UbuntuWanted

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Summary

It's not easy for newcomers to find an overview of roles they can do. All teams do have listed things on their own wiki page, but it's scattered and specific roles are usually discussed at mailists. A website where team administrators can post roles within their team would open the community more and create a central place to look. Mentors can be assigned to roles to guide newcomers into the wonderful world of the Ubuntu Community. This website allows team administrators to post both static(e.g. Bug Triaging, MOTU) and dynamic(e.g. maintainer of package X) jobs, categorized by team, but supporting tags. Only non-paid roles within the Ubuntu Community are allowed.

ToDo

There is a lot that needs to be done. Here a list:

  1. Decide about the programming language and framework and fix the FIXMEs
  2. Get a mockup of the website
  3. Write a site with basic functions
  4. Complete the site
  5. Get it hosted at .ubuntu.com
  6. Maintain the site

Some other things that need to be done:

  • Finish the blueprint
  • Get the blueprint accepted
  • Get more people to help

I want to help!

That's great! Please subscribe to the ubuntu-website mailist and participate in the discussion about the Ubuntu Wanted site there and offer your help to Sense Hofstede(qense) using your IRC or email client.

Access

Of course not everyone is allowed to place items at the website. The current suggestion is to allow only team administrators of teams accepted by the wanted site crew to post jobs. Only teams listed in a manually maintained file(editable by a web interface) are allowed to post, to prevent teams like Ubuntu Smokers or SchoolTool Owners to post jobs. FIXME: There needs to be checked if Launchpad allows an OpenID client to read the teams the logging in user is a member of and his/her roles within those teams.

Applications

If someone would like to apply for a role (s)he can press a button near the role description when (s)he's logged in. He would go to a page showing one of the two methods available for applying, selected by the author of the role.

  • Formal way
  • Informal way

Formal way

This would show a screen with some questions created by the poster of the role. After the questions are answered the applicant is added to a public list. The team administrator(s) can approve or disapprove applicants or ask for more information. The applicants will get a mail when their status is changed. After someone's approved the dynamic roles will be closed(FIXME: Should they be kept?) and the mentor assigned to a role will get a mail.

Informal way

A screen shows data of how to get in contact with the person in charge(e.g. mailist, IRC, other email address). When a dynamic role is fulfilled the poster can close it.

Managing

Team administrators get a nice panel where they can manage the advertisements. They can close advertisements and add new.

Categorizing

Every team gets a 'category' the moment they place their first role. This way it's easier to find the vacant positions in a certain team.

What it's not

There seem to be some misunderstandings about the Ubuntu Wanted site. So here a list what it's not. The Ubuntu Wanted site is not

  • a place for third parties to ask for people.
  • a volunteer pool.
  • a place for paid tasks or jobs.

It's just a place where teams within the Ubuntu community - and accepted by the Ubuntu Wanted site as such - can post ads to ask for people they need.

Concerns

  • A concern is that it can splinter communication. Communication about vacancies and possibilities to become active in a team takes usually place in mailist or at the Ubuntu Wiki. When it would suddenly be moved to a separate website team members could be confused and feel left out.
    • Solution 1: When a new role is created the mailist of the team should be notified. When someone applies the mailist is also notified.
      • FIXME: How should the mailist be determined?
  • It should be very clear that someone can have more than one roles.
    • Solution 1: If the right names are used this shouldn't be that much of a problem. Role seems the best name.

Suggestions for later

Some suggestions are great, but take too much time to implement right in the start or need more discussion, which can better be done after something's up. * Mentoring * Tags

Links

There has already been some discussion about this: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/9810/ http://www.qense.nl/posts/114 http://www.qense.nl/posts/ubuntu-wanted-site-ii


CategorySpec

UbuntuWanted (last edited 2008-11-11 15:36:05 by 0x50a136f5)