[maemo-community] Election: September 2009 - Questions for Candidates

[From: Randall Arnold]

Thanks for submitting this Ryan.  My answers below (I also added Andrew's question):



> ----- Original message ----- 
> From: "Ryan Abel" <rabelg5 at gmail.com>
> To: "maemo-community-request at maemo.org community development" <maemo-community at maemo.org>
> Subject: Election: September 2009 - Questions for Candidates
> Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:07:48 -0400
> 
> 
> Since nobody seems to be asking, I'll go ahead and kick things off
> (some of these have been covered in the announcement emails, but I'll
> go ahead and ask them explicitly). ;)
> 
> 1. Care to share a little history about yourself and why you want to
> serve on the council?

I've shared this already but I'll summarize here.  I'm a longtime product developer and more recently information manager/analyst who was highly inspired by the internet tablets.  I was first exposed to them as a Nokia engineer responsible for their production quality, and after realizing their potential I decided to push for broader use and adoption.  Frustrated at how slow internal gears turned, and chancing upon InternetTabletTalk.com where developers expressed their own frustration at Nokia's seeming indifference, I resolved to be a voluntary bridge between Nokia and ITT.

I want to serve because now that I am no longer with Nokia I am looking for another way to stay engaged with these amazing products and even more amazing community members.  I hope that council membership will motivate me to get back into the trenches.

> 
> 2. Is there any particular experience or event that helped you decide
> to run?

Just recent deep reflection.  A few members had urged me to run in the past, and again this time, and I realized that refocusing myself would provide the necessary time.  I already use it, I just need to reallocate it, and I think this would be a great way.

> 
> 3. What do you believe qualifies you to serve on the council?

Passion for the products, a love for interacting with other cultures, a strong desire to learn more about Linux and FOSS in general, high interest in programming and data management, and just a general love of people.

I have many years of leadership experience, including serving, supporting and indirectly leading 400 logistics application users worldwide for Nokia-- which meant dealing with many cultures and timezones.  I have formal training in local and virtual leadership as well.  I also have inside experience with the tablet products as the former QA engineer largely responsible for the near-flawless launch of the N800.  I don't let my ego get in the way of idea-sharing and am highly tolerant of (and even enjoy) of diversity.

> 
> 4. Where would you like to see the Maemo Community in 6 months?

At a higher level of engagement with Nokia.  I believe progress is being made, and I am excited at the prospects.

> 
> 5. Do you have any specific ideas about how to get us there?

I am working on a presentation to that effect, and I believe I have gathered some very useful material.  I have managed to sum up the singlemost important need (IMO) which is "Listening without judgment".  More to come!

> 
> 6. What do you believe to be the biggest problem facing the Maemo
> Community today?

Ego and resistance to ideas.  Many ideas of a brainstorming nature are met with immediate resistance which discourages participation.  I want to find ways of moving past that.

> 
> 7. What role do you envision for the community council you would serve
> on?

Facilitator, bridge-builder, feather-smoother, bucket-carrier

> 
> 8. Finally, you suckers have _no_ idea what you're getting into.
> Ehehehe. *eg*

Oh, I might.  ; )

9. What do you think of the maemo.org sprint process? Have you ever
attended one of the IRC meetings? If so, what did you think? How could
the process be improved?

Good question.  I am inexperienced here and looking to learn.

> 
> --
> Ryan Abel
> Maemo Community Council member
> 
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