Re: User group liaison - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy

On Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 08:05:24AM -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote:
> Magnus Hagander wrote:
> >On Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 02:46:22PM -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote:
> >>Hello,
>
> >>Assisting established user groups to get the resources they need for
> >>events and meetings that they are being organized by the group.
> >
> >Doesn't the SPI liaison guy do this already?
> >
>
> No. Well yes. The SPI guy is responsible for allocating financial
> resources or acquiring financial resources for the entire community.
>
> My "responsibility" ends there. If they need facilities to meet,
> contacts for a uni, anything like that... technically that is not my
> problem. If asked of course I would help in any way that I could (and
> usually do).
>
> The requested position gives an absolute, known and documented point of
> contact that the community can say, "Talk to Selena". Selena then gets
> to say, "Hey this is something for the SPI guy or Hmmm let's pass this
> to -www and see what they think".

ok. I've honestly never really figured out what you're supposed to be doing
as SPI liaison ;-) Or indeed how the whole fundraising/SPI/whatnot deal is
supposed to work. I'm jst accepting that others say i works :-)



> >>This may need to be a regional position, with individual people for
> >>Europe, North America, Japan and other regions.
> >
> >Not sure about this part. If it's european, what would be the difference
> >between said person and the pg-eu group? (other than the headcount)
> >
>
> Groups are notoriously useless as a contact point. That is why there is
> only "one" primary contact for SPI for example. I assume the PGEU group
> would say hey... user group people, here is your primary contact point.

Yes, of course. I meant how does it interface with this community liaison
person?


> >>put up with me but has also shown a great attention to detail and an
> >>ability to get people to open up to ideas so we can execute our goals
> >>fully.
> >
> >I can't comment on Selena at all, since I've almost never seen her post
> >anything
> >until very recently on any of the global lists. Could be just me missing
> >things of course (I can't claim to fully read all the mails coming through
> >on the lists, though I try as much as I can to at least browse the
> >threads), but I did also poll a couple of others on IM. Again, nothing
> >against Selena at all, but shouldn't a community liaison be someone who's
> >been active in the community for a while?
>
> I don't see you on irc much... are you not a member of the community ?

I hope I am :-) Like I said, I *don't know*, so I want to be sure. What I'm
looking to avoid is someone who only works locally.


> Point being, Selena (JoshB and Davidfetter can confirm this) is a vital
> part of this community. She gets stuff done.

Sure, I'll take your word for it, no problem there.


> No, she isn't *that* active on the lists but I am not sure how that is
> even relevant to be honest.

As long as she's active in the (global) community, it's not.


> >>Some of the things I know she is a part of or have done.
> >
> >Which are all very good, and I'm certainly happy to have her
> >part of our group of people. But is liaison raelly the right thing?
>
> Yes otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up. I would like to see at
> least another half dozen user groups in the US alone this year. Are you
> going to do that work? I certainly am low on cycles. Selena can help
> insure this work gets done.

I'm not saying it's not needed. Though quoting from that, maybe what you
need is a pg-us group (or person, if you don't like groups). Because what you're
talking about sounds a lot like what pg-eu is supposed to be doing for
europe, no?


//Magnus