Eric Goldhagen
Wed, 01/09/2008 - 16:33 — ericg
What is your motivation for being a member of the Drupal Association?:
I have been using drupal and therefor participating in different ways in the drupal community for about 3.5 years. My motivation for wanting to participate in the Drupal Association is mainly based in a desire to see the small and non-profit groups that have been using drupal for a long time continue to have a voice in the larger process. I want to make sure that there is a focus on substance and the larger community instead of buzzwords and the few high-profile companies that have recently started using drupal. I want to see drupal continue to grow in a community-centric way and avoid becoming trapped in old-school traditional/corporate models.
What are the primary goals you would like to work on?:
My goals would be to help expand the community-centric infrastructure for hosting training/educational materials and for organizing free community-centric events such as Drupal Camps. I would also like to epxand the work I already do in promoting drupal as an example of Free Software done right when I do presentations at conferences and seminars about free and open source software
What strategy will you employ in order to accomplish said goals?:
Work with others in the drupal community on setup, maintenance and finding funding for the community infrastructure I'd like to see. Continue to attend conferences and promote drupal in my presentations about Free Software.
What yearly budget would you need in order to accomplish said goals?:
That would depend many factors, but the costs necessary should not be too high. I would hope that my activities would, in the long-run, bring in more than they would take.
What strengths/experience you have to help you accomplish the goals?:
I have been on the Board of Directors of a non-profit in New York City for 8 years (ABC No Rio). ABC No Rio is an organization that tries its best to experiment with non-traditional structures for organizing -- doing what is necessary to exist as a legal non-profit organization while allowing for a collective process and non-hierarchical structure. There is a lot I've learned from this experiment that I'd like to share with the drupal community.
How long have you been using Drupal, and how'd you get your start?:
For over 3.5 years. I was looking for a new CMS to use when slashcode backed away from being a community-centric codebase. After a long review of the options that were available, I found drupal. Since then drupal has been a critical tool in my Free Software toolbox.
Have you made existing community contributions, and if so, what?:
drupal related: I have done what I can to help new users in the forum; I have promoted drupal at conferences; I have done many free drupal workshops and trainings.
Other: Depending on where I consider the starting point , I have been a community activist/technologist for somewhere between 22-28 years... listing all that I have done in that time would be a waste of 0s and 1s.
How much time can you invest in your Drupal Association work?:
5 hours/month
Apply for Board of Directors membership:
Apply for Permanent Membership only
Statutes:
I have read and understood the Statutes of the Drupal Association. I am prepared to participate by following those statutes.
Comments
Do you have an account on g.d.o?
I looked for ericg and didn't find you... I'm curious as to your activity in http://groups.drupal.org/new-york-city and http://groups.drupal.org/drupal-dojo based on your app.
I do agree with Benjamin that businesses definitely aren't the only market that needs to be explored when we talk about expanding Drupal's footprint.
yes, but
http://groups.drupal.org/user/1000/
I do have a g.d.o account, but understand that most of my work and effort in the world of nyc drupal and drupal trainings has been real-world, face-to-face activity and work, rather than online interaction.
My desire to help build more community-based infrastructure for trainings and drupal camps, etc (in a manner similar to g.d.o) is based more on conversations I have had with others, and what folks doing more work on those fronts have expressed a need for than it is based on my own efforts on those fronts.
simply vouching
A lot of what Eric has done has been really hands on via local outreach and community groups. Although he's extremely active in the world of OSS and Drupal via the web his approach is different than most and is more grassroots, hands on, and real-world community oriented. For example Eric and I both went from NYC to San Jose for a Public Education Government (PEG) conference wherein we both gave various lectures/talk/sessions on the use of OSS and the use of Drupal throughout PEG. His contributions in the PEG community have been fairly massive even though he has consistently played a "behind the scenes" role. Little to none of this is on the web in a manner that could be quickly counted/quantified.
I just wanted it to be a bit clear that Eric's contributions are a bit hard to quantify from the tracker or commits as his real value has been, and will probably continue to be, more in the physical world of person to person contacts. This is also why I think it would great to see him in the association as I see his input invaluable when trying to merge what happens in the virtual world to the physical world. In particular I'm very interested to having his opinion on how to best continue to meet the needs of the non-profit, activist and social-minded organizations during a time when Drupal is increasingly being sought after and funded by major corporations that *might* have other plans.
seconding...
I think Eric's input would be invaluable to the association. I have worked with him on various Drupal and non-Drupal projects while in NYC and he always adds a good element of grassroots and community feedback to any conversation. On several occasions I've been "checked" by him and he is one of those people whose opinion I highly value.
Eric was one of the first, if not THE first, person that really got me into the Drupal scene.
An important approach
If we were to to endorse applications, I'd be putting a +1 on Angela Byron's and Jeff Eaton's and quite a few others.
I'm compelled to write here, however, because Eric Goldhagen's application represents not only a thoughtful community leader willing to work hard for Drupal, but an approach to sustaining the long tail of the Drupal community that is consistent with the Association's mission. (Hey, I had to throw a buzzword in here somewhere.)
A focus on marketing Drupal has a tendency to trend toward marketing to businesses. This is natural and important. However, there is a risk that the grassroots of the Drupal community will be assumed just fine. The small groups that use Drupal and the new individual developers that are its future are valued by all but the strength and vitality of this part of the community may be taken for granted, and consequently under-supported.
Eric's application, in the primary goals section, seems to me a very good vision for how the Drupal Association can support the whole Drupal community and bring a vital bottom-up, organic growth approach that strengthens and completes the overall purpose.
Education, events, and infrastructure (including of course groups.drupal.org, perhaps support to Drupal Dojo) will certainly be pursued by the Drupal Association. Eric's energy, passion, and community experience, evidenced here, will ensure these efforts make our growing population of Drupal users, developers, themers, administrators, and service providers grow also more inclusive, inviting, and cohesive.
Disclosure: Agaric Design Collective, of which I am a part, has worked with May First People Link, a major provider of hosted Drupal to largely small and nonprofit groups (within the context of viewing the Internet as a social movement), and we understand that Eric's OpenFlows regularly works with May First People Link (and is held in high regard by them!). Also I think we did steal some of the fantastic "Why Open Source" text – the spirit at least – from their web site well before any of this.