[OSGeo-Discuss] [Marketing] Marketing meeting to finalise definition of an OSGeo Ambassador role

[Puneet Kishor]

On May 30, 2012, at 5:14 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:

> On 31/05/2012 12:08 AM, Jo Cook wrote:
>> My thoughts- initially I thought the idea was too complicated, but if we envisage outside organisations/conferences coming to us for speakers, then we will need something like you suggest. I wonder, in all honesty, how much that is going to happen, but at least we will have somewhere to point them to.
> 
> Jo,
> In 2012, there have been 22 events that I'm aware of that have/are planning to made use of the OSGeo-Live DVD (or the presentation): http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_History
> 
> At most/all of these events there an OSGeo presentation, usually based upon our OSGeo-Live presentation, and I've usually been involved in finding someone to give these presentations.
> 
> I suspect that Arnulf and others could testify to similar numbers of approaches.
> 
> So, from personal experience, I would find it very useful to have a list of ambassadors to point conference organisors at.
> 


Here is what I don't understand --

Why call them "ambassadors"?

Why not simply have a list of Charter Members who have volunteered to make themselves available all around the world, and then, when an event comes up, ask the CMs close by (the event) if they would give a presentation, stand at a booth, demo an OSGeo-Live DVD, etc.?

In fact, I would contend that such volunteers need not even be a CM. They can simply be *any* user of OSGeo-endorsed products and knowledgeable about OSGeo in general.

Personally, I am with Jo in that I find this a needless extra hierarchy, but more than that, (as I mentioned in an earlier email), I find the language of the proposal a bit off-the-spirit of OSGeo. I point to the following text fragments in particular, as they connote "clubs" --

	"elite of the OSGeo community" 
	"outstanding leadership in the greater OSGeo community"
	"strongly contested selective process"



--
Puneet Kishor