[python-advocacy] Proposed Advocacy Task List for Next Six Months

[Jeff Hinrichs - DM&T]

On 3/27/07, Jeff Rush <jeff at taupro.com> wrote:
> To those on the advocacy list, we've been having a discussion on the
> psf-members list on what to tackle re advocacy for the next six months.  I'd
> like to run the plan past you and get your ideas.
>
> It has a primary focus on content, particularly for encouragement of the
> formation of user groups, and strictly avoids software development.  The
> general PSF consensus is that the existing functionality, interface and style
> of www.python.org is acceptable for now, that we should avoid creating more
> "islands" like advocacy.python.org, us.pycon.org and pycamp.python.org and
> rather integrate more tightly under www.python.org.  Also that work is needed
> to generate more extensive content and to organize the content we already have
> on www.python.org.
>
> 1. User groups How-To and content resources (40%)
>
>     - flyers/brochures
>     - a list (N=5) of meeting topics with outlines/slides for presentations
>       (some overlap in topics with the list below)
>     - a how-to with info on where to get give-away swag
>     - pointers to resources like meetup.com
>     - how to get a mailing list set up
>     - best practices
>     - what makes a group work/succeed vs. not
>     - where to find members, how to get the word out
>
> 2. Python.org advocacy content (45%)
>
>     - work with showmedo.com staff to produce and prominently display on
>       www.python.org, in the style of http://www.rubyonrails.org/screencasts, a
>       series of ten 5-minute videos on the following topics, suggested by their
>       staff:
>
>       - Science with Python - coupling matplotlib inside a wxPython GUI to do
>         science
>       - Databases - couple a MySQL db through SQLObject into a Python program
>         to access/edit data
>       - pyGame - build a simple game
>       - pyOGRE - build a whizzy 3d demo
>       - Make 'Excel' with wxPython - using the csv module and a wx grid to
>         build a simple Excel clone
>       - Bullet-proof web sites with Twill - use Twill and nosetests to test a
>         running website (we already use this for ShowMeDo)
>       - A Content Management System - 5 minutes customising Plone to fit usual
>         use-cases
>       - win32 - using the win32 library to export a Word or Excel file
>
>     - produce add-on content associated with the above topics, for those who
>       see the videos and want to investigate further:
>
>       - whitepaper on Science with Python
>       - whitepaper on Databases
>       - whitepaper on Gaming with Python
>       - whitepaper on Testing Methodologies for Websites
>
> 3. User group infrastructure (5%)
>
>     - Establish/support an cross-usergroup organizer mailing list
>     - Maintain a spreadsheet of user groups and officers
>
> 4. Respond to queries, general advocacy and outreach, support EuroPython where
>     possible (10%)
>
> There is only so much time available, barring significant volunteer
> involvement, and so to avoid dilution, what is deemphasized is as important as
> what will be tackled.  The following would -not- have significant work
> directed at them, for the next six months:
>
>   - encouragement of ISP support of Python
>   - top-down encouragement of Python adoption within IT
>   - efforts to reach out to the K-12 school systems
>   - further promotion/creation of Python wearables
>   - encouragement/support of unconferences
>
> The universities would be supported via the efforts to strengthen our
> usergroups, as many of those groups will hopefully form on campus.
>
> Jeff Rush
> Python Advocacy Coordinator
> _______________________________________________
> Advocacy mailing list
> Advocacy at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy
>

Jeff,

I agree with most of your list, however I feel that enouragement of
ISPs to implement and/or expand their python offerings is too
important to drop.  The web will continue to be hot for some time to
come, and their are too few ISPs who properly support Python --
especially in terms of mod_python and/or mod_wsgi and the WSGI
resources that a number of the python web frameworks are moving
towards.  An increase in the number of ISPs supporting python more
fully would be a giant plus for advocacy.

Time and person power being finite resources, I suggest cutting #2 by
50% - 5 videos and white papers and delegating #3 out to those in the
User Group sphere. (I would volunteer to do the work necessary for #3
-- I just finished the process of requesting and setting up the Omaha
groups list  and I would be happy to maintain the spread sheet for the
time being. -- you'd have to let me know what parameters you would
want tracked.)  That by your % estimates should open up ~27.5% for
going after ISPs.

We'll have to wait and see if any one else agrees with me.

-jeff

-- 
Jeff Hinrichs
jeffh at dundeemt.com
Omaha Python Users Group
http://www.OmahaPython.org