Re: [Debconf-discuss] remote participation in DebConf
Gunnar Wolf <gwolf@gwolf.org> writes:
> Eric Dantan Rzewnicki dijo [Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 07:53:56PM -0400]:
>> A dedicated irc proxy volunteer is probably what would be wanted. It is
>> not really a video team task. The talkmeister ought to be watching the
>> clock and passing the microphone, not looking at irc. (incidentally,
>> there's no really strong reason the talkmeister has to be a video team
>> person, either.)
>
> Either that, or rework the team definition into a broader (or
> separate?) "talk facilitation team", which tries to ensure talks
> progress smoothly and cover all needed issues for
> participants. Because also putting the talkmeisters within the
> videoteam umbrella means caring for things that are somewhat accessory
> to what they are trying to achieve.
>
> So, several tasks that could be part of this talk facilitation team
> could be:
>
> - Taking care of the ad-hoc scheduling
> - Taking care to print and keep up to date the signs stating what is
> going on at each room (were the signs this year needed? Were they
> enough? Something like that, anyway)
> - Relaying questions from IRC
> - Running around with microphones
> - Reminding people (not just presenters, but also people asking
> questions!) of sensible time limits
>
> It makes sense IMO to decouple several of those tasks from the
> videoteam work. Thinking on how things can be run in the future, this
> could mean at a smaller room we _do_ have designated question relayers
> from IRC, even if we only have one fixed camera and no "formal"
> videoteam coverage, and that there is a moderator making sure time
> limits are observed. Videoteam work could be more focused into the
> technical details of how to run video, and not so much into the human
> factors of making sure things happen on time...
>
> Of course, it would mean one more series of responsabilities, one more
> team to man, with all of the needed positions... But would probably be
> a cleaner "separation of concerns", no?
I very much agree that all the taks you decribe need to be done. But I
would propose a different separation of the teams. One team for the
tasks that need to be done during the talks (video, talkmeister,
irc-relay) and another team to do those things that happen before the
talks (ad-hoc scheduling, maybe signs). The second is IMHO best done by
someone from the talk selection and scheduling team. As knowledge about
the talks already scheduled is helpful when scheduling ad-hoc talks.
I would keep all the on-site volunteers needed during the talks in the
same team as it makes it easier to find volunteers for all jobs from a
bigger pool. If someone is not comfortable doing some of the jobs, they
can just not subscribe to that job. But many are hopefully comfortable
doing any of the jobs and can just fill in the positions that still need
someone.
Gaudenz
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