Talk:Wikimania 2021/Call for volunteers

I want to give a contribution... but please no Google Form :(

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T274837 resolved

Hi! I want to give my volunteer availability to do some development for a cozy, simple, Free platform :)

Some thoughts:

1. everybody, please keep Talk:Wikimania 2021 in watch-list (we are discussing about free software solutions since January, 27 2021)
2. everybody, please give an eye on https://t.me/wikimaniachat (// since ~ December, 28 2020)
3. please stop your "Google Form" :(
   • to do surveys with free software: I think that in 3 hours Wikimedia Italia (contact) can surely lend their nextCloud Forms platform (it works, it's simple, it exports a CSV); in 1 hour Italian Linux Society (contact) can surely lend their QuickSurvey platform on Sandstorm, and in 15 minutes I can surely lend my LimeSurvey installed on my toaster ecc. Just talk in public about your needs and we will help you. There are lot of free software providers all around the world and it's a pity to do not even try a single attempt, not even to communicate the intention of adopting the first gratis proprietary provider you can think about. The amount of energy I spend saying these things here and there is colossal, please come and meet us and help us :(
   • we should not ask a volunteer to execute proprietary software (even on your browser [1]) unless it's the only possibility - see Wikimedia Foundation Guiding Principles#Freedom and open source - this is not friendly :(
   • this first step it's a very bad impression for a Wikimania 2021 online. Google is not a like-minded organization and it hardly ever will be [2] - I do not want this connection :(
   • Google would pay for this advertisement but they are not our sponsor (AFAIK)
   • In short please write in this wiki somewhere: "OK, we used Google Form, but this is not a feature, this is a bug. Can you help us to adopt something Free?". Please, please, do it, and tell your friends and colleagues. Make it easy to help you :(

Thank you again. I respect your time but please allow me to contribute... but respect my freedom: I can't fill the Google Form, but I would like to help in this, without slowing you down ecc. Thank you :) --Valerio Bozzolan (talk) 10:06, 15 February 2021 (UTC)

Hi Valerio, and everyone that contributed to this conversation. We want to enable participation of everyone, and be sensitive to privacy concerns. We would be happy to explore an open source alternative for the purpose of this survey! Valerio, would it be possible that I get in touch with you via email and see how we could make that happen? I appreciate it! User:JLetang (WMF)

Yup @JLetang (WMF): :) I'm available in this talk page or with instant messaging in https://t.me/wikimaniachat or via email as usual --Valerio Bozzolan (talk) 16:31, 15 February 2021 (UTC)

• per above, we are working on a new form, will update when ready -- phoebe | talk 14:41, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

• Thanks to our friends at Wikimedia Italy for helping create & hosting the new survey. -- phoebe | talk 23:15, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

confusing question

Probably due to the transfer of the form, this question is now very confusing to me: "How much volunteer time would you be able to commit to?" which is a multiple choice between "A few hours leading up to the event", "During the event", "post-event", "Ad-hoc tasks". I assume this used to be a grid question? Effeietsanders (talk) 01:20, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

@ESolares (WMF): ^^ Effeietsanders (talk) 01:21, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

I tried to get in touch with Elfego this week-end to fix the survey but probably they were busy. In the meanwhile I tried to BE BOLD and I've updated the survey following @Effeietsanders:'s suggestion. So, if you have not yet completed the survey, happy updated survey! --Valerio Bozzolan (talk) 22:32, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

Apply ― proudly with Free Software (info)

The call expired. Thank you for the great participation! Further news soon!

Thanks @Effeietsanders:. I think the point was if you are not on the core team - how much time can you volunteer. Sorry it got mangled. -- phoebe | talk 23:09, 21 February 2021 (UTC)