[fedora-india] Organizing events, requesting swag and coordinating Fedora presence, among other things

sankarshan sankarshan at fedoraproject.org
Sun Mar 21 04:28:12 UTC 2010


Hi,

I maintain a FAQ that is specific to events at
<https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Sankarshan/Event_Questions> I'd
request that those organizing events give it a quick read. I'd also
appreciate feedback in terms of questions that it does not cover or,
specifics that it currently doesn't provide answers to.

There is a reason for insisting on a ticket. It allows conversations
to be initiated. And, it provides accountability. If you are the event
organizer, the best you could do is to provide a heads-up about the
event as early as possible. It allows everyone to try and arrange for
swag, coax other Fedora participants to pitch their names as speakers.
But most importantly, it ensures that one can allot funds.

The last minute "I have event day after tomorrow and I need swag"
theme that I often see on the lists points to two things (in no
particular order):

* the event is just an excuse for distributing swag/goodies
* there is no objective attached with an event

Each event should have an objective and, achievable metrics around a
Fedora presence. Including what was the impact of the Fedora centric
talks/workshops. Too often than not I see attendance numbers being
talked about as success of the event - that isn't a measure at all
and, it is one that I absolutely discourage. An event should also be
an exercise in collaboration with the entire gamut of Fedora folks in
India and, not a last minute announcement. This ensures that as a team
there is a collective thought behind making the presence a success. As
a brand Fedora is powerful and, is well-known. It should be our
constant effort to not make a shoddy job of representing Fedora. For
every event that is a last minute announcement followed by running
around to get things done, it is a collective failure of the entire
team of Fedora folks from India. Pause for a moment to reflect on
that. It is not an individual failure - it is a collective disaster
because we are letting the project down.

Lastly, using swag/goodies to ramp up presence in Fedora workshops
isn't the best way of doing things. Sure, I've been around long enough
to know that "but there are distributions/projects who give swag
away". Getting interested audience converted into potential
participants needs much more than swag. It needs a personal story,
which is why we insist on being involved in as many parts of Fedora as
one can. It also needs an investment in time and, an interest in being
a mentor. Being a coach is a tough job, those who stand up to the
plate for being counted as coaches have my respect and admiration.

I'd love to see the organizers of events provide adequate (say, a
month) notice via the ticket. I'd like to see them engage the list in
discussion and, more importantly, I'd desire to see them think about
the brand, the project and, how it reflects upon them as participants
in the project when they do a not-so-good job of it.

We are not in the business of producing and distributing swag. We are
in the business of advancing what is the most innovative and
fundamentally sound project of all times. Let's not mix our
priorities.

/sankarshan


-- 
sankarshan mukhopadhyay
<http://sankarshan.randomink.org/blog/>


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