Priorities for growth

• improve first contact experience
• integrate with Kits Initiative

Priorities for depth:

• develop better structure to become an organizer
  • Organizer Summit
• make a strong translation model for our "communities of practice"
  • includes distributing resources
• include social process throughout online and offline
  • community asset mapping workshops, dialogue education facilitation, modes of communication beyond email groups, OpenHour, guides and distance learning, offline logbooks, etc

Scaling engagement: a model

First contact

• map of first contacts --> pathways: http://publiclab.org/wiki/first-encounters
  • folks find out about Public Lab through: our kits, our web presence and social media, press coverage, heard about from a person, Kickstarter campaign, evangelism(?)
• website front page issues:
  • too much information, lacks community presence/identity, not synthesized

Welcome moment

• Looking for how I "fit in"
  • lead with values
  • culturally, is the first "welcome" over dinner or by typing into a technical discussion?
  • identifying the "need" to engage -- begin with what is already known locally -- asset mapping exercise -- needs to be systematized
  • this can combat the perception problem of tools seen as speculative not results-oriented.
  • attracting diversity in the context that many active members have leisure time, are high capacity and degreed
• "When do I see myself as a part of Public Lab?" Hello Moment
  • see First contribution below
• who's responsibility is welcoming / orienting new members?
  • Welcome Working Group has scaling issues
  • everyone
• option to speak to types of stakeholders:
  • reference from Sugar Labs,
  • and Scott's metaphor below:

First contribution / activity

• publiclab.org/signup --> profile page
• posting a research note
• going to an event / meeting someone in person
• Ask a question / answer a question forums
  • serves as a venue for matchmaking
  • develops a Most Wanted List to prioritize R&D

Building peer-to-peer bonds

Becoming an organizer

Developing organizer-supported chapters