Fedora Podcast Episode 02

Jona Azizaj talks about the Ambassador Program

Eduard Lucena:

Hello, I'm Eduard Lucena from the marketing team of the Fedora Project. Welcome back to the Fedora Podcast. Right now, we are with Jona Azizaj. She will tell us about the Ambassadors program. Hi, Jona.

Jona Azizaj:

Hello, Eduard. Thank you for your invitation.

Eduard:

No, it's a pleasure for me to have this conversation with you. How much time did you have in the Ambassador program?

Jona:

I am part of the project, actually, for more than three years now. As an Ambassador I am for two years, I would say. First, I joined the project as a contributor, and after some time I decided to be an Ambassador.

Eduard:

Cool! What is an Ambassador? Explain to the people what is an Ambassador.

Jona:

Ambassadors are the representatives of Fedora. Let's say they assure the public. They understand what is Fedora, our principles, and the work that we are doing as part of the community. Also, they are even responsible to grow the contributor base when we have more contributors that join our community. Also, act like a bridge between even other FLOSS projects that we have around the Fedora community.

Eduard:

That's a great description. Why it takes too much time to make it from active contributor to Ambassador? How would that work? How is the process?

Jona:

Actually, I wouldn't say that you need a long period to be an Ambassador or not. Mostly it depends when you join the community and when you, not only you, the Mentor that will guide you, feel it's the right time for you to be an Ambassador. Also, you need some time when you join the community to see what kind of contributions you can do there, what teams you should join, and what is the team that you feel more comfortable. When I joined in the beginning, since I was pretty new, mostly I was hanging around, trying to see different IRC meetings. I also saw that since we didn't have any Ambassador in my community in Albania, that's how I started to think, even, to become an Ambassador and promote Fedora in my country. This depends how familiar you are with the community, how well you understand the things that are going on, our four Fs that are very important, if you know how to organize different events that Fedora can have a participation there. You need, even, to promote FLOSS, open search projects, and so on. It's a process that you understand when is the right time for you to become an Ambassador.

Eduard:

It's not necessarily take too much time.

Jona:

Yeah, exactly.

Eduard:

In my case I started as Ambassador, and then jumped into another things. I also know my process was different than normal, because I knew my Mentor from before I started with the Fedora Community. When I told her I want to contribute, she knows I have skills with event organizing. Also, she knew that I know the Fedora Linux distribution, how the community works, because I had a long-time friendship with her.

Jona:

Specially when you are even part of another team, as you mentioned, it's even easier to become an Ambassador because you already know how the community works and what you need to do as an Ambassador.

Eduard:

You say another word that it interesting and is a key word to everybody. The word is Mentor. What is a Mentor in the Ambassador program?

Jona:

The Mentor is the person who will guide you through the community. Who will help you to understand how the community works, why you should join this community, and why it's important to be an Ambassador and promote Fedora in your country. If you will need any help for that, he will be the right person to help you and guide you to become a responsible Ambassador.

Eduard:

I forgot to say Jona is from Albania. She is part of the EMEA region. What are the regions? Why Ambassadors are divided by region?

Jona:

We have four regions. Fedora Ambassadors are divided into these regions. We have Asia. APAC, actually. EMEA -- that is Europe, Middle East, and Africa. We have Latin America and North America. The reason why we have divided Ambassadors in four regions, because in this way it's better to combine the work into different regions. It's easier for them to attend the meetings, because for each region we have biweekly or weekly meetings for Ambassadors. It's way easier when you have different time zones to have some meetings or to organize some Fedora Activity Days so that the Ambassadors can gather together. They say which events they can attend so we can have more how to grow our contributor base and people can be part of our community. To make our work a bit easier we have divided into four big regions. We can have a better management of the things that we do.

Eduard:

I see, also, a really good reason to have regions is because the cultural background. At least in Latam we share a lot of culture. It's easier for us to communicate between us than probably could be with someone in Africa, or in Asia, or even in Europe or North America.

Jona:

I agree with you. It's very important, because sometimes we have even language barrier, I would say. It depends, because in Europe I would say we have different kinds of languages, but as you mentioned, because different regions have different culture or even different countries have different culture. Being part of the same community, that's why I really enjoy it, because you can get a lot from each other, not only to understand open source technologies in general, but even some different culture perspectives or this thing. It's very interesting.

Eduard:

For example, in the case of Latam we share languages. It's supposed to be easy. Right now, I want to ask you how important is it to at least understand English in the project or for Ambassadors?

Jona:

Especially for Ambassadors, I would say that it's really important, because it's the language that we can understand each other, even that we are from different countries, from different regions. It's the only language that can gather us and can make us understand each other. Because, being an Ambassador, you don't promote Fedora only at your country. You can do that using your own language. You will represent Fedora even other conferences that are abroad. For example, this year we had FOSDEM, that is one of the biggest conference in Europe. We had people not only from EMEA, but even from other regions. From North America and from APAC. The language that everyone was talking there was English. When a contributor will come at your info booth and ask you, as an Ambassador, a question regarding the operating system that you are promoting there, then the only language that you both can understand each other will be English. That's why it's really important. The other contributors that are part of the community, since all contributors from different side projects that we have, they come from different regions, then the only language that we can understand each other is English. Also, our websites, our Wiki pages, the language that we write all the contents is English, so everybody can understand what we are doing, and etc. I would say that English is very, very important in this process.

Eduard:

Sometimes it gets hard. Finally, for example, you're from Albania, I'm from Venezuela, and we are talking in English.

Jona:

[laughs] Exactly.

Eduard:

This is quite important, the communication in a language that at least we can understand and talk.

Jona:

It doesn't need to be a perfect English, because it's not our primary language. Of course, that we will make mistakes, and etc. At least we will understand each other, what we are saying. It's the way how we will communicate with each other.

Eduard:

far Really, really far to be perfect in English. It's not easily to understand me, but I try.

Jona:

I agree.

Eduard:

A core value of our community is that people try to work. They don't necessarily make a perfect work, but they try and the effort it's that count. Another question that normally drive people to Ambassadors, because we are in conferences and people reach us and have questions, is how is the relationship between Ambassadors and Red Hat?

Jona:

A lot of people ask us regarding this question or what is the relation between us. I would say since the Fedora is the operating system, that it has a very large community that is contributing to this operating system, but we are sponsored by Red Hat. Red Hat is the company that can sponsor us. For example, I can relate this with the Ambassadors. For example, when we go to different events the project can cover some of our expenses, so we can go there and promote Fedora and the community that you are part of. We need company or people can help us to cover these expenses. In this way, or in this point, we have Red Hat that help us for these things. Mostly the support that Red Hat give us, We have some paid positions at Fedora Project, like the Fedora Project Leader and some other positions. Also, they try to help us with different events that we need budget for. That's how I can explain the relation that we have, Fedora and Red Hat, because they are really supporting our community to continue the work that all of us are doing.

Eduard:

Red Hat is the company that drive the money because Fedora as community and as a project doesn't have the money. The money is handled by Red Hat. They have employees that work directly and uniquely for Fedora. That's the way they can make the bridge between the community and the company.

Jona:

Exactly.

Eduard:

Being an international community and having our community divided in four regions, how is the communication between people in different regions? I know when you are part of a team that work worldwide, like in my case the marketing team, or developers, or any other team that brings people together, but especially in Ambassador, how is the communication between regions?

Jona:

Since I mentioned that we have teams that we do each region, it's very easier for the people that are the same region to know at which state they are, but, say, how is the communication between all the regions? That's why we had FAmSCo, Federal Ambassadors Steering Committee. They were bridge to understand and help all the regions, and try to help them if they had any problems, or if they needed something, or bridge communication between these regions. We needed a better communication between these regions. Not only between Ambassadors' regions, but also with other side projects that we have because it's really important to be at the same page and work all together. We will have Mindshare. It's the beginning of this new team that will start soon. They will have even a Fedora Activity Day. I believe that especially Mindshare and the people that will be Ambassador representatives there, they will help a lot with the communication between Fedora Ambassadors' region and with other side projects, too, because it's very difficult sometimes. As part of FAmSCo, for example, I could try not only to help the regions, but also to see what was going on, maybe to share the experience that I had as part of EMEA, or to get even some experience from the other regions. I tried to attend their meetings. Apart this, it's a bit difficult, the communication between regions. Or, another way is when they attend events, like FOSDEM that I mentioned, because it's a very good way. You can talk with another Ambassador that is from another region and see how they are doing all their activities in their region, or how is the situation in their region. It's a nice way to exchange some thoughts, feedback, and etc. Or even Flock. That is the Fedora annual conference. It's a very good way not only meet face to face all the contributors, but also, it's the perfect moment that, I would say, Ambassadors from four regions can have a meeting all together. They can talk about the problems, but not only problems. What is going on in their regions or what are their plans for the next six months, and so on. We have different kind of ways that we can see what is going on between regions or how is the communication, but with Mindshare that we will have now will be even better this communication between those different regions.

Eduard:

I picked the community we use old-school Internet relay chat to communicate. We have several managed channels in the IRC in freenode.net. We collaborate with the freenode.net community, too. We have our meetings grabbed (recorded) with the meetbot. We use a lot of IRC channels to work. It's a really good way to work, even when people say things like, "It's old-school, I don't want to text chat that don't support emojis, or smiley faces, or video chat, or file sharing." It works really well for us. Another question is what are your expectations as Ambassador for the Mindshare Committee. We already said Mindshare is a new committee that will try to drive all the teams together to work and communicate better. What are your expectations?

Jona:

Since the Mindshare Committee will represent the outreach leadership in Fedora, will be really helpful for all the outreach teams that we have to reach the targets that they have in a more effective way, and will help us to have a standardized communication between all the outreach teams. Especially, the communication, it's the key to can go on, have a more effective community, and try to grow even more. The communication is very important. Mindshare will ensure that all the informations between the teams, not only between outreach teams, but even outreach and the technical teams, if I can call them, will be effective with each other. Also, will help to motivate the contributors to work in different groups that we have. Will do, also, all the work that FAmSCo was doing, since we don't have, anymore, FAmSCo. The work that FAmSCo was doing is helping Ambassadors with their activities, helping them to grow activities in their country, and etc. That's why it was really important to have a committee for all the outreach teams that we can have, so the collaboration between these teams with each other can be even more effective. Also, together with the technical teams that we have.

Eduard:

We will have really good expectations with Mindshare. We hope we can work a lot in our FAD.

Jona:

I'm sure that you will do great. [laughs]

Eduard:

Any thought that you can or want to share with our listeners, our community?

Jona:

I can say that being part of Fedora Community is very awesome because the community's very helpful, not only with the people that have some time that they are being part of the community, they know what is going on, and they know the community pretty well, but even with the newcomers. The people that they don't know yet what open source communities can join and etc., I encourage them to try to get on board and to be part of our community. The people that they are already part of our community, I can say thank you to all the contributors, and they need to keep up the good work that they are doing.

Eduard:

Thank to you, too, for your hard work.

Jona:

Thank you.

Eduard:

It was amazing to have you in the podcast. People will see you in two more weeks. Thank you for listening. Bye-bye.