WorkingGroups

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Working Groups at Noisebridge

TODO: SocialMediaWG

Tools for Working Groups

TODO: WG information/documentation template


Properties of a good working group

  • Plenty of members
  • Spacetime availability
  • Appropriate skills
  • Eagerness to learn new skills
  • Communication
  • Sharing of access
  • Openness to new members
  • Do-ocracy! Do-ers decide, non-do-ers stand aside
  • Well-defined scopes and progress tracking
  • WG-run infrastructure
  • Up-to-date documentation/group info


Problems that arise in WGs and how to address them

Some piece of infrastructure keeps going down and maintenance isn't happening
This usually happens because the members of the working group who've been bottom-lining a particular piece of infrastructure have had changes in their availability, but these changes weren't fully communicated to the group. It also tends to happen because the other members of the group can't pick up the slack, because of their own constraints, or of inability to access the infrastructure, or so forth. Consider working on the following properties:
  • Plenty of members: get better at asking if you have enough members
  • Spacetime availability: manage availability better, dedicate well defined times to working on the WG if possible
  • Sharing of access: make sure all WG members have the access necessary
  • WG-run infrastructure: make sure that infrastructure isn't on personal servers, personal accounts, etc.
  • Openness to new members: invite in more members, especially if there are people who've been trying to work on infrastructure already
  • Communication: be proactive in communicating changes, and synchronize more often (have meetings, hackathons, whatever)
Some piece of infrastructure is under a personal account or on a personal server, and we can't share UN/PWs
This usually happens because it's a quick and easy solution to a problem. A quick fixes to put out a fire. Consider working on the following properties:
  • WG-run infrastructure: Set up alternatives that are for the WG instead. Get WG-run servers, WG-run email addresses, etc. and move things over asap.
  • Sharing of access: Once the WG has its own infrastructure, share all of the UNs, PWs, etc.
The Working Group needs new members for sure, and there are people who are eager to help out and definitely capable, but they're new or not everyone in the WG is familiar with them enough to be fully convinced
This usually happens when people feel very personally responsible for infrastructure. Consider working on the following properties:
  • Openness to new members: accept the need and give in to it! You don't have to shoulder all the burden, and shouldn't. Welcome the new members in, but steward them, be there to help them and address your worries from a position of on-boarding not one of exclusion.
  • Do-ocracy! Noisebridge is a do-ocracy, do-er's decide, non-do-er's stand aside. Don't stand in peoples way if they're trying to fix or improve infrastructure. It's only Noisebridge at risk, not people's lives or something.