Meeting in Person: Why, How, & What's Next?

Ideas about and suggestions for taking technical communities offline. Specifically geared toward local, in person, OpenStreetMap communities.

Presented on April 12, 2014 at State of the Map US in Washington, DC.

Transcript

1. Meeting in Person: Why, How, & What’s Next? Kathleen Danielson State of the Map US 2014
2. • Board Member, OpenStreetMap US • Creator and co-organizer of Geo DC • Technical Project Manager • Online Community Management Community is my jam. Who Am I?
3. Getting people into the same room to drink beer and do nerdy things My Life Skill:
4. Geo DC, January 2013
5. 1. Save Community, Save the World OSM 2. Every community is unique 3. Take care of yourself 4. Community Scales If you only pick up 4 things:
6. Why?
7. • This community has diverse interests-- people get involved in OSM for a lot of reasons. Learn about them! • Mapping is a solitary task; it's easy to go down rabbit holes and forget about the big picture • It can only help the project to establish more in-person hubs Why Bother?
8. ▪ Real Talk: I love OSM, but the mailing list discourse isn’t always as constructive as it could be ▪ Building real world connections can help ▪ Bottom-up approach to global community building ▪ A healthier community won’t spontaneously create itself Community Health
9. How?
10. ▪ This isn’t scary. (But don’t let anyone tell you it’s easy!) ▪ If you don’t get pick-up, that’s ok. Try again. Rethink your approach. Reach out for suggestions. (More on this later) ▪ It’s also ok if it doesn’t work out. Every place has unique challenges. Just Do It!
11. • Find other mappers • Spread the word • Programming • Keep it going Getting Started
12. • New York City • San Francisco • Boston • Tampa Bay • DC • Baltimore • Cleveland • St. Louis • Salt Lake City • Seattle • Chicago • ??? Where are the local communities? These aren't all exclusively OSM-focused, and that's ok too. More on that later.
13. • ito! OSM Mapper • Pascal's OSM Contributors Map • talk-us mailing list (but try the others first) Find people in your area
14. ito! osm mapper
15. • Email ◦ Google Groups are great • Twitter • Facebook... wait, what? ◦ DC Homebrew Club • Meetup.com ◦ Not free ◦ Great way to reach new folks Spread the Word
17. Meet your community where they are
18. • Ask! • Keep trying new things • Reassess: what your community needed two years ago might not be what they need today Assessing your community's needs
19. • Social meetups ("Mappy Hour") • Mapping Parties; Field and/or "armchair" • Informal presentations, "lightning talks" • Maptime • Editathons Now What?
20. #Editathon!
21. • No one says you can't have a wider scope • Some of the largest, most active groups aren't OSM-exclusive • This is probably an easier way to get started All OSM all the time? Maptime!
22. • Connect with other groups and organizations: ◦ Environmental groups ◦ Tech groups ◦ Others (KCDC) • Don't try this alone! • No, seriously: don't forget to reassess your community's needs. Keeping things going
23. Take Care of Yourself
24. • Try to have at least one co-organizer • Don't be afraid to ask for help or resources from your community • What type of programming or schedule can you realistically support? • Make sure it's fun for YOU! Take a break if you need it. Avoiding Burnout
25. This Stuff Scales
26. • How can we help each other build stronger local communities? • How can our local communities strengthen the national one? • How can the US community better collaborate with communities around the world? Let’s talk about it
27. • Amsterdam Geo Drinks • Mappers in Belgium • OSM France in Paris • OSM meetup in Rome Local Communities in Europe
28. • Save Community, Save OSM • Communities are special snowflakes • Take care of yourself • Community Scales Key Takeaways
29. @KathleenLD Thanks!