RE: 11 Questions to answer

[Proctor <Proctors pacbell net>]

Thanks for the thoughtful questions - Membership and Election Committee
members - you guys ROCK!


1) Why are you running for Board of Directors?

I wanted to give the Foundation membership a broader choice of both hacker
and non-hacker candidates.  The ideal board should be comprised of both.

2) Do you have leadership and committee experience? If so, please explain.
I have extensive experience in leadership and committee work.  Being a
public relations and marketing professional for almost 20 years, I know how
to lead and also how to be part of a productive committee.

3) How familiar are you with the day-to-day happenings of GNOME?  How much
do you follow and participate in the main GNOME mailing lists?

I'm familiar with the day-to-day happenings of the Foundation.  I follow the
mailing lists, jumping in where I can add something worthwhile.

4) One of the primary tasks of the Board of Directors is to act as a
liaison between the GNOME Foundation and other organizations and companies
to find out how the two groups can work together to their mutual benefit.
Do you feel you would be good at understanding other people and companies
and finding ways that GNOME can collaborate with other companies and
organizations to benefit both groups and their users?

I already work with representatives from all of the GNOME Foundation member
companies, in a number of capacities - but primarily as a liaison for
marketing.

5) One of the responsibilities and powers of the Board of Directors is to
identify organizational weaknesses and needs of GNOME and to create
committees, appoint coordinators of these committees, and act as liaisons
with them.  What do you believe are the current weak points of GNOME as an
organization, and if you were able to, how would you change the GNOME
organization?

There needs to be closer communication between the marketing arm and the
developers - who are creating the product.  I'd like to be able to set up
communications channels that would allow us maximize our exposure to the
business and technology media.

6) The board meets for one hour every two weeks to discuss a handful of
issues.  Thus, it is very important that the board can very quickly and
concisely discuss each topic and come to consensus on each item for
discussion. Are you good at working with others, who sometimes have very
differing opinions than you do, to reach consensus and agree on actions?

I'm actually very good at seeing where people are disagreeing - and then
restating positions so that a consensus can be reached more quickly.  That
skill was probably developed as a defense mechanism from too many meetings
that go nowhere - something I REALLY hate.

7) Often Directors have to draft policies, form committees, find
weaknesses or approaching problems of GNOME and work on solutions, and act
as liaison with various groups (both within and outside GNOME) and
companies.  Please name three or more areas which you feel are important
for the Board to address over the next year and which you would enjoy
contributing some of your time to help get things started and possibly act
as a liaison between the Board and any other committees, groups, or
companies if relevant.

As I said before, I'd love to build a stronger communications network
between marketing and developers.  I've started building the GNOME Global
Partners infrastructure - which will be a grassroots, global marketing
vehicle. I'm on the GUADEC committee, which is an important vehicle for the
Foundation.  I'm also currently working to maximize visibility at
tradeshows - recently negotiating donated booth space from the Jupiter
Enterprise Linux Forum in December, plus I booked the .org booth space and a
press conference time for LWE in NYC in January.  I also recently put
together a tradeshow schedule, so we can effectively pitch speakers, etc.

Being part of the board would make realizing some of these goals easier -
because I'd have timely knowledge of what's going on - and would be able to
contribute from the marketing perspective.

8) Do you consider yourself diplomatic?  Would you make a good
representative for the GNOME Foundation to the Membership, media, public,
and organizations and corporations the GNOME Foundation works with?

I'm pretty diplomatic - since I'm the main media contact, hopefully I can
deal with them...;-)  I try not to pick my toes in public.

9) Will you represent the interests of GNOME and the GNOME Foundation over
all other personal or corporate interests you may represent?

Don't represent any corporate interests that would conflict, so yes.

10) Will you be willing and have the available time to take on and
complete various tasks that the Board needs accomplished?

Yep.  In fact, the structure of the bi-weekly meetings would be good for
me - give me deadlines.

11) One of the ingredient for success in Free Software project such as GNOME
is committed and dedicated memberships. How would you propose to promote new
membership, and encourage commitment of existing membership to make the
GNOME
desktop the desktop of choice? [ Hints: the number of Foundation members
have
reduced from 460 in 2001 to approximately 300 in 2002 ]

Not to sound like a broken record, but we need to enhance internal
communication - so we can raise visibility outside of the Foundation.  If we
maximize visibility of our accomplishments, we can attract new members.
Problem is - often I'm not brought in early enough on some things..so I
can't do much.

Having a longer lead time before a release goes out so we can pre-brief key
media and analysts and invite reviews.

I've been putting together contacts and pitching various editors to do
regular bylined articles.  Now I just need a network of willing writers.
Stuff like that will help a lot.

I dunno - let's go have pie.

The GNOME Foundation Membership & Elections Committee

  Eric Baudais
  Andy Tai
  Ghee Teo
  Vincent Untz


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