In one of the threads on webhostingtalk, the topic has wandered and it appears that not only are 15 year olds running hosting companies (as we saw in this thread: http://forums.webhostdir.com/showth...hp&threadid=279), but one of them has been running his company for over two years:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showt...&threadid=10840

If we are to serve the web hosting industry, we'll need to address that constituency as well. Should there be an age limit on membership (whether dues-paying or not)? Will an adult guarantor be required (except in cases where the minor is emancipated and is a legal adult)?

This should be an interesting topic to discuss.

The important thing is business practice not age. Usually with age, comes experience and better judgement.

There are many adults out there who are shamefull at running a business so there must be many teenagers who are quite capable of runnning a good business.

This is a tricky subject. If we impose an age limit then we will be discriminating. The guarantor is an interesting idea and could be a compromise.

I am a young host owner my self, and i really dont think age matters. Maybe there might be bad kids running hosting businesses but think about the good!(me)

I think the stability of the hosts business is the most important factor. Age can sometime be more of a hindrance than a benefit.

I think the guarantor idea might reassure some people, but generally peoples prejudices would probably put them off hosting with a minor.

To conclude ........ I think its better to base the criteria on the business than the individuals running them.

Sure, but what if the host owner was 12 years old but the business was a solid operation? I suppose there must be a limit somewhere. 14 years and above? 15 years and above?

Whatever the limit you impose there will always be a case thats just outside the criteria.

I'd like to hear others thoughts on this?

Young people start and run successful businesses in many industries, hold public office, and are successful activists and organizers-in our area, there is a 9 year old who is running a campaign to prevent developers from building on a wildlife preserve.

The subject of mentoring came up on the thread I referenced and perhaps that may be how we can work in the younger web hosting proprietors.

how about this:

If a web host is under the age of 18, or they are just opening their business, then they can be an 'associate member' or 'junior web hosting scout' or whatever you want to call it for a set period of time. They would have a mentor, one of the full members, who would provide them guidance, answer their questions, and then at the end of their 'initiation period' or whatever, recommend them for full membership.

Apprenticeships are one of the oldest trade association traditions, back to the days when trade associations were the medieval 'guild' system. There were masters, journeymen, and apprentices.

Thats sounds like an interesting idea, but in reality most under 18's probably wouldnt admit to it incase they scare of prospective clients.

Of course once the accreditation has begun to carry enough weight, they would have to come clean.

Agreed, and in the case of the young man who has been running a hosting company since he was 12, he'd probably be bumped up to full membership almost immediately, provided he meets the quality and ethics standards. 90% of new businesses fail in their first year, and if he's managed to keep his going for over 2 years, he's doing something right.

I would like to say that we adopt a policy like this:
We do not distinguish between age, race, greed, religion, sexual identity.

We'd want the standard non-descrimination disclaimer that basically says if you are human, you can join.

And if the youngsters can pass the accreditation criteria, they can join as full members, otherwise with some probationary status while a mentor helps them prepare, but there should still be some process in place to ensure that they really do know what they are doing-and this should apply to any new host of any age.

And, if they decide to lie about their age and are found out, it would be considered a violation of the code of ethics and they'd be cast out into web hosting purgatory or something.

I'd like to get at least one of our younger hosting providers on the planning committee. I've invited one, but he's a bit busy with school right now, I believe-I'd like to get his point of view, as he's going to see things differently from us adults and he may have some ideas regarding this issue.