Become an Ambassador

Introduction

Do you think you might want to be a Fedora Ambassador?

Here is some of what you can expect:

  • You give a face and a name to Fedora. You are a person, friendly and approachable. Fedora can be big and scary, but you are going to help make sure that one person finds their way through all the confusion into the place where they can contribute.

  • You are the glue. You help connect different people in different parts of the Project because you are always dealing with people whose interests are different. You should be eager and happy to work with other parts of Fedora to solve problems.

  • People are the key. Everything that we do — events, budgets, swag, membership verifications, blogging — it’s all done as an attempt to make personal connections with folks who either want to use or contribute to Fedora. Places, where Ambassadors get together, are one of the few times that Fedora contributors have an opportunity to meet face to face (other than FUDCons and FADs).

  • You are the expert in your region. You understand the culture, the needs, and the best ways to communicate about Fedora and FOSS in your region. Mindshare and other "leaders" in Fedora work for you, and need to listen to the needs of the local Fedora communities. We can’t ignore the global picture, but we need to be flexible in adapting to local needs.

Get Started with Fedora Ambassadors

To become a official Fedora Ambassador, there are a few steps you need to complete.

Step 1: Create your user wiki page

Requires CLA+1 status to complete

To edit the wiki, you now have to have CLA+1 status (which means you belong to at least one other group in FAS than the CLA-related groups).If you are unable to edit the wiki, skip this step and work with your mentor on a temporary workaround. Once you have CLA+1 status, make sure to create a user wiki page. To learn more about the Fedora CLA, visit this page.

Creating your user page lets you introduce yourself to the Fedora community. These pages let you collect useful information, like your email, your real name, or your IRC nick, in a public place so that others may contact you. Your user page is your own space, so feel free to make it look as you wish. Here’s what you’ll need to do to create

Your user page:

  • Go to your user page.

    • Click create, at the top, to start editing your user page. If you’ve already created a user page, click edit.

    • Write your introduction in the textbox. Your introduction can contain whatever you’d like, butplease have an English translation.

    • When you’re finished writing,click Save page.

Here’s some ideas on what you can include in your introduction:

  • Email address

  • Homepage or blog

  • Fedora Badges

  • IRC channels you’re typically in

  • Pictures, headings*

  • What you do, or would like to do, in the Fedora Project

While a wiki user page can be created with just plain text, you’ll likely want to add some headings, bold text, or a picture. These can all be added using markup. Every page on this wiki is made of this markup, so you can use any of them as an example. Learn more about wiki syntax and markup here

If you’re interested in examples, this user page template provides a basic layout that you can copy. You can also look at the markup for other users' pages. Here’s a selection of some that have stood out:

=== Step 2: Explore the Fedora Project

As an Ambassador, you’ll be asked about numerous parts of the Fedora Project. You don’t need to have all the answers, but you need general familiarity with Fedora Project, and you’ll need to know how to find answers. You’re most likely well versed in your area of interest, but there is a lot happening in Fedora.

Think about which parts of the Fedora Project capture your attention and imagination.

  • Read the Planet Fedora regularly.

  • Read opensource.com for more open source news.

  • Peruse the Fedora Mailing lists as a lot of communication in Fedora happens on mailing lists.

  • Join and observe in a variety of the Fedora chat channels from your chat platform of choice.

    • Element/matrix is the recommended chat platform, learn more here.

    • #fedora-ambassadors is recommended, but a full list can be found here

=== Step 3: Subscribe to the Ambassadors Mailing List

There are a lot of people on the list, so make sure your mail is relevant to the broader Ambassador audience. Please keep the discussion focused on Fedora Ambassadors and save any introductions for chat channels. This includes invites to social-networking sites, technical support questions or advice, or anything else which is not Fedora ambassador related.

=== Step 4: Find a mentor

A Mentor is your partner to get sponsored!

Mentors are experienced Ambassadors who can help you quickly become acclimated to the work expected of Ambassadors as well as ensuring that Ambassadors within Fedora do an acceptable job of representing Fedora.

  • Most mentors have full time jobs, families, and many responsibilities within Fedora. Please be patient and do not expect an immediate reply.

  • Mentors do not initiate contact, please contact a mentor to see if they can support your Ambassadorship.

  • Please note that even if you contact a mentor, they may already have enough current obligations that they are committed to. In that case, they may decline, and you should try to find a different mentor.

Finding a Mentor:

  • Join our Ambassador Monthly Calls.

  • If you already have potential mentor. Please contact the Mentor via email and introduce yourself. This email will help the Mentor understand your interest in Fedora Ambassador.

  • You can also talk to them at a conference or virtual event to establish a rappot, which can help you break the ice

Please include the following information: * Your main purpose for joining the Fedora Ambassadors.

  • Note: The mentor may ask you to expand upon this if it’s incomplete, or seems inconsistent with the goals of the Fedora Ambassadors.

    • A link to your Fedora User wiki page

    • A bit of information about what you have done so far to promote Fedora amongst your peers/friends.

=== Step 5: Get approval to become an Ambassador

Confirm you completed the following steps to become a Fedora Ambassador:

  1. Create User Wiki Page

  2. Explore the Fedora Project

  3. Subscribe to the Ambassadors mailing list

  4. Find a mentor

Once you have verified the steps above, the approval process below will then begin. The approval process can take 60-90 days on average.

If an Ambassador candidate is actively contributing to another Team within Fedora, their mentorship period may be shortened.

Approval process After you have completed all of the above steps, your mentor will approve and sponsor your membership to the Ambassador Group in FAS. Once you’re official, comment on the "Welcome New Ambassadors" thread on Discussion.fedoraproject.org.

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