Volunteer meeting 24 July

Minutes

Attendance

  • Physical: Michael, Dan, Rowan, Glyn, Sheila, James
  • Remote: Richard, Dynamo_Ace, Moniker42 (?)

Thanks

Thanks to Rowan, Tom, Mark and Dan for helping us record audio from Open Tech. Thanks to Anne, Mark, Rowan and Richard for working on the one-sheets (we'll discuss this some more below). Thanks to Glyn and Sheila for chugging hard at LUG Radio Live. Thanks to Dan for interning to the maximum. Thanks to Lemon for helping the widgeteers. Thanks to everyone else who's done something for us in the last six weeks.

Ongoing projects

Newsblog

Since last month we have

  • Set up a wiki page listing sources of on-topic news
    • Would be nice if we could integrate this as OPML / Auto-generate OPML from the page.
  • Written "About", "Subscribe", and "Contribute" pages
    • These need linking from the front page
    • Need a good quality, simple, 96x96px, .png icon representing "Subscribe by email".
  • Set up Feedburner to handle RSS *and* email, complete with "support ORG" signature.
    • Need to figure out why this breaks the Breaking News widget & then fix it.
    • Working on setting up the email schedule the way we want it before it goes live.
      • What schedule does the meeting think we should use? NOT DISCUSSED.
  • Discussed categories, issues and tags until my brain exploded.
    • This work will now be wrapped into the website re-design being led by Sheila.
  • Talked about content guidelines, but only in a waffly way.
    • We probably need to formalise these a bit, based on discussions from the last meeting.
    • Hoping to use the blog categories to provide guidance to newsbloggers on what sort of stuff to post.
  • Iterated the posting format
    • What do those present at the meeting think of the format? NOT DISCUSSED

$headline

$verbatim_quote <= 1 paragraph long.

Source: <author> writing in <link to _original_ story> [($via <link to some blog>)]
[Hat tip: <link to person who told us about the story>]

ToDo

  • Bring across theme changes from main blog; re-jig sidebar as appropriate.
  • Newsblogger recruitment drive
    • Aiming for better coverage, more frequent posting and more community involvement
    • Thinking about approaching individual [org-discuss] members who often post interesting stories there.
    • Pimping this in the next Supporters update (need to write copy). Michael TO DO
  • Interim category review (possibly move to the main blog layout, or maybe try one of the other structures we've been playing with)
  • Edit template to hyperlink post authors' names to the URL listed in their profile (community involvement again)
  • Still a few theme issues (headlines appear far to the right under Firefox).
  • Install stats plugin.
    • Recommend using Wordpress.org stats - I have an account & we can grant access to multiple users.
  • WP 2.6 upgrade. BUT this is known to break the Feedburner plugin ATM!!

Future exciting stuff

  • Posting widget / bookmarklet (a la del.icio.us)

One-sheets

2 examples completed - "Mazz" and "Phorm") - comments on design and text pls - thanks to Rowan, Mark, Anne and Richard

  • Rowan and James to keep iterating on the design, taking into account these criticisms
    • A5, double-sided would be more handy
    • Keys background makes it unreadable
    • Bold questions would draw reader's eye more
    • Vary font?
  • Dan to do net neutrality text when briefing pack finished; Michael to do term extension; Richard's datagate text needs editing
    • Michael to ask Glyn's writing volunteers if they want to cover further issues.
  • James can help with printing these

Wiki

  • What up with Ben Weiner's suggested CSS fix?
    • Michael to chase Adam
  • Any advance on the list of 'how-to' guides that we'd like to produce?
    • Michael to ask Glyn's writing volunteers

Nuevo

  • Who should we go to ask about designing some t-shirts?
    • XKCD
    • User Friendly
    • Steve Bell (and other mainstream cartoonists)
    • Human Cloud
    • Dan may come with more suggestions
    • Can we do something around 'FAIL'?
    • Something LOLish / in your polling boothz stealing your elections
    • Check dynamo_ace for designs
  • What other merch should we offer?
    • Poster versoin of the Rights Abuses t-shirts via Quoop?
  • General advice / support on our communications efforts
    • Ping.FM
    • Show the Twitter feed in the ORG Facebook Group?
    • YouTube channel (for testimonials, rants and other ORGish materials)
    • Friendfeed
    • Facebook page
  • Design for a banner stand http://www.discountdisplays.co.uk/html/roller_banner_stands.html
  • Community Selling (via ebay)
    • Dan will see if alternatives to MissionFish are possible
  • Sound Copyright (Glyn agreed to both these)
    • Badges / buttons (see example 1 and example 2 for inspiration!)
    • Making available PD recordings
  • PCGuard blockage
    • Michael will look further into this. Can Berkman Centre / Zittrain advise?
  • CSS display issues on openrightsgroup.org (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/electriccounterpoint/2697875219/)
    • Sheila will have a dig.
  • Sheila's work on a website overhaul
    • Check getsatisfaction.com to comment on current iteration
    • Which firms can we ask for help with the actual design / graphics? Michael to check with Stef Magdalinski.

If you want to get more involved with digital rights and ORG, then your 1st stop should be a volunteer meeting, where we run through current volunteer works and dole out new tasks. We rely on volunteers for the bulk of our operations, whether technical or otherwise.



  • Newsblog: See report below --Richard 16:46, 24 July 2008 (BST)
    • So impressed with the coverage!
    • Will be asking for more bloggers and contributors in the supporter update
    • No changes to the template yet; what's the hold-up?
  • One-sheets: 2 examples completed - "Mazz" and "Phorm") - comments on design and text pls - thanks to Rowan, Mark, Anne and Richard
    • What shall we cover next?
      • Disc/data gate is in draft (thanks, Richard)
      • Term extension? (MH to draft)
      • '3 strikes'
      • Net Neutrality (wait til briefing pack text finalised)
  • Wiki
    • What up with Ben Weiner's suggested CSS fix?
    • Any advance on the list of 'how-to' guides that we'd like to produce?

Nuevo

Please put your name down below if you intend to attend. The next meet will be at 1830 on Thursday 24 July at our office, which is 7th floor, 100 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8AL. And as usual, we'll have the IRC running (freenode.irc.net, #openrightsgroup) so that non-locals can participate. Any questions? Then email info at openrightsgroup dot org or phone +44 (0) 20 7096 1079

  • Michael Holloway, Dan Ray and Gavin Hill
  • Richard (via IRC)
  • Glyn Wintle
  • Sheila Thomson

Agenda

Thanks

Ongoing projects

  • Newsblog: See report below --Richard 16:46, 24 July 2008 (BST)
    • So impressed with the coverage!
    • Will be asking for more bloggers and contributors in the supporter update
    • No changes to the template yet; what's the hold-up?
  • One-sheets: 2 examples completed - "Mazz" and "Phorm") - comments on design and text pls - thanks to Rowan, Mark, Anne and Richard
    • What shall we cover next?
      • Disc/data gate is in draft (thanks, Richard)
      • Term extension? (MH to draft)
      • '3 strikes'
      • Net Neutrality (wait til briefing pack text finalised)
  • Wiki
    • What up with Ben Weiner's suggested CSS fix?
    • Any advance on the list of 'how-to' guides that we'd like to produce?

Nuevo

Newsblog Report

Since last month we have...

  • Set up a wiki page listing sources of on-topic news
    • Would be nice if we could integrate this as OPML / Auto-generate OPML from the page.
  • Written "About", "Subscribe", and "Contribute" pages
    • These need linking from the front page
    • Need a good quality, simple, 96x96px, .png icon representing "Subscribe by email".
  • Set up Feedburner to handle RSS *and* email, complete with "support ORG" signature.
    • Need to figure out why this breaks the Breaking News widget & then fix it.
    • Working on setting up the email schedule the way we want it before it goes live.
      • What schedule does the meeting think we should use?
  • Discussed categories, issues and tags until my brain exploded.
    • This work will now be wrapped into the website re-design being led by Sheila.
  • Talked about content guidelines, but only in a waffly way.
    • We probably need to formalise these a bit, based on discussions from the last meeting.
    • Hoping to use the blog categories to provide guidance to newsbloggers on what sort of stuff to post.
  • Iterated the posting format
    • What do those present at the meeting think of the format?

$headline

$verbatim_quote <= 1 paragraph long.

Source: <author> writing in <link to _original_ story> [($via <link to some blog>)]
[Hat tip: <link to person who told us about the story>]

ToDo

  • Bring across theme changes from main blog; re-jig sidebar as appropriate.
  • Newsblogger recruitment drive
    • Aiming for better coverage, more frequent posting and more community involvement
    • Thinking about approaching individual [org-discuss] members who often post interesting stories there.
    • Pimping this in the next Supporters update (need to write copy).
  • Interim category review (possibly move to the main blog layout, or maybe try one of the other structures we've been playing with)
  • Edit template to hyperlink post authors' names to the URL listed in their profile (community involvement again)
  • Still a few theme issues (headlines appear far to the right under Firefox).
  • Install stats plugin.
    • Recommend using Wordpress.org stats - I have an account & we can grant access to multiple users.
  • WP 2.6 upgrade. BUT this is known to break the Feedburner plugin ATM!!

Future exciting stuff

  • Posting widget / bookmarklet (a la del.icio.us)
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