Awesome. As long as you know what you might be getting into, it looks like they could really use the help. :-)<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM, kirby urner <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kirby.urner@gmail.com">kirby.urner@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Yes, that's good advice Dylan, glad you appreciate this is a workflow<br>
issue, not just about what happens to an HttpRequest once it gets in<br>
the door (lots fall off the roller coaster in this case, plunge to<br>
their deaths, but hey, it's only virtual, plus there's a whole other<br>
website that'll swap in if we're nuked or Hood blows or whatever, hope<br>
we don't have to use it, might be written in ASP/VB?).<br>
<br>
However, I'm a good person to come forward with this as I've been<br>
working in the non-profit sector for some years (Sisters of the Road,<br>
Burnside Projects, Oregon Food Bank, Vision Northwest, Clackamas<br>
County, Disability Determination Services, Aging Services of<br>
Multnomah, and yes, Red Cross, though not any time recently -- been at<br>
this since 1980s actually). In other words, I'm good at managing<br>
workflow, plus have help.<br>
<br>
Kirby<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 10:43 AM, Dylan Reinhardt<br>
<<a href="mailto:python@dylanreinhardt.com">python@dylanreinhardt.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> Wow... there certainly is a lot of room for improvement here.<br>
><br>
> That said, when an organization maintains its web site this badly, it's not<br>
> typically because of an inability to find programmers. It's because their<br>
> business processes don't include the web site and/or a lack of perceived<br>
> value toward having an up-to-date web site.<br>
><br>
> A new toolset might generate some heat, but it is not going to change<br>
> management priorities nor will it fix their broken business processes. I'd<br>
> be really shy about dragging an ad hoc band of geeks into a project with an<br>
> international organization without having a really good idea of what you're<br>
> actually up against.<br>
><br>
> FWIW,<br>
><br>
> Dylan<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 8:31 AM, kirby urner <<a href="mailto:kirby.urner@gmail.com">kirby.urner@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
><br>
>> Hey there geeks!<br>
>><br>
>> pursuant to my lightning talk this last time @ PPUG, which was<br>
>> somewhat impromptu i.e. I only got the info that very day, here's more<br>
>> of the deal on my Red Cross connection:<br>
>><br>
>> (a) read both blog posts if interested in an idea of the current<br>
>> status quo (fucked up):<br>
>><br>
>> <a href="http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/04/ppug-2009414.html" target="_blank">http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/04/ppug-2009414.html</a><br>
>> <a href="http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/04/frustrated-with-red-cross.html" target="_blank">http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/04/frustrated-with-red-cross.html</a><br>
>><br>
>> (b) I'm staying in touch with the Red Cross CTO plus have forwarded<br>
>> more details including some emails to our combined PPUG & OS Bridge<br>
>> leadership, namely Jason and Michelle, Selena and Audrey, though I'm<br>
>> thinking they're all too crazy busy to do much about it, just wanted<br>
>> to scattergun across skill set communities, with Michelle strong in<br>
>> Django, Jason in everything Python, Selena in PostgreSQL and Audrey in<br>
>> Rails.<br>
>><br>
>> Yes, I'm cluing the Rails community as I'm looking from over the<br>
>> shoulder of Red Cross CTO towards Cubespace as this bevy of relevant<br>
>> webapp developers, not differentiating much further than that, all<br>
>> comers welcome (Perl Mongers, let's get on it). I do favor Django<br>
>> though, have been consistently suggesting it both around Ecotrust<br>
>> (which already uses GeoDjango) and around Center for Outcomes Research<br>
>> and Education (Providence, more into MUMPS, not atypical in<br>
>> hospitals).<br>
>><br>
>> I also forwarded the data to Mosaic Consulting whom I contract with<br>
>> for HR (human resources) consulting, in case this gets to the resume<br>
>> stage or we actually want to offer Red Cross a coherent development<br>
>> plan. Fred Meyer Trust is a puzzle piece.<br>
>><br>
>> I'll be happy if we get that far, as I think the promise of open<br>
>> source is it actually strengthens NGOs, nonprofits, those glue<br>
>> organizations that serve community. It's not just that the tools are<br>
>> powerful, but that we think more the way they do, in terms of freely<br>
>> sharing our liberal arts (cite R0ml Lefkowitz et al).<br>
>><br>
>> This has always been the hype, plus it's real on the ground in a great<br>
>> many cases, however Portland, with a reputation as a FOSS capital<br>
>> (CSM:2005) stands to improve its reputation as such if its signature<br>
>> nonprofits aren't wallowing in licensing fee hell paying like double<br>
>> for only half the result.<br>
>><br>
>> As an erstwhile consultant with Free Geek (CollabTech chapter) I know<br>
>> that serving in the nonprofit community is difficult, frustrating,<br>
>> often uphill work but is also potentially rewarding and great for your<br>
>> resume if you wanna be a USA senator someday (OK, most of us don't).<br>
>><br>
>> I've played (and been paid) in this sandbox for years and have<br>
>> treasured working with some really dedicated people doing obviously<br>
>> important and interesting things. If you've not worked with<br>
>> nonprofits before, I suggest trying to find out more at OS Bridge. Or<br>
>> talk to me sometime (<a href="http://4dsolutions.net" target="_blank">4dsolutions.net</a>), maybe after a PPUG meeting, or<br>
>> talk to Jason (<a href="http://idealist.org" target="_blank">idealist.org</a>).<br>
>><br>
>> Kirby<br>
>><br>
>> PS: and again with the Pycon slides, which went by kinda faced on the<br>
>> remotely operated white screen:<br>
>> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/sets/72157616066135225/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/sets/72157616066135225/</a><br>
>> re my workshop: <a href="http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/03/urner-workshop.html" target="_blank">http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/03/urner-workshop.html</a><br>
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