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=== 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 To Raise Your Team's Activity Level. Energize! - Instructors: Cheri703, paultag - Slides: http://is.gd/Tknn6Q
ClassBotSlides for How To Raise Your Team's Activity Level. Energize!: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session13.pdf16:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.16:00
Cheri703Ok, Welcome folks!16:01
Cheri703Paultag is having a crazy day at work, so I am stepping in for him16:01
Cheri703He gave me his notes, so I'll do the best I can (I found out about this about an hour and a half ago ;) )16:01
Cheri703paultag is currently a member of the Massachusetts LoCo, and a former member of the Ohio LoCo16:02
Cheri703I'm an Ohio person, I'm on our team's "council", just as a reference point.16:02
Cheri703In his notes, I'm told to "give props to those who need props given" so if you need props from paultag, consider them received. :)16:03
Cheri703A big thank you to Randall and all of those who have put together this community week as well.16:03
Cheri703Ok, so when you have a team that has sort of petered out, people are just stagnant, there are lots of things that can be done.16:03
Cheri703The number one thing is to hold *REGULAR* events16:04
Cheri703Ubuntu Hours, Global Jams, Conferences, visiting LUGs, etc16:04
Cheri703Ohio team encourages ANYONE to start an Ubuntu hour in their area, some of the group is very spread out, so we would rather have 2-3 person events than none because they're too far away16:05
Cheri703(oh, also, feel free to ask questions/make suggestions or comments in #ubuntu-classroom-chat as I go along)16:06
Cheri703As stated earlier in the week, going to community events is a great way to get participation from members as well.16:06
Cheri703The next major area to focus on is building a strong core.16:07
Cheri703actually, I'm going to go back to Ubuntu Hours, sorry16:07
Cheri703Different areas do things differently, I'm sure, but with our local U-Hours, we try to be very flexible about how they're done.16:08
Cheri703Some people don't want to come out if it's purely social, some don't want to come out if it's a "lesson" on something16:08
Cheri703We tend to play it by ear, welcoming anyone and discussing whatever is important to someone on that night.16:08
Cheri703Ok, back to building a strong core16:09
Cheri703Make use of your team's IRC Channel!16:09
Cheri703Try to make sure there are 2 or more people in there at all times, so if folks wander through, or someone who has been inactive for a long time logs back on, they see that there is at least some life.16:10
Cheri703Even if there's no response right away, it at least feels like there's life.16:10
Cheri703Team mailing lists are an incredibly useful tool, even if they can be contentious at times.16:11
Cheri703Some people disagree about the level of discussion that is appropriate (ONLY things affecting the entire team as a whole vs things that affect regional areas only)16:12
Cheri703but using the list to announce events, welcome new folks, ask questions, etc helps raise activity, raise awareness of what's going on around the LoCo, and keep it on the radar for people16:12
Cheri703Folks are busy, things get pushed aside, so having at least some activity on the list helps keep people aware of what the team is doing.16:13
Cheri703A good course is to find the "center of mass", find where people tend to communicate most (mailing list, IRC, forum) and push events there, make sure that people know what you're doing.16:13
Cheri703Allow people to take the lead on initiating/planning events16:14
Cheri703Let people experience the community from different viewpoints16:14
Cheri703This allows not only excitement and passion to reinvigorate things, it also lets people see WHY there may have been stumbling blocks, seeing where the sticking points are can lead to ideas and solutions.16:15
Cheri703Be sure that the workload is being distributed. DELEGATE!16:15
Cheri703Burnout is high among Ubuntu Volunteers, and nothing causes stagnation of a group faster than the ONE person who ALWAYS did EVERYTHING disappearing. No one knows what is going on, what progress has been made on projects, and where to pick up again.16:16
Cheri703By including many people in the process, you encourage their participation as well as making sure that if something comes up, the work can continue.16:17
Cheri703Another key to building and supporting your core is to THANK people16:17
Cheri703Thank EARLY and OFTEN.16:18
Cheri703People need validation. Many people get turned off to helping (in any context) if they are not thanked for their efforts.16:18
Cheri703As volunteers, the only "payoff" to doing these things is to know that you made a difference in some way, even if it was small16:20
Cheri703Whether that is "OMG I couldn't have finished that without your help, thank you!" or "wow, great idea coming up with this event" whatever it is, THANK people for participating16:20
Cheri703This is no one's job (well, a few Canonical folks), so do not feel that people "owe" it to anyone16:20
Cheri703Fostering a community-wide "attitude of gratitude" can do wonders for the health of a group. Resentment poisons groups very quickly.16:21
Cheri703I'm going to pause for a moment, any questions/comments/suggestions so far?16:22
Cheri703Ok, moving on. :)16:23
Cheri703The next topic is a critical area that all LoCos have to deal with at some point: Poisonous people16:23
Cheri703While the Ubuntu Community is open to all, it is important to have HIGH standards for your group.16:24
paultagSorry I'm late, everyone. Crazy day16:25
paultagI'll let Cheri703 keep going, she ROCKS!16:25
Cheri703The Code of Conduct is a good place to start, and having it a part of the team site is a good introduction for new members.16:25
Cheri703Expecting at least a base level of polite/civil interaction amongst members (on IRC, Mailing List, Forum, etc) is important. This helps the members that might be affected by poisonous people feel comfortable speaking up and voicing concerns.16:27
Cheri703Paultag mentions ensuring that poisonous people are removed from the community, either on their own, or by force if needed. Since he's here, I'm going to ask him to elaborate on that, as he's probably had more experience than I have.16:28
paultagSure :)16:28
paultagThe problem with having people around who start these little nit-picks, or other nasty stuff (it's not just limited to being hard-to-work-with) is that you end up spending 90% of your time working with this one person, who basically talks louder then other people16:29
paultagexamples include people who RE: to every single person who comments on a mailing list (to make it look like there's an argument, when it's just one or two people), not to mention people who FUD any action that might be taken16:29
paultagbringing up something (like the color of a Bikeshead next to this *huge* nuclear plant to keep the worker's bikes, rather then the plant it's self) wastes everyone's time16:30
paultagthe issue then becomes new members don't feel welcome to voice ideas or changes, because they'll get bikeshead-ed16:31
paultagthese types of people should be told of what they're doing ( make absolutely sure to not take an enthusiastic new member for one of these nasty people, they can be similar, but hugely different )16:32
paultagand if the issue remains unresolved, asked to leave. If they will no, instating a ban, or removal from the team is in order. Remember the person will make a big fuss and attempt to bikeshead and FUD what you're doing. Carry on, and involve the whole team.16:33
paultagThat's really been what I've had to deal with and how I've dealt with it in the past, and it really seems to work :)16:33
paultagCheri703: what's next, captin? :)16:33
paultag*captain :)16:33
Cheri703Useful link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4216011961522818645  "How Open Source Projects Survive Poisonous people"16:34
Cheri703Remember: LoCos are an official Ubuntu team. Ensure all functions of the team live up to our community standards16:34
Cheri703Final main topic to cover: Fostering a spirit of inclusive collaboration over exclusive clubbing16:35
Cheri703LoCos are a fantastic way into the Ubuntu community, be sure  to help anyone who is serious about contributing. You're investing time for a payoff down the road.16:36
Cheri703Many people feel more comfortable meeting face to face with people, ESPECIALLY non-technical folks16:37
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Cheri703They are more likely to go from "hey, I use ubuntu" to "I'm part of the ubuntu community" if they can participate with LoCo events.16:37
Cheri703Not everyone likes to hang out on IRC on their lunch break ;)16:37
Cheri703Make sure that the smaller regional events are being welcoming as well. There have been many instances where the state-wide group is super welcoming, but the events happening in a particular town are very exclusionary and elitist "oh, you don't know about *that*? psh" type of things16:39
Cheri703The more welcome these new folks feel, the more encouraged they'll be to explore further aspects of the community and contributing.16:40
Cheri703When there are lots of new members, be sure to hold how-to sessions and regular Q&As with them. Be outstandingly nice, they'll remember it.16:40
Cheri703I have to toss in a personal anecdote:16:41
Cheri703I had been puttering around the Ubuntu IRC channels for a while, and sort of by chance discovered that there was an Ohio group (didn't know LoCos existed). paultag was one of the first people I talked to on the LoCo IRC channel, and he was SO enthusiastic and welcoming, it made me super excited to find out more and be part of the group. :)16:42
Cheri703Oh, and one other note about being welcoming:16:42
Cheri703MAKE SURE WOMEN FEEL COMFORTABLE!!16:42
Cheri703If you find that a. you don't have many women showing up, or b. they show up and then never come back, get in touch with the Ubuntu-Women project for thoughts, ideas, etc on how to foster an environment that is welcoming to ALL.16:43
Cheri703That about wraps it up for my comments, unless paultag has anything else to share, then we can open it up for Q&A. :)16:45
Cheri703Thank you for attending!16:45
paultagQ/A sounds good to me :)16:45
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.16:50
Cheri703!question16:50
Cheri703bah, ok16:50
ClassBotJoeVancouver asked: Sorry, I missed most of this presentation, so maybe you answered. Before making women feel comfortable, what is your #1 for attracting them to your events?16:50
Cheri703in #ubuntu-classroom-chat: <pleia2> JoeVancouver: the how-to encourage women in linux has a great section about this: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO/x168.html#AEN23116:52
Cheri703*to clarify my earlier statement, about making women feel comfortable: Make sure that you nip any crappy behavior in the bud, make sure that you don't have *that guy* that corners the women and want to talk and follow her around (I realize that's stereotypical, but it happens), and having non-sketchy locations helps as well. Non-bars, not in bad parts of town, etc.16:53
Cheri703Also on welcoming women: http://wiki.ubuntu-women.org/BestPractices16:53
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.16:55
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=== 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: An Overview of LoCo Guidance - Instructors: czajkowski - Slides: http://is.gd/gUp4tN
ClassBotSlides for An Overview of LoCo Guidance: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session14.pdf17:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.17:00
czajkowskiah... firstly there are no slides :)17:00
czajkowskiAloha!!17:01
czajkowskiAloha!!17:01
czajkowskiWelcome to todays  topic in the Ubuntu Community Week schedule. An Overview of LoCo Guidance17:01
czajkowskiMy name is Laura Czajkowski and am a member of the Ubuntu LoCo Council.17:01
czajkowskiI'm Irish, living in London at present and currently looking out at the London Eye while it is raining in July! so much for summer eh!  Lets get cracking!17:01
czajkowskiSo we're going to start with a little back ground and history on the council and then teams as it has come to light that not everyone is sure of what the Loco Council (LC) doand how they can help you and your team.17:02
czajkowskiI'll ask at points if you want to ask questions ok.17:02
czajkowskiThere are 6 of us on the council Laura Czajkowski / czajkowski Alan Pope / popey17:02
czajkowskiChristophe Sauthier / huats Chris Crisafulli / itnet7  Paul Tagliamonte / paultag17:02
czajkowskiLeandro Gomez / leogg and we are elected by the CC for a 2 year term. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoCouncil/17:02
czajkowskiWe are elected to help you loco team members help your team be as active and prodcutive as possible.17:03
czajkowskiYou can find most of us on irc either on our home team channels or hanging out in #ubuntu-locoteams17:03
czajkowskiIf you join that channel and need help or want our attention or find out how to contact us you can  use the command17:03
czajkowski!lococouncil17:03
czajkowski< ubot4> lococouncil is The Loco Council is itnet7, czajkowski, paultag, huats, leogg, popey - they are there to help, just ask! :) You can send them an email at loco-council@lists.ubuntu.com17:04
czajkowskiPLease be patient , we may not be online and only some of us run screen sessions, you can always email us17:04
czajkowskiEmails are moderated so don't be alarmed we will get back to you, and you don't need to suscrbibe to the list.17:04
czajkowskiEach month we meet, mostly to work on approvals and re approvals, but we also encourage team members to add items to agenda so we can disucsss them.17:05
czajkowskiIf you have an issue in your team, or want to discuss something that could be benefical to other teams you can add this to the agenda up to the day before the meeting.17:05
czajkowskiEach team should have a TEAM CONTACT some call this a TEAM LEADER and some teams have a TEAM CONTACT  *AND* a TEAM LEADER17:05
czajkowskiIf a team has an issue they can contact their team leader/contact and get them to contact us so we can step in and help17:06
czajkowskiThere is no shame or issue or anything to be worried about if people contact us to help.17:06
czajkowskiWe encourage teams to contact us, it's what we are elected here to help and do so don't be shy and please don't be annoyed with members who do contact us.17:07
czajkowskiany Questions so far?17:07
czajkowskiokie dokie, moving on17:07
czajkowskiSo how we can help:17:07
czajkowski1) Guidance17:08
czajkowskiSometimes people are in charge of a team where they don't know what to do either it's a new team or a team that needs a bit of revamp and that is not a bad thing.17:08
czajkowskiIt can be a case of never having led a team before or working with a diverse team spread over some distance.17:08
czajkowskiWe can help!!17:09
czajkowskiWe do Encourage teams to have some formal ways to operate but do realise this may not be suitable for all teams, however we see it as best practice.17:09
czajkowskiTo make this easier on teams and people if you break it down into a cycle based way to get a team into shape it helps.17:09
czajkowskiNothing can be done in one week, one month or even one cycle, just remember that17:09
czajkowskiSome teams are extremly formal, and it works for them, but it's a case of trial and error, if you are a small team, do you need a council? or are you better off with a team contact and people to help you informally?17:10
czajkowski 17:10
czajkowskiIf a team has a monthly meeting, that lets people know how they are doing, create an Agenda page, let ANYONE add items to it, either nominate a set chair for each meeting or have one per17:10
czajkowskicycle or in some cases this is the team contact who chairs the meeting.17:10
czajkowskiSimple thing many people forget to do is let the people who cannot attend know what is going on this also works by A) letting them know what's going on in the team B) encourages them to possbly get involved if possible.17:11
czajkowskipost these to the mailing list/forums17:11
czajkowskiI cannot stress how important it is to keep a wiki page with the mins and logs of the meetings, this will help you and your team when it comes to approval or re approval. The council will be able to see how active you are.17:11
czajkowski 17:11
czajkowskiKeeping a monthly team report is a really good idea also, as this helps show you your team how you are doing, if you're going from having 5 events a cycle to 1, then there is something up, but also it helps again when it comes for approval and re approval.17:11
czajkowskiA suggestion to make it easy is nominate one person to create the wiki page and add the basic content such as IRC team meeting or meet up, the post to the mailing list17:12
czajkowskianyone else then did any Ubuntu work or work the team may be interested in can add it to the wiki.17:12
czajkowskiWe have seen people get cranky over wiki edits, it's a wiki, anyone can edit it, add content to it.  Let's all try and get along and work together with one another17:12
czajkowski 17:12
czajkowskiThe next thing you can do is set down the goals you want to do each cycle.17:12
czajkowskiIt doesn't have to be something massive like a conference, if it's an outing that's not even geeky related, have a talk something that the team can get behind and work towards.17:12
czajkowski*SHARE tasks*, but also remember this is a voluntary work you are doing the same as your team members so if things are slow in happening, offer a hand or suggest they team up with someone else so they can help.17:13
czajkowskiWe have made up a page to help teams and encourage teams to use it and TRANSLATE IT :) https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoCouncil/LoCoTeamsBestPracticesandGuidelines/17:13
czajkowskiIf you create an event use the http://loco.ubuntu.com/ Loco Directory, we want to make this place the home of loco teams where all the contact information is one place.17:14
czajkowskiPLEASE ENSURE  Team CONTACT is listed for your team as this is how we contact you.17:14
czajkowskiOk, any questions so far?17:14
czajkowski2) Be the bridge if you log RT tickets17:15
czajkowskiFrom time to time teams have to log RT tickets, if you do, and need a hand with them, and there has been no movement in them, just ask us to have a look and we will try and see if we can help17:15
czajkowskibut also note Canonical IS are busy people who do a great job so we all need to be patient.17:15
czajkowskiany questions so far?  as we do get a lot of teams logging RTs and then seem to be lost as to what to do ?17:16
ClassBotpleia2 asked: Can you explain what RT is and what it may be used for?17:16
czajkowskisure17:16
czajkowskiSo RT is Request Tracker17:16
czajkowskiit is where teams log issues re DNS or hosting issues17:16
czajkowskiand Canonical looks after this side of things17:17
czajkowskiokie dokie so moving on17:18
czajkowski3) Mediation17:18
czajkowskiFrom time to time we are called upon to be the middle person, the unbiased person who can help if there are issues in a team.17:18
czajkowskiFirstly, there is no shame in this, and it often helps to call us in sooner rather than later as we can help resolve the issues.17:18
czajkowski 17:18
czajkowskiThis can be from us idling in the team IRC channel, adding ourselves to your Team wiki page meetings agenda, talking to members and it is ok to email us if you have concerns.17:19
czajkowskiWe have bee known to be called in to settle issues and mandate teams to elect team leaders where teams were in need of an outside team to step in, then get a monthly report17:19
czajkowskifrom the contact so we know things are improving.17:19
czajkowski 17:19
czajkowskiAt all times remember, we have the Code of Conduct, and everyone should sign it and if you are on Mailing lists you are already bound by it, the same goes for Ubuntu channels.17:19
czajkowskiWe also have a private channel so if you are on IRC and need to talk to us, we invite people in there to talk to us and this helps resolve issues.  Just ask us in #ubuntu-locoteams that you want to talk to us and we'll invite you in17:20
czajkowski4) Bit of advice17:20
czajkowskiWhen you organise events, vary it, don't always have them soo geeky, try and have non geeky events, people will come along more often than not if they feel they don't have to be a17:21
czajkowskitechnnology expert, and it also means people can bring along families so vary your venue :)17:21
czajkowski 17:21
czajkowskiWE can only guide you so far, it's up to each team how they operate, some things do work and somtimes teams need to realise when things are not working and need to step back and look at how they can change.17:21
czajkowski 17:22
czajkowskiA LoCo team should have one goal, promote Ubuntu where possible without being over bearing and over powering to people.17:22
czajkowski 17:22
czajkowskiWe are an international community with so many teams and we are fortunate to have some fantastic people in them.17:22
czajkowski 17:22
czajkowskiRemember that LoCo Teams are  in many ways the opening into the Ubuntu Community, be welcoming and friendly and we'll get more people on board.!17:22
czajkowski 17:22
czajkowskiIf you're not sure if you have a team have a look at http://loco.ubuntu.com/17:22
czajkowski 17:23
czajkowskiThat's all for me now17:23
czajkowskiso does anyone have any questions ??17:23
czajkowskiwell thanks for giving me this oportunity to give you some advice17:24
czajkowski8:27 < JoeVancouver> QUESTION: Are there any examples that you are able to give for when the council had to step in to mediate an issue? (on that note: how  is the privacy of such issues handled?)17:30
czajkowskiJoeVancouver: good question, we remain discreate about such thing to be honest.17:31
czajkowski8:27 < JoeVancouver> QUESTION: Are there any examples that you are able to give for when the council had to step in to mediate an issue? (on that note: how  is the privacy of such issues handled?)17:31
czajkowskithis helps with teams being able to come to us to ask for advice knowing we're not going to put it on planet Ubuntu and going into a name and shame kinda thing which isn't what we're here for17:31
czajkowskiWE're here to help17:32
czajkowskiand we also appreciate that in some counteries and cultures asking for help or saying there is a problem with their team or members in their teams is not acceptable17:32
czajkowskiwe're not here to judge only to help rectify the suitation.17:32
czajkowskiI hope that helps17:32
ClassBotjoru_pt asked: are there occations where you guys have stepped in and split up large loco-teams in order to improve progress? or is this in the ruling of the TL? is there a general feeling for how big teams should be to be productive?17:35
czajkowskihmmm17:35
czajkowskino we've not stepped in and split any team up17:35
czajkowskiwe are currently in the middle or standardsing naming in the LD and getting loco teams displayed there and fixing lanauge teams under them.17:36
czajkowskithats the kind of work we do17:36
czajkowskiIf a team is soo big it needs to be split up are you asking if it's because of numbers or due to geographic area?17:36
czajkowskithe French loco gets 5K of people to their release parties, they have one team and aren't split up17:37
czajkowskiUSA is split into states17:37
ClassBotHakanS asked: Can a loco-team be so inactive so you "delete" it?17:43
czajkowskihmm we don't delete teams17:43
czajkowskiwe make them unapproved if they have been approved17:43
czajkowskibut deleting a team doesn't help anyone17:43
czajkowskiif people want a hand to get it active again or advice again just ask us17:43
czajkowskithe 6 of us come from various teams I'm fortunate to be a member in two Teams Ireland and UK17:43
czajkowskiboth teams are different17:44
czajkowskiIreland is smaller and UK is larger both operate differnly but efficiently.17:44
czajkowskiyou need to find a way to get your team to work for you17:44
czajkowskiI hope that helps17:44
ClassBotdscassel93 asked: While we're on the topic, there's occasional friction about the policy of LoCos covering larger geographical areas. What's the reasoning behind that, and what do you see are pros & cons?17:45
czajkowskiat present the policy is this17:45
czajkowskiUSA is broken down into states17:45
czajkowskithe rest of the world in most cases is broken down into country17:46
czajkowskithis is done by the Ubuntu -ISO code for counteries17:46
czajkowskiI suspect down the road which is why we're having to revamp and update and enforce in some cases the naming is that Canada and Australia may go down the road of breaking up into small Locos per state like USA17:46
czajkowskibrazil is another example of this17:46
czajkowskibut there is no point in having an Ubuntu-state-city if there is nobody there, you need people there otherwise fall under the country  loco17:47
czajkowskidoes that help ?17:47
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.17:50
czajkowskistart small and work from there17:53
czajkowskistart by meeting in a cafe for a bite to eat17:53
czajkowskior just meeting new people17:54
czajkowskiit works :)17:54
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.17:55
jonothanks czajkowski :-)_17:59
jonothanks czajkowski :-)17:59
czajkowskijono: np :)18:00
=== 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: Community Manager Q+A - Instructors: jono - Slides: http://is.gd/kQDKoj
ClassBotSlides for Community Manager Q+A: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session15.pdf18:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.18:00
jonohowdy folks!18:00
jonohope everyone is doing great today~!18:00
jonoplease make sure you are also in #ubuntu-classroom-chat18:01
jonoso who is here for the Q+A session?18:01
jonoyou can answer in #ubuntu-classroom-chat18:01
jonowow, we are a little silent today :-)18:02
jonowe are going to need to change some of that to make this session rock :-)18:02
jonoso before I begin, let me introduce myself18:02
jonomy name is Jono Bacon and I am the Ubuntu Community Manager18:02
jonoI work at Canonical and lead a team whose goal is to make Ubuntu a truly fun, inspiring, and productive place to be18:03
jonowe want to make everyone welcome and know that everyone can help make Ubuntu better and bring Free Software to more and more people18:03
jonothis session is a general Q+A about LoCo teams18:03
jonohow they work18:03
jonohow to join them18:03
jonowhat to do18:03
jonoetc18:03
jonoyou folks can ask questions and I will answer them one by one18:04
jonoasking a question is simple:18:04
jonoTO ASK A QUESTION: (1) join #ubuntu-classroom-chat (2) type QUESTION and then your question (e.g. QUESTION: What is a LoCo team) and I will get to the questions one by one - simple as that!18:05
jonoso, without further ado18:05
jonoget your questions in, folks! :-)18:05
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ClassBotruig asked: is there a list of all the ubuntu LoCo teams?18:06
jonoruig, there is indeed, it is at http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/18:07
ClassBotnathandyer asked: Hey, Jono, I'm a member of a LoCo that seems to be- well, we'll say "under-enthused." The information on the website and Wiki is four or five months old, we don't have any projects or try to reach out to the community, and the only interaction we have is a monthly meeting on IRC where, from what I've seen, we just go through the motions. It's sort of like the people just put their names on the list for18:07
jononathandyer, this is something that some LoCo teams face from time to time18:08
jonohaving projects to work on is *critically* important for a LoCo team18:08
jonoprojects give the team a sense of purpose and focus18:08
jonothey help spread the work out among different members and when the project is complete, it is really satisfying18:08
jononathandyer, fortunately, I have a great project you can work on18:09
jonothe Ubuntu Global Jam18:09
jonothe Ubuntu Global Jam is an event we run in each cycle where we encourage all LoCo teams to organize a local face to face meeting where people can get together to talk about Ubuntu and work on bits of Ubuntu too18:09
jonofor more details, see http://www.jonobacon.org/2011/07/20/calling-those-to-rock-the-ubuntu-11-10-global-jam/18:10
jonoI would like to encourage *every LoCo team* to organize an Ubuntu Global Jam event18:10
jonoI would love to see over 60 events all around the world happening on that weekend - they are a lot of fun, and provides this huge global Ubuntu presence on the same weekend18:10
jono:-)18:10
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: Are there any other loco podcasts besides the UK one?  Is there a U.S. one?18:11
jonoraginkestrel, not that I am aware of, but I would love to see more!18:11
jonothe Ubuntu UK team do a wonderful job with that show, but I think there is plenty of appetite for more :-)18:11
ClassBotitisbasi asked: Can there be multiple locos for a city?18:12
jonoitisbasi, we generally recommend against that - the reason is that if you have multiple teams serving the same area, there can be a lot of duplication of effort18:12
jonowe instead recommend that people get together in the same team18:12
jonobefore we go on...18:13
jonoto everyone watching18:13
jonowhich LoCo teams are you in?18:13
jonotype them in #ubuntu-classroom-chat18:13
jonoawesome, would you folks be interested in running an Ubuntu Global Jam event?18:14
jonoawesome :-)18:15
jonoso, more questions!18:15
jonowhat can I help with?18:15
jonoTO ASK A QUESTION: (1) join #ubuntu-classroom-chat (2) type QUESTION and then your question (e.g. QUESTION: What is a LoCo team) and I will get to the questions one by one - simple as that!18:17
ClassBotdscassel93 asked: Do you see a role for Jams earlier in the cycle? To give people a chance to contribute to coding earlier, maybe?18:18
jonodscassel93, absolutely! any event to get people together to work on Ubuntu is a great opportunity18:18
jonowe have found over and over that getting people together is a great way of encouraging and enthusing people in a community :-)18:19
jonoso yeah, knock yourself out with the jams - the more the merrier!18:19
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: Are loco teams just for evangelizing? What else do they do?18:19
jonoraginkestrel, good question!18:19
jonoLoCo teams can serve many purposes18:19
jonofirstly, they are just great as a place to meet other Ubuntu people - this great for getting to know people in your local area, make friends etc18:20
jonothen there is definitely the evangelism element - lots of LoCo teams burn CDs, make leaflet and flyers and go out and spread the word about Ubuntu far and wide18:20
jonothis is great for getting Free Software in the hands of as many people as possible18:21
jonoLoCo teams also often work on localized derivatives with a local language pack included, testing Ubuntu, triaging bugs etc18:21
jonoessentially, a LoCo team can do anything that a group of Ubuntu fans is interested in doing18:22
jonoanother wonderful element of LoCo teams is sharing skills - they are a great environment for learning tips and tricks for both using and contributing to Ubuntu18:22
jonothis is why the Ubuntu Global Jam is so awesome - you can meet folks face to face and share knowledge and work on projects together, it is a blast :-)18:23
ClassBotJoeVancouver asked: What are some ideal roles that each LoCo team should have?18:23
jonoJoeVancouver, a few spring to mind:18:23
jono * Leader - always have a strong leader, someone who will think of ways in which the LoCo team can keep moving forward, suggest and start new projects etc18:23
jonoa great leader will make decisions - earlier there was a question about how a LoCo team that isn't really doing much and just going through the motions can improve - a great leader will pick projects and get the team excited about those projects18:24
jonoevery team needs a great leader18:24
jono * Bloggers - we always encourage LoCo teams to talk about  the work that they are doing - blogging about your work is a great way of inspiring other members of the team and other teams to participate - really encourage folks to blog, and get your blog entries up on planet.ubuntu.com18:26
jonoin related news, mhall119 is working on support in loco.ubuntu.com to bring blog feeds in so that loco.ubuntu.com will be a portal to the world of everything going on in the LoCo community18:26
jonoI cannot wait to see this arrive! :-)18:26
jono * Imaginative Minds - you always want people in your loco who are coming up with cool ideas for the team to work on - advocacy events, installfests, creating advocacy materials, Ubuntu Global Jam events, parties, etc - every team needs people will cool ideas18:27
jonothose are the main roles I see18:27
ClassBotnathandyer asked: Can a small group of people take part in the Global Jam? Most of my LoCo members live 6+ hours away, but I know I could round up some friends locally.18:28
jononathandyer, totally! an Ubuntu Global Jam could be two people if you like :-)18:28
jonoalso, we encourage LoCo teams to have multiple Global Jam events if it makes sense18:28
jonoso absolutely! get your event set up :-)18:28
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: How can a newbie contribute?18:29
jonoraginkestrel, the first thing is to join a team18:29
jonosee loco.ubuntu.com/teams, find a team near you and join18:29
jonowhen in the team I recommend you help out with the projects that the team is working on, and if there are no projects or you have a cool idea, suggest the idea to the team and start rocking on it :-)18:30
jonosimple as that :-)18:30
jonoany more questions, folks?18:30
ClassBotdscassel93 asked: How can I convince more people to get involved and organize events? Bribery? A winning smile?18:31
jonodscassel93, good question18:31
jonothe key to getting people excited about an event or project is to help them see why it would be fun and useful to do it18:31
jonoas an example, with an event, there are lots of benefits:18:32
jono 1. fun - events are great fun to be at, meet people at, and just have a good time.18:32
jono 2. growing the team - events are a good opportunity to encourage more people to join the team and start using Ubuntu.18:32
jono 3. good for Ubuntu - events are a great way of spreading the word about Ubuntu and Free Software - this helps with the wider mission18:33
jono 4. not a lot of work - importantly, it doesn't take a lot of work to organize an event18:33
jonoso if you get these points over, and present them in a fun and excitable tone, you will get more interest18:33
jonoanother important technique is to make it clear that you will coordinate the project, but you are looking for their help - this will help them get interested as it won't seem as big of a commitment, so they can dip their feet in18:34
jonohope that helps!18:34
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: Do loco teams have a say in what happens with future Ubuntu releases?18:34
jonoraginkestrel, LoCo teams as a general rule don'18:35
jonooops18:35
jonoraginkestrel, LoCo teams as a general rule don't feed into stakeholder requirements gathering, but many people join LoCo teams and get really interested and involved in Ubuntu development and then start shaping Ubuntu indeed18:35
jonobut we don't reach out to LoCo teams and ask them what they feel should be going into Ubuntu18:36
jonobut in many ways, that is not the main benefit of LoCo teams18:36
jonoI see LoCo teams as our "troops on the ground" - going out and spreading the word and the good message of Ubuntu18:36
jonoand of course, spreading Free Software in general18:36
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: How does the community's relationship with Canonical work?18:36
jonoraginkestrel, it is pretty simple18:37
jonoCanonical is just a collection of community members who are lucky enough to get paid to work on Ubuntu18:37
jonowe are still a community too18:37
jonoone key element in Ubuntu is that we have very open governance18:37
jonoso we have two community governance councils, the Ubuntu Community Council and the Ubuntu Technical Board18:38
jonothe Ubuntu Community Council makes decisions around community policy18:38
jonothe Ubuntu Technical Board makes decisions around technical policy in the project18:38
jonowe then have a series of team councils who report to the Ubuntu Community Council, and these councils provide leadership in specific parts of the project18:39
jonofor example:18:39
jonothe Ubuntu Forums Council, Ubuntu IRC Council, Ubuntu LoCo Council etc18:39
jonowe then have local membership boards in EMEA, Americas and Oceania who review membership applications, and an Developer Board who review MOTU and core-dev applications18:40
jonoall of these councils and team councils have more non-Canonical than Canonical members on them18:40
jonowe are a very open community :-)18:40
jonoany more questions?18:40
ClassBotraginkestrel asked: Some times it seems like there is a sense of Canonical vs. Community, but Canonical should be viewed as an extension of the community, correct?18:42
jonoraginkestrel, well, haters gonna hate sometimes :-)18:42
jonoit is human nature to look at organizations with a sense of cynicism at times18:42
jonoCanonical is just a group of people in our community paid to work on Ubuntu18:43
jonowe are part of the community, and should be subject to the rules of the community18:43
jonoas well as the opportunities and social capital and gift culture in the community18:43
jonoof course, Canonical does sometimes make some decisions18:43
jonoMark Shuttleworth specifically will sometimes make a specific decision18:43
jonobut that has always been the culture of Ubuntu, Mark has been a strong leader there18:43
jonoand I believe that we need that sense of leadership in a project that is striving for mass global adoption18:44
jonobut yes, Canonical should be seen as part of the community and not as different entity that plays by a different rule-book18:44
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jonowell, folks, I think we are out of questions18:46
jonothanks for joining me today!18:46
jonoI hope it was useful :-)18:46
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ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.18:50
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.18:55
=== 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: Don't Kill Your Audience! Enlighten Your Presentation Style! - Instructors: xdatap1 - Slides: http://is.gd/QbDXY7
ClassBotSlides for Don't Kill Your Audience! Enlighten Your Presentation Style!: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCommunityWeek/oneiric/slides?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=session16.pdf19:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.19:00
xdatap1Hi everybody, thanks for coming!19:01
xdatap1This will be a presentation with slides.19:01
xdatap1Since Learnid has some issues with automatic slide change you'll have to change it manually when I will write the slide number.19:01
xdatap1For future reference and if you miss something don't worry, at the end of the session I'll give you an handout with both slides and the script.19:01
xdatap1If you have a question please keep it for the end of the session, being a complicated presentation with slide changing I prefer to not have question in the middle.19:02
xdatap1Please download the slides from here:19:02
xdatap1http://paolo.sammiche.li/UbuntuCommunityWeek/slides.pdf19:02
xdatap1I will give you a minute, it's a 3 MBytes pdf.19:02
xdatap1Now, let's pretend that this is my voice, and that the slides are projected on the stage.19:04
xdatap1And since dreaming it's free, let's pretend that we're in a fancy conference room, and you're comfortably sitting in the first row with a fresh ubuntini in your hand. :)19:04
xdatap1Let's start!19:04
xdatap1Slide 219:04
xdatap1Hi everybody, my name's Paolo Sammicheli, I'm an Ubuntu Member from the Italian LoCo Team. I work for an Italian IT company and they call me a software architect.19:04
xdatap1Slide 319:05
xdatap1Today we'll talk about presentations.19:05
xdatap1Have you ever seen a presentation?19:05
xdatap1Maybe at work, at a conference or maybe at a Free Software related event.19:05
xdatap1Slide 419:06
xdatap1You're sitting in the dark, listening to a guy who stands in front of slides full of text, saying the same words you see in the slide...19:06
xdatap1Slide 519:06
xdatap1Every slide you read faster than this guy speaking, you get bored and you start thinking at the next holidays, the next party, the next whatever thing except what this guy is talking about.19:06
xdatap1Slide 619:07
xdatap1Guys I HATE this kind of presentation. I'd rather read the slides alone at home than staying there listening to this kind of torture.19:07
xdatap1Slide 719:08
xdatap1I've a confession: I was a guy like these.19:08
xdatap1I used to write ton of text and bullets point in my slides and I used to torture my audience with this kind of presentation.19:08
xdatap1Slide 819:08
xdatap1But one day, preparing a presentation in a break during an Ubuntu-it meeting, a LoCo friend told me:19:08
xdatap1"This is not the way to make a presentation".19:09
xdatap1I was shocked, I used to think I was a good presenter.19:09
xdatap1For my job and for my involvement in Free Software I made tons of presentations before that day.19:09
xdatap1I thought I was good, but I was not.19:09
xdatap1Slide 919:10
xdatap1So I started a journey in where to learn again how to present.19:10
xdatap1And I found a master that lead my journey...19:10
xdatap1Slide 1019:10
xdatap1This guy has been my master: Garr Reynolds19:10
xdatap1I've bought his book and I've started reading his blog.19:11
xdatap1Slide 1119:11
xdatap1After a while I started following his masters, reading the sources he quotes in his blog and book.19:11
xdatap1And after almost 3 year I have started my journey, I can tell you that presenting is a huge thing.19:12
xdatap1There's tons of things to learn and whoever you are, you can always improve.19:12
xdatap1But it's the most exciting thing I've ever tried, and I love it!19:12
xdatap1Slide 1219:13
xdatap1The good news is that most of the presentations really suck.19:13
xdatap1With few suggestions I will tell you in this session, extracted from these books, you will improve dramatically your presentation skills.19:13
xdatap1(Hey Bill, nothing personal, your presentation skill really improved lately, we liked your talks at TED)19:13
xdatap1Slide 1319:15
xdatap1So, Presentation Zen's approach is simple:19:15
xdatap11) move all the text and bullets point in the notes, that only you will see (Check LibreOffice Presenter Console, it's awesome!)19:15
xdatap12) put inspiring images or single sentences in the slides that everybody will see. One Slide, one concept.19:15
xdatap13) print the slides + notes like a PDF handout where to put all the details.19:15
xdatap1Slide 1419:16
xdatap1It's an evolving process. Let's start demystifying some concepts:19:16
xdatap11)A presentation is NOT about TEACHING, it's about INSPIRING.19:16
xdatap12)A presentation is NOT about EXPLAINING DETAILS, it's about making you audience to TAKE ACTION.19:16
xdatap13)Do NOT waste their time explaining WHAT and HOW, just start with WHY.19:17
xdatap1Slide 1519:17
xdatap1Now let's see Garr Reynolds' 10 tips for improving your slides.19:17
xdatap1Slide 1619:18
xdatap1TIP 1. It’s not about tools19:18
xdatap1“Men have become the tools of their tools.” (Henry David Thoreau)19:18
xdatap1Forget the tools, it's all about ideas!19:18
xdatap1Slide 1719:19
xdatap1TIP 2. Start in analog mode19:19
xdatap1If you start planning your idea in front of the computer you will fail.19:19
xdatap1This is also what my programming teacher used to say when I was at school learning my first programming language: the Turbo Pascal (yes, I'm that old).19:19
xdatap1Start with an empty paper and a pencil! Always.19:19
xdatap1(well, post-it works very well too)19:19
xdatap1Slide 1819:20
xdatap13. Take a risk, lose the fear19:20
xdatap1Explore all the possibilities, don't simply go with the first idea you got.19:20
xdatap1Slide 1919:21
xdatap1TIP 4. Look for the story19:21
xdatap1Telling stories it's the way the human beings used for communicating effectively since the beginning of the civilization.19:21
xdatap1An article from Harvard Business Review from June 2003:19:21
xdatap1“...Forget about Power Point and statistics... to involve people at the deepest level, you need stories”.19:21
xdatap1And if you think about it, even Jesus Christ used stories for communicating!19:22
xdatap1Slide 2019:23
xdatap1TIP 5. Put yourself in their shoes.19:23
xdatap1There's not “one size fits all”, you have to connect with your audience.19:23
xdatap1There's an amazing book about how to connect to the audience:19:23
xdatap1Resonate, Nancy Duarte.19:23
xdatap1Slide 2119:24
xdatap1TIP 6. Show Restraint19:24
xdatap1It's about depth vs. scope., inclusion and exclusion.19:24
xdatap1You can't tell everything, you have to choice!19:24
xdatap1If you want to provide a wide scope of a topic you can't go in the details.19:24
xdatap1Slide 2219:25
xdatap1TIP 7. Remember: vision trumps all other senses19:25
xdatap1We're incredible at remembering pictures.19:25
xdatap1Much more than remembering text.19:25
xdatap1How to create great slides with just images?19:25
xdatap1There's an old photography rule called “rule of third” that works good also for slides.19:25
xdatap1After this session you can learn more about this tip here:19:25
xdatap1http://goo.gl/AOsGs19:25
xdatap1Slide 2319:26
xdatap1TIP 8. Aim for a high Signal-to-Noise ratio19:26
xdatap1The decoration of a slide can be the noise that disturb the signal we aim to send.19:26
xdatap1This slide it's a typical example.19:26
xdatap1Slide 2419:27
xdatap1This is the same slides with a better ratio noise/signal.19:27
xdatap1The signal it's clear and much louder now.19:27
xdatap1Slide 2519:28
xdatap1TIP 9. Embrace empty space19:28
xdatap1Empty space is a design tool, it isn't a wasted area, use it!19:28
xdatap1In his book Garr Reynolds quotes the book19:28
xdatap1“The elements of graphic design - Alex W. White”19:28
xdatap1which talking about empty space says:19:28
xdatap1“Siena's magnificent piazza is the community's gathering place. Four hundred years after its construction, it remains the city's focal point. Is this wasted space?”19:28
xdatap1Incidentally this is the city where I born and I can tell you, it's not wasted space :)19:29
xdatap1To learn more: http://goo.gl/i117t19:29
xdatap1Slide 2619:30
xdatap1TIP 10. Design is everywhere! Learn to see the lessons all around you.19:30
xdatap1There's a great article about this topic in the Garr's blog, take a look at it after the session:19:30
xdatap1http://goo.gl/7UoZV19:30
xdatap1And the best source for presentation is TED.19:30
xdatap1In TED's site you will find many incredible presentations from great speakers:19:30
xdatap1http://www.ted.com19:31
xdatap1You can get an incredible inspiration from these presenters.19:31
xdatap1Slide 2719:31
xdatap1Let's recap the 10 tips:19:31
xdatap11. It’s not about tools19:32
xdatap12. Start in analog mode19:32
xdatap13. Take a risk, lose the fear19:32
xdatap14. Look for the story19:32
xdatap15. Put yourself in their shoes19:32
xdatap16. Depth Vs. Scope. Inclusion Exclusion. Show Restraint!19:32
xdatap17. Remember: vision trumps all other senses19:32
xdatap18. Aim for a high Signal-to-Noise ratio19:32
xdatap19. Embrace empty space19:32
xdatap110. Design is everywhere! Learn to see the lessons all around you19:33
xdatap1Slide 2819:34
xdatap1Now, I know, doing a presentation like this takes a lot of time.19:34
xdatap1You need to find the time!19:34
xdatap1You're going to take others time, so you need to respect it.19:34
xdatap1Slide 2919:35
xdatap1Being a good presenter it's not something that you just learn.19:35
xdatap1It's a journey.19:35
xdatap1The thing is to keep moving forward.19:35
xdatap1Slide 3019:36
xdatap1And finally the most important thing:19:36
xdatap1SLIDES are NOT the presentation.19:36
xdatap1YOU are the presentation!19:36
xdatap1Slide 3119:37
xdatap1How to keep moving forward: LINKS!19:37
xdatap1Presentation Zen Blog: www.presentationzen.com19:37
xdatap1Garr's presentations are on slideshare.net:19:37
xdatap1http://www.slideshare.net/garr/19:37
xdatap1If you haven't time for the above slides I suggest to19:37
xdatap1take a look at least at these, I downloaded and put19:38
xdatap1in order for you:19:38
xdatap1http://paolo.sammicheli.net/garr-slides/19:38
xdatap1Also, don't miss this great presentation he made at Google:19:38
xdatap1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ2vtQCESpk19:38
xdatap1And more presentation tips:19:38
xdatap1http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/19:38
xdatap1Slide 3219:39
xdatap1Suggested books:19:39
xdatap11) Presentation Zen, Garr Reynolds19:39
xdatap12) Slide:ology, Nancy Duarte19:39
xdatap13) Brain Rules, John Medina19:39
xdatap14) Made to Stick, Chip Heath19:39
xdatap15) A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink19:39
xdatap16) Resonate, Nancy Duarte19:39
xdatap1Slide 3319:40
xdatap1Thanks for your attention!19:40
xdatap1The PDF handout with full script and slides can be downloaded here:19:40
xdatap1http://paolo.sammiche.li/UbuntuCommunityWeek/handout.pdf19:40
xdatap1And now Questions!19:40
ClassBotJoeVancouver asked: Great session! Any additional tips for doing online presentations, such as this one?19:43
xdatap1Thanks Joe :)19:43
xdatap1The approch I used for this kind of presentation is just the same as a normal presentation19:44
xdatap1Writing down the script before, read and read for improving19:44
xdatap1and then produce the pdf handout so future references would be easy19:44
xdatap1any other question?19:46
ClassBotpleia2 asked: Did you find the whole process to better presentations an evolution for you? (my presentations are better these days, but bullet points still creep in from time to time...)19:47
xdatap1yes, as I said it's a journey. The thing is that the topic it's huge19:47
xdatap1one of the suggested books I've listed it's Brain Rules19:48
xdatap1that book, like others in the list, haven't to do with presentation19:48
xdatap1it's about communicating and how brain works19:48
xdatap1so, when you start learning how to better present you learn also how to better communicate, how to better teach and why sometimes the message is not delivered to the destination19:49
xdatap1in fact, for being a good communicator you need to understand a little how human brain works19:49
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.19:50
xdatap1and the human brain it's a way more complicated processing unit that what we're used to program ;)19:50
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.19:55
xdatap1a typo in the last sentence "a way more complicated processing unit THAN what we're used to program19:56
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html20:00
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