OSE Forum

Overview

The OSE Forums (forum.pensourceecology.org) are currently unmanaged. OSE Forums have been around since 2008, but we never developed or installed a formal moderation process. Elifarley Cruz was a volunteer administrator for some time. Since then, updates on Facebook and our email list have served as regular communication channels.

As we go into the future OSE's goal is to upgrade the forum so that it can also be a part of our technical development process. Further, as OSE moves into the future and OSE chapters are started around the globe, our goal is to provide a model for how other chapters can start their own forums, especially if the forums are in a different language than English. To this end, here are the features and requirements that would help us meet these goals:

General

1. Clear and open source protocol for setting up, administering, and managing a forum. This would be a manual that would facilitate the startup of forums by new OSE chapters, including the ability to share data because we agree on a forum standard. So that OSE maintains control of its data, ooen source software must be used.
2. Forum Moderator, and Moderator Team
3. Clear User Agreement and Contributor Agreement to protect the open soirce nature of the community
4. Easy login procedure and user permissions management
5. Integration with Wiki regarding user login and profile, such as a contributor's skill set

Forum Structure or Information Architecture

The main current purpose of the OSE forum is to promote technical development of the GVCS. This includes all the tech ical developme t leading go robust product design - as well as to the creation of Distributive Enterprise related to the GVCS.This must be reflected in the forum structure. There are several supporting functions, including orientation of new participants, helping people find contributors in their area, development of new OSE groups and chapters, technical development per se, and development of Distributive Enterprise, etc.