11 November 2009 Update: please read through the thread to follow the evolution of this idea. Lot of great additions! I will be ending the pilot phase very soon and start the formalizing process. Stay tuned!

After much discussion and deliberation, we are moving forward with testing the Maemo Greeters Brainstorm idea (see http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32835). Note that the actual Brainstorm solution for this (#1) has not actually moved to the implementation stage as of this writing, but it will be.

The basic idea is that any member can volunteer for this activity, and it can be implemented by simply using the following (or similar) for your posting signature:

This renders as:

Hi! I'm a Maemo Greeter!

Useful links for newcomers: New members say hello, New users start here, Community subforum, Beginners' wiki page, Maemo5 101, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If I can help with anything else, just ask!
--------------------------------------------------------

In addition, participants are encouraged (but not expected) to perform typical help desk activities in talk.maemo.org.

Some notes for participants:

• Try to remain courteous at all times
• This program is strictly voluntary
• There is no official status conferred by this "title"
• There are no offers or guarantees of any reward
• There will be no formal scoring of participation

Notes for newcomers:

• Please Thank any post that assists you, directly or indirectly
• Keep in mind that any Greeter is a volunteer
• Feel free to suggest ideas to any Greeter

It is expected that Greeter participation will result in Thanks from those who directly benefit, as well as anyone appreciative of the effort.

Since this is a pilot, it is subject to change without notice, including dissolution of the program if it has too low or no participation, or there is no obvious benefit. Constructive feedback of all kinds is welcome. You may contact any Greeter, or me directly.

Let's make this work!

Thanks! And special thanks to Den in USA, whose shining example in New members say hello inspired this idea. You guys reward him by Thanking his greeting posts when you think of it.


EDIT: code wrapper not working-- any ideas?

You have to remove the spaces before 'url=' when copy-pasting from the codebox below.

Awesome! and our first volunteer!

Can one just copy/paste the sig, or does one need formal acceptance as a maemo greeter?

Is there a limit to the number you plan to have?

Do you want people with particular technical knowledge?

(Depending on answers, you have a second)

I'll take the ring to Mordor! :P

I'd say you have a third, assuming Kathy is happy with the answers.

Questions of my own:
- the new-users page hasn't passed any inspection, but is it worth putting into the list?
- who is working on the FAQ, as an aside question? For beginners, it sucks, frankly.
- we know who is online when they are logged in, sort of. Can we use this information in some way to show people who to ask for help and get timely answers?

(should I ask this on the other thread? Ho hum)

S

Answers:

- no formal acceptance required at this point. This is a pilot. Jump in and help us develop the concept!

- currently no planned limit to Greeter pool size

- technical knowledge can be helpful, but consider: the number one benefit is easy to achieve, and that is a number of people with useful links in their signatures. That's a huge start!

- It's okay to link to under "construction pages" as long as there is *some* useful content. But note I'm providing guidelines-- link at your discretion, and by all means make suggestions!

- Not sure who is currently working on the FAQ, but volunteers are welcome!

- not sure yet how we can take advantage of online/offline status. Note again that a multitude of people spreading posts around with useful links is goal number 1!

Thanks all!

Oh, another thing: Greeters fluent in languages other than English most definitely welcome! I'm even okay with the links being described in your native tongue!

So, I added my name. A little more personal touch.

Wow, Texrat! This is a great idea! I know you didn't come up with this all by yourself. This had to require some really high intelligence! Just kidding!

You guys are doing the bang up job I expected you would. This should be a requirement for everyone for a month per year, replacing our personal siggies. Good look, Council!