User:Matteo/scratch.intergalactic

Want to Start a Free Geek?

Get To Know Us

• Join startup
  • Introduce yourself
• Read the wiki
• Hang out on irc
• Visit a Free Geek!
  • This sure can fast-track your application
  • We might be able to visit them too.
  • give us a call

Make a Franchise Application

• Application is sent to franchise@ where all the other Free Geeks will evaluate it.
• Should the application form suggest a second contact in addition to the primary applicant?

Communication

Initial Communication

• Application is sent to franchise@
• Acknowledgment of receipt mailed to applicant

Steward Communication

• Someone volunteers to steward the application
  • How will stewards self-select?
  • Should we have an application workgroup for this, styled after a hardware grant workgroup? It would use the franchise@ list so everyone could see it, but maybe each franchise would have a self-selected representative or two?
  • But seriously, how will stewards self-select?
• Steward emails applicant, says their application is being processed, gives them a timeline
  • Should we have a "within 3 months" timeline for processing? That will probably give enough time to process thorny applications.
  • Should this email take place within 10 days of the initial application? This should be enough time for a steward to self-select.
• Steward contacts applicant/s with follow-up phone call.
  • "Did you get our email?"
  • "Do you have any questions?"
  • The steward should encourage the applicant/s to invite their compadres to Get To Know Us
• Steward reports all communication back to

IRC

• What about a monthly IRC meeting for Free Geeks (or representatives in the application workgroup)
• This will help us stay on top of applications

Evaluation

what are we looking for?

• Social work experience
• environmental awareness
• Business/non-profit experience
• nonhierarchical commitment and experience
• community connections
• Resourcefulness / access to resources
• The grok factor
• Free and open source commitment/interest/ability

Woah! We are a Free Geek and have no time

• license agrement - # of years?
• documentation to cull
  • IRS 990
  • Statistics - i.e. recycling, computers given out, volunteer hours
  • project goals - i.e. Moving/Expanding
  • bilaws and policies

what support could established Free Geeks provide, or better how can we help them organize them selves?

• Free Geek Starter kits

License agreement?

• different levels
• how long

what are the different types of Free Geeks?

• have space or running out of garages
• have staff or all volunteer run

Free Geek Starter Kit

• Email list (starts with the startup list and soon moves to the location@freegeek list, possibly?)
• wiki Page (with some kind of frame work for them to work in)
• red flags to look out for (like FAQ?)
• dns redirection to their wiki page for ease of browsing.
• web frame work, could/should there be more?
• standard project time line to tweak to there needs (perhaps integrated into there wiki template)

what does Free Geek offer to successful applicants?

• social network, credibility
• advice, resources, brand recognition
• experience

fast.slow <=> Big.Small

fast and Big

fast and Small

slow and Big

slow and Small

variations on time and space

Speed of application process

things that make it faster

• we know them
• very communicative, asks questions, keeps us posted
• no red flags
• they grok us
• they have most all the parts we are looking for

things that make it slower

• sparse communication
• we don't know them
• lots of red flags
• they don't have a lot of the things we are looking for.

Scope of proposed operation

large organization

• big resource base
• potential volunteers
• large hardware donation base
• Solid core of people
• big time commitment

small origination

• small resource base
• small time commitment
• one person operation