC also be an option?

Comments

Re:Again, MOOs work for this sort of thing.

[Twylite]

You are in a board room. Its long, polished oval table and leatherette chairs are quite intimidating. A filter coffee machine bubbles quietly in the corner.

A Board Member is here.
A Chairman is here.
An Executive Directory is here.
An Axe is on the floor.

IRC for meetings? I can see where that will go.

[Jorkapp]

we need more money
* Boss sets mode +b IT_Guy012*!*@*.*
* IT_Guy012 has been kicked by Boss (YOU'RE FIRED)

OP: Here is a solution.

[Glonoinha]

As silly as this sounds, first go read Snow Crash, then get some Star Wars Galaxies accounts. SWG lets you customize the avatar really quite well, it is amazing how many toons I have found walking around that look EXACTLY like me (no, not the Wookiees - the humans.) Once named the avatars own exclusive use of that name on that server so nobody can fake being them. You can own property in game, massive buildings that can have furniture such as chairs and tables, you have facial and body expressions available, expression different social posturing (happy, upset, confused, about 100 different ones), you can log the discussions, you can do private messaging, group messaging for sub-groups, private or group email. And the office building can be so far out away from everybody else you basically have the server to yourself. The client - server connection is secure and encrypted (if I recall correctly) specifically to prevent hackers from listening in (something Sony learned from EverQuest) and the buildings can be whitelisted to keep anybody except your group out.

Perfect solution. Also, if Bob from accounting gets on your nerves you can bust a cap in his ass.