[gentoo-user] Gentoo Userrel wants YOU! User Representatives Nominations

[Christel Dahlskjaer]

As one of the major distributions at the moment, Gentoo's organisation
can be a fiendishly complicated thing to understand, and it can be
difficult to know how you can help out. To this end, we have created
the position of 'user representative', and would like to take this
opportunity to explain something about the role.

"Know your users" is popular advice, and often we attempt to achieve
this by consultation with one or more users. People will tend to err
towards the idea of the statistical 'average user' -- one speaks for
all. Although this approach is a simple and oftentimes effective way to
find a representative user, the results are only valuable if the user
base, their day-to-day tasks and work settings are homogeneous. If
there are significant variations, this approach will fail to support
some users, and can result in a product that does not meet their needs.
It relies heavily upon having selected the most important user
attributes for sampling and consultation, and can easily tempt us to
think that knowing the characteristics of the average user, we need not
consult with them. In this way it discourages us from challenging our
own assumptions, and may deny us a source of valuable information that
could prevent mistakes.

The User Relations project focuses on bridging the gap between the
developer and user communities, actively seeking out ways to improve
communications between the two and encourage user involvement. It aims
to ensure that high standards are met, and to work closely with other
user focused projects to produce the best distribution possible for the
user base. To this end, it is looking for user representatives to help
in this quest.

The project has decided that 5 user representatives should be enough to
provide a sufficiently diverse range of opinions and interests while
avoiding the issues associated with having too many. Nominations are
now open; see the forum thread[1] for more information and to nominate
any users you would like to see considered for the position.

[1]: http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-470136.html

=======================================
= What does a User Representative do? =
=======================================

Becoming a user representative may take some time, energy and
commitment, but it can also be very rewarding. The role of user
representative involves:

* Present the views, and represent the interests, of all elements of
our diverse user base.

* Be a 'critical friend' to the User Relations project, offering
alternative opinions and perspectives, and challenging the assumptions
of all involved wherever appropriate.

* Engage positively with developers and Gentoo projects

* Interact with a wide range of groups and individuals to find out what
our users think, and what they would like to see happening.

* Suggest ways in which other users could be engaged and involved in
the project, in planning and delivering information and elsewhere.

* Channel information back to the users regarding proceedings of and
decisions made in meetings.

If you were thinking of becoming a user representative, you will not be
left alone. The user relations project will be there to support you,
and you will be assigned a current developer as a point of contact with
whom you can discuss any questions or concerns about your role or the
group as a whole.

=====================================
= Why become a user representative? =
=====================================

* You will have the opportunity to influence how information, news, and
support are delivered to users, and to ensure that they are organised
in the best way possible for all our users.

* You will gain experience as an advocate for the user community, and
useful knowledge and skills that can be applied in many areas of life.

* It is a great way to give something back to the community, and to get
involved as a user.

* You will have the chance to meet and get to know other users and
developers.

==========================================
= What makes a good user representative? =
==========================================

The ideal user representative would:

* Be willing to network with a wide range of other users.

* Be seen as approachable by others, so that people will be open about
their views. Be non-judgemental and show sensitivity towards what may
be difficult issues.

* Work constructively with developers and staff. Not be scared or
intimidated by developers, but to view them as people doing the best
they can within constraints. Should it be necessary to challenge them,
do so in a supportive manner wherever possible.

* Be able to negotiate, to make the case for a particular course of
action, and willing to compromise where appropriate.

* Be able to step outside of his/her own experience, and be able to
argue a viewpoint with which you may not fully agree.

* Present users' views with confidence, and not be afraid to raise
issues about the role or the workings of the project.

===========================
= Where can i learn more? =
===========================

We hope that most questions will have been answered above, but for any
more information please do get in touch with the user relations team by
one of the following methods:

* gentoo-userrel mailing list -- to subscribe, send a blank email to
  gentoo-userrel+subscribe@g.o; the address to post is then
  gentoo-userrel@g.o.
* By email to userrel@g.o.
* In IRC: #gentoo-userrel on irc.freenode.net.