Hello Everyone, We've been talking recently about a new format for the DPN newsletter, streamlining the process, and a shift of some items from the newsletter and onto the blog. The DPN is not published weekly or bi-weekly but instead more on a monthly basis, we do need some changes to address this for a faster turn-around and to address where the information we share is presented. We find that by the time the new issue is presented it is already out of date with the information that our readers can gather by reading the mail-lists or idling in one of the many Debian IRC channels. While this does not distract from the DPN as an archive of project news and events, it does remove its ability to report and share information in a timely fashion. Below are two versions of the DPN newsletter, the first is the current format that we have been using for quite some time with the second as a new proposed version of the newsletter. The proposed version should allow a faster publication time for the newsletter as we will have shifted some of the more dynamic items directly to other sources of media like identi.ca and our blog so that we are able to avoid the publication time delays which make the news items post-reported or no longer relevant events. --- Our current format loosely adheres to the following layout. (Items with a * are not consistent between issues.) Current DPN Reports: Debian internal project updates on anything inside the project. LTS reports. *Interviews: Interviews with Debian Developers. These seem to be externally sourced and linked to. *What Do You Do?: Recently added section which asks another team what they do and what they work on. Tips and Tricks: Recently added section which gives tips and tricks to users from various members within Debian. *Bits from foo.d.o: Bits from a team or the DPL. Other News: Items that are not placed into a report. Consider these to be miniature announcements/ or internal news items. *Events: Bug Squashing Parties, miniDebConf, Debian events of interest to the community. New Contributors: List and links to new members of the project. Security Advisories DSA security advisories for packages which have security concerns. New and Noteworthy packages: List of 10-20 packages that are new in unstable. Work Needing Packages: Packages that are abandoned or that need help. This is an easy access point into Debian for new contributors. Want to continue reading? Publicity team information and request for users to help and get involved. --- Proposed DPN Reports: General news and internal reports. Path To (goal) Reports: LTS and Reproducible Build status/updates. *Closing for release (list of X items on the path to next release). Internal News/Happenings: New Contributors: List and links to new members of the project. *Upcoming Events: Bug Squashing Parties, miniDebConfs, events of interest to the community. This day in Debian: Link to something from the Time-line (sneak in a request to help with the time-line). How to contribute: Links to our own how to contribute page. Work needing packages. Projects that need help. More than just code: (the fun section?) Tips and tricks: Section which gives tips and tricks to users from various members within Debian. Interesting software: The NNWP section. We now would list a smaller amount of the packages 5-10? and expand/blurb 1 of them. Debian in the news: Outside news that we did not report, or favorable news from outside about the project. Debian in the field [Credit to Bernelle Verseter] Pieces about Debian in use in the world. This may be moved to bits.d.o Linux: Things that will effect the community or are on the horizon in Linux. ---------- The intention of the changes/Changes being made: Our workflow for content import has been a TODO file which is a collection of links used for the newsletter. Editors browse the TODO file, follow one of the links, and summarize the linked page or information into the issue. This method works well for a group however it does have its faults in that links may just be placed there to fill the newsletter, or we may over-report a topic, or the links become dated by the time someone is able to author a summary. To address those issues we are changing the name of the TODO file to IDEAS. The concept is the same but now allows editors to pick a few items from the list, summarize them, and allow the issue itself to be published quickly as we no longer have to wait for the entire TODO file to be be completed. We will shift some of the more dynamic content to other avenues of media that we have access to such as identi.ca and the Debian blog such as the recent What Do You Do (WDYD) section and once it comes to fruition from the planning stages the new 'Debian in the Field' (DTF) section. The removal of the Security Advisories which are felt at this time to be somewhat redundant considering that most administrators either subscribe to the security list and/or patch and update their forward facing systems on a daily basis. The newer format of the proposed Report section allows us to report on long term or immediate working goals in a dedicated section rather than having pieces of those updates and information split throughout a single newsletter issue. We could also move this section down considering that while the information is newer, it is actually an updated progress report. 'Internal News' replaces the 'Other News' which focused on internal news items and tidbits that were not reports. This name change is a subtle shift to report actual news in this section rather than items that simply were not in the reports section. The 'How to Contribute' section offers a few easy pathways for prospective contributors to enter the project. Inside of it the 'Projects that need help' section, if adopted, could put help requests in a public setting rather than the normal requests for help buried at the bottom of an email or hidden inside a Bits report. We would need to inform the other teams that they can ask/place requests here. The Linux section could link to or blurb about a Debian derivative, Software or Policy adoption in another Distribution that is visible in Linux and may come to Debian or the adoption of something Debian does in another Distribution. This section would allow us to fill out the newsletter by way of our own request for information in the what you should send section of the How To Contribute page[1]. [1]https://wiki.debian.org/ProjectNews/HowToContribute ---------- And now, let us discuss! Best Regards, Donald
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