User:Martind: Difference between revisions

From London Hackspace Wiki
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* When coordinating group work: [http://wiki-archive.emfcamp.org/2012/articles/m/a/r/User:Martind/Induction.html#Making_Important_Decisions Involve your community in larger decisions], don't just do it all yourself; otherwise there's a good chance you'll get distracted by silly misunderstandings and oversights.
* When coordinating group work: [http://wiki-archive.emfcamp.org/2012/articles/m/a/r/User:Martind/Induction.html#Making_Important_Decisions Involve your community in larger decisions], don't just do it all yourself; otherwise there's a good chance you'll get distracted by silly misunderstandings and oversights.


All of these are shaped by:
Recommended reading:
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_ethic Hacker ethics], which inform many of our key values: decentralisation as default organisation principle, the hands-on imperative, merit before status, mistrust of authority, etc.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_ethic Hacker ethics], which inform many of our key values: decentralisation as default organisation principle, the hands-on imperative, merit before status, mistrust of authority, etc.
* The [http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm practical implications of running a structureless organisation]
* The [http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm practical implications of running a structureless organisation]
* The need to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom#Design_Principles_for_CPR_Institutions protect a shared resource]: the community, the space, and its materials
* The need to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom#Design_Principles_for_CPR_Institutions protect a shared resource]: the community, the space, and its materials
* [http://reddragdiva.co.uk/lj/group_enemy.html A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy], on the need for barriers to entry and controlled community growth.
* etc.
* etc.


Revision as of 14:02, 21 March 2013

Martin Dittus, martin@dekstop.de, @dekstop. Long-time member, LHS trustee since late 2011.

The Hidden Laws of Hackspace

  • We're not a school, company, or sports club: we don't provide structured guidance and training.
  • The organisation is designed for minimal overhead. Nobody is being paid to help fix your problems.
  • There is no committee and little leadership. We're a social space that is heavily shaped by its interpersonal relationships.
  • It is wrong to say: "there's no-one in charge". You're in charge. If you are unable, then find someone who can take over. And if that fails the trustees will take over; they would prefer you do it instead.
  • A little bit of passion goes a long way. Most work at the Hackspace happened because someone was curious.
  • We don't focus much on outreach, structured introductions, presentation. Consequently our "induction experience" sucks.
  • If you come here unprepared: be patient and make time for a long learning experience. Observe and talk to the people around you.
  • Don't be annoyed if you don't understand right away. Sometimes there's a good reason, sometimes it's simply a large group's path of least resistance.
  • We're a community workshop. Your best first experience is when you come with a project in mind, and need a little bit of help or access to tools we may have.
  • Making change is hard: it involves lots of initiative, and the patience to try again until you find the right way to make it work. This is by design. (And yes, it's not always good.)
  • When coordinating group work: Involve your community in larger decisions, don't just do it all yourself; otherwise there's a good chance you'll get distracted by silly misunderstandings and oversights.

Recommended reading:

Pages

Member Manual

Pages I'd include in a member's manual:

Welcome

Howto

About us

Useful resources/links

Hackspace culture

I don't think it's worth including pages like Infrastructure, Projects, OneHundredThings, Training_Directory, Equipment, Project:100_Paper_Cuts -- they're useful resources but very badly maintained and always out of date.

Spc Mgmt

There's a need for better tools to manage your highly successful hackerspace. Here are some free ideas. Get in touch if you end up building one of these!

Unsolved

  • Pledge drive automation (it's possible to use Semantic MediaWiki and Wiki forms for this, see pledge drives at Technologia Incognita for an example)
  • Registration and announcements for training sessions (e.g. Lasercutter_Training)
  • Component ordering tool. E.g. a simple tool for re-ordering things we want to keep on stock (see consumables), a collaborative components shopping list for larger projects, a tool to group purchases of individuals to reduce shipping cost, etc.

In Progress

  • Member decision-making tools: discourse and consensus testing (lots of people are working on such software atm, and there's our own OneClickOrgs. See also: [1])
  • Tool access control linked to member accounts

Done

  • (Is anything ever done?)

Trustee Induction

Things to go over with new trustees.

  • Set up IRC with bouncer, add to directors channel
  • Add to trustees@ email
  • Share Dropbox
  • Create OCO account
  • Add their keys to the passwords file
  • Have them read the Rules, the Grievance_Procedure, and at least skim the constitution
  • Review current issues: member warnings, recent/current mediation efforts
  • Let them participate in a few day-to-day tasks (e.g. member disputes)
  • Add them to the mailing list moderators list (if desired)
  • Add them to the uk-hackspace-organiser-comms list
  • If available: hand over keys from predecessor
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