[Marketing] Re: Marketing Digest, Vol 55, Issue 12

Daniele daniele.ocu at gmail.com
Fri May 11 16:11:59 EDT 2012


Dear marketing committee,

I like Daniel Morissette's summary I think it makes it  easier to understand and keeps things clear. Senior Ambassador and General Ambassador. I also agree that they should be voted on instead of appointed. 


Daniele



Sent from my Commodore 64.

On May 11, 2012, at 13:00, marketing-request at lists.osgeo.org wrote:

> Send Marketing mailing list submissions to
>    marketing at lists.osgeo.org
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>    http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/marketing
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>    marketing-request at lists.osgeo.org
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>    marketing-owner at lists.osgeo.org
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Marketing digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Re: Re: [Board] Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an OSGeo
>      Ambassador role (Cameron Shorter)
>   2. Re: Re: [Board] Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an OSGeo
>      Ambassador role (Daniel Morissette)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 21:13:16 +1000
> From: Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Marketing] Re: [Board] Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an
>    OSGeo    Ambassador role
> To: marketing <marketing at lists.osgeo.org>
> Cc: OSGeo-Board <board at lists.osgeo.org>
> Message-ID: <4FACF44C.2060403 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
> I can see that there are at least 2 interpretations of "Ambassador" 
> which seems to be clouding the issue. It might help if we refined as:
> 
> Senior Ambassador:
> * Someone with extensive OSGeo qualifications, probably a board member, 
> or ex board member, but might be extended to a select few others. 
> Ideally will have excellent communication and presentation skills.
> * This role will keynote conferences, and negotiate on behalf of OSGeo 
> (eg for a MOU).
> 
> General Ambassador:
> * One of the thousands of OSGeo leaders, developers and users who are 
> passionate about Geospatial Open Source, who wishes to promote OSGeo
> * These people will present on behalf of OSGeo at one of the hundreds of 
> relevant conferences and workshops around the world.
> * Selection of this role could be anyone who applies, or could be 
> limited to a voted group, such as Charter members.
> 
> On 11/05/2012 12:16 PM, Daniel Morissette wrote:
>> I think it's a good idea to try to better define the role but I have 
>> no clue how to do it right. FWIW here is what I wrote about this 
>> question during the board meeting:
>> 
>> "i think for the ambassador label to have some value then it needs to 
>> not be too inclusive otherwise if anyone can name themselves an 
>> ambassador then we'll need to create a new label for the real higher 
>> profile "ambassadors" that event organizers will want to go after"
>> 
>> "for the time being [i.e. until a better mechanism can be defined], 
>> I'm happy with ambassador being someone appointed by the board to 
>> represent OSGeo at an official function or event, with or without 
>> funding. The first examples that come to mind are Arnulf's various 
>> ambassadorship duties, and MPG's upcoming meeting with Eclipse"
>> 
>> Daniel
>> 
>> On 12-05-10 7:05 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>> As per Board logs discussing Ambassador role:
>>> http://irclogs.geoapt.com/osgeo/%23osgeo.2012-05-10.log
>>> 
>>> 17:51:48 archaeogeek: We need to go back to Cameron too- but not be too
>>> discouraging...
>>> 17:52:08 darkblue_b: it seems Cameron is following the Board list
>>> 
>>> Yes, I did catch up on the board IRC logs as have been monitoring the
>>> board email list. (Meeting at is 3am, which doesn't work well for me).
>>> 
>>> Re discussion around definition of the Ambassador role, I'm more than
>>> happy to see the role being completely redefined from my original 
>>> proposal.
>>> 
>>> From logs, I'm hearing what people don't want from the Ambassador role,
>>> but I don't think someone has clearly defined what is wanted.
>>> 
>>> Regarding funding, I think that by default, we should assume that no
>>> travel funds are allocated to Ambassadors. This will result in either:
>>> 1. Conferences paying for highly experienced ambassadors as keynotes
>>> 2. Conference attendees, who are already ambassadors (and usually local)
>>> acting as presenters
>>> 3. In special cases, such as sending someone to set up an Eclipse MOU,
>>> the board may approve one of the highly qualified ambassadors (a board
>>> member, or maybe a charter member)
>>> 
>>> With regards to setting up a process for selecting quality ambassadors,
>>> the tricky part is in setting a criteria for which we exclude people.
>>> There will always be volunteers wishing to be an ambassador, who is
>>> going to say someone is not qualified?
>>> Do we introduce the overhead of another annual vote, getting the
>>> community to vote for the 10 best ambassadors?
>>> Do we ask the board to approve or not approve applications from
>>> individuals to become ambassadors? It could be politically very
>>> alienating for individuals to be rejected by the board for such 
>>> requests.
>>> 
>>> We then need to work out how Ambassadors are refreshed or retired. I
>>> propose that every year Ambassadors are removed, from our list. If
>>> Ambassadors still consider themselves active, they may update their
>>> profile, and re-introduce themselves into our Ambassador wiki.
>>> 
>>> Working around these limitations was what drove the proposal of:
>>> * Allow any volunteer to become an Ambassador
>>> * However, support categorisation by voted OSGeo categories (Board,
>>> Charter, OSGeo PSC, etc). We could introduce another category of
>>> "Entertaining Speaker" or similar, with some associated criteria.
>>> * Force a refresh of Ambassador roles every year, and get Ambassadors to
>>> update their profile if they are still interested.
>>> 
>>> If someone can suggest a better, more practical idea, then I'd be keen
>>> to hear it.
>>> 
>>> On 9/05/2012 6:10 PM, Seven (aka Arnulf) wrote:
>>>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>>> Hash: SHA1
>>>> 
>>>> Board,
>>>> in preparation for tomorrow's meeting please read through the mail
>>>> that Cameron sent wrt defining the Ambassador role:
>>>> 
>>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/discuss/2012-May/010296.html
>>>> 
>>>> At first my impression was that this is complicating things a bit (my
>>>> thoughts were more like: anyone can become an ambassador). But the
>>>> discussion on the lists confirmed that this looks like a good way
>>>> forward and addresses most issues brought up. I also like the idea
>>>> that Marketing runs with it once the board has decided that the
>>>> general direction is in line with our mission and policies.
>>>> 
>>>> So far we should be 6 out of 8 directors at the meeting tomorrow
>>>> meaning that we have quorum. But even if more drop out we can still
>>>> vote via mail which worked quite well over the past few meetings.
>>>> 
>>>> Talk to you tomorrow.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Arnulf
>>>> 
>>>> On 05.05.2012 07:33, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>>>> Following on from ideas from this previous email thread, and in
>>>>> particular picking up on Stefano's ideas, I'd like to make the
>>>>> following proposal:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I suggest that we define an OSGeo Ambassador role very widely, but
>>>>> also have different levels of Ambassador - so that conference
>>>>> organisors can still feel like they are getting someone
>>>>> distinguished and pick someone exclusive.
>>>>> 
>>>>> The OSGeo Ambassador categories would be:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 1. OSGeo Board Member 2. Ex OSGeo Board Member These are the elite
>>>>> of the OSGeo community. We only have 8 active board members in the
>>>>> world, which have been peer selected based upon their outstanding
>>>>> leadership in the greater OSGeo community.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 3. Charter member Charter membership is obtained through a strongly
>>>>> contested selective process. Members tend to be developers and
>>>>> leaders in one or more OSGeo projects, and/or OSGeo business
>>>>> leaders, and have a deep understanding in many of the OSGeo
>>>>> projects and principles of Open Source.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 4. Voted position in an OSGeo community These people hold a
>>>>> position of responsibility within one of the OSGeo sub-communities.
>>>>> This may be a chair of an OSGeo Regional Chapter, or as a member of
>>>>> a project's Project Steering Committee.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 5. OSGeo community member These people are actively involved in one
>>>>> or more OSGeo communities, acting as a developer, user or supporter
>>>>> of OSGeo software.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Anyone fitting one of the above categories, may put themselves
>>>>> forward as an OSGeo Ambassador. Each ambassador would be expected
>>>>> to create a profile for themselves on an OSGeo Ambassador wiki
>>>>> page, which includes:
>>>>> 
>>>>> * Name * City and Country of residence * Phone, Email * Photo *
>>>>> OSGeo relevant experience. (~150 words)
>>>>> 
>>>>> I also propose that the OSGeo Marketing committee would be
>>>>> responsible for overseeing the Ambassador wiki page, once the
>>>>> guidelines have been put into place.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I welcome feedback from all, and call upon the board to make a
>>>>> final vote on whether this proposal (or a variant) should be put
>>>>> into action.
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 21/04/12 20:47, Stefano Costa wrote:
>>>>>> Il 21/04/2012 12:28, Jody Garnett ha scritto:
>>>>>>> I would hope that our charter members (who have been through a
>>>>>>> public nomination process in part for their involvement) are
>>>>>>> already acting in the capacity of "Ambassador" for OSGeo.
>>>>>> I totally agree on this point. The fact that charter members
>>>>>> only official role is to nominate new charter members and the
>>>>>> Board is IMHO a weakness. Their role as OSGeo champions (and
>>>>>> "Ambassadors" if there's consensus on that) should be emphasised.
>>>>>> Quick ideas:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> - personal pages on osgeo.org (osgeo.org/members/johndoe) -
>>>>>> @osgeo.org e-mail address (even an alias is fine) to be used as
>>>>>> their primary address - interviews on the main blog - a track
>>>>>> record of their public activity wrt OSGeo promotion, software
>>>>>> development, management, documentation and what else
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> In this way the charter members could gain a higher visibility in
>>>>>> the wider geospatial community and be recognised as official
>>>>>> representatives.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Ciao steko
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> BTW is there any process in place to "remove" charter members if
>>>>>> they become inactive, move to another planet or are deemed unfit
>>>>>> for the purpose by the community?
>>>>>> _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing
>>>>>> list Discuss at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>>>> On 20/04/12 07:24, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>>>>> 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.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> - -- Exploring Space, Time and Mind
>>>> http://arnulf.us
>>>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
>>>> Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
>>>> Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/
>>>> 
>>>> iEYEARECAAYFAk+qJmEACgkQXmFKW+BJ1b0gQQCfU9rVZZslcrlKsKq2SKcruqcO
>>>> EzIAn1+l48yyhlfN6BgAmwTvjCzBO4NV
>>>> =IGVC
>>>> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 10:45:02 -0400
> From: Daniel Morissette <dmorissette at mapgears.com>
> Subject: Re: [Marketing] Re: [Board] Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Defining an
>    OSGeo    Ambassador role
> To: marketing <marketing at lists.osgeo.org>, OSGeo-Board
>    <board at lists.osgeo.org>
> Message-ID: <4FAD25EE.2060906 at mapgears.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
> On 12-05-11 7:13 AM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>> I can see that there are at least 2 interpretations of "Ambassador"
>> which seems to be clouding the issue. It might help if we refined as:
>> 
>> Senior Ambassador:
>> * Someone with extensive OSGeo qualifications, probably a board member,
>> or ex board member, but might be extended to a select few others.
>> Ideally will have excellent communication and presentation skills.
>> * This role will keynote conferences, and negotiate on behalf of OSGeo
>> (eg for a MOU).
>> 
>> General Ambassador:
>> * One of the thousands of OSGeo leaders, developers and users who are
>> passionate about Geospatial Open Source, who wishes to promote OSGeo
>> * These people will present on behalf of OSGeo at one of the hundreds of
>> relevant conferences and workshops around the world.
>> * Selection of this role could be anyone who applies, or could be
>> limited to a voted group, such as Charter members.
>> 
> 
> 
> That sounds like a good summary/starting point to me. However multiple 
> classes of "ambassadors" may be a bit confusing so we may just want to 
> use different words/names for both categories to avoid confusion.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Daniel Morissette
> http://www.mapgears.com/
> Provider of Professional MapServer Support since 2000
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Marketing mailing list
> Marketing at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/marketing
> 
> 
> End of Marketing Digest, Vol 55, Issue 12
> *****************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/marketing/attachments/20120511/9084b4f8/attachment-0001.html


More information about the Marketing mailing list