Sorry, I think I was a bit to argumentative last night, I really like your idea
I have added a few comments below. jan. On 20 October 2012 00:18, Rob Weir <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 5:47 PM, jan iversen <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I think it is a good starting point, however I dont like the notation > > "level 1", is looks like a graduation process, and I have to ask myself > > where am I on that latter. > > > > I don't want suggest that everyone must go through these steps. An > experienced open source volunteer probably would just skim this > material. Someone who is a Committer on another Apache project would > probably skip over it altogether. > > The name "Level 1" doesn't matter. We can call it "Stage 1", or even > "Introduction". But there is an explicit ordering, and giving numbers > is the natural way to express an ordering. But I am sensitive to > having these stages give the feeling of accomplishment without > becoming unwelcome status markers. > Your list is quite OK, may I suggest calling "help to get started", and of course you are right about the numbering, it was the sense of having to cross a bridge that caught me. > > > 1) Introduce yourself (by the way I think I have forgotten that). > > why do it on the mailling list, when Wiki ask you for more or less the > > exact same type of information. > > > > This is more for the benefit of existing project volunteers already > subscribed to ooo-dev. This gives them the opportunity to see who is > getting involved. They might recognize some names. If so they can > reach out to offer additional help and encouragement. > > > > 2) I like that. > > > > 3) +1, but I will never understand why it is a mailing list and not a > > forum, where it is so much easier to look at history > > > > Mailing lists are the lowest common denominator technologies. You can > access email from nearly any device, online or offline, using plain > text. > > It is important to note that as a project we don't directly control > mailing lists, websites, Bugzilla, etc., except at the level of the > content and application admin functions. The sysadmin functions are > done ASF-wide by a group of volunteers that we call the Apache > Infrastructure team. Since they are maintaining services for over 100 > projects, there are limits to how much customization each project can > have. This is a consideration for maintenance as well as server > resources and security. So there is a something like a "menu" of > tools we have access to, and which are supported by the Infra team. > But changing the menu is more difficult. > > > 4+5) yes, but that has not much to do specifically with AOO. > > > > Right. But these are practical issues that have come up with past > volunteers. For any such document we need to assume some initial > skill/knowledge level. This means those who have these skills already > will find some items unnecessary. This is hard to avoid. > > > > 7) the project planning part seems a bit of a contradiction, look at > > localization planning as an example. > > > > Maybe calling it "Project Coordination" would be more accurate. CWiki > is what we've been using to coordinate the various efforts of a major > project-wide initiative, like a specific release. For example, we're > using a page now to coordinate graduation-related infrastructure > changes: > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/OOOUSERS/Graduation+Infrastructure+Changes > I think it is wise to have coordination pages, and needed with the number of people involved. > > > Sorry for being frank, I do not want to be non-polite, but a lot of these > > items just highlight my difficulties. > > > > Nothing on this page is going to help with the current localization > process. I'm hoping that, with your help, we resolve that in > parallel. > I know that, I am past most of these items, but they are important for other volunteers, I assume you saw the list I made on l10n, and got one very long reply related to localization. I work quite a lot at the moment to get the proposal finished and the l10n.openoffice.org updated. > > -Rob > > > All aside, I think we are making huge steps in the right direction and > that > > is what matters !!!! > > > > jan. > > > > > > On 19 October 2012 22:07, Rob Weir <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> On Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 12:17 PM, Rob Weir <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > I am thinking about what new project volunteers need to get started. > >> > Obviously there are area-specific things. For example, developers > >> > need to know how to download and build. Translation volunteers need > >> > to understand Pootle, etc. But there are also some basic things that > >> > all volunteers should probably do. > >> > > >> > Although we have all of this information (or at least most of it) on > >> > the website or wikis or mailing list archives, it is scattered all > >> > over the place. I think it would be good if we could collect this > >> > information (or at least links to this information) into one place and > >> > put a linear order behind it, a step of specific steps we want new > >> > volunteers to take. > >> > > >> > Now, I can hear the objections already -- you can't tell volunteers > >> > what to do. That is why they are volunteers. You can't regiment > >> > them, etc. This is true. But at the scale we need to operate at -- > >> > I'm aiming to attract dozens of new volunteers on the project by the > >> > end of the year -- we need some structure. So what can we do to make > >> > their first 2 weeks in the project easier for them, and easier for us? > >> > > >> > One idea: Think of the new volunteer startup tasks in terms of > >> > "stages" or "levels", a defined set of reading and other activities > >> > that leads them to acquire basic skills in our community. > >> > > >> > For example: > >> > > >> > >> To make it more concrete, this is what "Level 1" might look like: > >> > >> http://incubator.apache.org/openofficeorg/orientation/level-1.html > >> > >> -Rob > >> > >> > Level 1 tasks: > >> > > >> > 1) Read the following web pages on the ASF, roles at Apache and the > >> Apache Way > >> > > >> > 2) Sign up for the following accounts that every volunteer should > >> > have: ooo-announce, ooo-dev, ooo-users, MWiki, CWiki, BZ, Forums > >> > > >> > 3) Read this helpful document on hints for managing your inbox with > >> > rules and folders > >> > > >> > 4) Read this code of conduct page on list etiquette > >> > > >> > 5) Send a note to ooo-dev list and introduce yourself > >> > > >> > 6) Edit this wiki page containing project volunteers. Add your name > >> > and indicate that you have completed Level 1. > >> > > >> > > >> > Level 2 tasks: > >> > > >> > 1) Using the Apache CMS in anonymous mode > >> > > >> > 2) Readings on decision making at Apache > >> > > >> > 3) Readings on project life cycle and roles within the AOO project > >> > > >> > 4) Introduction to the various functional groups within the project: > >> > development, qa, marketing, UX, documentation, support, localization, > >> > etc. > >> > > >> > 5) Pick one or more functional groups that you want to help with. > >> > Edit the volunteer wiki and list them. Also indicate that you have > >> > now completed Level 2. > >> > > >> > Get the idea? After Level 2 this then could branch off into > >> > area-specific lists of start up tasks: how to download and build. > >> > How to submit patches. How to update a translation. How to define a > >> > new test case. > >> > > >> > Is any one interested in helping with this? > >> > > >> > -Rob > >> >
