Hi Magazine team,
As discussed in last week's meeting, I've drafted a proposal for the Editor of the Week: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
The idea is two-fold: 1. Ensure tasks don't fall through the cracks by having an assigned person 2. Spread the load by rotating the assignee on a weekly basis
FESCo uses a similar model. At the end of each meeting, they select a chair for the following week's meeting. It's also like how Fedora Infrastructure (and many other sysadmin teams) handle on call duties.
I explicitly did not address the question of how we promote people to Editor (or remove inactive Editors), because that's a separate discussion. For the purposes of this proposal, we have an editorial team that people become a member of *somehow*.
+1
I especially like the bulleted list at the end. I was never quite sure what my duties were as an editor. Also, sorry that I haven't been around for a while. I'll try to volunteer for a week sometime in the near future. Maybe I'll even find some time to write up a few articles for the Magazine.
On Mon, Jun 8, 2020 at 3:40 PM Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
Hi Magazine team,
As discussed in last week's meeting, I've drafted a proposal for the Editor of the Week: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
The idea is two-fold:
- Ensure tasks don't fall through the cracks by having an assigned person
- Spread the load by rotating the assignee on a weekly basis
FESCo uses a similar model. At the end of each meeting, they select a chair for the following week's meeting. It's also like how Fedora Infrastructure (and many other sysadmin teams) handle on call duties.
I explicitly did not address the question of how we promote people to Editor (or remove inactive Editors), because that's a separate discussion. For the purposes of this proposal, we have an editorial team that people become a member of *somehow*.
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o...
Hello Ben, I took a read through the proposal. It seems very reasonable to me. I am definitely +1.
Stephen
On Mon, 2020-06-08 at 16:40 -0400, Ben Cotton wrote:
Hi Magazine team,
As discussed in last week's meeting, I've drafted a proposal for the Editor of the Week: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
The idea is two-fold:
- Ensure tasks don't fall through the cracks by having an assigned
person 2. Spread the load by rotating the assignee on a weekly basis
FESCo uses a similar model. At the end of each meeting, they select a chair for the following week's meeting. It's also like how Fedora Infrastructure (and many other sysadmin teams) handle on call duties.
I explicitly did not address the question of how we promote people to Editor (or remove inactive Editors), because that's a separate discussion. For the purposes of this proposal, we have an editorial team that people become a member of *somehow*.
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o...
I want to follow up on the proposal: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
First, an open question: How would we track who the Editor of the Week is? Just in the meeting minutes? On a wiki page? In the docs? With an IRC command (similar to the .oncall command that the infra team uses)? Generally, we should encourage the use of public channels (mailing list/discourse and IRC channel), but there may be a time when it's necessary to contact a person directly.
Secondly, someone in last week's meeting (I forget who) expressed concern that it would lead to overburdening and burnout. I can't say that it won't, but the intent is to do the opposite. By defining what the tasks are and assigning them to someone, we give a clear set of responsibility and change the person tasked with that responsibility on a regular basis. Is a week too long? Maybe. It's certainly the most convenient length of time, since the meetings give us a clear handoff point.
I don't expect that the load would be too overwhelming to do for a month, particularly because there's an understanding that this is best effort. We could also split it into "first half of the week" and "second half of the week" where the "halfway" point is the meeting. But I think that overcomplicates it. Having spent years on pager duty (including with a physical pager, which was fun), I'm sensitive to the concern, but I think the proposal is a good starting point. We can always adjust (having co-editors of the week with separated responsibilities, shortening it to Editor of the Half Week, etc) if it turns out to be a problem.
The other side of the coin is the writers and potential. Burnout isn't the right word here, but something like discouragement. Right now, proposals can sometimes sit for weeks without reply, which discourages writers. By making sure we're actively engaging with new writers and the comments section, we can help keep the community vibrant and healthy.
Thanks, BC
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis
On Tue, 2020-06-16 at 10:15 -0400, Ben Cotton wrote:
I want to follow up on the proposal: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
First, an open question: How would we track who the Editor of the Week is? Just in the meeting minutes? On a wiki page? In the docs? With an IRC command (similar to the .oncall command that the infra team uses)? Generally, we should encourage the use of public channels (mailing list/discourse and IRC channel), but there may be a time when it's necessary to contact a person directly.
This is a good question. Though I think IRC is likely the best option, for me it would require more use of it, which isn't an issue just a comment.
Secondly, someone in last week's meeting (I forget who) expressed concern that it would lead to overburdening and burnout. I can't say that it won't, but the intent is to do the opposite. By defining what the tasks are and assigning them to someone, we give a clear set of responsibility and change the person tasked with that responsibility on a regular basis. Is a week too long? Maybe. It's certainly the most convenient length of time, since the meetings give us a clear handoff point.
I don't expect that the load would be too overwhelming to do for a month, particularly because there's an understanding that this is best effort. We could also split it into "first half of the week" and "second half of the week" where the "halfway" point is the meeting. But I think that overcomplicates it. Having spent years on pager duty (including with a physical pager, which was fun), I'm sensitive to the concern, but I think the proposal is a good starting point. We can always adjust (having co-editors of the week with separated responsibilities, shortening it to Editor of the Half Week, etc) if it turns out to be a problem.
The length is likely too short for it to become a burnout issue. Some have been more active than others as editors, and I include myself in the others group. For my part, it often came down to two basic points of friction WRT editing duties... 1)- Unfamiliarity with the process and the tools to use 2)- Not a high enough user right level to actually do some tasks Point 1 is improved with efforts from Adam and Paul that clarified the process. Point 2 was improved (Taiga Board being one area), but a bit of point 1 as I have become more familiar with the tools chosen.
The other side of the coin is the writers and potential. Burnout isn't the right word here, but something like discouragement. Right now, proposals can sometimes sit for weeks without reply, which discourages writers. By making sure we're actively engaging with new writers and the comments section, we can help keep the community vibrant and healthy.
The Editorial Board has grown in the recent past, and this is a good thing for it shows the community is engaged. This is also a good thing for the EofW proposal, though I would have gone with Editor in Chief just 'cause. Anyway, a month is also a good length, but a month is a hard thing to commit to with my other obligations in life, which I suspect is similar for all contributors. My point being that with more Editors on the board, we have more ability to address the contribution bottleneck through editorial diligence. This should in turn help the writers who are feeling like their idea/article has been languishing in obscurity.
I think that what Adam has proposed for trying to improve the work process, and if the test proves successful, should dovetail well with the Editor of the Week concept.
Stephen
Thanks, BC
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o...
I like this proposal. I see it as a backup solution to prevent proposals sitting there for days or weeks, discouraging our writers.
When things work well and we keep being responsive, this duty will be very little work. But it makes sure that in times we're not that responsive as a whole, there is someone who won't let our writers down. I like it.
And I think a week is a reasonable length. Both from the length perspective itself, and also from the organizational point of view. Maybe meeting to meeting? Or Monday to Friday, set during the meeting the week before?
But I'm generally +1
On Tue, Jun 16, 2020 at 4:53 PM s40w5s@gmail.com wrote:
On Tue, 2020-06-16 at 10:15 -0400, Ben Cotton wrote:
I want to follow up on the proposal: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Bcotton/Magazine_Editor_of_the_Week
First, an open question: How would we track who the Editor of the Week is? Just in the meeting minutes? On a wiki page? In the docs? With an IRC command (similar to the .oncall command that the infra team uses)? Generally, we should encourage the use of public channels (mailing list/discourse and IRC channel), but there may be a time when it's necessary to contact a person directly.
This is a good question. Though I think IRC is likely the best option, for me it would require more use of it, which isn't an issue just a comment.
Secondly, someone in last week's meeting (I forget who) expressed concern that it would lead to overburdening and burnout. I can't say that it won't, but the intent is to do the opposite. By defining what the tasks are and assigning them to someone, we give a clear set of responsibility and change the person tasked with that responsibility on a regular basis. Is a week too long? Maybe. It's certainly the most convenient length of time, since the meetings give us a clear handoff point.
I don't expect that the load would be too overwhelming to do for a month, particularly because there's an understanding that this is best effort. We could also split it into "first half of the week" and "second half of the week" where the "halfway" point is the meeting. But I think that overcomplicates it. Having spent years on pager duty (including with a physical pager, which was fun), I'm sensitive to the concern, but I think the proposal is a good starting point. We can always adjust (having co-editors of the week with separated responsibilities, shortening it to Editor of the Half Week, etc) if it turns out to be a problem.
The length is likely too short for it to become a burnout issue. Some have been more active than others as editors, and I include myself in the others group. For my part, it often came down to two basic points of friction WRT editing duties... 1)- Unfamiliarity with the process and the tools to use 2)- Not a high enough user right level to actually do some tasks Point 1 is improved with efforts from Adam and Paul that clarified the process. Point 2 was improved (Taiga Board being one area), but a bit of point 1 as I have become more familiar with the tools chosen.
The other side of the coin is the writers and potential. Burnout isn't the right word here, but something like discouragement. Right now, proposals can sometimes sit for weeks without reply, which discourages writers. By making sure we're actively engaging with new writers and the comments section, we can help keep the community vibrant and healthy.
The Editorial Board has grown in the recent past, and this is a good thing for it shows the community is engaged. This is also a good thing for the EofW proposal, though I would have gone with Editor in Chief just 'cause. Anyway, a month is also a good length, but a month is a hard thing to commit to with my other obligations in life, which I suspect is similar for all contributors. My point being that with more Editors on the board, we have more ability to address the contribution bottleneck through editorial diligence. This should in turn help the writers who are feeling like their idea/article has been languishing in obscurity.
I think that what Adam has proposed for trying to improve the work process, and if the test proves successful, should dovetail well with the Editor of the Week concept.
Stephen
Thanks, BC
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives:
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o... _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o...
On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 7:35 AM Adam Samalik asamalik@redhat.com wrote:
And I think a week is a reasonable length. Both from the length perspective itself, and also from the organizational point of view. Maybe meeting to meeting? Or Monday to Friday, set during the meeting the week before?
I wrote meeting-to-meeting in the proposal because it seemed like a natural handoff point. But thinking about it, there are two problems:
1. It's not a natural handoff point for people who can't attend the meetings 2. It takes people out for two weeks if they're out for a given week.
So I think Monday-to-Friday, set during the preceding week's meeting is a better way to go. I'll update the proposal to reflect that.
Okay, it seems like we're generally in favor of giving this a try. I opened a pull request[1] to update the docs. If another editor would please give it a check to make sure it looks right and merge it, I'd appreciate it. Let's select our first Editor of the Week in tomorrow's meeting.
[1] https://pagure.io/fedora-magazine/pull-request/9
Done Stephen
On Tue, 2020-06-23 at 10:44 -0400, Ben Cotton wrote:
Okay, it seems like we're generally in favor of giving this a try. I opened a pull request[1] to update the docs. If another editor would please give it a check to make sure it looks right and merge it, I'd appreciate it. Let's select our first Editor of the Week in tomorrow's meeting.
[1] https://pagure.io/fedora-magazine/pull-request/9
-- Ben Cotton He / Him / His Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream Red Hat TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis _______________________________________________ Fedora Magazine mailing list -- magazine@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to magazine-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/magazine@lists.fedoraproject.o...
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