[maemo-community] Council candidature: Stephen Gadsby

[From: Stephen Gadsby]

Name: Stephen Gadsby
maemo.org: sjgadsby - http://maemo.org/profile/view/sjgadsby/
Corporate affiliation: none relevant to Maemo

Introduction:
Though I have a degree in computer science, I'm much more a technology
generalist than a programmer. The primary focus of my day job is
assisting users--with a wide range of comfort and skill levels--in
integrating technology into their work. I create end user
documentation for, and provide training in the use of, complex
systems, and I also serve as the interface point between system
designers and users, relaying information between the two groups and
translating concepts into appropriate language for each.

Motivations:
Last year, I became frustrated with the disconnect between Nokia and
the community. As I looked for a way in which I could initiate change,
Maemo Bugzilla stood out as a key point of failure. What should have
been a primary meeting point of users and platform developers was
largely ignored by both sides.

I began posting Bug Jars, weekly summaries of top issues and activity
within Bugzilla, to Internet Tablet Talk (iTT). My immediate goal was
to increase awareness of Bugzilla within the iTT user base. I reasoned
that if more users knew of Bugzilla and saw top ten lists of bugs,
some of them might begin voting up issues important to them, and in
time, perhaps move on to submitting structured bug reports in Bugzilla
in place of non-specific posts buried in iTT threads.

As I longer term goal, I hoped that if community usage of Bugzilla
increased, Nokia might feel pressure to increase their own presence
there beyond the odd comment by the mysterious "Maemo QA". This was a
long shot, I knew, but it was a task I could undertake myself, and it
was action. Rhetoric had shown no results.

In the end, of course, Bugzilla improvements are proceeding due,
largely, to the efforts of Andre and Karsten, hired just after the Bug
Jars began, and Nokia/community relations were put on a path of
improvement by the inaugural Community Council. However, I still feel
that drive to help move the community forward, and there remains a
large expanse of ground to be covered before we're where we should be.

I welcome your questions and thoughts. Thank you.