[02:20] hai all [02:28] o/ [09:04] hi === bloodyMind is now known as bloody-grim === irfan is now known as Guest31905 [12:34] well how can I help out? [12:46] Am I logged? [13:13] Hi all === zyga is now known as zyga-food === rapt0r is now known as [Rapt0r] === r is now known as Guest22928 === zyga-food is now known as zyga === kanneblei is now known as kanneblunch [15:29] Hi! === kanneblunch is now known as kanneblei === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Community Week - Current Session: How I Started an Ubuntu Group in My City and How You Could Too - Instructors: the-technopreneu - Slides: http://is.gd/lizd5u [16:00] Slides for How I Started an Ubuntu Group in My City and How You Could Too: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session05.pdf [16:00] Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/19/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. [16:00] Hi everybody and thanks for attending the session! [16:01] I will be talking about How I started an Ubuntu community in Dubai and I will walk you through some of the tools and methods I used [16:02] [SLIDE 1] [16:03] [SLIDE 2] So for today I have a couple of points to cover [16:04] How it all started - Get Organized - Tools for you - Online Message Board - Practical Application - Presenting Ubuntu - Community Management [16:05] Most these points are for those who are planning to start their own communities or for communities that have alread started and would like to learn from best practices [16:05] Well before that a brief overview of myself and Ubuntu [16:06] Back in early 2010 I was introduced to Randall Ross "Buzz Generator" over a conference call between Dubai and Vancouver [16:07] He explained what Ubuntu is and the community part of it [16:08] He shared with me a presentation on Ubuntu and showcased some of the activities were [16:09] that were taking place in Vancouver, as for me it was another tech concept to learn about and didnt really get my attention [16:09] [SLIDE 3] [16:11] It was till about a couple months later is when I saw Ubuntu in action when I was organizing a tech seminar and one of the speakers John Wacklawsky Chief Information Officer at Motorolla was running his slides and notes of an Ubuntu PC [16:12] I was flabbergasted with the speed in which he fliped his PC on and started presenting [16:13] Thats when I started asking and gave Ubuntu a go the same day back at home. [16:14] Ever since then I thought that this is too good to be true and too bad I didnt know about this great OS [16:14] So I took one a personal oath to get every one to use Ubuntu and start a community [16:15] With that said [16:16] I moved quickly to start a local community with another Open Source advocate [16:17] I suggested an easy tool without knowing much about community setup or even governance [16:17] [SLIDE 4] [16:18] we used meetup.com to put together an interface for the community quick and easy [16:18] Customized to look Ubuntu-ish [16:19] and put all the necessary info about what Ubuntu is in general [16:20] All the tools are there to set up your community instantly and makes the job of managing events and organizing members very very easy [16:20] Its being used by other Linux groups in addition to the Vancouver Local community [16:21] Here's a snapshot of what our website looks like [SLIDE 5] [16:21] those who dont have the slides visit www.meetup.com/emiratesloco [16:22] to have an idea of how the local community looks like [16:23] As a community manager there various tools to manage for example [16:23] You can schedule one off or periodic events for your group [16:23] [SLIDE 6] [16:24] Show the venue location with a builtin Google Maps API [16:24] Manage attendees with RSVP settings to know how much Pizza to buy ^.^ [16:26] You get many other tools such as Sponsor management tools for event sponsors, you can show case there logos online , there is a tool to manage that. [16:27] Also as a community owner you can of course create custom pages [16:28] The meetup.com tool also has a polling tool for memebers to cast votes on a certain topic plus you get a community message board [16:29] The community message boards creates an online buzz in addition to other tools to integerate with Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. [16:29] [SLIDE 7] [16:29] moving on to slide [SLIDE 8] [16:30] A practical example of what we manage to put together using the meetup.com in person and online [16:31] was the United Arab Emirates' first InstallFest [16:32] you can see the event's page here http://www.meetup.com/EmiratesLoCo/events/15940104/ [16:33] The planning took place in person and some discussions were held online, sponsors and partners were also involved online, namely the IEEE chapter at the university where we held it. [16:34] For a small community it was a great achievement were 100s of students came by to the event and were exposed to the first time to Ubuntu [16:35] Some asked us to install Ubuntu on their PCs almost immediately from seeing it and giving it a go on a demo PC [16:36] have a look at the photos [16:36] [SLIDE 9] [16:36] and [16:36] [SLIDE 10] [16:37] Before moving on to another topic [16:38] Meetup.com is not a replacement of the official structure of a Loco community website but a community management tool that you can use to kick-start one [16:39] there were suggestions to have multiple websites for the community such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, official etc. [16:39] but you're just starting believe me you dont need them. [16:40] If members do bring this up, the easiest way to reach a conviencing conclusion to a matter is to ask the "What problem are you trying to solve?" [16:41] Alright so moving on [16:41] [SLIDE 11] [16:42] When presenting Ubuntu to an audience, a black stage and a turtle neck might make you look good but there is a tool out there which will sure will [16:42] Prezi [16:42] The zooming Presetation tool its a great tool to show case Ubuntu [16:43] It will make your dull static slides come alive. [16:43] I know I am not using it here but I usually present Ubuntu using it theatrically [16:44] Here's a prezi I put together [16:44] [SLIDE 12] [16:45] It shows you the bigger picture and you can zoom in on the details to emphasis a point at a click of a button [16:45] You can see my prezin online here http://prezi.com/80mhgs_kxczb/ubuntu-overview/ [16:46] Moving on [16:47] A couple points about community management [SLIDE 13] [16:47] This might be the hardest part about setting about a community because this depends on you as person. [16:48] First of all you've got to know that in any community relationships matter and not just any relationships personal ones especially [16:49] Running a community you've got have passion not jus for technology but for the soft side the human skills side of it [16:50] There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session. [16:50] A community is a place of learning, socializing and sharing. [16:50] A place to meet cool and smart people in tech just like you guys [16:52] Its not run by a corporation with a salesy pitch , there is a finer thing about Ubuntu communites is that they are run by volunteers with the spirit of Ubuntu in them [16:52] As an organizer [16:52] you're going to be the center of attention so be nice [16:53] be friendly and welcoming and be someone that other people want to be around [16:53] Be respectful and constructive [16:54] Communites are made up of people of all walks of life so they're not going to agree all the time. [16:55] There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session. [16:55] Be colloaborative, work together we learn a whole lot from Peer-to-Peer mentorship [16:56] Also as a community leader try Delegate [SLIDE 14] [16:56] sometimes we as leaders are too afraid to let go [16:56] but thats alright [16:56] no one's perfect nor are you [16:57] so to get people to show there best is to get the involved just be asking [16:58] This will lead to more people being involved in community building [16:58] The more people the more sustainable and this will prevent burn out as you as single individual. [16:59] I think I will wrap up time is almost up. === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Community Week - Current Session: Starting an Ubuntu Hour Near You - Instructors: nhaines - Slides: http://is.gd/BP8AXP [17:00] Slides for Starting an Ubuntu Hour Near You: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session06.pdf [17:00] Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/19/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. [17:00] Hello everyone! I'm Nathan Haines and today I'm going to talk about Ubuntu Hour, and how you can start your own event and make it successful. You can read more about Ubuntu Hour and get a list of active hours here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Hour [17:01] I don't actually have slides for this session, so the URL above must've been some placeholder in the pious hope that I might make some. :) [17:01] I've put together and run a lot of events, from booths and presentations at shows and expos to Ubuntu Global Jams, to smaller get-togethers, so I have some experience with events of all sizes. Today we'll talk about a simple event that anyone can start up. [17:02] You don't have to be an expert in Ubuntu or computers to host an Ubuntu Hour, and you don't have to be an expert in running events either. You just have to really like Ubuntu and want to meet others that share this interest. [17:02] I can't wait to answer your questions throughout this session. If you /join #ubuntu-classroom-chat, then you can post your questions there. Be sure that "QUESTION: " is the first thing you type when asking. [17:03] I'm often asked, "What exactly is Ubuntu Hour?" This is a good question. The wiki page is pretty vague about this, and that's because Ubuntu Hour can be something different for every group. As I give advice today I encourage you to think about what will work best in your locality and make the best Ubuntu Hour you possibly can! [17:04] I'd say that Ubuntu Hour is a method to get together with local Ubuntu users on a regular basis. There are a lot of great groups out there that do this. Linux User Groups (LUGs) and computer clubs, as well as expos and other shows. But they can be more organized and intimidating for newcomers. [17:04] Ubuntu Hour is a hour-long meeting that anyone can drop in on. When you think about it, an hour isn't a huge time commitment. If you're curious about something, an hour seems like a good investment. [17:05] I love my local Linux User Group, but their meetings last for four hours. Of course, on Saturdays I like to sleep in so I often come late and everyone can come and go as they please. It's perfect for having free time and presentations too! But when I was first curious about joining, it seemed like a big commitment. [17:06] So the reason Ubuntu Hour is only an hour long is to make things easy and simple. And Ubuntu Hours work best when they're kept simple. [17:06] Let's talk about Ubuntu Hour Lake Forest. It's one of the very first Ubuntu Hours to start up and I've been running it for about a year now. It takes place every two weeks on a Thursday evening. We meet in a bakery-cafe chain restaurant called Panera Bread, that serve slightly over-priced but tasty sandwiches, soups, baked goods, and drinks. They offer free wifi Internet access and welcome groups. [17:07] We meet at 18:00 which is about an hour after the typical work day ends and is also enough time that I can usually make it there even if I have to keep working a few minutes late or if traffic is really bad getting there from my office building. [17:08] Every week I get to meet people who want to thank me for Ubuntu, people who like computers are want to talk about Ubuntu news, people who want to discuss whether or not Unity is the end of computing, and people who need help with their computers or have questions about Ubuntu. [17:09] I never know how many people are going to show up and at any Ubuntu Hour meeting there are usually 2 – 4 others who show up. Occasionally no one shows up, but I stay for the entire hour anyway. [17:09] So that's our example Ubuntu Hour experience. Let's break it down and talk about how everything comes together and what you'll need to decide if you want to start your own Ubuntu Hour. [17:10] The secret to any successful event is planning and research. No one wants to hear that but it's true. ;) Fortunately it's not hard at all! The very first thing you should do is check to see if there are any Ubuntu Hours near you. If there are, you may want to join them, even if it's just to get an idea of what Ubuntu Hour is like. You should also look for Linux User Group or other special interest meetings that are related. Sometime [17:10] If you still want to run your own, make sure your events don't conflict with the existing ones. If possible, try to make your Ubuntu Hours compliment the existing ones, by being in a more accessible location or at a time that might be more convenient for some. Remember that providing more choices for people helps everyone! === barbara is now known as Guest77768 [17:11] Once you know what events are around you and where, it's time to find a venue. There are a few places to consider. [17:12] These are just some examples to get you started, but feel free to be creative when planning your events. [17:12] The easiest thing to do is to find a coffee shop or cafe that isn't too busy. They often have free wifi and are used to small groups of people coming in and hanging out. If you are considerate about not using too much space and buy food or drinks from them, they will probably welcome you. These locations are good for all ages. [17:13] College or university campuses sometimes offer rooms to the public and you can check with the Computer Science department to see if they can host an Ubuntu Hour. Internet access can be tricky at these places, too, so you'll want to discuss that. [17:14] Local businesses will sometimes host events and especially small IT or Internet service providers can be eager to give back to the community in this way. Make sure that you discuss and respect any security issues with physical or Internet access there. [17:15] No matter where you host your first Ubuntu Hour, you'll want to choose a place that's easy to get to. I chose a location right off the freeway, and if the 5 Freeway is a pain to drive around 17:00 and 18:00 when the meeting starts, at least it's a lot nicer at 19:00 when the meeting ends. :) [17:15] The other thing that is closely related is your schedule. You'll want to choose a time that makes sense for the people you are trying to attract. In Irvine, California and the surrounding communities, work shifts are often from 8:00 to 17:00. This means that if I host an Ubuntu Hour at 17:00 right next to my office, no one is going to show up until at least 17:30 and I'll be late a lot. [17:17] I chose 18:00 because that gives people a chance to arrive (including me). And a lot of people don't make it until 18:45! Some of them are driving from further away and I really appreciate that they still make the journey. [17:18] In addition to a time, you'll also need a date. When I first started, I had no idea what would work. I made some announcements on the local LoCo and LUG mailing lists and said that I'd be there each Thursday for all of June 2010 and July 2011, and then I'd decide on a permanent schedule. I felt that monthly was too seldom and biweekly was too hard to advertise. So I thought weekly would be the easiest for others to remember and then I [17:19] After two months, I changed the schedule to biweekly, or every other week. I didn't want to spam the LUG mailing list with weekly reminders and also giving up that much free time every week was slowly driving me crazy. :) With every announcement I announce the next two meeting dates to help people prepare for that. You can see a recent announcement here: http://nhaines.livejournal.com/61453.html [17:21] I actually don't recommend "every other week" or "every second Monday" or anything that would require someone to look at a calendar. The simplest schedules are the easiest, but as long as you are very consistent and very clear, you can make it work. [17:22] So after all that, you'll need some visitors. Ubuntu Hours are very informal. They're not like clubs where there are members, but more like informal gatherings where newcomers and passersby are welcome. This creates small challenges but is well worth it. [17:23] For one thing, they're hard to describe. What do you do at an Ubuntu Hour? Well, mainly you just hang out and get to know one another. But that's not so catchy on a flier. :) [17:25] You'll need to advertise. Find some local user groups and ask if you can post announcements on their lists. Make up little fliers and post them on community boards at coffee shops and universities or colleges. Here's an example flier I started working on. Feel free to customize it for your own event: http://ubuntuone.com/p/AtJ/ [17:27] Post on Craigslist if that's big where you are, and check out places like Meetup.com. Use your blog or personal Web site to post details so that it's easy for others to have all the details on one page they can print or bookmark. [17:28] Make it clear that this is a group of Ubuntu users getting together to chat, ask questions, and hang out. Make it sound fun. [17:29] After all, once everyone's together it *will* be fun. :) So get everyone in the mood beforehand. [17:30] Don't forget to use the official resources! Once you get started, add yourself to the wiki page at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Hour. [17:31] Once you have the word out, all you have to do is show up for an hour. It'll probably be slow at first, with one or two people showing up and sometimes no one will show up. That's okay and every group starts out this way. Eventually word will spread and people will have time to make it. [17:33] Wear an Ubuntu shirt or hat if you can, or put up a small sign. I like to wear an Ubuntu shirt and hang my Ubuntu backpack on a chair. If you have a computer to bring, then running Ubuntu on it is an obvious choice as well. I keep the default background on my computer because the purple is very distinctive. [17:34] Eventually people will start showing up. Some will be experienced Ubuntu users and some will be novices. Others will want to learn more about Ubuntu, and occasionally someone will just be curious about who are this happy group of people discussing computers. :) Eventually you may get a group like this: http://people.ubuntu.com/~nhaines/images/events/2010/uh-lakeforest/group-20100923.jpg [17:36] You want to encourage discussion and asking of questions, no matter how simple they might seem. But you'll also want to keep things civil as well. You'll be representing the Ubuntu community while you're there. I think the Ubuntu Code of Conduct is a great guideline and I link to it in my announcements. http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct [17:38] The better your group are at being civil and being good guests at your location, the better it reflects on you and Ubuntu as well. That means clean up any trash, don't leave food or wrappers behind, and push in the chairs when you leave. ;) [17:39] We get a lot of regulars dropping in as well as one-timers. Everyone is very friendly and inviting and the meetings go well. [17:40] Usually we talk about different software packages, Ubuntu and Linux news, and general topics like that. I keep on top of Ubuntu development because users have a lot of questions about past releases and what's happening in the upcoming release. Planet Ubuntu can be a great way to keep up with oneiric news thanks to dholbach and his weekly series of posts! :) [17:41] If anyone hasn't seen Planet Ubuntu, it's an aggregate feed of blog posts from Ubuntu members. My blog is there, too, and my Ubuntu Hour announcements show up there. [17:42] I didn't mention it above because only Ubuntu members can post there. Plus, it seems like the LUG mailing lists are where most visitors find out about my Ubuntu Hour, which surprised me. [17:44] Also I should probably remember to give the link! :) It's at http://planet.ubuntu.com/ and is a great way to keep up with Ubuntu news, as are sites like http://ubuntu-news.org/ and OMG! Ubuntu at http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ [17:45] If you read these sites every couple of days, you shouldn't feel too nervous when Ubuntu Hour visitors turn to you as their souce of Ubuntu news. ;) [17:45] I chose Panera because it offers meals as well as coffee, tea, chocolate, and pastries. Not everyone buys food when they visit but several eat dinner there and most get a drink or a roll. Because you can choose from a meal, a drink, or a snack, it's not very expensive and can be quite convenient. So most people get some kind of food, the cafe is happy, and no one feels obligated to spend money. [17:46] After my two month trial I was ready to make adjustments but other than the meeting frequency I've found that nothing needed changing. I'm looking for ways to enhance the meeting but things seem to be very comfortable. [17:47] There are definitely some regulars who really apprecate the Ubuntu Hour and are very supportive of it, and at least one member wants to start his own closer to him. I think that's excellent. :) [17:48] The very last thing I want to talk about is consistency. There is nothing that will kill an event faster than being unreliable. If you advertise that you're going to be somewhere at a certain time then you need to be there. That's why it's important to do a little research and make sure your location and time will work for you as well as for others. [17:49] Pick a location that is reliable. If you have two regular locations that's one thing, but if you constantly change locations then you're going to have trouble retaining visitors and attracting new ones. If a visitor sees my Ubuntu Hour announcement and can't make it that week, he can see when the next meeting is and plan accordingly. This helps everyone know what to expect. The time always stays the same as well. [17:50] There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session. [17:50] When you ask others to give up their time, you have to respect that time commitment as well. Time is valuable and if you cancel meetings without notice (or too short notice) then people will spend their time more wisely--away from your meetings! [17:51] I'm always at the restaurant by 18:00 and earlier if I can manage it. If no one else shows up, I stay there until 19:00 and then I leave, but I always stay for the full hour because I've advertised a full hour. A lot of times we're there until 20:00 or even 20:30 because we're having so much fun, but I treat the first hour as a serious commitment. [17:52] When you have online resources with details like a wiki page, a blog, or a static web page, make sure that you keep it current and up to date at all times. The other thing that will kill interest in a group is if it looks like it was abandoned. So if you have a simple schedule like "every Tuesday evening" then keep dates off the page. But if you do need to specify dates, then make sure you update it at the end of every Ubuntu Hour meeti [17:52] Just make it part of the routine to keep it up to date and you'll do well. :) [17:53] I think I've made myself clear. Make sure you follow through on your commitments and pick consistent, reliable locations and times and you'll be successful. [17:53] I'm more than happy to answer any questions now in #ubuntu-classroom-chat. After this session (or for those of you following along on the Web) you can email me at nhaines (at) ubuntu.com and I'll do my best to help out. [17:53] bauwan asked: Do you think that Ubuntu Hour is only an idea for big cities? Does Your experience maybe show that there is minimum requirement to the surrounding area? (Sorry i dont know your area :) ) [17:54] I'm about 30 miles south of Los Angeles and Irvine, California is a pretty big tech area. So there's a large population for sure. :) [17:54] I don't think it's an idea only for big cities. I think the informalness lets it be a good idea even for smaller locations, even though that might take a little longer to pick up steam. [17:55] There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session. [17:56] It's okay to bring friends along too... a couple of my coworkers have joined me for Ubuntu Hour as well. :) [17:57] In closing, I'd like to say that Ubuntu Hours are a great way to jump in and find a very local community. I hope you all find success in your community. I wish you the very best of luck and remember, be excellent to each other! :D === Nello is now known as Nello^ === Hex__ is now known as RealHex === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Community Week - Current Session: Baking a LoCo Team - Instructors: jono - Slides: http://is.gd/JBY9Zo [18:00] hi everyone! [18:00] Slides for Baking a LoCo Team: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session07.pdf [18:00] Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/19/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. [18:01] for those of you who don't know me, I am Jono Bacon, and I work as the Ubuntu Community Manager - my job is to help build a fun, productive, and enjoyable Ubuntu community where everyone can feel like they can put their brick in the wall in bringing Free Software to the masses === Chad is now known as Guest84308 [18:01] before I start, I just want to give a big shout out to Randall Ross and the Ubuntu Classroom Team for doing an excellent job in putting together Ubuntu Community Week - I am really proud to see such a stunning schedule of sessions! [18:02] so, on to my own session [18:03] today I want to talk about how you can create your own Ubuntu LoCo Team [18:03] I am going to talk for a while and explain how to do this, and then we will wrap with some Q+A [18:03] before we start, we should explore why you would want to create a team [18:04] for those who are unfamiliar with LoCo teams, they are local groups of Ubuntu users who get together to spread the word about Ubuntu, share new ideas, learn things, and more [18:04] these groups are spread throughout the world, and you can see the list of teams at http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ [18:04] so why would you want to create a team? [18:05] there are lot of reasons, including: [18:05] * fun - LoCo teams are great to meet new people, enjoy interesting conversations, and generally have a lot of fun [18:05] * advocate - LoCo teams are a great way to spread the word about Ubuntu, and put your brick in the wall in taking Ubuntu to the masses - our LoCo teams are a key piece in how we will get the word out [18:05] * events - LoCo teams often organize events, both online and face-to-face where the teams get together to meet each other, have fun, and spread Ubuntu [18:06] * learning - LoCo teams are a great place to learn more about Ubuntu, working with the community etc [18:06] * networking - if you are keen to get to know people, LoCo teams are a great place to start - I have met so many awesome people at LoCo meetings. :-) [18:07] as you can see, there are lots of reasons to start a LoCo team, so how to we get started? [18:07] before you do anything, take a look at http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ and see if there is a team near you [18:07] we always want to avoid having duplicate teams in the same area - so if a team exists, join that team instead - duplication of effort is never good for anyone [18:08] ...I just want to re-iterate that, what do we need to do folks? :-) [18:08] ...go to http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ and see if a team already exists :-) [18:09] if no team exists near you, it is time to start creating one - woo! === me is now known as Guest70881 [18:09] the first step is to find some other folks to start the team with [18:10] creating a team by yourself is a lot of work, so dividing up the work with other people is highly recommended [18:10] ask your friends and family if they would like to help out, or tweet/dent/blog about your interest in setting up a team and see if someone is interested in helping [18:11] when you have a few people who are interested in helping out, there are a few things you will want to do first... [18:12] first, you need to name it - see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamRegions for some details on how to name your team - this is pretty simple, and you will get the hang of it [18:13] you should then register your team in Launchpad - ask in #ubuntu-locoteams for the details of how to do this [18:13] registering the team in Launchpad will help bring it into http://loco.ubuntu.com - just make sure your team is a member of the https://launchpad.net/~locoteams team [18:14] with your team set up, the next step is to get a communication channel set up - we recommend you set up a mailing list and an IRC channel [18:14] an ubuntu-CC (CC is the ISO country code) mailing list for general discussion about Ubuntu in your language should be created - email rt@ubuntu.com to request the creation of a mailing list [18:15] the list should be created within 2 weeks - if it is not, please contact the LoCo council to find out whether there is a problem with the request [18:15] United States teams should append the two-letter US Postal Code abbreviation for the relevant state (e.g. ubuntu-us-ca) [18:16] for IRC, be sure to register your nickname on Freenode (details about how to do this are at http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#userregistration) === sash__ is now known as whatever === whatever is now known as whateverr [18:16] now create your channel - help is available at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcTeam/CreatingChannels - and use the same name format (e.g. #ubuntu-us-ca) [18:17] with your communication channels set up, it is recommended you create some simple wiki pages on wiki.ubuntu.com where you can note down how people can join your team and where you can plan projects [18:17] so, any questions so far? === kp is now known as Guest62108 [18:17] to ask a question, type in QUESTION and then your question in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [18:18] e.g. QUESTION: what is a mailing list? [18:18] shobuz99 asked: Will this chat be strictly text, or is there a GUI applet running and I can't see it? [18:18] shobuz99, this session is all text, there are no slides for this particular session [18:19] any questions? [18:19] alrighty, no questions, moving on [18:20] so at this point you have your team, your mailing list and IRC channel, and some wiki pages [18:20] here's a tip that affects some LoCo teams: [18:20] there will be some people in your team who will want to set up a comprehensive website [18:20] something in Joomla!, Drupal, Wordpress etc [18:20] resist the urge [18:21] at the beginning of a team you have no content, and so many teams spend weeks debating which CMS they want for a website and don't actually do anything as a team [18:21] stick with the wiki at first - when your team is up and running then start thinking about more comprehensive systems [18:22] the next step is to put together some regular meetings [18:22] when creating a new community you need to bootstrap it [18:22] that is, get it up and running, get people's juices flowing, and start doing active work [18:22] unfortunately, for some teams they get started and then it all just fizzles out [18:22] regular team meetings are a good antidote to that happening [18:23] I recommend you organize a team meeting at least once every two weeks or once a month [18:24] organizing a meeting is simple - host it on IRC, decide on a time and place and let your team know [18:24] e.g. have it on Tues 26th July at 6pm Pacific time [18:24] in #ubuntu-us-ca [18:24] I also highly recommend that you create a wiki page where people can add agenda items [18:25] in the build-up to the meeting invite the team to go and add agenda items for topics they want to discuss [18:25] these can be added as bullet points [18:25] the benefit of doing this on the wiki is that everyone is able to add content, and this will make the meeting feel very open and transparent [18:26] when it comes time to have your meeting, go through the agenda items one by one and have a discussion [18:27] when running your meetings always strive to find outcomes to the agenda items - strive to make decisions and keep the ball rolling [18:28] there is one big risk to meetings - people spending an hour of their time and then no conclusions happening === daker is now known as daker_ [18:28] as a loco leader, always try to make people feel like the meeting was worth there time [18:28] remember, everyone is a volunteer...folks are taking time away from their friends and family for the meetings [18:29] also, one final tip on meetings, there will often be one person who tends to ramble or takes things off topic, try to politely keep those folks on topic and cut off their rambling if needed [18:29] everyone meeting has one of those folks, yours will too :-) [18:30] with your team all set up and meetings running, you now need to do something as a team === med_out is now known as medberry [18:30] there is one key difference between successful LoCo teams and unsuccessful ones - successful teams have members that feel fulfilled in their membership of the team [18:31] to feel that sense of fullfillment, your members need to be actively engaged in projects that they feel are worthwhile [18:31] in other words...teams that work on team projects are generally happier, because the members feel that the team is doing worthwhile work [18:32] so lets discuss a few projects you can work on [18:32] computer-related fairs and exhibitions can certainly benefit from an Ubuntu presence! [18:32] representing Ubuntu at local events is a wonderful way to contribute [18:33] it is also something everyone in the team can contribute to [18:33] a good howto on how to do this is at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoComputerFairHowto [18:33] Canonical can help with CDs too :-) [18:34] another great type of event is a release party [18:34] release parties are held after each Ubuntu release is a great way to share with others! [18:34] another great guide on this is at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoRunningReleaseParty [18:35] another possibility for advocacy is to help ensure that Ubuntu gets coverage in your regional press [18:35] there are Linux magazines all over the world that highlight and review distributions in every issue, sometimes even distributing CDs [18:35] help us get Ubuntu in the magazines you read! Those magazines also sometimes want to interview local people who are using the distribution - be sure tp share your success stories [18:36] another fun thing to do is to just burn a stack of Ubuntu CDs, wear some Ubuntu t-shirts and go out into your local town center or main street and talk to people about Ubuntu [18:37] take a laptop to demo Ubuntu, and if possible give people a business card that points them to http://www.ubuntu.com [18:37] the key point here is to think of projects that your specific team would be interested in and ensure everyone gets to participate [18:38] for each project you should identify what work needs to be done and divide it up between the different members [18:39] to finish up, I want to talk about Approved Teams [18:39] in the LoCo community we have the concept of new and approved teams [18:39] new teams are teams who are in the process of getting up and running and have probably not run many projects and have less experience [18:40] approved teams are teams who are making significant and sustained contributions and actively doing great work [18:40] one problem we have in our community is that some folks see Approved teams as a badge of honor they have to have [18:40] the way in which we assess whether you are an approved team is if you do good work [18:40] just trying to get approved status is not enough [18:41] in fact, teams that only want the honor of being an approved team present a bit of a red flag [18:41] you should focus on getting your team doing good work, and if that is the case, you will naturally get approved [18:41] this process is outlined at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoGettingApproved [18:42] so in a nutshell from this session: [18:42] * LoCo teams are really fun and awesome places, and there are lots of good reasons to be in a LoCo [18:42] * before setting up a team, see if a team already exists in your local area in http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams [18:42] * if no team exists, find some friends to start a new team with [18:43] * next, name your team, register it in Launchpad, set up your mailing list and IRC channel, and set up regular meetings [18:43] * now choose some projects to work on and ensure all the work is spread throughout the team so it feels like a real team effort [18:44] * if you keep doing awesome work, you will get approved as an approved LoCo team [18:44] and that about wraps it up :-) [18:44] so lets do some Q+A now [18:44] to ask a question, join #ubuntu-classroom-chat and ask a question with QUESTION at the beginning [18:44] e.g: [18:44] QUESTION: What is a mailing list? [18:45] and then I will go through the questions one by one [18:45] get 'em in, folks! [18:45] any questions? [18:46] pyrocyon asked: how big should a group be before it attempts to apply for loco status? [18:46] pyrocyon, there is no fixed number, but I would say a loco should have a fairly sizable membership before it applies as an approved team [18:47] in my mind 20+ members [18:47] designbybeck__ asked: any thing about Loco's going to TV/Radio and other public communications outlets to help raise awareness of Ubuntu and OSS in the general population? [18:47] designbybeck__, that is great work to do - I think the key thing is that you want to distill the key benefits of Ubuntu for a general audience [18:48] if you get a TV or radio spot, what are the three or five bullet points that will get the general public interested in Ubuntu? [18:48] remember that TV and radio is a general medium, so don't get too techie there too :-) [18:48] Morgen asked: Loco Teams seem to be state wide are there more local groups? [18:49] Morgen, we generally prefer to keep it state wide - if we have too many teams, things get dilluted [18:49] what I recommend is that a statewide team has regional sub-teams [18:49] e.g. California with a Northern and Southern sub-teams [18:49] designbybeck__ asked: any thing about Loco's going to TV/Radio and other public communications outlets to help raise awareness of Ubuntu and OSS in the general population? [18:50] already answered this :-) [18:50] There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session. [18:50] pyrocyon asked: how knowledgeable should the members be about Ubuntu? [18:51] pyrocyon, you don't need to be an expert, and you don't need to be technical, you just need to be passionate about Ubuntu [18:51] and passionate about helping others to enjoy Ubuntu too :-) [18:51] any more questions? [18:51] alright [18:51] I think we are all done [18:52] thanks, everyone! [18:52] thanks for joining my session today! [18:52] and let me know if you set up a new LoCo team in your area! :-) [18:55] There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session. === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Community Week - Current Session: We Party Grande! You Can Too - Instructors: huats - Slides: http://is.gd/3J7K97 [19:00] huats, all set? [19:00] Slides for We Party Grande! You Can Too: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session08.pdf [19:00] Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/19/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. [19:00] Yes I am jono [19:00] huats, :-) [19:00] thanks for warming the mic ! [19:01] So [19:01] like the previous session that Jono brilliantly gave [19:01] :-) [19:01] please you #ubuntu-classroom-chat to ask your questions [19:01] First a little introduction. My name is Christophe Sauthier, and I am the leader of Ubuntu-fr, the french loco. [19:02] I am going to talk about : "We Party Grande! You Can Too" [19:02] well behind that title [19:02] you need to know that for the past few years we (Ubuntu-fr) are getting famous, for many actions [19:02] and in particular our parties which gathered many people : [19:03] between 4000 and 5000 people for various party in Paris (on a WE laps) [19:03] or almost 800 in Toulouse (in the city I live) on a single saturday afternoon. [19:03] I will detail our "receipes" in this session, feels free to ask all your questions on the dedicated channel. [19:04] oh and forgive my english which is not always good :) [19:04] I will try to answer them inside the session or at the end, in a dedicated time, with the help of others members of the team and in particular YoBoY who is the coordinator for the organisation of the main event in Paris. [19:05] So first Ubuntu Party ? What is it ? and first of all what do we organize ? [19:05] It is important to say that for us, the interest is not to do a simple release party with coders. [19:06] No, we want to share Ubuntu around us, and even more since we want to help to promote free software and free culture by promoting Ubuntu. I think these goal will please jono :) [19:06] So it is important for us to gather some other communities during our event. [19:06] As a result many of our events there are conferences from the mozilla community, some free software french supporters, some free culture conferences and workshops. [19:07] So what is the first thing to decide when you want to plan an event ? Date and Venue [19:08] The first step is not necessary the most simple : to set the perfect date and the perfect place. [19:08] Based on our various experiences, it is a crucial step. [19:08] You have to decide them a long time before the event. [19:08] By instance our next event in Paris(18th to 20th November), dates have been decided in last May, right after our previous party ! [19:09] arg 11th to 13th (I have mixed the the envisaged one in Toulouse) [19:09] It is important for your audience to find a place with good public transportations, parking. And many stuffs that might help them to come easily [19:10] Even if the place is not famous for its technical conferences, we rather have a place that is know to people, so that they can say "if it happens there, in this place that I know, I might find something interesting for me". [19:10] We are very lucky because we can do our event in Paris in a place that combined both [19:10] A place called the city of sciences [19:11] Oh and when it is possible and stick with that venue over the time... [19:11] We are doing our party in Paris in the same place since feisty [19:11] So now our audience know the place. But we also know the place, which help us to improve from one event to another. But I'll continue with that later. [19:12] Building a team [19:13] Once you know where and when your event will take place, you can ask yourself : [19:13] who will be there to organize ? [19:13] I am sure you have lots of people in each of your teams willing to help. [19:13] So finding a group of core organizers should not be a real problem. [19:13] But keep in mind that you have to pick people you can rely on [19:14] there is nothing worst than ask someone to do something and to have to do it instead at the last minute [19:14] This group is in charge of leading/planning the event from this moment. [19:15] Each tasks should be done by pairs, so that you have backup is someone cannot participate anymore for any reasons. [19:15] And most of all every actions should be trackable on a common repository (we have used many tools to achieve that in the Past). [19:15] Each aspect of the event should be lead by someone designated before the event. [19:15] During our last event there was around 100 people willing to help for each day... [19:16] It was a necessity to have them driven/assigned before the event. [19:17] Here is an example of the todo list that we have define : http://todo.ubuntu-party.org/projects/paris-natty/issues [19:17] (for the natty Ubuntu Party) [19:17] It is also important to notice that we are doing all our event with the help of LUGs (especially regarding the install party part). [19:18] Any questions so far ? It sounds like a monologue :) [19:19] well I'll continue and see it anyone ask something [19:19] How to get the word out to a large number of people? [19:19] We do rely on LUGs for a large part of it [19:19] (especially for the install party which is really people consumming) [19:20] we have big forum we also have a lot of volunteers to help that are getting in touch thanks to our forums [19:20] in fact we do have a great thing : since we are french speakers, a lot of our community is using our forums (the french speaking one) which clearly helps to gather the people, and it ease the broadcasting of the informations [19:20] Planning the Event [19:21] like many geeks we spend most of our time on IRC, but we really think that there is a need for at least 4 real life meetings for each party : 3 before and 1 after. [19:22] It helps to work on the project but also to allow people to know more each other, which is great for the community. [19:22] Each meeting is separated by a month at least. IRL meeting are very important because you can express more directly than IRC one. Also, it's a good excuse to take a beer too [19:23] Other point : Creating a conference Planning [19:23] Since our event is not only an install party, but also filed with conferences, we have to set up a real conferences planning. [19:23] We start by putting down names of conferencers we like and themes that we would like to have. On the first of the IRL meeting, the conferences are selected. [19:24] Then the people in charge of dealing with it contact each envisaged conferencer to explain him the idea and the date. [19:24] We want to have the conference program (with schedule and the conferencers agreement) finalized at least 1 month before the event. [19:26] Remember (well I am sure you will since you are all captivate by my talk) : we try to enlarge the targetted audiences [19:26] in fact we try to interest many kind of audiences. [19:27] People without any backgrounds can come and enjoy our introductions sessions, or our first time hands-on workshops. [19:27] We are also doing some improvements tutorials for advanced users. Bugs Jams also... [19:28] And of course we are doing a install party ! [19:28] Which is a huge event party during the whole event. [19:28] People who are here to help for the install party wears badges explaining in which part of Ubuntu they have the best chance to help you (ubuntu ? kubuntu ? xubuntu ? network ?...) [19:29] We also try to have dispatching reception to organize a bit the install party [19:29] and it is really a good thing to do so. All our survey proved that ! [19:30] Is there any questions ? [19:31] Ok then I'll go on [19:31] So you have plan your event and have a team to organize [19:32] the next thing is that you want a large audience to attend it : it is where the Marketing side enters the game [19:32] a great event won't be a success if there is no public and to have some you need to do some marketting ! [19:33] I said previously that the conference planning have to be done 1 month before the event [19:33] You might ask yourself (or myself), "why one month ?" [19:33] Because it is the time where we start the biggest part our marketing strategy :) [19:33] I say the biggest part since we have started to briefly announce it to some medias : linux or computer oriented, and "small" media corporations. [19:34] This announcement have been done on the time frame event - 8/7 weeks, in a press communicate that we have validate during one of our IRL meeting (it have to be written before). [19:34] 5 weeks before the event (and up to the event), we start to annouce the event on personnal blogs. [19:35] 4 weeks before the event (and up to the event), we contact again the media that were already contacted before (weeks 8 and 7 before the event). [19:35] 1 week before the event we contact all mass media to announce the event. And the week of the event every national medias. [19:35] Of course it is needed to get some contacts with them before that dead line in order to know who to contact... [19:35] We have someone who is the media point of contact for many years know, it helps to have a continuation in that area so the press know who to contact... [19:36]