Ubuntu Wiki

Ubuntu Open Week - Mentoring LoCo Teams - Aaron Toponce - Sat, Oct 27, 2007

20:08 <+atoponce> ok. welcome welcome to yet another exiting edition of loco talk!
20:09 -!- mode/#ubuntu-classroom [-o nixternal] by ChanServ
20:09 <+atoponce> I'm your host, aaron toponce, and I'll be discussing a great new upcoming project that has been extremely successful with loco teams in the united states
20:09 < nixternal> yay \o/
20:09 <+atoponce> </annoying_talk_show_host>
20:09 <+atoponce> :)
20:09 < Lardarse> hehe
20:10 -!- mode/#ubuntu-classroom [+o Vorian] by ChanServ
20:10 -!- Vorian changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Ubuntu Open Week info: Information and Logs: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek | Ubuntu classroom transcripts: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ClassroomTranscripts | Please ask questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat not here | Current session:  LoCo Mentoring - Aaron Toponce
20:10 -!- mode/#ubuntu-classroom [-o Vorian] by ChanServ
20:10 <+atoponce> seriously, however, I will be discussing about the US Teams Mentoring Project- a spec about loco teams mentoring other loco teams
20:10 <+atoponce> please refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/USTeams as i go through this presentation
20:11 <+atoponce> ok. first thing first: defining the spec
20:11 <+atoponce> what is the Us Teams Mentoring Project?
20:11 <+atoponce> i want to make something crystal clear before i really dive in:
20:11 <+atoponce> it is NOT another team, like the IRC team, or documentation team, or loco team
20:12 <+atoponce> this is a specification designed to build communities where they either do not exist or are struggling
20:12 <+atoponce> for example
20:13 <+atoponce> if the Australia LoCo Team recognizes that the Chile LoCo Team is struggling, then the members of the Australia team could pool their resources together to help the Chile team, and that is exactly what we have done in the United States on a state level
20:13 <+atoponce> we recognize that maybe Nevada isn't having such a great time getting members, and building the LoCo community
20:14 <+atoponce> so, a mentor is assigned (whoever wants the opportunity) to Nevada to help them get off the ground and become successful
20:14 <+atoponce> say the mentor is myself. Then, I would take the resources that helped make the Utah team succeed, and try to see if they would also work for Nevada
20:15 <+atoponce> and not just Utah. any team can help Nevada, and many mentors could be assigned
20:15 <+atoponce> we have a mailing list for the US Teams project where we can discuss these things, as well as an irc channel- #ubuntu-us
20:15 <+atoponce> pooling our resources from several teams can help make Nevada succeed and strong
20:16 <+atoponce> 14:07 < posingaspopular> QUESTION: Is there a point where a Loco team interves and offers to another team, or  does a struggling team have to ask for help before they get it?
20:16 <+atoponce> posingaspopular: a struggling team does not have to ask for help.  If any team recognizes that another is struggling, it's best if that team just jumps right in offering any help they can
20:17 <+atoponce> so, rather than just building our own little internal communities, we're helping to build other communities by expanding our reach
20:17 <+atoponce> I want to stress it again, however, that this mentoring project is just a spec, NOT a team. there is no "team leader" so-to-speak of this project
20:18 <+atoponce> we're all playing the same game- to help these teams
20:18 <+atoponce> Ok. So, now we know a little about the project, how do you get involved?
20:18 <+atoponce> well, we've built what we call "mentors"
20:18 <+atoponce> Mentors are the those who are representing the project, and the official ones helping the struggling LoCo teams
20:19 <+atoponce> they represent Ubuntu and LoCo directly
20:19 <+atoponce> as such, we ask that if you would like to get involved, and become a mentor, that you are approved as an Ubuntu Member by the CC, and that your LoCo Team is also approved by the CC
20:20 <+atoponce> this way, as a mentor, you can give advice to the team(s) that are struggling, as your advice will mean more coming from someone who has made their team succeed as well as themselves?
20:20 <+atoponce> s/?/./
20:20 <+atoponce> hopefully, that makes sense
20:20 <+atoponce> so, who are the mentors currently?
20:21 <+atoponce> well, we are few in number, but hope to change that very quickly. The more mentors that are part of this spec, the better we can build LoCo teams in the US
20:21 <+atoponce> they are:
20:21 <+atoponce> myself, Vorian, Rinchen, nixternal, etank, bkingx, boredandblogging and pleia2
20:22 <+atoponce> (as seen on the wiki page)
20:22 <+atoponce> once a member becomes a mentor (which is easy- just ask, and if you meet the requirements, you're in! :) )
20:22 <+atoponce> then we get to work. Trust me, it's not light work either. :)
20:23 <+atoponce> when you're a mentor, all you need to do is identify which LoCo you would like to sponsor, and jump in
20:24 <+atoponce> for example: If you join the project and become a mentor of it, then just identify which team needs help.  Say you recognize Wyoming needs help. Then it's probably best at that point to introduce yourself to the LoCo team leader and see if they would like some help from you as a mentor
20:25 <+atoponce> join their mailing list, irc channel, and launchpad page. Keep an eye on their wiki and anything else you can to be involved
20:25 <+atoponce> 14:14 < posingaspopular> QUESTION: Do you have to be an Ubuntu member to start a Loco?
20:25 <+atoponce> Yes. To be a mentor, you need to be both approved as an Ubuntu member, and your LoCo team needs to be approved as a team as well
20:26 <+atoponce> now, we have a goal that we're trying desperately to accomplish, and that is to get a team in every state by the beginning of 2008
20:26 <+atoponce> let me run down some stats for you to show you how successful this has been
20:27 <+atoponce> when Zelut, Vorian and I created this spec, there were only a handful of teams in the US
20:27 <+atoponce> and when i mean "handful", i mean:
20:28 <+atoponce> Utah, Colorado, Ohio and Chicago as approved teams, with Kentucky, Arizona and Florida in the works
20:28 <+atoponce> Now where are we?
20:28 <+atoponce> May i direct you to the map at http://ubuntu-us.org
20:28 <+atoponce> See the grey states?
20:28 <+atoponce> Those are the only states left that do not have a team in them currently
20:29 <+atoponce> The green states are those that have been approved (or cities), with the yellow on their way to seeking approval
20:29 <+atoponce> (or new)
20:29 <+atoponce> HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?
20:30 <+atoponce> Because of mentoring, and reaching out to LoCo teams in other states, we've turned the United States on it's head with Ubuntu LoCo advocacy
20:31 <+atoponce> Can you feel the excitement? Think about this for a second-
20:31 <+atoponce> What is Ubuntu all about? What is the one thing that people say separate Ubuntu from the rest of the distros?
20:31 <+atoponce> COMMUNITY
20:31 <+atoponce> so, this project is a perfect fit
20:32 <+atoponce> Ok. So, enough with the United States. Let's expand our horizons
20:32 < nixternal> atoponce: and a brown desktop! And no, we are not UPS!
20:33 <+atoponce> heh
20:33 <+atoponce> let's think about this for a second.  If this has been super successful for the United States, how can we spread the wildfire to the rest of the world?
20:34 <+atoponce> Again, because this is not a team, but a spec, surely we can apply the same principles to other loco teams and countries, and we can
20:34 <+atoponce> this is the work that jono has been doing since day one
20:34 <+atoponce> however, there has been some subconscious thinking, I think, that we only need to concern ourselves with our own loco
20:35 <+atoponce> now we can think out of the box and start helping other countries around the world
20:35 <+atoponce> #ubuntu-locoteams is the channel, and ubuntu-lococontacts the mailing list
20:36 <+atoponce> if we pool our resources, there is no stopping catching the fever, and spreading ubuntu throughout the world
20:36 <+atoponce> and that's all the mentoring project is all about
20:36 <+atoponce> pooling our resources as loco teams, and helping everyone else out
20:37 <+atoponce> improving communication between locos
20:37 <+atoponce> making it easier to setup teams
20:37 <+atoponce> in fact, I want to discuss that for just a second
20:37 <+atoponce> Zelut started the utah team, what? 2 or 3 years ago I think? and he had no clue what he was doing
20:38 <+atoponce> "start a team. get members" was all he knew
20:38 <+atoponce> he knew he needed to create an IRC channel, which he did, then what?
20:38 <+atoponce> it took a bit to get it off the ground, and it got rolling, and now everything is great
20:39 <+atoponce> but how could it have been easier for him, if someone recognized that he created a team, and mentored him on what resources he would need to create
20:39 <+atoponce> such as IRC, mailing list, wiki and launchpad
20:40 <+atoponce> and that's what we want to accomplish. Help them recognize where they are, and what they need to do to get to where they want to be
20:41 <+atoponce> Ok. i've been blabbing quite a bit on this. are there any questions?
20:42 <+atoponce> it's probably pretty self-explanatory
20:44 <+atoponce> earlier, when giving my presentation about loco teams in general, I was asked about resources that help build a loco team
20:44 <+atoponce> i think the question was by BonesolTeraDyne, iirc
20:44 < BonesolTeraDyne> yup
20:45 <+atoponce> we hope, as a mentoring spec, that we can get these resources pooled in the USTeams area of the wiki
20:45 <+atoponce> ultimately, these are the questions that new and struggling teams ask
20:46 <+atoponce> "What do i do?"  "Where can i hold an install fest?"  "How can I attract more members to the team?"  etc.
20:46 <+atoponce> at the moment, mentors are just answering these questions on a one-by-one basis to the teams that are asking them
20:47 <+atoponce> but, i would love to see these things on the wiki in a centralized location, if it doesn't already exist
20:47 <+atoponce> I'll warn you though- mentoring is addicting. :)
20:47 <+atoponce> it's fun to see who does what and how they have built their own team
20:48 <+atoponce> Oh. I almost forgot. There are a few standards that the US Teams need to adhere to. It's still up for debate at this point, but thus far is as follows:
20:49 <+atoponce> IRC: ubuntu-<statename>.  EG: #ubuntu-utah, #ubuntu-newyork, etc
20:49 <+atoponce> Launchpad: ubuntu-<statename> also
20:49 <+atoponce> mailing list: ubuntu-us-<state_prefix>.  EG: ubuntu-us-ut, ubuntu-us-ny
20:50 <+atoponce> ubuntu forums: <statename>.ubuntuforums.org.  EG: utah.ubuntuforums.org
20:50 <+atoponce> wiki: wiki.ubuntu.com/<SatetName>.  EG:  wiki.ubuntu.com/UtahTeam, wiki.ubuntu.com/NewYorkTeam, etc
20:51 <+atoponce> finally. some of the mentors have talents in certain areas that others do not.
20:52 <+atoponce> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/USTeams/MentorList shows the current mentors and what their strong-suits are
20:52 <+atoponce> so, if you have questions with setting up your irc channel, for example, i would love to help you get that in order with chanserv, as well as channel modes, ops, etc
20:53 < johnc4510> atoponce, sorry to arrive late, will there be a posted log of this discussion anywhere?
20:54 <+atoponce> johnc4510: np. :)
20:54 < cjb_ie> johnc4510: see topic
20:54 < johnc4510> ty
20:55 <+atoponce> so, to wrap up, the US Teams Mentoring Project has been a HUGE, and I mean ***HUGE*** success, due to the generosity of team members willing to help other team members
20:55 <+atoponce> for those in the US, stop by #ubuntu-us or hit us up on the mailing list
20:56 <+atoponce> on a global level, stop by #ubuntu-locoteams and ubuntu-lococontacts for the mailing list
20:56 <+atoponce> let's look beyond our own team if we're already approved, or very successful, and help out those that we recognize need it
20:57 <+atoponce> thx for your time. This year's openweek has been awesome! There have been some good content here. It's a shame it's coming to and end. :)
20:58 <+atoponce> there are 10min left. i'm glad to answer any questions about the project in -chat if you have any
21:00 < samgee> thanks for the session atoponce
21:00 <+atoponce> samgee: np. hope you enjoyed it. :)
21:00 <+atoponce> 14:52 < BonesolTeraDyne> QUESTION: What do you recommend we do to get our LoCo members to be more active? Well,  besides looking up their addresses, going to their homes, and poking them with a stick.
21:00 <+atoponce> BonesolTeraDyne: well.....
21:01 <+atoponce> basically, incentives to attend meetings. in the utah team, we have a book program, where if you read a book, and review it, we keep getting more books from publishers
21:01 <+atoponce> at times, we'll hold drawing to hand out these books. Just give them away. that seems to draw a few members in
21:02 <+atoponce> also, quarterly bbqs/dinners at a loco cafe or backyard are always fun as well
21:02 < BonesolTeraDyne> And if your fellow members seem to be anti-social? (Read: Arkansas Team)
21:02 <+atoponce> heh
21:03 <+atoponce> well, poking them with a stick sounds like a good option then. :)
21:03 <+atoponce> Remember, that your team is only as active as the leader is
21:03 < BonesolTeraDyne> Thanks.
21:03 <+atoponce> if the leader is pounding the mailing list, and sparking conversation in the irc channel, then you'll probably get more activity
21:03 <+atoponce> but it starts with the leader. :)
21:04 < BonesolTeraDyne> Sadly, I'm not leader, and our leader is reletivly inactive, so that makes sense.
21:04 <+atoponce> but I would just recommend activities. Maybe handing out cds at the local shopping centre
21:04 <+atoponce> stuff to make them social. :)
21:05 <+atoponce> and of course, free swag *always* works
21:05 < BonesolTeraDyne> Thanks for the answer. I'll try to prod some activity into the group. Well, as best as I can, anyway.
21:05 <+atoponce> motivation is contagious. all it takes is just one.
21:06 <+atoponce> well, i think my time is up. thx again for letting me present on this topic. it's exciting to see the growth throughout the community
21:06 < popey> thanks atoponce 
21:06 < BonesolTeraDyne> thanks atoponce
21:07 <+atoponce> np
21:07 <+atoponce> remember #ubuntu-us. :)
21:07 < popey> remember all the other country locos too :)
21:07 <+atoponce> "The United States of Ubuntu"