19 March 2020 community call
Attendees
Update from the Foundation
- We published our first standard gap analysis of a codebase in its repository.
- We published a blog post on the Codebase Governance Game.
- Due to the current COVID-19 situation we have had several cancelled events (workshops in Denmark, Belgium and Germany). We are working hard to remote-ify the workshops we usually give.
- Our General Assembly, planned for April 2 has also been postponed; we will get back with a new date as soon as possible.
Call notes
We discussed our experiences working remotely under COVID-19 quarantine times. While these are special times, recognizing the opportunities and caveats of remote working is useful for work in general. For conference calling (independent of the medium used) we practiced using an ice breaker to humanize the situation. We were all asked to state a fun fact about the rooms we are in. These and other questions can help create a positive atmosphere on the call.
We discussed tools that call participants deemed new or useful.
- Figma, an online collaborative graphic design and layout tool.
- Various chat apps (like Odoo, Slack and Mumble) were praised for the ability to separate multiple conversations into themes using ‘channels’.
- Video calling apps (such as Zoom and VNC) for ability to screen share and hang out with larger groups. We also noted the difference a good headset makes.
An important consideration while using all these tools (often several at once!), is to have a clear understanding within your organization on what to use each tool for. i.e. develop a clear communications etiquette that everyone adheres to. For example:
- when it is important that your message is read: send an e-mail
- if you want to interrupt someone: call them
- low priority chatter/information sharing: use a chat app