[Ambassadors] How to be a Mentor?

[David Nalley]

On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 11:39 AM, Marcus Moeller <mail at marcus-moeller.de> wrote:
> Dear Joerg.
>
>>> I want to be a mentor.  What is needed for it?
>>
>> Mentors have to get introduced and recommended by existing mentors to
>> FAmSCo and FAmSCo will consider and approve them. I want to remind that
>> one focus of Ambassadors is on Teaching and Mentoring new Candidates
>> into all the Areas of the Fedora Project.
>
> That's especially something I cannot fully agree with. Imho there
> should be clear guidelines that have to be fulfilled to become a
> mentor. It should not be based on personal preferences of a quite
> small group of ppl.
>

This was long debated. However, in the end, we decided that the people
doing the work knew best when a person was ready to be both an
Ambassador and a mentor, and thus, like packaging sponsors, they get
wide leeway in 'sponsoring'. In the end, it's a matter of trusting the
people doing the work, rather than forcing some onerous set of rules
on people. (That said, when I as a mentor have someone ask to be
approved, I have my own set of guidelines that I make the candidate
live up to, and I built those on guidelines writtten by Susmit for
candidates from India, and the mentors have actively discussed
defining their own requirements as well)

As I said, it was debated quite a bit. And it may not be the best
choice, but generally communities seem to work best with as little
structure as needed, and mentors were erected because we deemed that
some structure was needed to ensure we retained the quality of the
Ambassadors program. I won't necessarily try to convince you, but the
idea has been well thought and explored over many months. Perhaps
you'll be on the next FAmSCo and change it. Incidentally this isn't
new, and was announced on f-a-l (earlier this year I believe)


David Nalley