[Talk-us] Facts about the world

[Alex Barth]

Also! There's still time to join the upcoming #mapathon by organizing an
event in your community
https://twitter.com/OpenStreetMapUS/status/584378522245922816

On Sat, Apr 4, 2015 at 11:33 AM, Serge Wroclawski <emacsen at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, Apr 4, 2015 at 11:09 AM, Eleanor Tutt <eleanor.tutt at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Hi, Serge.
> >
> > As a member of the chapter board, I feel a bit erased? misrepresented? by
> > your email. It hurt, especially because I think you and I share some
> common
> > ground about why we map and that it is important to feel a connection to
> a
> > place.
>
> You're right that I painted everyone with the same brush, and that
> wasn't my intent; I'm sorry. It's hard to be critical of an
> organization and not the individuals, but you're right, I probably
> could have done a better job.
>
> > At any rate, while you are more qualified to speak to the history of OSM
> as
> > a whole than I am, I do want to say a few things that will maybe help you
> > get the know my personal history with OSM:
>
> There are people on this list who were involved in OSM longer than me.
> I don't believe I have special qualifications beyond being there.
>
> > When I was new to OSM and first learned about editathons, I didn't know
> > anyone involved with OSM or have any preconceived ideas about the
> project.
> > All I knew was that editathons sounded amazing, so I made the effort to
> > connect with other local mappers and start building more of a community
> in
> > my region.  My first editathon - led by another community member -
> involved
> > walking around outdoors on a college campus.  My second editathon - led
> by
> > myself - involved walking around outdoors in a neighborhood commercial
> > district.  In my experience, editathons have always been a way for
> community
> > members to get together and map in whatever manner made the most sense -
> > sometimes outdoors, sometimes indoors.  There can be value in both.
> > I remember Paul's post, I was elected to the chapter board, and - it's
> true!
> > - I don't have very many OSM edits compared to many members of the
> > community.  That doesn't mean I don't go out and map my community - I
> > described in a different email how I do so.  But I contribute in other
> ways
> > as well.  Last month, I led a group of students in a survey of a nearby
> > neighborhood.  I spent hours walking through the neighborhood with them,
> > helping mark points, and then helping them enter their data when they
> > returned.  I did not personally make a single edit with my OSM user name.
> > However, I contributed to those edits invisibly, behind the scenes, and I
> > believe several of those students will become regular contributors.
>
> Maybe time erases this stuff, and that's a good thing.
>
> Again, my apologies. Especially as someone who doesn't have a car, I
> know the challenge that mapping can be for folks like us, and major
> kudos to you for your mapping and community work.
>
> - Serge
>
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>



-- 
Alex Barth
Vice President
OpenStreetMap United States Inc.
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