[ubuntu-us-ma] Conference List

[Jordan Mantha]

On Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 9:52 PM, Martin Owens<doctormo at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Jordan,
>
> On Fri, 2009-07-17 at 21:34 -0700, Jordan Mantha wrote:
>
>> Why math/anime/sci-fi conventions? The connection to Ubuntu isn't
>> obvious to me so I'm curious why they'd be listed in a LoCo event
>> guide? I could see doing FLOSS conferences or at least software
>> conventions, and maybe math at a stretch, but anime and sci-fi seem
>> pretty out-of-scope to me.
>
> This is why I write pre-emptive blog posts :-D Read this first:
>
> http://doctormo.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/loco-advocacy-events/
>
> Basically when we go to FOSS or computer events, we're there to network
> and be friendly with our peers in our _own_ community. Which is great,
> but it isn't advocacy or education, it's preaching to the choir. Easy
> and pointless for our primary objectives (but good secondary
> objectives).

I don't think it's preaching to the choir much at all. If everybody
was using Ubuntu it would be, but lots (most) of the people aren't at
general software conferences. My understanding was that Ubuntu LoCos
were primarily for *Ubuntu* advocacy in particular, which definitely
needs to be done at FOSS and computer events and are fairly naturally
related to the common binding purpose of an Ubuntu LoCo ... Ubuntu.

> Getting involved with other communities from the Sci-Fi and Anime
> communities to the community center underprivileged communities, are all
> ways to get outsiders aware that Ubuntu exists, that it's an awesome
> choice and that we're here to help people and help. We also attract
> people with different skills, backgrounds and world views into our
> advocacy group, I'd like more communicators and creatives in our
> community, not just logical scientists.

Right, certainly limiting advocacy to only computer events is ...
limiting. My point was not that external events are not useful places
to advocate, I just wondered what the wiki page's purpose exactly was.
Are these "Special Events" that are listed ones that the LoCo
officially plans to attend? Is it that at least one LoCo member plans
on going and is seeking others to go with them? I just got a little
hung up on the anime/sci-fi thing because I didn't see a direct
connection to Ubuntu so I wondered if these were just particular
examples or if there was a specific push towards anime/sci-fi .

> Don't we want more people using Ubuntu? Should those people be as far
> away from our inner circle as possible?

Not always no, IMO.  The father away from "our inner circle" the less
relation we have and the harder the "sell". My experience has been
that a lot of the disillusioned or disgruntled Ubuntu users have been
people who got pushed into Ubuntu by perhaps well-meaning but overly
aggressive "advocate" that didn't take enough time to get to know the
person. I'm not saying raising awareness or advocacy in general are
bad, I just think they can do as much harm as good sometimes.

-Jordan