KDE eV Sprint in Berlin

The KDE eV Sprint started yesterday for me, waking up early for preparing all my stuff. I had to unpacked my winter cloth since this autumn has been soft in Malaga and I haven't traveled much lately. My plane to Madrid arrived so late that I had to run to take the one to Berlin, so obviously, my bag didn't make it. So Berlin received me with 0ºC and I had no clothing. Not a good start.

On Friday night most of the attendees to the eV Sprint met the developers from the Mobile sprint. Albert, Aleix and Pau from KDE Spain were there. Unfortunately I couldn't make it since I decided to buy some cloth for the following day. Thanks God my bag was waiting for me when I came back to the hotel on Saturday night.

Day 1 of the KDE e.V. Sprint was very productive. We pretty much accomplished every task planned. The second day (Sunday) we worked on more complicated tasks. As usual, we ordered pizza to finish everything on time. Both nights we ended up eating Arabic food (From a Syrian and a Persian restaurant). The overall Sprint went well. On Monday, Stuart Jarvis and myself worked during a few hours in the KDE office in Berlin. We had Italian food at lunch (no German food this time although we did had some German beer).We had the chance to talk to KDE Interns and also with a FSFe employer. As you probably know, we share the office with them. I liked the place, by the way.

On Monday afternoon I had a coffee with Gil Forcada, who just moved to Berlin. At night I had dinner with Pedro Jurado Maqueda, a long time KDE contributor from Seville, Spain, that is also working in Berlin as System Administrator. Thanks Pedro for your hospitality.

As expected, it was a busy and productive long weekend. I'm already looking forward to see many of the attendees again at FOSDEM 2012, in February.

KDE Organizational Network Program structure

The Organizational Network Program is divided into three subprograms:

1. KDE Organizational Network Program Guest: basic level
2. KDE Organizational Network Program Membership: intermediate level
3. Patron Forum

    Depending on the evolution of the network, more levels can be added. Each level with take into consideration the nature of the three basic targets. Each subprogram offer different kind of networking activities and implies different requirements and commitments.

    The general idea from KDE perspective is that the differences between the first two subprograms, Organizational Network Program Guest and Organizational Network Program Membership are low, while the Patron Forum is a little more that the top level subprogram, that include some extra services.

    The KDE ON can also be described as a business opportunity KDE offers to organizations related to our project, linked to our community and our software.

The KDE Organizational Network Program is based in networking

    KDE Organizational Network Program is a networking based service associated to our community and our software with the idea of building a network of organizations around us that, through a structured program, build new relations among them thanks to the creation of an adequate environment. That environment will be possible to build because of:

• The involvement of KDE members with experience in two areas:
• Community management and development.
• The field where the organizations belong (Education, business and non-profits).
• The experience KDE have in key areas like
• building communication channels.
• community decision making procedures.
• mentoring programs.
• organizing events.
• Existence of a Core Group of organizations already interested in building such a network. Most of them have a very strong relation with KDE actually. Some of them are Patrons.
• KDE support to the Program.

    KDE Organizational Network Guest/Member Program are networking (sub)programs, while the Patron Forum is an institutional/political/commercial program, so it has a different nature. Each subprogram is described in following sections.

    KDE  ON Guest/Member subprograms must be seen as a two stop journey to become part of KDE. By becoming a Guest, the organization will have the opportunity to build relations with KDE, other Program Guests and Members. Every networking activity will have a digital nature.

    If the evaluation is positive, KDE will offer to the organization the chance to become a Member of the Program. If the organization accepts, it will participate in further activities. Several of them are physical.

     KDE  ON Guest/Member subprograms are designed for three different type of organizations:

1. Education
2. Business
3. Non-profit

    Some of the activities and procedures are common to those three, but some will be different.

Please remember that this articles is just the latest of a series (7 more articles). Please read the previous ones to fully understand the ideas proposed above.

All the above are personal ideas, even though they are written in third person. Do not take this as a KDE strategy or Plan. They are not.

What is the KDE Program?

Executives find valuable to become part of a common network that allow them to open their organizations to new markets, more opportunities in current markets, new products, services and talent. KDE can offer them such a worldwide network formed by many organizations.

In order to do it, KDE build a structured Program based on the following global principles:

• Networking as a major value to build self-sustaining cooperative system.
• Meritocracy and compromise.
• Mentoring.
• Single contact point for every organization.
• Think global, act locally.
• Scalability, depending on the organization dimension and expectations.
• Building the field first, creating the rules, and then, let the players play.

The KDE Program(*) is the result of our determination to create a global network formed of organizations committed to KDE related principles, technologies, products and services. It also is:

• A structured project to add value to KDE, while increasing market opportunities for every member through coordinated networking  activities.
• A way for KDE to connect with end users through new organizations.
• A new approach for supporting KDE in a way every member gets, not just the result of our work, our software, but also the knowledge that allows us to create it, so they can learn and add it to their production process.
• A channel to introduce KDE into new markets through a worldwide network of organizations that actively contribute to it.
• An opportunity to recognize and reward those organizations that have historically supported KDE.
• A new approach to take free software communities beyond their current influence area.
  
  
  (*) Remember that I am still looking a good name for the Program