[Ambassadors] How do you enforce someone to work on something?

[Chitlesh GOORAH]

On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM, Yuan Yijun <> wrote:
> Hi,

Hi Yuan,

I think you are a bit confused with how things work. I'll explain you
in-line my point of view.

> As title, suppose an ambassador wants to do something, and he or she
> finds me, but I cannot tell because I don't know what he or she can
> do, how much time this guy can afford to contribute, how much money,
> etc. I can only tell them, do whatever you want, make yourself happy
> with Fedora. This helps, because I am doing the same thing, and I know
> one can find enjoyable things in a lot of activities. It does not help
> us to increase capacity and ability though.

First, I'll substitute "enforce" by "propose" in the "How do you
enforce someone to work on something?"

In your above paragraph, there are 3 important keywords:
- you
- the person who needs your assistance in order to participate at the
Fedora Project.
- Fedora Project.

As a Fedora Ambassador, you represent Fedora Project and you are a
member of the Fedora community. This is a very delicate and important
task. Fedora's image depends on the ambassador's skills and behaviour.

Also,
-  Fedora Ambassador works on what matters to Fedora's health and how
to improve it !
To know Fedora's health, is to know how Fedora is doing. You should
define your own goals first. Please take sometime, write at least 1
main personal goal that you want to contribute for fedora. Then, try
to realise it. Knowing Fedora's health, you will know who is working
where and what. Thus,perhaps you might be introduced to someone who
could help you.

-  Fedora is greedy to include innovative technologies.
Innovative technologies need man power. Innovative ideas come from
people inside and outside fedora. Understanding the needs of the
innovative ideas, will help you understand how to help the person who
needs your assistance in order to participate at the Fedora Project.

This person is a resource for Fedora. Tell him/her, that "Fedora is
working on this and that, I believe you are a good candidate".

Instead of asking the person where he/she wants to contribute, try to
know more about the person, try to answer at least:
- what are the person's skills ? electronics, speaker, medical ?
- what are the recent/main troubles that the person have with software ?
(can fedora satisfy that ? or how can fedora satisfy that ?, But
knowing fedora's health, you will be able to assist the person)
- can the person arrange a possible meeting that you can do a
presentation about fedora at his company ? (with the person, you could
now target more audience :), this is efficiency )
- ......

> We don't have an idea of
> who "we" are, what "we" have, what "we" should or can do.

We  "are" = everyone who signed fedora's CLA_done.
We "have" = Fedora's resources -> different subprojects of Fedora
(marketing, electronics, translations,...). People working on those
subprojects are Fedora's resources.
We "should" = maintain fedora's health and objectives
We "can" = everything that Fedora's resources can do.

http://planet.fedoraproject.org gives you an overview of fedora's resources.

> We are some ambassadors, are setting up a website, we can enforce the
> working group members to work on the website, at least in the lifetime
> of this working group (3mo to January). How can FP or FAmSCo help us?

Personally, I don't like creating a fedora related work outside
Fedora's infrastructure.
Reasons:
- there are already people busy working at fedora, why ask them work
somewhere else ?
- Materials will always be on Fedora's infrastructure, thus anyone can
take over the job if AWOL.

> How can we ask the other Chinese ambassadors to work with us? To ask
> or answer those questions, does it matter who we are?

If you have clear goals, it is an efficient way to have quick outcomes.

> Well, if ambassadors is only about local events, then I am posting to
> a wrong list.

No, fedora ambassadors is _never only_ about local events.

> Actually my problem is I do think there can be multiple online groups
> who represents Chinese users, and we are a small fraction of them. Can
> FP/FAmSCo allow this by treating different groups equally? Then I can
> request for help from FP, on behalf of my group, without worry that FP
> will ignore the others, or vice versa. I want to know the policy, even
> when I cannot prove anything to FP/FAmSCo (how can I say such a loose
> organization worth help?..)

I believe it is too early to ask this question. My personal strategy
while working with other groups is :
""Hello, this is what I have done (...) , and this is what I now want
to achieve (...). I believe if we can work together we are going
together you can take advantage of what I have already done in the
past.""

Hence, I'll propose you to first define your own goal, make it happen.
Then, try to expand it.

> Finally, what is the suggested organization of ambassadors? Susmit
> mentioned coordinator which is new to me. What resource does a
> coordinator have, and how it works? How to you train your new
> ambassadors, or assign jobs, where can I find live samples, if not on
> this list?

Status doesn't matter. Training new ambassadors, it like trying to
think how you would like to train yourself when you join fedora
ambassador's project ? Think about ways you wished your training
should be.

Kind regards,
Chitlesh