Now that this new program has been announced and the mailing list has gathered a few members, it's time to kick off some discussion.

First, I'll introduce myself and the reasons I'm here. (I invite each of you to do the same.)

My name is Patrick W. Barnes, and I'm a community contributor to the Fedora Project. I've been working with the project since 2004. I've got a larger profile on the Fedora Project wiki:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/PatrickBarnes

I handle many of the mailing lists and IRC channels, I'm one of the primary editors of the wiki, and I work with Fedora's infrastructure. After I heard that there was some interest in a program like this, I picked up the torch in getting the infrastructure for it set up and making the world aware of the program. I will continue to handle the infrastructure needs of this program, and will be happy to assist wherever else I can. I will handle many of the management duties until some of the members of the program are ready to take over. If you have any questions about me or my involvement in this program, don't hesitate to ask.

To the subject of this message, I'd like to know what each of you feels that this program can do to benefit the women in the Fedora Community. I'd also like to hear how you vision this program working and what you see it providing. This program is here for you, and you can decide what it will do and where it will go. The Fedora Project will pledge its support in every way possible.

I plan to further advertise the existence of this program in the near future, so you can count on more members showing up soon. As the size of the program grows, the group can take on specific tasks and could begin holding meetings. In the meantime, if there's something you'd like to see happen, you don't need to wait or get approval. You can get started immediately and let the community do what it will with your work. If you need anything, let me know.