Workgroup: Being Libre

Workgroup: Being Libre

Exploring freedom: from software to knowledge to life with all its diversity and evolutionary potential.

A guide to being libre in thought and action: collective wisdom for a sustainable world

Charter  |  Project

Project Charter

Purpose

It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end.

The purpose of this workgroup is to catalyse discussion and activity around Being Libre leading to a book and other related learning resources.

Participants in this initiative (as members of the workgroup or other interested citizens of the world) will be embarking on a life-changing journey exploring the boundaries of freedom and its relevance to Sustainability.

The purpose is articulated more fully on the Be Libre home page.

Objectives

• Embark on a learning journey with fellow travellers towards a better shared understanding of freedom and its relationship to sustainability.
• Peer-produce a first draft of book "Be Libre" and other learning resources.

Activity

Discuss and draft: The process (box above right and sections below) The plan The learning resources (trails) The content ... on the relevant project pages.

Specified outputs

1. Be Libre web site and the book(s) including a "manual" and collections of "design patterns" for being libre.
2. A blog indicating significant actions to track progress.
3. Various learning resources.

Leadership style

• Convenor: Kim Tucker

Ad hoc - whenever available.

Inspire and catalyse online discussion.

Mindful of the (draft) Wikieducator Code of Conduct.

...

The primary author is likely to go ahead and write freely when creative energy flows.

The convener and/or other key participants may make quick changes on unchallenged or undiscussed issues. So, watch the issue tracker and draft pages, be alert and react quickly to changes if necessary.

...and, we'll make it up as we go along :-)

Skills required to achieve workgroup objectives

• Looking for individuals who feel a deep resonance with the topic(s).

Knowledge and experience of peer production in a wiki environment involving a diversity of participants.

• If you feel you have some special knowledge or experience of relevance, please participate and share.

Note: These skills are not a requirement to join, but skills we expect to develop and pursue towards our workgroup objective.

Participants

The workgroup is open to anyone who is interested in participating constructively. Start by signing up to this workgroup by adding your signature (* ~~~~) to the list below.

Comments are welcome from non-members on the associated discussion pages.

Note: This charter applies to all members participating in this workgroup (whether or not they appear in this section).

Member responsibilities

Members of this workgroup agree to:

• Regularly visit the work group pages, especially the Issues page and [[Be Libre/Blog|Blog].
• Watch pages of interest and react to e-mail alerts on changes (enable e-mail alerts in "my preferences").
• Contribute to discussions constructively (in accordance with the Code of Conduct :-).

Members and signatures

To join the workgroup as a participant and indicate your acceptance of the charter, add your signature below following the example of previous signatories:

• Kim Tucker 13:46, 16 October 2011 (UTC)
• ...

Additional workgroup roles

The workgroup begins with all participants as "collaborators". Additional special roles may be defined and assumed as required during the process if needed. Such additional roles may include:

• Convenor: Kim Tucker
  • Start the process with some proposed content (see the initial Musings)
  • Post key questions or messages to stimulate discussion (from time to time)
  • Mark resolved issues.

• Primary Author(s): Kim Tucker, ... (e.g. for the various volumes)
  • Manage continuity, etc.

• Editor: <name>
  • Make the changes to successive drafts in accordance with resolved issues on the issue tracker (where relevant).

• Reviewer:
  • Review milestone versions.

• etc.

Resources to achieve Workgroup objectives

This is a volunteer workgroup which will not be applying for funding unless some special need is agreed upon. Some participants' time may be funded independently by their institutions (etc.).

The amount of time required of participants is unspecified. As a minimum, it will be appreciated if each member could set aside an hour or two each week to comment on any developments and engage in the discussions. Extra time may be spent on background research to help ensure we produce a high quality result.

The amount of work required and the number of collaborators with time to participate is difficult to predict. The outputs may multiply as we explore unexpected related areas.

Useful Resources

• Please add links on the project's Resources page.

Boundaries

Scope of commitment required of workgroup participants

• Timeline: open-ended
• Time requirement (estimate): none (as and when you can participate)
• Meetings
  • No meetings are expected. If needed they will be planned and convened via the Issue Tracker
  • Interactions will be asynchronous via e-mail and wiki discussions.
  • Visit the watched wiki pages (and their discussion tabs) at least once a week.

Ground rules (the process)

• Keep the WikiEducator values in mind (see front page).
• Informal initially. Formality will be added as needed.
• Make it up as we go along.
• Everything can change.
• Nothing need be sequential.
• Expect contradictions.
• Continuous improvement.
• Conduct.

The issue tracker serves as the central place to keep track of all issues (e.g. consolidating discussion which spans multiple discussion tabs).

Dedicated Mailing List: ... (to be set up only if needed - until then use the 'discussion' tabs on the relevant WikiEducator pages and the issue tracker).

Decision-making: Strive for consensus:

• What is Consensus?
• Consensus
• Consensus in WikiEducator (a work in progress)

but be pragmatic:

• See for example "Decision Making" in the Apache "How it works" document, and
• Improvise.

The project plan

See the planning page which will be refined as we go along as required.

Evaluating workgroup success

This is an informal workgroup with no predefined evaluation process.

During the process the workgroup will be mindful of progress and consider whether any special interventions are needed.

The blog will reflect significant activities, progress and learning.

Approval

No formal approval of this Charter is required as it is not a "community" workgroup (working on a policy which affects the whole WikiEducator community).

Participant approval of this charter may be indicated by adding your signature (i.e. '* ~~~~' without the quotes) in the list above (under Participants).