Re: Tips/warnings/suggestion for newcomers at DebConf19
On 2019/05/30 14:34, Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana wrote:
> We need help from you, experienced attendee: what kind of
> tips/warnings/suggestion you can give for newcomers about DebConf? How
> newcomers can enjoy DebConf? How they can make this DebConf a great
> opportunity to join the community and help Debian?
highvoltage presents™... 10 Tips for a great DebConf...
1. Introduce yourself
Almost every year, I see people chat online and get along great and then
they realised they were both at DebConf and didn't even meet each other.
Make a point of saying hi to as many people as possible and put some
names to faces, it's an important aspect of DebConf, which kind of
brings me to...
2. Get your key signed
Before going to DebConf, learn the extreme basics about what public key
infrastructure is about (at least making sure you understand what a
public key and a private key is used for), generate your keys before
DebConf and participate in the keysigning party. It might sound like
something that you think you don't need, but at some point you might
want to step up your involvement in Debian and then you might regret not
having a key that's trusted by other DDs (also something that I've seen
a few times over the last few years).
3. Be patient with front-desk
They are just people like you who aren't being paid for their work at
DebConf, and have also traveled a long way and is also tired and have
been dealing with all kinds of strange demands since before you got
there. Being nice to front desk goes a long way if you ever need help
down the line, it's also important to remember that they can be bribed
quite easily with local snacks.
4. Listening is more important that talking
Everyone who has been at DebConf has been in at least one BoF where
someone really tries hard to prove how clever they are and just can't
stop talking about their anecdotes, their opinions, etc without at all
contributing to the session. Before you talk, it's important to consider
whether it's really contributing to the session, especially if it's not
your session and you've already done most of the talking.
Also, pay some attention to your talking volume, and if someone asks you
to quite it down a little, don't take it personally, even I've been told
I'm too loud a few times! (On that note, don't take anything too
personally, sometimes someone is just stressed or tide and something
comes out worse than they intended it to).
5. Sign up for the volunteer system
DebConf is made possible by regular people like you who put in lots of
volunteer time in order to make it happen. There are many tasks during
DebConf that are divisible between attendees which ranges from helping
with social activities (like cheese and wine party), putting together
swag bags, checking food tickets, video'ing talks and more. When you're
on the volunteering system you can sign up for certain slots, so signing
up doesn't mean you have to do a job the entire DebConf, try to sign up
for at *least* one task while your there, your DebConf experience will
be better for it.
6. Get on to IRC and ideally get a bouncer
As old-fasioned as IRC is, it's a great way to stay up to date with live
discussion during DebConf, ideally host your IRC somewhere where your
session can stay alive.
7. Be nice to your roommates
Try to be quiet when you enter/leave your room when your roommate(s)
might be sleeping. Clean up after yourself and take them into consideration.
8. Keep remote participants in mind
For every person you see at DebConf, there's probably at least another
person trying to follow remotely. When you want to speak, make sure you
have a microphone so that everyone can hear you, don't say "No it's fine
I'll just speak loudly". If you have your laptop with you, check on the
room's IRC channel regularly if there are questions/feedback, make notes
in gobby. If you run a session, announce both the channel and gobby
address at the beginning of the talk. If there's a free projector
available, through them both on screen.
9. Engage in activities!
It's tempting to decide on a day trip on the last minute, but rather
sign up as early as you can, it helps a lot with organisation. If
there's a job fair, go talk to the companies at the desks even if you're
not looking to change job now, the networking is still valuable both
ways (just don't monopolize their time) and it's interesting to learn
more about the organisations that uses Debian and what their needs are.
Maybe slightly controversial, but learn to play Mao it will teach you
some valuable skills in making it through the NM process.
10. Provide feedback
You can send feedback to feedback@debconf.org at any time (during
DebConf or after). It gets anonymised and dispersed in documentation so
that certain problems can try to be avoided or improved on in future
DebConfs. Feedback like "You suck!" or "You're awesome!" isn't something
that's easy to make action items or notes of for future DebConfs, so try
to be specific about what you liked or didn't like about the DebConf.
Having been involved for a few years now I like to think that we've
improved in a few areas and hopefully that could be sustained.
5 bonus tips:
- Noise canceling headphones work great for reducing fatigue
while flying
- Take it easy on the alcohol, and when you do consume,
drink some water in between, it will help prevent dehydration
- It will be winter, consider getting a flu vaccination at least
two weeks before you go
- If you can afford it, get a local sim with data, it's usually
worth every cent
- Keep funds available on your credit card when traveling,
it can help get you out of all sorts of trouble when traveling
in a foreign country. If you don't have much spare cash, don't
let yourself be tempted to spend the little you have on things
that you don't need, they will only buy temporary happiness anyway.
-Jonathan
--
⢀⣴⠾⠻⢶⣦⠀ Jonathan Carter (highvoltage) <jcc>
⣾⠁⢠⠒⠀⣿⡁ Debian Developer - https://wiki.debian.org/highvoltage
⢿⡄⠘⠷⠚⠋ https://debian.org | https://jonathancarter.org
⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀ Be Bold. Be brave. Debian has got your back.
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