Trying to build a foss community, any suggestions on activities we could conduct other than meetups and talks? #foss

perpetrator

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@perpetrator install days and repair it cafes.

Suggest events to introduce the wider community to FOSS applications.

perpetrator

@onepict i feel like we need to give them a reason to use a foss alternative. but to organize events and get more people interested and to build a community of these interested people. we need a team and the support from our college. We don't have that. I tried to sacrifice my academics for building the community then i realized if im serving anyone its not just the students, its also our corrupt college itself.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@perpetrator Perhaps if you can reach out to student groups. Does your college have clubs and societies?

If it doesn't this could be a start.

You may also want to reach outside your college to the local community. Like are there any anarchists bookshops or community hubs out there?

I'm sure @MediaActivist may have some ideas as well

Jay Baker

@onepict @perpetrator Sounds like a challenge - but a worthwhile one! So the aim is to develop a FOSS community locally? If so, I agree that installfests can be effective, especially if it's publicised on the basis of things like avoiding the annoying elements of proprietary software, open source culture, and potentially expanding the lifespan of a device with different operating systems.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@MediaActivist @perpetrator this is why I'm a fan of repair it cafés and twinning with dregrowth.

We're about to have a whole bunch of hardware become obsolete with Windows 10. Of course if folks are still in the ecosystem with Outlook etc that's harder.

But folks wallets are crunched. Which is why finding other communities you can work with is important.

Jay Baker

@onepict @perpetrator Ooh well said! It's the kind of thing I'd like @freetechproject to be doing much more about too.

Duck Marshall 🚲

@onepict @perpetrator @MediaActivist I had organised a Linux Install Day when I was a uni student and publicised it through the university's Computing Society. Managed to rope a few fellow students into doing the actual installs while I was doing tutorials at a different table. Dunno if that helps?

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@MediaActivist @perpetrator @freetechproject Exactly, it's great to have a FOSS community group, but it is limiting and you are reducing the potential to appeal outside computing.

I think it does depend on your goals. FOSS isn't that well known outside our bubble.

But there are always community groups looking for help with tech and how to be budget conscious.

You can then definitely point them towards non proprietary software.

witchescauldron

@onepict @MediaActivist @perpetrator @freetechproject

A question for all the grass rootsy #DIY crew out there. Are we going to link outside our little ghettos?

We need to get anywhere https://hamishcampbell.com/community-is-the-power-we-have/

Jay Baker

@witchescauldron @onepict @perpetrator @freetechproject An important question! It took many years, but here I arrived at a possible way for us grass rootsy DIY crews to join together and finally reach beyond the age-old silos, learning from those mistakes with a clear media model for change: https://www.mediaactivist.com/manifesto/