[Osmf-talk] seeking feedback on needs summary

[Andy Robinson (blackadder)]

Frederik Ramm wrote:
>Sent: 22 March 2010 7:54 AM
>To: Mikel Maron
>Cc: osmf-talk at openstreetmap.org
>Subject: Re: [Osmf-talk] seeking feedback on needs summary
>
>Mikel,
>
>    thank you for considering my comments.
>
>> OSM never just happened, in
>> fact has always involved a lot of outreach.
>
>Probably true - as someone who only joined in year 2.5 of OSM, I
>sometimes forget that initially OSM was very much a one man show with
>SteveC trying to solve the chicken-and-egg problem ;-)
>
>You are of course right about the common ground etc.; my words have to
>be read in context. For those who do not know, I have produced and
>distributed (meanwhile) about 40.000 OSM flyers in Germany - but this
>has never been a top-down marketing decision ("what can we do to make
>OSM more visible"), but instead was born from community demands (people
>wanted to have something they could give to those who ask "what are you
>doing" when out mapping).

That's one good example of something that probably would be good to do in
many areas of the world, ie find a method of producing and distributing
basic information about the project. Some of the thoughts we had in
considering ON support was related to how we ramp up activities like that,
do some of the things like basic outreach, education etc, in places where we
don't have good engagement currently. It may be that we just need funds to
make a thing like that happen, using the existing OSM volunteer base to
deliver, but also there is an administrative aspect that is difficult to
manage in a defined timescale. Usually we get there in the end but if
something needs to be done to a defined programme it's likely to need
administrative support. The sorts of administrative tasks include legal
work, accountancy work as well as some specifically identified general
administrative functions.

Of course we may find all of these within the project from existing
volunteers, or indeed in the volunteer community generally, and that's
great, but to best manage and deliver output in any one particular area we
could probably use all the support we can get, whether financial or
expertise. That's why, like Mikel, I'm excited by the prospect of engaging
with Omidyar Network.

Cheers

Andy