Call for votes: Developer Membership Board restaffing

[Scott Kitterman]

On Thursday, January 31, 2013 03:30:42 PM Daniel Holbach wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> On 31.01.2013 15:08, Scott Kitterman wrote:
> > While the advisory team can,
> > and should, encourage and support applicants, I think we should be careful
> > to avoid making them an intermediary.
> 
> I wasn't trying to say that this should be a mandatory step.
> 
> If you go back to my original mail I mentioned that I'd love to see the
> process simplified, so adding a meeting or another step in the
> application process is not in my interest.
> 
> 
> Here are some problems which I currently see:
> 
>  - contributor A applies and gets rejected
>  - after seeing contributor A fail, contributor B is suddenly
>    unsure about applying and feels "well, there's still sponsorship"
>  - contributor A might lose interest
>  - DMB never hears back from contributor B
> 
> These are the social implications of (probably any) application
> processes in general, and it's made worse by a public process.
> 
> 
> Sure, we're all individuals in the project and individual ties between
> people are important, but as an individual you can't always be in touch
> with everyone and in a fast-paced project sometimes there's nobody who
> reaches out to either A or B and Ubuntu as a project is off worse.
> 
> The Advisory Team set out to try to close those social gaps, so if the
> DAT reached out to possible applicants, the DMB could have a first look
> at applications and/or upload history and mention if they have concerns
> or questions, so when contributors apply they have a little bit more
> reassurance. This would be an optional step, not a requirement. Having
> these communication channels would probably help bringing the DMB and
> contributor B in touch and hopefully avoid a case of contributor A.
> 
> Let me know what you think.

I agree about the problem statement and what you are trying to accomplish.  
What I think is important though is that the DAT should be there to support 
the applicant and, if needed, encourage the applicant to discuss matters with 
DMB members.  To put it a bit differently, I think the DAT should be there as 
part of the support system for the applicant, not as a substitute for the 
applicant communicating with people.

Scott K