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Event is over. See you at FOSS.IN/2008! |
Project Day Submissions
From FOSS.IN/2007
Project Day Structure
All Project Days will have to loosely inherit the parent class structure which is defined as follows.
- 7 hours per project day.
- Atleast one talk Project status and future direction.
- Upto 2 workshops on key technologies used by the project or on expanding the project
- Atleast one session about contribution guidelines.
Project Day submission guidelines
The format for the Project Day proposal is as follows:
- Name of the project:
- Url:
- Date:
- Name of the proposer:
- Proposers involvement in the Project:
- Pre-requisites to participate:
- Handouts to be distributed with pointers to material:
Instructions to propose a Project Day
- Please submit the Proposal(format mentioned above) using the contact system (select "Project Days" Department)
- Please Keep the Subject of the Message as <PROJECT NAME> Project Day
- Last day for submissions to be received is 31st August 2007 (we don't consider daylight saving time and all such, if its the 1st September in India then you are late)
FAQ
Is it essential that proposer of the project day should be a contributer for the project?
Absolutely, each proposer should be a consistent and long term contributer to the project. The success of the Project Days depends on the work and the capabilities of the proposer, Hence the proposer has to be a well known contributer with an aptitude for hard work.
Define a well known contributer?
We will ask the maintainer of the project to vouch for you, if he does then you are certified as one.
Can I organize a project day of lesser duration?
We dont encourage project days of shorter duration, but if you give us a damn good reason then we might just consider it.
Is there a sample proposal i can look at?
Here you go:
Foo Day: The Foo day aims to increase Indian contribution in the Foo Project. The proposed schedule is as follows:
- Foo: Current status and future direction
- Want to get involved? Here is how!
- The Foo object system
- A few tips for a faster Foo
- Writing Foo applications in python
- The Foo scheduling system
- Fool proof Foo
Can I invite speakers for the project days?
You may ask speakers you want to target to apply for a project day once the Call for Participation is out.
Will the proposer have a say in picking speakers for a project day?
The selection committee will discuss various speakers with the proposer before taking a decision but the final decision lies with the talk selection committee.
Are speakers of project days eligible for sponsorship?
Yes, but depending on the stature of the project the organization team might choose to ask him to speak at the main conference too.
Can the Proposer Give out Handouts on The Project Day?
The conference proposer may arrange to have handouts given out at the project day. Any handouts must be approved by the Conference Organizers, and must adhere to the following guidelines
- The handouts must be related to the project
- All handouts must be free from excessive branding by a sponsoring commercial entity.
- There cannot be any charge levied in exchange for any of the handouts
- All handouts must be approved by the FOSS.in organizing committee.
Further, the responsibility of distributing handouts remains with the proposer. We wish to remind the proposer that handouts such as t-shirts and CDs tend to be quite popular, so we hope you bring enough for everyone ;~)
What are the responsibilities of the Project Day Proposer?
Organization of a Project Day is the complete responsibility of the Proposer. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Scheduling allotted time
- Leading the Project Day
- Ensure all handouts (if any) are approved by the organizers of the event.
FOSS.IN will only provide a venue to hold the Project Day, including AV equipment. The proposer must be present in person at the venue for the entire duration of the Project Day. The schedule for the Project Day must be approved by the organizers of FOSS.IN. FOSS.IN reserves the right to cancel any part of a Project Day.
Can the proposer also be a speaker?
Yes the proposer can also speak at the Project Day, but the Project Day talk selection committee which consists of a senior member from the project and a member of foss.in team will decide whether your talk fits the bill. You will have to submit your talk once the CFP goes out irrespective of your role in the Project Day.
I want to speak at a project day, How do i go about doing so?
Firstly, the project day proposal should be accepted. The list of all accepted Project Days will be made public on Sep 1st.
Once the project day proposal is accepted, it will be added to the list of Available Project days in the cfp submission form. So when you are applying as a speaker, mark yourself as a speaker for a particular project day.
When will the cfp be out? I cant wait for nuts
Cfp will be out first week of September.
I proposed the project day, and its been accepted. Can i go ahead and confirm with all the speakers i want?
No, All speakers will have to apply once the Call for participation goes out. We will make sure that you as a proposer will be involved in selecting speakers for a particular project day.
Tips for making Proposals
Don't use the term "keynote"
We all know what a keynote is, and that it sets the tone for whatever follows, but it is a politically sensitive term, too :)
This year, FOSS.IN has two keynotes - one at the beginning of the main conference (e.g. last year that was Suparna) and one to close the event (usually not a direct FOSS talk - e.g. last year that was Tim Pritlove on Hacker Culture of the CCC).
The opening talk in a Project days session could be called an overview or an introduction.
Avoid listing the actual speakers you have in mind
Instead, list the type of talk/activity that will happen. Remember, based on your session proposal, people will be submitting talks for those sessions when we open the CfP. Speakers/talks will be chosen from those submissions - there are no "pre-selected" speakers.
Project Days sessions are not tracks
Tracks are usually talks related to a particular field, e.g. system administration or web development. FOSS.IN/2007 does not have tracks. Project Days Sessions are about specific projects. (The Main Conference doesnt have tracks either - each talk is a "track" of its own).
Your proposal is a guideline
It tells people who will submit talks what you are looking for and plan to achieve with your Project Days session. So phrase the proposal accordingly.
Keep the objective in mind
Project Days are not "show cases" of any particular project or organisation, but structured efforts to get more people involved and contributing to the project. You need to show them what is needed, what the resources are, how to get started, and how to contribute.
Remember, this event happens in Bangalore, where some of the world's smartest developers work. Very few of them are currently involved with FOSS, but many want to be - for a number of reasons, ranging from the desire to improve their technical and team skills, to freeing the planet.
If we can jumpstart them and get them contributing to your projects, we are going to see an explosion of FOSS contribution from India - which is the primary objective of FOSS.IN.
Project Days is not about users
Several proposals that have reached me are clearly targeting users of a project, not developers.
Project Days is not about users - it is about developers and contributors to the project. In my event announcement I had made this very clear with the example of "Developing Python" being a good topic, "Developing with Python" not being a good topic.
Do not submit Project days proposals that are aimed at showing people how to use the project. Only submit proposals that show potential developers how to contribute to the project.
The project has to be relevant
While it is entirely possible to contribute to a project that develops software for analysing the behaviour of the Nile Crocodile, the chances of you finding people who actually have the skills and interest to do so are pretty low. We are interested in seeing "House Full" signs in the halls because people are interested in the topic - not a 120 seater hall with 4 people in it because others are not.
We are trying to reach potential developers/contributors, not just have a series of talks.
Project Days sessions talks have to represent community
Please note that if we find that no (or few) talks are being submitted towards that Project Days session, we *will* yank the project and substitute it with another.
The number of talks being submitted also has to reflect community strength/interest. If we find that all the talks being submitted are from a single organisation, we *will* question the validity of that Project Days session. Community representation/participation is a measure of validity.
Not just talks
Don't build a Project Days submission around talks only. Factor in workshops, where people who come with laptops can actually get to try their hands at stuff. Wifi will be available in all the halls.
Focus on practical stuff, and don't assume that just because a developer is experienced, s/he knows everything. For example, while most developers tend to know about CVS, things like SVN, GIT or BZR will be new to them.
Make material available
Make reference material available online (not in print) so that people can go and refer to it before or after the event. Even a single page with a comprehensive list of links pointing to HOWTOs and tutorials will be useful.
