Moot Bot

What is it?

Mootbot is a bot that has been designed by the ScribesTeam to make the process of summarizing meetings easier. It is a modified [http://www.eggheads.org/ eggdrop bot], running a custom script written in TCL.

Who Would Use It?

Mootbot was designed for Chairperson of a meeting to use. A chairperson can flag parts of the meeting for specific topics, actions, and agreed resolutions, which will be outputted into a HTML, Plaintext, or Wiki Formatted document to enable easier browsing of the IRC chat logs.

How do I request the bot?

The bot will always be available in the #ubuntu-meeting channel, If you are running a meeting in a different channel then contact someone in the #ubuntu-scribes IRC channel. In the future we will have an automated system to request the bot at specific times.

How do I use it?

The commands for the bot are shown below:

Starting a Meeting

To begin the meeting, the chairperson issues the "#startmeeting" command. This tells the bot to start logging.

<AndrewWilliams> #startmeeting
<MootBot> Meeting started at 23:00

After issuing the #startmeeting command, the rest of the commands will be enabled.

Changing the Topic

As you progress through the meeting the current discussion point should be noted to enable easier reading of the IRC logs. You can change the current topic of discussion by issuing a [TOPIC] command:

<AndrewWilliams> [TOPIC] Changing the Topic
<MootBot> Current Topic: Changing the Topic

Ideas, Actions and Agreed Actions

The [IDEA] command are supplied so attendees can provide and log ideas regarding the current topic of discussion, this is useful in brainstorming sessions where all input should be registered for future examination.

<AndrewWilliams> [IDEA] Provide full details of the commands on the Wiki
<MootBot> New Idea Received: Provide full details of the commands on the Wiki

Similar to this is the [ACTION] and [AGREED] commands, but these can only be used by the Chairperson. This will add an entry into the log denoting a action to be took, or a agreement on the current topic.

<AndrewWilliams> [ACTION] Manual to be produced by AndrewWilliams
<MootBot> New Action Received: Manual to be produced by AndrewWilliams

<AndrewWilliams> [AGREED] Work on documentation will commence as soon as possible
<MootBot> Agreed: Work on documentation will commence as soon as possible

Voting

The bot offers a voting mechanism to enable the chairperson to hold a public vote regarding a particular topic. A vote is started via the [VOTE] command.

<AndrewWilliams> [VOTE] Do we implement channel management?
<MootBot> New Vote: Do we implement channel management?

Atendees can vote by using the +1/-1 commands:

<AndrewWilliams> +1

<AndrewWilliams> -1

After a time the chairperson can close the vote (using the #endvote command) and receive the results:

<AndrewWilliams> #endvote
<MootBot> Vote on "Do we implement channel management?", 1 For, 1 Against

Ending the Meeting

After all topics are discussed, the chairperson can then call a close to the meeting using the #endmeeting command

<AndrewWilliams> #endmeeting
<MootBot> Meeting Ended: 23:10
<MootBot> Summary available at: http://rimmer.incognitus.net/~mootbot/test-20070221.html

What output does the bot produce?

Some recent output can be found [http://rimmer.incognitus.net/~mootbot/ here]

What features are plannned?

More information on current planned features are available on the [http://www.launchpad.net/mootbot Launchpad entry], Suggestions are welcome.

Can I see the bot in action?

You can try the bot out in the #mootbot-test channel on irc.freenode.net. If you have any further questions just ask someone in the #ubuntu-scribes channel. Please feel free to try out starting meetings and various other commands, but we ask if someone else is testing the bot that you wait until they've finished.

I have another question...

Please read the ScribesTeam/MootBotFAQ to see if your question is covered, If not then just drop into the #ubuntu-scribes channel and ask.