Ubuntu user, freelance Web developer, documentation author and community volunteer. In theory my "day job" involves developing and deploying Drupal; however, I do a lot of other things related to FOSS as well. For example: I have also been active as a college and business lecturer and conference speaker. Conference topics have included how to really get more women involved in open source, database migration for Drupal, and how to deliver presentations. My laptop sports all the requisite stickers (Ubuntu, VW, Farmers Feed Cities! and Creative Commons). A longer list of presentations (including links to videos, slides and handouts) is available from my personal site. In 2007 I hosted my region's first-ever rural technology conference, HICK Tech. This one day conference has grown into a full community consultancy. It helps to empower people, businesses and communities to use technology, and especially open source technology.
Launchpad - launchpad.net/people/emmajane
Personal blog - www.emmajane.net
HICK Tech (community tech conference) - www.hicktech.com
Online community development - www.xtrinsic.com
Contributions
I have been using Debian-based distributions as my primary operating system since 2003, and Ubuntu since 2007. My original trials with Debian, the 2.4 kernel and ACPI led me to write supporting documentation on how to patch and compile a kernel, which were later included in The Linux Documentation Project. (I'm sure the recent xkcd comic, Cautionary, was about me.) In 2006 I started ordering Ubuntu CDs for my mum's bookshop cafe (she had one of the first free wifi hotspots in her small, rural community). She gives out approximately two CDs a month and has learned to be an advocate for FOSS software herself.
Magazine Articles
- Making Change Happen - a five-part series for Ubuntu Women in Full Circle Magazine
The Code of Conduct - Ubuntu Women column, Full Circle Magazine Issue 15, page 27
HICK Tech:Learn from the chair of HICK Tech how to roll out your own community event, Linux Pro Magazine (Issue 94)
Ubuntu Women
Wrote the first draft of the project's Road Map.
- Active on the mailing list and in the IRC channel (as time permits, of course).
Other contributions
- Our local LUG transforms donated hardware into Ubuntu boxes for high school students who cannot afford to buy their own computer. (STARS is Supplying Technology to At Risk Students.)
- Organized HICK Tech, a rural technology conference in Owen Sound, Canada. Included Ubuntu CDs in the give-away bags. Received a sponsorship from Pearson Education to give away five copies of The Official Ubuntu Book.
Speaker at several conferences on the role of women in open source (and how we need to change our focus towards world domination of FOSS) -- including OSCON 2008, LugRadio Live (San Francisco and Wolverhampton); also technical presentations on database migration for Drupal, podcasting, and general talks for small businesses on how to take advantage of the Internet. A longer list of presentations (including links to videos, slides and handouts) is available from my personal site.
Author and coordinator for The Linux Documentation Project (retired from position)
Current and Future Projects
Review the DocBook section of the Ubuntu Style Guide.
- Review the Accessibility section of the official Ubuntu documentation (integrated desktop help).
- Identify and work with a group of local high school students to create teen-friendly documentation for the STARS systems (and contribute this documentation back to the Ubuntu).
- Continue to advocate for, and implement, "alternative" marketing strategies (in addition to the usual suspects) through community volunteerism and public speaking engagements.
Cheers from the Community
- Emma Jane is without a doubt an emerging leader and role model within the community. From her inspiring and insightful talks and articles to her enthusiasm in helping to jump start a somewhat stagnant Ubuntu Women's Project roadmap, she is truly devoted to helping develop a healthy community. I'm confident her contributions will only continue to grow and help make the entire Ubuntu Community a better (and more enjoyable) place for all. -- Dinda (Belinda Lopez)
I was priviledged to be able to attend her talk "Form an orderly queue, ladies" at LUGRadio Live UK 2008, and was really inspired. I couldn't agree more with her about the issues our community has, and also how to make FOSS kick ass. Her contributions and ideas are and hopefully will be part of the heart and soul of many Ubunteros - and Ubuntu itself. -- Myrtti