Re: [Debconf-team] My thoughts on reconfirmation, fundraising, etc
On Tue, Jun 01, 2010 at 12:20:48AM -0500, Gunnar Wolf wrote:
> Pablo Duboue dijo [Tue, Jun 01, 2010 at 12:49:03AM -0400]:
> > * The cost to the project of $tourist is just (some) money but the cost of
> > missing new blood is huge, so better err on the side of losing money rather
> > than mind-share.
>
> This is a very important point to keep in mind. In previous years (and
> in this year, if I'm pressed to point fingers :) ) I have strongly
> pushed people to try to attend DebConf. Some of them have become
> active Debian contributors. Some have just enjoyed a good holiday -
> Not a holiday of touristing around (at least those I invited), but a
> good holiday of meeting new geeks and learning about Debian. Still, if
> I insisted on say 10 people to join us at DebConf and got three of
> them to become involved in the project... I believe it is still money
> well spent.
A note here ... My own impression of the people of Debian dramatically
improved after getting involved in DebConf. I learned from attending
DebConfs and helping videoteam, that the acrimonious reputation the
project as a whole sometimes has had amongst outsiders actually arises
in many cases from the sincere passion people feel for this work. In
person that passion is still evident, but the misunderstandings that
sometimes result in angry exchanges on mailing lists and irc are
tempered by the other components of communication that are difficult to
express in text.
In text we can be bullet proof. In person, at least in my experience and
perception, most of us tend to be more friendly and understanding and
less "quick on the draw" so to say ...
I guess my point, if I have one, is that I agree with the general
sentiment of encouraging new blood. Furthermore, I am myself an
(hopefully positive) example of the benefits of encouraging such
participation.
(though, I did pay my own way to dc7 entirely ... including a last
minute one-way ticket because a certain airline caused me to miss my
connection with another certain budget airline who leaves their ticket
counter an hour before departure because that staff is also the flight
staff. hmm. maybe that's evidence that I'm not quite sane and makes my
comments above not worth reading.)
-edrz
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