Re: Looking for community managers or enthusiasts!

["Karen Sandler" <karen gnome org>]

On Thu, November 15, 2012 2:39 pm, William Jon McCann wrote:
> Hi Karen,
>
> I think these are good suggestions. But I think it would be a mistake to
> leave this critical responsibility to a committee of volunteers. One of
> the
> many challenges we face is that our voice and message have been too
> inconsistent - too infrequently heard. Heard too late. Lacking authority.
> In want of good taste. And dealing with this is taking a huge toll on our
> ability to attract and retain contributors. Something needs to be done.
>
> I propose that we hire or appoint a full time director of marketing.

This is a great idea! And I agree that this is a major area of need for
us. Given the GNOME Foundation finances, it probably is also worth
considering someone part-time (especially if there is a team of volunteers
that can be trained and directed by such a person) or thinking creatively
about fundraising for the position.

The other challenge will be to find the right person for the position. In
the past, organizations I worked with who hired for these kinds of
positions had a really tough time finding someone with the right skillset
already and who also understood free software and was affordable. But we
can tackle that and set up a hiring process if we decide this is what we
want to do and can raise the funds.

We'll take it to the board! In the meantime, as I return from maternity
leave (I'm not fully back for a few weeks), I can help push forward some
of these tasks - some of them have gone in and out of my queue over the
last year depending on my other commitments - though many of them require
someone more trained than me to do well. We've been talking about various
ideas on the marketing list, including a weekly podcast/oggcast about
GNOME.

If we can get that together, mind being on the first one, Jon? :D

karen

>
> With the following responsibilities:
>
>  * Organize and work with a team of "advocates"
>  * Grok and channel the voice of the project rather than impose a separate
> agenda
>  * Consult with the design, development, testing, and documentation teams
>  * Help us clearly and effectively communicate our goals and objectives
>  * Organize the creation of press releases / release notes
>  * Blog regularly about ongoing initiatives and progress
>  * Be a beacon of light to counter the darkness
>  * Help us communicate proactively instead of reactively
>  * Educate misinformed journalists
>  * Be a point of contact for external parties that want information
>  * Reduce the burden on volunteers
>  * Delegate the above responsibilities
>
> If nothing else, it is clear that we are failing to perform these critical
> duties. We are paying a dear price for it. I think we need to admit we
> need
> professional help - a point I'm sure even our harshest critics will agree
> with.
>
> Jon
>
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 12:47 AM, Karen Sandler <karen gnome org> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, November 14, 2012 8:40 am, Bastien Nocera wrote:
>>
>> > - And "discontent". Well, I think that I have reasonable doubts to
>> think
>> > that those community managers wouldn't be able to carry the message of
>> > developers truthfully if said developers aren't being talked to.
>>
>> I think it's a fair point to raise issues of quality control for this
>> committee. One of the things I think we should start with for this
>> initiative is the creation of GNOME talking points/FAQ type of document.
>> The new team could do this by working with the release team, the board
>> and
>> others in the community who would like to contribute. I think some of
>> the
>> conversation we're having in other threads on this list are a good start
>> for that too. By going through that process, we'd be able to train the
>> volunteers and provide material to work from for the individuals to use
>> in
>> formulating their own responses (so not a cut and paste document, but a
>> formulation of key goals, ideas and decisions). We could also create
>> infrastructure to help them out, like an IRC channel and private mailing
>> list where posts can be vetted.
>>
>> We'd also need to set up mechanisms for communication so that developers
>> can be consulted. In the end, I think this could wind up being a lot
>> easier for our core developers, who seem to be often put on the spot to
>> defend their work. Having a team that these developers can talk to and
>> count on to repeatedly respond on behalf of the project seems to me like
>> a
>> great way to preserve those people's time. Are there other ways we could
>> improve this side of the conversation?
>>
>> karen
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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