Allow orgs to join OpenOrg

[jamesgeddes]

Hi there,

Geek.Zone would be eager to join the OpenOrg as an organisation, as I am sure would many others. Would this be possible, please?

Thanks!

[funnelfiasco]

@jamesgeddes what would organizationally joining the OpenOrg look like to you? Apart from the Ambassador program, there's no existing formalized membership, so this is new ground for us.

[jamesgeddes]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly @funnelfiasco 👍

Geek.Zone already has an Openness Policy that is adapted from The Open Organization Definition. This means that we are open by default; where some feel they should justify why something needs to be open, we feel the need to seek justification for something to be closed.

Since we are already flying the flag as an organisation, as are many others, I think allowing organisations, as well as individuals, to join as Ambassadors would work. I'd just like for us to be able to fly the flag higher by putting the OpenOrg logo on our organisation memberships page! 😆

The Linux Foundation associate membership programme might be a good example perhaps?

[semioticrobotic]

Thanks for raising this issue, @jameseddes. Also, thanks for sharing how Geek.Zone has adopted and embraced the Open Organization Definition. That's really cool to see!

What you're suggesting is interesting. As @funnelfiasco notes, our governance documents don't really account for anything like an "institutional affiliation" option, as historically community members have tended to be individual contributors to various community efforts. Contributors become ambassadors through repeat contribution and a community-guided nomination and voting process.

Truthfully, the best way to join the project is to make a contribution to it. Most people begin by telling their story. This might look like:

• Introducing yourself on the community forum and adding to the discussion

• Collaborating on an article about your open organization (with specific emphasis on the role openness plays in your ability to accomplish your goals)

• Contributing a case study about Geek.Zone to one of the books in our series

• Letting someone from the community interview you, either for an article or on OpenOrgTV, so others can learn more about you

But of course, like all open projects, we always need help with the usual stuff: squashing bugs (fixing typos or helping with website maintenance), triaging issues, and so on! And we're always open (ha!) to your suggestions.

I'm sure many folks in the community would love to hear more about you, learn about what Geek.Zone is doing, share experiences with you, and build something together!