[Talk-us] Of Mapping Party Kits and back to flyers / brochures

[Katie Filbert]

On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 2:55 PM, Richard Weait <richard at weait.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 8:21 AM, Katie Filbert <filbertk at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 1:23 PM, Serge Wroclawski <emacsen at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 1:20 AM, Martijn van Exel <m at rtijn.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> > On a related note, I was thinking about a traveling mapping party kit:
> >> > a bunch of GPSes, swag, some vests, instruction leaflets. A neat idea
> >> > in itself, but I feel the US is just too big to make that practical.
> >>
> >> To sell, I fear the GPSes make it cost prohibitive.
> >>
> >> To lend, I suspect the GPSes make it hard to seed.
> >>
> >> But hey I'd love to be proven wrong.
> >
> > If we were to have regular mapping parties in the DC region (or NY), I'm
> > sure that Wikimedia DC (or NYC) could fund a kit for the Mapping DC
> folks.
> >
> > I'm not sure about sending them across the country to lend out.  We could
> > lend out within our region and maybe somewhat beyond.
>
> What is preventing us from having more DC or NY mapping parties?


Well, I am in Germany now, so that's preventing me from organizing more.
(we did a mapping party a couple weeks ago in DC)


>  Is
> it the lack of a mapping kit?


It's not an obstacle but DC folks (and I think Serge in NY) are trying to
reactivate.  If a mapping kit would be helpful, it can be provided I think.

All that's needed to organize a mapping party is for someone to be bold and
pick a time/date & place and announce it.


> I don't recall many people saying that
> they would organize and host a mapping party, if only they had a
> MPKit.
>
> I suggest, rather, that it is a lack of "round tuits".  The lack of a
> kit makes it easier to say, "Well, if we had a kit, NewPerson in
> SomeTown could host a Mapping Party."  Having a MPKit makes the
> mapping party "somebody else's problem". When the alternative might be
> to say, "Now _I'm_ going to host a Mapping Party in MyTown."
>
> Most everybody in this thread has hosted or attended a mapping party,
> so I don't intend to criticize.  And, if I'm pointing, I'm definitely
> pointing at myself as much as at anybody else.  I just don't think
> that a MPKit is the blocker here.  :-(
>
> There are alternatives.  Mappy Hours and talks are two alternatives.
>
>
Those are also great. :)

Interestingly, folks in Berlin really don't do mapping parties. They do
monthly meetups.  But it's been fun to get together with folks on the
weekend for a mapping party.  I haven't been as motivated to do solo
mapping in Berlin even though (surprisingly) there is plenty here yet to be
mapped.

I don't know the language and culture well enough in Germany to be bold and
organize anything yet.

Cheers,
Katie



> I'm down on Mapping Parties.  Part of this is because of my
> phenomenally bad relationship with the weather during my Mapping
> Parties.  :-)  That doesn't mean that you have to be down on Mapping
> Parties, of course.  I like having a goal of "acquire new mappers who
> continue to contribute", rather than, "map this area, today."  I find
> that I feel more successful at that goal by hosting Mappy Hours and
> doing "Intro to OSM" talks for groups.  And I find those events less
> of a burden to organize, and much less weather dependent.  It means
> that I do have to drop the goal of, "map this area, today."  You may
> find that goal too attractive to abandon.
>
> We've dragged this thread a long way from flyers.  Sorry.  I think
> flyers are cool.  And thanks, tons, to Serge for providing me with
> some from his trip to London.  I'm still handing them out. :-)
>
> Best regards,
> Richard, who realizes that he hasn't hosted a MP in 2012. :-(
>
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-- 
Katie Filbert
Board member, Wikimedia District of Columbia
http://wikimediadc.org
filbertk at gmail.com
@filbertkm / @wikimediadc
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