[OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an OSGeo Ambassador role

Marco Lechner - FOSSGIS e.V. marco.lechner at fossgis.de
Fri Apr 20 03:19:24 EDT 2012


Hi,

Does anybody have an idea on how many conferences, ... we are talking
about. May be this can be answered depending on continents/countries.
this could help getting an idea about how many ambassadors would be
needed where and how much money this could eventuallly cost. in some
cases it will be necessary to have ambassadors talking in local
languages (no every conference is using english) about OSGeo.

Marco Lechner

Am 20.04.2012 00:14, schrieb Michael P. Gerlek:
> Cameron, thanks for bringing this up for discussion.
>
> A couple things to note:
>
> - in some cases, the Board might decide that it is important enough to have an Ambassador at an event that the Foundation would cover travel expenses
>
> - it is unlikely that the Foundation would be able to cover the costs of the Ambassador's time, however; aside from the expense involved and trying to determine a fair uniform hourly rate, I could see that turn into a fight for who gets to go; but on the other hand, a nominal fee might help enable some of us who are self-employed or similar to fill the ambassador role
>
> - some events/functions might require the Ambassador be a Board member as well (as in the case of the email of mine which Cameron quotes)
>
> -mpg
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Cameron Shorter
>> Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:24 PM
>> To: OSGeo Discussions
>> Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an OSGeo Ambassador role
>>
>> On 20/04/2012 4:06 AM, Michael P. Gerlek wrote:
>>> Do we have any policies and cost structures for the Ambassador function yet?
>> I've seen a few people talking about creating an OSGeo Ambassador role.
>> Arnulf I think might have been the first to mention it, and I think it
>> is an excellent idea. I'm also aware that the OGC are considering
>> developing OGC ambassadors too.
>>
>> So I'd like to open the floor and see what people think an ambassador's
>> role could involve, which leads into the qualities we would wish our
>> ambassador's to have, which leads into the ways we may select an ambassador.
>>
>> Let me start by noting some of the driving factors:
>> 1. Arnulf has noted that as OSGeo president, he has spent a significant
>> amount of time on areoplanes travelling around the world to talk on
>> behalf of OSGeo. He has suggested that this role should be shared.
>> Conference organisors, who have a primary goal of attracting attendees,
>> look for authoritative figureheads to talk at conferences. They are
>> expected to have a deep insight into a specific domain, such as OSGeo.
>> They should also speak well, even better if they are entertaining.
>>
>> 2. OSGeo is a sexy topic has many conferences, and there are hundreds,
>> if not thousands of conferences around the world which would like to see
>> an OSGeo presence.
>>
>> 3. OSGeo is fortunate to draw membership from around the world,
>> including boasting a number of very healthy local chapters. As such, we
>> are likely to have potential ambassadors in most counties. (We might be
>> a bit short in Antarctica)
>>
>> 4. There are times when negotiating MOUs or similar with other
>> countries, it would be useful to have someone local speak with authority
>> on behalf of OSGeo.
>>
>> 5. Note that there are conflicting interests here of wanting to open up
>> the role for anyone who volunteers, verses maintaining a selectiveness
>> and prestige for the role which is the key selection criteria for
>> conferences asking for an ambassador.
>>
>> As such, I think it important that ambassadors can only be voted into
>> the position, and not handed out to anyone. We already vote for a board,
>> and charter members.
>> I think board members should be considered ambassadors by default.
>> Should charter members be considered ambassadors? Charter members only
>> get this role after demonstrating a commitment to OSGeo, so will likely
>> have a reasonable depth of OSGeo knowledge. Maybe we should ask for a
>> history of speaking well (as demonstrated at conferences), to the
>> ambassador criteria.
>>
>> Then lastly, do we wish to invite ambassadors from a greater circle? At
>> this point, I'd probably err on saying no, as if the entry bar to
>> becoming an ambassador is too easy, then the mystic of the role will be
>> lost.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Cameron Shorter
>> Geospatial Solutions Manager
>> Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
>> Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254
>>
>> Think Globally, Fix Locally
>> Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
>> http://www.lisasoft.com
>>
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