Talk:MN New Member
Comments
I am glad to see this new page. It is in the right direction. It still needs work.
We need collaboration tools that are both persistent and trackable. As far as I can tell, only the wiki has those properties. Unless we create our own email server, emails are not organized and go away as members leave. Slack won't let us see history, unless we pay a lot of money. History is important so that we have a record of what we did and why. For example, the section "Tools We Do Not Use" is quite valuable, because it saves us from trying those tools again.
How is a new member supposed to get into these systems? Only one entry point is listed: info@makernexus.org.
MN Website is not robust. For example, it produces blank pages on some computers and browsers.
How do these tools affect our security and privacy? My firewall logs show a lot of unfriendly traffic, including cross-site scripting.
How are new members supposed to learn to use all these tools? I had to learn Slack on my own, and still don't know it very well. Can we have classes? Can we assign an expert to provide help with each product?
Where is our documentation? For example, how was the wiki installed and configured? Do we want to burden one person with maintaining it? I appreciate the outstanding amount of sacrifice and hard work done by the board. However more could be delegated, if there were written procedures on how things should be done.
How will we get buy-in on using these tools? Will we have a member orientation?
I am glad to see these issues finally being addressed. Frankst (talk) 17:01, 13 January 2019 (EST)
Thoughts
Google Docs have history. Slack history, even if we had it, is just a stream of consciousness and useful only on rare occasions - in my experience.
The section on the wiki says how to join. The other entry points are the info@ email.
I'll help anyone with any tool if they ask for it. Jschrempp (talk)
From what I know, Google Docs can have a history, but the history can also be deleted or overwritten, without administrative privileges. I would have to have help to get the best out of Google Docs. Can I see the chronology of a person's edits to Google docs? Can documents be organized in more than one dimension, such as assigning categories or tags? For example, consider a document involving multiple subjects such as safety and electricity, in the wood-shop?
Thanks for your offer to help. I will take you up on your offer when I see you. Frankst (talk) 18:23, 13 January 2019 (EST)
Move stuff on communication tools?
Well over half of this page (currently sections 5-10) is about the various internal communication tools we use (or might use, or don't use) and the particulars, technical and social, of how to use them. It's great to have all this info collected somewhere, but I'm not sure the MN New Member page is the best place. While it would be good to have more people helping to create documentation and participating in discussions about making things work well in our shared space, this level of detail about the tools seems a bit overwhelming for the current page.
I suggest that these sections be split off into a different article (something like MN Communication Tools" or "MN Communication and Documentation Tools") and that the MN New Member article contain a link and a brief summary of what's to be found there. Aside from including such a link, I suggest that the material on communication tools in the MN New Member page focus on the following questions (with my tentative answers in parentheses):
- Where do I look to find answers to my questions? (In some order: the member handbook, the website, and the wiki. Then possibly try a search on Slack, but I hope the other places will be better as first resort.)
- If I can't find the answer already documented, where should I ask? (Some possibilities: Ask a manager, consultant, or fellow member. Send email to <info@makernexus.org>. Post the question to Slack, but probably don't create a new channel.)
- How do I stay up to date? (Subscribe to the newsletter. Follow the Facebook group. Attend town hall meetings. Subscribe to Slack channels.)
JSaxe (talk) 11:32, 5 April 2019 (EDT)
After COVID
Restore these sections after covid has passed ...
Using the equipment:
- You can just stop by the makerspace and if no one else is using the equipment, you can just use it. If you need any help, one of our Consulting Makers or Consulting Volunteers will be happy to help you - just ask and a friendly face will help.
- You can reserve a piece of equipment via the self service portal. Best to get their from our members dashboard