Public Lab Wiki documentation



Staff call notes 3 2 2012

1 | 1 | | #885

Friday March 2, 2012

Collaborations

  • Google Summer of Code due date next week - project ideas list needed
  • Social Media for SXSW--mat should check in with Jen, MP and Shannon. MP will be sending round social media strategy stuff.
  • Update on sys admin stuff?
    • still in the work.

Recent & Upcoming events

  • Jeff and Sara at TAC--it will be raining. more thermal flashlights. sara to order 4 more cameras from sears ship to jeff.
  • Mat and Shannon SXSW
  • March Map Madness Update and Questions

What to do now?

  • Austin discussed as kick off event
  • Interest in interlinking events with social media--tweeting images etc.. to an archive on our site.
  • Preparing regional organizers--phone call--and send messages to mailing
    • staggering events so less experienced organizers can attend on earlier in the month
    • regional mailing lists? “plots-austin” or “plots-chicago” or “plots-ny-nj”
      • these would have to be logistical ONLY. All research belongs on main publiclaboratory list
      • we’d need people to tell people to “move this to the public list”
    • OR get everyone on the website, and subscribed to the place page or place tag notifications
  • perfect time to pass back to Shannon--for contacting kickerstarters.

There are a few ways of going forward: 1. matching the organizers in different cities with the new grassroots mappers and letting them self organize. However with there are many major cities where we are not yet sure we have someone who could lead an event, so we could send word to those people where we don't yet have possible events that there will be virtual trainings and have people sign up for those? 2. making a general announcement to all the kickstarter mappers saying they can get in touch with organizers close to them if they are interested? Or join a virtual session. 3. holding off on making a general announcement until we are sure we can hold meet ups in the remaining cities we were hoping for.

Also it would be good to hammer out exactly what financial support PLOTS is going to give to these events? Based on prior practices for the ones lead by staff we'll be reimbursing kit costs and helium. Are we going to extend that to the other organizers? That seems fair but is it financially possible?

We are going to have participants contribute to cover helium, if organizers don’t make money back we will help cover costs.

We have confirmed organizers for: Boston NYC Asheville Cincinnati Portland Vermont/Northern New England Davis/Sacramento Jerusalem Austin San Francisco

We have people in the works for: Washington DC Philly LA Chicago Seattle

We need organizers for: Toronto Berlin Zurich Somewhere in the Netherlands--leads A Virtual Meetings

Fundraising

  • Get Retail store up -stewart-- balloon and reel order arriving? (last 100 units shipped this week)
  • Stew sent out large prints to kickstarters

Public Archive/Publications

  • Mathew’s new GMF template
    • shannon to take on organizing
    • ideas mostly on mapping and small feature on thermal flashlight
    • monday hash out next steps

Web

Organization

  • huge steps forward on workers comp. everywhere but LA covered
  • sara/jeff start organizing bi monthly virtual research meetings where people present what they are working on?

Field work this week

  • Educational materials for Thermal Flashlight?
  • Meet up on Hamster Ball?
  • Future for H2S project?