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Ubuntu Open Week - Ubuntu Forums - BodhiZazen - Fri, May 1st, 2009

(06:59:35 PM) bodhi_zazen: jcastro: THANK YOU for putting all this together :)
(06:59:42 PM) nhandler: For those of you who don't know him, bodhi_zazen is the leader of the Ubuntu Forums Beginners team, and a member of the Forum Council. He will now be talking about the Ubuntu Forums.
(07:00:00 PM) bodhi_zazen: Thank you for the Introduction nhandler
(07:00:42 PM) bodhi_zazen: The Ubuntu Forums is unique in the Linux community
(07:00:48 PM) sebsebseb: heh all this time  using Ubuntu and not a ubuntu fourms member.  Linuxquestions.org though yes.  ok  i'll chat in other channel :d
(07:01:17 PM) bodhi_zazen: When I first installed Linux I have to admit, I was lost
(07:01:33 PM) bodhi_zazen: I tried a few distros, but really struggled
(07:02:14 PM) bodhi_zazen: Ubuntu was recommended to me by a colleague in my local IT department :)
(07:03:08 PM) bodhi_zazen: It was a breath of fresh air to be able to ask a "noobie" question and not be ridiculed (edit other forums / communities deleted)
(07:03:12 PM) JoshuaRL: duanedesign: join #ubuntu-classroom-chat
(07:03:49 PM) bodhi_zazen: As is the case with many others , the spirit of the ubuntu community is exemplified on the forums
(07:04:13 PM) bodhi_zazen: for example, Threads: 1,037,303, Beans: 6,633,315, Members: 823,964, Active Members: 71,515
(07:04:48 PM) bodhi_zazen: What I would like to show you is some things about the forums you may not know :)
(07:05:30 PM) bodhi_zazen: First, I am assuming you all know how to use a forums ?
(07:05:47 PM) bodhi_zazen: You register and off you go :)
(07:06:09 PM) bodhi_zazen: From any page : http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php
(07:06:31 PM) bodhi_zazen: you can customize your account from the "UserCP" , a link in the upper left
(07:06:51 PM) bodhi_zazen: from there you can set many options including a sig, avatar, email, and privacy options
(07:07:29 PM) bodhi_zazen: Posts are called "Beans" and a users's title changes in a semi-random way depending on bean count.
(07:07:47 PM) bodhi_zazen: Beans give you gas, so take care :)
(07:08:07 PM) bodhi_zazen: Some very knowledgeable users have low bean counts
(07:08:52 PM) bodhi_zazen: From there , when posting or repsponding to threads you have may options or "bbcode"
(07:09:57 PM) bodhi_zazen: There is a master list here : http://ubuntuforums.org/misc.php?do=bbcode
(07:10:17 PM) bodhi_zazen: I will point out a few of the useful ones :)
(07:10:27 PM) bodhi_zazen: [code] [quote] of course
(07:10:43 PM) bodhi_zazen: but also linking to the wiki with [uhelp] [uwiki]
(07:11:06 PM) F4ilure is now known as Default_User
(07:11:13 PM) bodhi_zazen: you use the WikiName - [uwiki]RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows[/uwiki]
(07:11:31 PM) bodhi_zazen: or
(07:11:32 PM) bodhi_zazen: [uhelp]community/SoftwareManagement[/uhelp]
(07:11:54 PM) bodhi_zazen: uhelp is for the community pages, and it is easier then remembering the entire url :)
(07:12:17 PM) bodhi_zazen: To insert an image , use [img] tags
(07:12:32 PM) bodhi_zazen: PLEASE use thumbnails with hot links :)
(07:12:46 PM) bodhi_zazen: to do that say you have a url=small image
(07:12:53 PM) bodhi_zazen: and a url=large image
(07:13:00 PM) bodhi_zazen: you embed them
(07:13:33 PM) bodhi_zazen: [url=http://large_mimage][img]http://small_image[/img][/url]
(07:13:39 PM) bodhi_zazen: :)
(07:14:03 PM) bodhi_zazen: there are tags or php, html, and noparse
(07:14:13 PM) bodhi_zazen: use noparse to show how to use the tags ;)
(07:14:30 PM) bodhi_zazen: How about smiles ?
(07:14:31 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/misc.php?do=showsmilies
(07:14:59 PM) bodhi_zazen: That is a master list of the smiles, you can cut and paste them
(07:15:04 PM) bodhi_zazen: :guitar:
(07:15:07 PM) bodhi_zazen: :popcorn:
(07:15:12 PM) bodhi_zazen: :)
(07:15:34 PM) bodhi_zazen: We do have a few rules :(
(07:16:08 PM) bodhi_zazen: They are easy to follow for almost everyone and they basically ask that you act in a kind, respectful, and helpful manor
(07:16:09 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php?page=policy
(07:16:22 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you see bad behavior, what do you do ?
(07:16:34 PM) bodhi_zazen: First, best just ignore trolls
(07:16:56 PM) bodhi_zazen: Second, if you see something like spam or bad behavior, report the psot
(07:17:00 PM) bodhi_zazen: *post*
(07:17:25 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you go here : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1145571
(07:17:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: At the bottom of each post you will see a small button
(07:17:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/images/buttons/infraction.gif
(07:18:16 PM) bodhi_zazen: click that , report your concerns, and the staff will take care of it.
(07:18:37 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you need help go to : http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=48
(07:19:19 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you have a problem or question for the staff go here http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=123
(07:19:26 PM) bodhi_zazen: or the Resolution Center.
(07:19:40 PM) bodhi_zazen: :)
(07:19:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: OK, enough of finding help and features
(07:19:59 PM) bodhi_zazen: any questions ?
(07:20:20 PM) bodhi_zazen: Otherwise I am going to show you some of the fun forms / discussion pages
(07:21:11 PM) bodhi_zazen: Oops, wrong button for reporting posts :(
(07:21:14 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://go.mibbit.com/thumb.php?x=32&y=32&url=http%3A%2F%2Fubuntuforums.org%2Fimages%2Fbuttons%2Freport.gif
(07:21:46 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/images/buttons/report.gif
(07:21:49 PM) bodhi_zazen: lol
(07:22:18 PM) bodhi_zazen: This link can help as well http://ubuntuforums.org/images/buttons/report.gif
(07:22:26 PM) bodhi_zazen: cut and past failure :(
(07:22:36 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1006656
(07:22:43 PM) bodhi_zazen: OK, major sections
(07:23:12 PM) bodhi_zazen: Let me first say, about 80 % of people like the layout, 20 % do not
(07:23:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: There are always discussions on changing it, but the 20 % who do not like the layout have about 100 suggestions on improvement and there has been no consensus on changes :)
(07:24:05 PM) bodhi_zazen: BUT, we are always open to ideas
(07:24:37 PM) bodhi_zazen: The "main" section for many is of course ABT : http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=326
(07:25:16 PM) bodhi_zazen: Basically this is where people can come to feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how easy they may be.
(07:26:05 PM) bodhi_zazen: Sure, perhaps "how do I install apache" may belong int the server section, but we *try* to promote more expertise in the server section
(07:26:21 PM) bodhi_zazen: such as how do I configure virtualhosts or mod_evasive ;)
(07:26:41 PM) bodhi_zazen: We then have the main support threads : http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=327
(07:27:15 PM) bodhi_zazen: There the questions start to be more specific - Hardware, installation, security, servers, etc
(07:27:52 PM) bodhi_zazen: Although our main focus is support, we do *try* to promote fun as well
(07:27:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=125
(07:28:41 PM) sebsebseb: yep every popular forum should have something that isn't on topic as well
(07:28:41 PM) bodhi_zazen: Here we have things such as community discussions (LoCo, 3rd part projects, gaming, wine, art, etc)
(07:29:15 PM) bodhi_zazen: We had some additional sections sebsebseb such as the Cafe, OtherOS Talk, etc
(07:29:43 PM) bodhi_zazen: We had a problem though , as the forums grew, there were issues server side
(07:30:01 PM) sebsebseb: bodhi_zazen: that tends to happen to big forums as well
(07:30:02 PM) bodhi_zazen: Anyone recall a time not so long ago when the forums went down with some regularity ?
(07:30:27 PM) bodhi_zazen: So, we had to reduce the size and focus on our core
(07:31:03 PM) bodhi_zazen: With other OS talk, for example, we are sending Fedora Questions to the Fedora forums etc
(07:31:22 PM) JayFo is now known as FoH
(07:31:30 PM) mib_6etbw0: hello room
(07:31:34 PM) FoH is now known as JayFoH
(07:31:37 PM) bodhi_zazen: This promotes other communities as well as our own and allows us to maintain a reasonable size data base.
(07:31:49 PM) bodhi_zazen: Yes we have added physical servers as well :)
(07:31:53 PM) mib_6etbw0: anyone home
(07:31:57 PM) JayFoH is now known as JayFo
(07:31:58 PM) bodhi_zazen: lol mikechelen
(07:32:03 PM) bodhi_zazen: lok mib_6etbw0
(07:32:21 PM) mib_6etbw0: I am just frustrated with unbutu
(07:32:23 PM) bodhi_zazen: Same with some of the off topic conversations
(07:32:42 PM) bodhi_zazen: mib_6etbw0: we are doing a session right now
(07:32:52 PM) mib_6etbw0: I have made several attempts on installing it on 3 differant systems and all have the same problem
(07:32:57 PM) bodhi_zazen: go to #ubuntu or ##beginners-help for support please :)
(07:33:01 PM) mib_6etbw0: no video after install
(07:33:09 PM) bodhi_zazen: otherwise I will help after this session
(07:33:19 PM) mib_6etbw0: thank u
(07:33:25 PM) JoshuaRL: mib_6etbw0: ill try to help you in ##beginners-help
(07:33:27 PM) mib_6etbw0:  for the hellp and link
(07:34:00 PM) sebsebseb: JoshuaRL: same here I guess,  I didn't even know that channel existed
(07:34:04 PM) bodhi_zazen: Back to the forums, when the data base is stable, and new servers allow, assuming we have the resources, we would consider bringing back things such as other os talk and the cafe :)
(07:34:17 PM) bodhi_zazen: although I can not "promise" such changes
(07:35:01 PM) bodhi_zazen: Just a FYI for people who have not heard :)
(07:35:13 PM) bodhi_zazen: I also lead the Ubuntu Forums Beginners Team
(07:35:28 PM) bodhi_zazen: Hard to believe , but I started that team 2 years ago
(07:35:37 PM) bodhi_zazen: The focus of the team is two fold
(07:35:49 PM) bodhi_zazen: 1. We assist new users on the forums
(07:36:13 PM) bodhi_zazen: 2. We also help people learn the Ubuntu community
(07:36:34 PM) bodhi_zazen: so once people are able to install Ubuntu, they often want to give back to the community
(07:36:59 PM) bodhi_zazen: So we show them how to become involved in Launchpad, wiki or doc team, irc, etc, etc
(07:37:43 PM) bodhi_zazen: We are branching out and are looking at configuring a moodle platform to promote learning / education of Ubuntu
(07:38:10 PM) bodhi_zazen: For people who do not know : http://moodle.org/
(07:38:30 PM) bodhi_zazen: This is a collaborative project with briad community support
(07:38:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: we will have educational content on system administration and development :)
(07:39:51 PM) bodhi_zazen: The beginners team I must say is a community within a community and to be honest we have a blast
(07:40:04 PM) bodhi_zazen: Our main channel is #ubuntuforums-beginners
(07:40:09 PM) bodhi_zazen: and all are welcome
(07:40:26 PM) bodhi_zazen: Please take note : We try to keep the channel fairly informal >:)
(07:40:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: We have several additional channels , I doubt if anyone really knows how many at this point , lol
(07:41:20 PM) bodhi_zazen: ##beginners-help is one, where we offer "overflow" to #ubuntu
(07:41:29 PM) bodhi_zazen: as you can see from earlier
(07:41:55 PM) bodhi_zazen: We have a launchpad team
(07:42:02 PM) bodhi_zazen: and our wiki page is here : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BeginnersTeam/
(07:42:10 PM) bodhi_zazen: :)
(07:42:21 PM) bodhi_zazen: OK, so that is a whirlwind overview of the fourms
(07:42:44 PM) bodhi_zazen: I would like to open this conversation to questions if I may
(07:46:06 PM) bodhi_zazen: We did have a question :
(07:46:08 PM) bodhi_zazen: DougieRichardson     Question: Do you think there is value in the Testimonials section - it seems to degrade into flame wars frequently
(07:46:23 PM) bodhi_zazen: The answer to that is two fold
(07:46:52 PM) bodhi_zazen: first, yes, the value is , if nothing else , to have these views a location where they can be voiced
(07:46:59 PM) bodhi_zazen: outside of the support threads
(07:47:18 PM) bodhi_zazen: Sometimes these conversations arise out of frustration
(07:47:23 PM) bodhi_zazen: which is natural
(07:47:46 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you are having problems running your computer you will be frustrated
(07:47:56 PM) bodhi_zazen: Many of these threads lead to solutions
(07:48:25 PM) bodhi_zazen: If, however, the threads are noting more then flame wars, they should be reported and, IMO, closed
(07:48:56 PM) bodhi_zazen: The second question how do you manage flame wars ?
(07:49:21 PM) bodhi_zazen: first, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and really there is no need to engage in flame wars :)
(07:49:44 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you feel you *must* post in a flame war, please do so in a polite way
(07:49:58 PM) bodhi_zazen: disagree in an agreeable way
(07:50:14 PM) bodhi_zazen: that solves 90+ % of flame wars
(07:50:47 PM) bodhi_zazen: the other 10 % should be reported to the staff, and honestly the moderators and admins are able to resolve the majority of these issues
(07:51:25 PM) bodhi_zazen: For a community of 800,000 it a very small minority who troll / flame / or have issues in the resolution center
(07:51:46 PM) bodhi_zazen: and IMO that is because we *try* to treat everyone with respect
(07:51:58 PM) bodhi_zazen: and, at the end of the day =>
(07:52:07 PM) bodhi_zazen: Respect, give it , get it, got ie ?
(07:52:18 PM) bodhi_zazen: give it , get it, got it ?
(07:52:20 PM) bodhi_zazen: lol
(07:52:54 PM) bodhi_zazen: QUESTION: do you have to use and avatar or can you use a pic or a hackergotchi (sp?).
(07:53:22 PM) bodhi_zazen: You can upload a picture from your compter
(07:53:25 PM) bodhi_zazen: or link to one
(07:53:36 PM) bodhi_zazen: Size limit I think is 90x90
(07:54:01 PM) bodhi_zazen: User CP -> Edit Avatar (on the left)
(07:54:15 PM) bodhi_zazen: --
(07:54:16 PM) bodhi_zazen: QUESTION: Some new users seem to approach the forums in the same way as commercial tech-help forums and can have a sort of "demanding" approach - this is likely to increase with more regular Windows users coming over. How do you think the forums would cope?
(07:54:38 PM) bodhi_zazen: This is similar to the previous question
(07:55:08 PM) bodhi_zazen: In my experience, with a community as large as ours, there is a saddle for every @$$
(07:55:24 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you feel a poster is demanding , move on to another thread
(07:55:37 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you fell it is out of control, report the post
(07:55:54 PM) bodhi_zazen: The staff almost always resolves these situations with polite PM
(07:56:00 PM) bodhi_zazen: it is a matter of education
(07:56:21 PM) bodhi_zazen: If they want professional support they can purchase it , just like RHEL, Windows, etc
(07:56:38 PM) bodhi_zazen: QUESTION: How far in advance is the date of Forum Council meetings announced at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ForumCouncilAgenda ? Is there a way to get notified other than checking that page?
(07:57:02 PM) bodhi_zazen: Meetings are announced as far in advance as possile
(07:57:12 PM) bodhi_zazen: They have not been "required" recently
(07:57:38 PM) bodhi_zazen: If the agenda gets full or there is a "crisis" we have a meeting
(07:57:46 PM) bodhi_zazen: I think meetings are posted on the fridge
(07:58:12 PM) bodhi_zazen: You can subscribe to the fridge on google (gcal)
(07:58:26 PM) bodhi_zazen: although that requires you register with the evil empire
(07:59:07 PM) bodhi_zazen: alternate , They can also subscribe to the Forum Council wiki page
(07:59:14 PM) bodhi_zazen: thanks nhandler :)
(07:59:32 PM) bodhi_zazen: Thank you everyone for coming
(07:59:36 PM) nhandler: Thank you bodhi_zazen for a great Open Week session about the Ubuntu Forums.
(07:59:42 PM) bodhi_zazen: If you ever need assistance, please com on by
(07:59:54 PM) bodhi_zazen: I am almost always on #ubuntuforums-beginners
(07:59:59 PM) bodhi_zazen: and other random channels
(08:00:02 PM) nhandler: This also concludes the Ubuntu Open Week for Karmic Koala.
(08:00:08 PM) nhandler: Logs for all sessions can be found on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek
(08:00:12 PM) bodhi_zazen: If I am not, there are otheres as well
(08:00:26 PM) nhandler: On behalf of Jono, Jorge, and and the entire Ubuntu Community, I would like to thank everyone for their great participation.