Ubuntu Wiki

A very informal first brainstorm over IRC between three people. Nov 7 2009 2pmVancouverTime

Nov 07 14:04:02 <KarmicJoey>    So... was it unofficially decided that the webpage meeting wouldn't happen on irc?
Nov 07 14:06:02 <stochastic>    KarmicJoey, I'm around to brainstorm
Nov 07 14:06:22 <KarmicJoey>    ok sure sounds good
Nov 07 14:06:37 <stochastic>    I'm not too concerned about officialness for a brainstorming session
Nov 07 14:07:06 <KarmicJoey>    yeah just some ideas would be good
Nov 07 14:07:10 <stochastic>    is there anyone else in here interested in the web project?
Nov 07 14:07:44 <stochastic>    KarmicJoey, what's your name?  (trying to associate with the e-mails sent)
Nov 07 14:07:54 <KarmicJoey>    Joe or Joseph hah
Nov 07 14:08:12 <KarmicJoey>    joseph.liau@gmail.com
Nov 07 14:08:31 <KarmicJoey>    I didn't really say much in that e-mail thread
Nov 07 14:08:35 <stochastic>    I'm Eric, afterthebeep@gmail.com or stochastic@ubuntu.com
Nov 07 14:08:47 <stochastic>    then it's awesome that you're here
Nov 07 14:08:56 <KarmicJoey>    Cool cool
Nov 07 14:09:20 <stochastic>    why do you think we need any changes to our current web presence?
Nov 07 14:10:01 <KarmicJoey>    I would say that for the average person who browses webpages... we don't have too much to show
Nov 07 14:10:11 <KarmicJoey>    we have a wiki page, meetup, facebook etc
Nov 07 14:10:29 <KarmicJoey>    the social networking things are good but seem kind of unofficial
Nov 07 14:10:46 <KarmicJoey>    and the wiki is a bit techie (although it's not really) for some people
Nov 07 14:11:39 <KarmicJoey>    If we were to handout papers with a URL, then it's nice if it points to something that people can read quickly instead of having to login
Nov 07 14:11:55 <KarmicJoey>    but it's also nice if it looks a bit more visual than .. the wiki page
Nov 07 14:12:15 <stochastic>    hmm, very true
Nov 07 14:13:31 <stochastic>    so, it's partly an issue of getting a more presentable front to the world
Nov 07 14:13:55 <stochastic>    partly an issue of ease of communication (i.e. without login)?
Nov 07 14:14:06 <KarmicJoey>    yeah that's part of it .. cuz personally when i find a group. or even a youtube video. i always want to go to the official website
Nov 07 14:14:12 <KarmicJoey>    to see what is really going on
Nov 07 14:15:06 <KarmicJoey>    It would also be good for current members if we can centralize a few things.  Right now we have flickr for photos.. and the wiki for the "details" and the meetup for everything else
Nov 07 14:16:51 *       Guest13968 (n=rudy@d75-156-84-234.bchsia.telus.net) has joined #ubuntu-ca-vn
Nov 07 14:16:56 <stochastic>    are they even linked to one another right now?
Nov 07 14:17:06 <KarmicJoey>    I guess the other side would be that our own website requires maintenance etc.   flickr works... all the time, meetup etc
Nov 07 14:17:22 <KarmicJoey>    I don't think they are linked very obviously...
Nov 07 14:17:30 <KarmicJoey>    i think the wiki and facebook group do point to meetup though
Nov 07 14:18:50 <stochastic>    website maintenance isn't really that troublesome for some of the people who have volunteered their time/resources
Nov 07 14:19:33 <KarmicJoey>    right it's not too bad.  I think especially with a good CMS
Nov 07 14:20:08 <Guest13968>    hi everyone, sorry I'm late (this is Rudy)
Nov 07 14:20:11 <KarmicJoey>    so speaking of content management...  actual CONTENT would be kind of a new thing that we could offer
Nov 07 14:20:15 <stochastic>    Hey Rudy
Nov 07 14:20:15 <KarmicJoey>    Hi Rudy
Nov 07 14:20:49 <stochastic>    it's just Joe and I (Eric) talking out a few things right now
Nov 07 14:21:21 <stochastic>    oh, is everyone okay if I copy this chat to the web admin conversation e-mail list?
Nov 07 14:21:41 <KarmicJoey>    Sure
Nov 07 14:21:44 <Guest13968>    ok with me
Nov 07 14:22:05 <stochastic>    great
Nov 07 14:22:30 <stochastic>    Rudy we were just talking about why the current web presence may need changing
Nov 07 14:23:21 <stochastic>    I think Randall actually made a good point about considering the 'local' aspect of our website
Nov 07 14:23:57 <stochastic>    and to continue on Joe's last point about CONTENT, it'd be great for us to host local information
Nov 07 14:24:35 <Guest13968>    yes, I think it's a good idea to keep the content local-centric
Nov 07 14:24:37 <KarmicJoey>    yeah local stuff is good
Nov 07 14:24:39 <stochastic>    everything from businesses that support Ubuntu, to game developers that develop on/for ubuntu
Nov 07 14:25:22 <stochastic>    I also would love to see the ability for a member of our loco to organize a social get together through our web tools
Nov 07 14:25:30 <KarmicJoey>    right so a directory would be useful
Nov 07 14:25:53 <KarmicJoey>    so kind of a group within a group for the social get together?
Nov 07 14:25:59 <Guest13968>    do you mean less formal get togethers?
Nov 07 14:26:17 <stochastic>    yeah, like a coffee shop hack session, or a troubleshooting get together
Nov 07 14:26:37 <Guest13968>    kind like adhoc meetings with specific interests
Nov 07 14:26:39 <stochastic>    or even just a bowling night
Nov 07 14:26:48 <Guest13968>    ok, I see
Nov 07 14:27:36 <KarmicJoey>    sure that's good.  So someone could post a message saying "let's go bowling!"  and people can sort of sign up or somethin
Nov 07 14:28:33 <stochastic>    so we could say it'd be nice for more individual control within a social sphere of our web presence
Nov 07 14:29:18 <Guest13968>    so right now, to do that on the meetup site it would either go through Randall, or it would be just a posting to the mailing list.
Nov 07 14:29:36 <stochastic>    yeah, those are the two channels right now
Nov 07 14:29:47 <stochastic>    this obviously could be troublesome if not planned properly - spammers, promoters, etc... using the service for evil
Nov 07 14:30:00 <stochastic>    but it's just an idea for a service
Nov 07 14:30:33 <stochastic>    is there any weakness in how we're doing it right now? (ask randall, or e-mail the list)
Nov 07 14:31:02 <KarmicJoey>    I think as Randall mentioned. the e-mail list tends to get ignored easily
Nov 07 14:31:14 <stochastic>    true
Nov 07 14:31:14 <Guest13968>    yes, I ignore it all the time ;)
Nov 07 14:31:19 <stochastic>    same
Nov 07 14:31:20 <KarmicJoey>    haha
Nov 07 14:31:47 <Guest13968>    actually, once I set it to "digest" it's easier to follow, for me anyway
Nov 07 14:31:59 <KarmicJoey>    I think there is some kind of forum on meetup ..
Nov 07 14:32:11 <KarmicJoey>    but it's not really used for discussion it seems
Nov 07 14:32:19 <stochastic>    also, I don't think it's openly mentioned anywhere that a person can host their own event and tell randall about it
Nov 07 14:32:35 <stochastic>    yeah I didn't realize that forum was there
Nov 07 14:32:36 <Guest13968>    true
Nov 07 14:33:02 <stochastic>    I think some policy rules like that for the group may need to be created.
Nov 07 14:33:21 <stochastic>    * created by everyone
Nov 07 14:34:00 <stochastic>    Rudy, what would you change first about our web presence?
Nov 07 14:34:49 <Guest13968>    I would really like to see it focused more, where there is one place to go to get the info
Nov 07 14:35:24 <Guest13968>    even if it's just a simple page with links to our other sites (meetup, flickr, wiki)
Nov 07 14:35:34 <stochastic>    yeah, okay.  That seems to be a recurring primary critique
Nov 07 14:36:49 <stochastic>    as for a browsing experience it is very "non-branded" by sending people to other sites, thought the upside is that a person searching flickr for ubuntu vancouver pictures will find some
Nov 07 14:37:25 <stochastic>    that seems sorta unlikely to be a common search though
Nov 07 14:37:31 <Guest13968>    yes, having those other groups is great for spreading the word
Nov 07 14:37:35 <KarmicJoey>    hmm
Nov 07 14:37:50 <KarmicJoey>    yeah those groups are usually a subsidiary to the actual website
Nov 07 14:38:28 <Guest13968>    yes, that's one thing that's concerned me about the meetup site.  I'm not sure if you guys belong to other groups on meetup...
Nov 07 14:38:53 <KarmicJoey>    I just belong to this one ... so a pretty much joined for this group
Nov 07 14:39:07 <stochastic>    yup just this one for me too
Nov 07 14:39:22 <Guest13968>    but there is a bit of a culture there that each group has a leader (or possibly 2 or 3) and the group revolves around them
Nov 07 14:39:27 <KarmicJoey>    I didn't even know what meetup was before this
Nov 07 14:39:46 <KarmicJoey>    hmm interesting
Nov 07 14:40:00 <stochastic>    Rudy are you in other groups?
Nov 07 14:40:29 <Guest13968>    yes, in fact I used had organized a group on the site a couple of years back
Nov 07 14:40:44 <Guest13968>    completely unrelated
Nov 07 14:40:46 <stochastic>    excellent
Nov 07 14:40:50 <KarmicJoey>    cool
Nov 07 14:40:58 <KarmicJoey>    sorry guys I gotta run
Nov 07 14:41:16 <stochastic>    alright ttyl Joe, are you going to be at the face-to-face meeting?
Nov 07 14:41:21 <Guest13968>    ok, see you late Joe
Nov 07 14:41:27 <Guest13968>    *later
Nov 07 14:41:32 <KarmicJoey>    I will be at the general meeting... so probably i'll be around after
Nov 07 14:41:37 <stochastic>    great
Nov 07 14:41:40 <Guest13968>    ok, great
Nov 07 14:41:43 *       stochastic hopes he can make it
Nov 07 14:41:51 <KarmicJoey>    ok ttyl :P have a nice day
Nov 07 14:41:55 *       KarmicJoey (n=KarmicJo@S0106001217476edd.vc.shawcable.net) has left #ubuntu-ca-vn
Nov 07 14:42:31 <stochastic>    Rudy, I think the way meetup is setup with permissions, that culture of a leader is ingrained
Nov 07 14:42:52 <stochastic>    Randall certainly is doing a great job
Nov 07 14:43:31 <stochastic>    and even in Ubuntu circles there is organized leadership, but it's much more open to all collaborators
Nov 07 14:45:32 <Guest13968>    yes, leadership is important to keep things from getting too chaotic
Nov 07 14:46:13 <Guest13968>    and meetup is a great vehicle for attracting new members who aren't necessarily looking for a techie group
Nov 07 14:46:56 <stochastic>    yeah?  I wonder how many people joined the group because they found it on meetup.com as a regular meetup.com user
Nov 07 14:47:45 <stochastic>    I do think having our foot in social networks is a good plan
Nov 07 14:48:19 <stochastic>    currently we're part of meetup, facebook, identi.ca, twitter, and flickr (any others?)
Nov 07 14:48:38 <stochastic>    oh and lanuchpad.net
Nov 07 14:49:19 <Guest13968>    that's all that I know of--I think
Nov 07 14:49:22 <stochastic>    but I'm not sure that the same people/person is in charge of all of those networks
Nov 07 14:49:53 <stochastic>    if not, then they should be co-ordinated as a promotional means
Nov 07 14:50:14 <stochastic>    I know I'm in the facebook group and I rarely get notifications of upcoming meetings
Nov 07 14:50:53 <Guest13968>    ya, not sure how that works, I really only use the meetup one myself
Nov 07 14:51:22 <stochastic>    Rudy, what would you think would be a good way to make our web presence "local"
Nov 07 14:53:40 <Guest13968>    good question, it's got to be relevant to the group members
Nov 07 14:54:51 <Guest13968>    and right now, I think meetup is the main "local" web presence we've got
Nov 07 14:55:24 <Guest13968>    due to the event scheduling aspect
Nov 07 14:56:00 <stochastic>    hmm, I think we could even describe the content in three categories of localness 1) relevant to group members 2) relevant to non-members in Vancouver 3) relevant to people outside of Vancouver
Nov 07 14:57:27 <stochastic>    meetup certainly has the meeting/scheduling features for the essential task of getting together, but it's possible flaw is that it's leader-run and not public (members only)
Nov 07 14:59:34 <stochastic>    well Rudy I'm starting to get brain fatigue on this web topic.  Got any closing remarks or areas you think we should brainstorm about?
Nov 07 15:00:06 <Guest13968>    no, not really
Nov 07 15:00:29 <stochastic>    alright I'll end the logs at that then.