Checklist for event registrations

The event registration tool allows people to easily add their events to our website. On the backend side, this requires a person checking the entries and adding the to our website and the wiki manually. If you are a staffer, see the checklist on the bottom.

The event entry

New events are submitted via the Events Registration tool on the FSFE's website: https://fsfe.org/events/tools/eventregistration.html The process currently looks like the following:

• A person registers an event with the website

• A mail containing basic information and two attachments is sent to the Events queue in OTRS, and to the person who registered the event

• The first attachment is for the website, e.g. event-20190101-01.en.xml. It is supposed to be uploaded to the directory events/20XX/ of the website.

  - 01 is the number of the event on that day. The number may need to be manually changed if an event for the same date has been submitted at an earlier instance. This can be seen in the web fsfe-web->events/YYYY/ folder
  - en is the language code. The language code have to respond to the language used for the events title and description text. It may need amendments if there are differences.
  - The text in this file is automatically created with an html code.

• The second attachment is for the wiki: wikievent.txt
  • - This file is used to assist in including the event on the wiki events page.

Checklist

In order to make the addition of an event to the website as smooth and flawless as possible, the checklist below will help you to avoid typical mistakes:

• Is the filename correct?

  • The script names them depending on the given start date, but it could be that there already is an event on the same date with the same file name. In this case, exchange the -01 with -02.

  • Also, the language of the file is normally set correctly, but check whether (for example) the .en. matches with the language of title and description.

• Obvious: Check whether the XML syntax is correct. Refer to the automatic syntax check for more information.

• If users put two or more languages into the same registration request, separate them and upload them individually with their corresponding language-tag.

• Is there an English version of the event entry? There should always be an English version of every event announcement!

Curate the content

The text often needs to be edited. In the cases where there is not enough information submitted, contact the submitter over the ticket system. If the information is enough but just not well written, edit it in a way that it would be understandable by the external audience. The main attributes needed are:

• short title - the most preferred way for the title to look like should be: The FSFE with (booth/talk/hosting/ etc) at (event name), city, country
• detailed description - more detailed information, such as:

  • 1) where exactly is the event taking place and which time;
    2) who is giving the talk (only names are not enough, always include position/title to make it understandable for people not part of FSFE) and in front of what audience;
    3) what is the topic of the talk (this one should best indicate how is the event relevant to our activities and us);
    4) is a RSVP required or not and is it for free or not;
    5) if the event is a local group meeting it should include an indicator whether outsiders are welcome and if yes, are there any conditions.
    6) Do not create more than two paragraphs.

In general the description should be written in a way that a non-FSFE reader can understand it. Avoid using names without an explanation who those people are. Do not settle for 1 or 2 phrases of events description. Chase the submitters if what they give is not enough.

Acceptance Criteria

Not all submitted events qualify to be published and promoted across our platforms. The criteria the submitted events must cover are:

• Only events that are run by the FSFE or involve volunteers, members, staffers. For example someone giving a talk at a conference, a booth or a local meeting;
• If the FSFE runs an event (e.g. a community meeting, web-a-thon or similar);
• If the FSFE is participating at someone else's event (e.g. someone giving a talk, having a booth etc) we concentrate on what the FSFE is doing at this event. It is ok to explain in one or two sentences what the event is about but the rest is only about our engagement in this event (have a booth, new merchandise, like to talk to people etc);
• If an FSFE member or volunteer speaks at an event, his talk should be FSFE or Free Software relevant. Many of our members and volunteers have their main jobs and if they are participating there for promoting private projects, we do not accept the submission. This can be also communicated to them via the ticket system.
• Only links to an FSFE activity (e.g. a talk by someone, the local meeting etc like www.conference.com/speakers/talk.html) but not a general link to a conference where we have the booth (like www.conference.com). People will find it in the internet if they are curious and it only leads our readers away from our content.

Sometimes we may receive submissions to events that are not even software relevant. In cases like this, we reply to them by trying to promote ourselves and our activities. An example reply to an irrelevant submission can be:

Dear XXX,

Thank you for the email and the interest in informing us about your training course/conference/event. However, I would like to use the occasion to clarify that our event submission tool is intended for events where the FSFE is part of or invited to participate at under any form.
In case you would like to invite FSFE representatives to lead an online training/give a talk or write about the use of Free and Open Source Software in your industry or any other domain, or in general anything with regards to our work and projects, please feel invited to take a look at our team page here: https://fsfe.org/about/people/index.html or projects we work on here: https://fsfe.org/about/ourwork.html and choose which one would be most fitting to your topics.

Adding events for FSFE staffers

• Use the event registration tool to announce your event.

• If your "original" announcement or invitation is in another language then English, please translate the content and use the same event registration tool a second time to announce your event in English. Any event needs an English version.

• Did we already mention that any event needs an English version?

• You will receive an email containing two attachments. The first attachment is for the website, e.g. event-20190101-01.en.xml. Similar as with our news-items, it is supposed to be uploaded but not into news-folder instead into events/20XX/ of the website.

  - 01 is the number of the event on that day. The number may need to be manually changed if an event for the same date has been submitted at an earlier instance. This can be seen in the web fsfe-web->events/YYYY/ folder
  - en is the language code. The language code have to respond to the language used for the events title and description text. It may need amendments if there are differences.
  - The text in this file is automatically created with an html code.

• After uploading your event visit the corresponding events-ticket-queue in OTRS and close the ticket for the event you just uploaded. Remember that you have to close the ticket for any language.

• enjoy your event appearing on the homepage and a lot of people participating and talking about it : )

Example events

1) FSFE Netherlands online get-together (online)

"On the 19th of May, the FSFE Netherlands will have another localgroup meeting. Like last few times it will be held online, so that despite missing our regular physical meeting we keep in touch. The meeting will be from 20:00 until 21:00 CEST on the conference server. It is usually quite 'gezellig' and so most stay until 22:30, but you can leave whenever you see fit. The meeting is open for everybody, and we'll switch to English if not everybody understands Dutch. At the meetings we abide by the FSFE Code of Conduct. To join the meeting please send an email to country coordinator Nico Rikken (nico[dot]rikken[at]fsfe[dot]org), he will send you the meeting link and access code."

2) "Digital Sovereignty in Europe - Free Software as the Key" - Lecture and discussion (online)

"For some years now, the term 'digital sovereignty' has been on everyone's lips and has become very elastic. In this discussion, Max Mehl, FSFE's programme manager, looks back at the origins: software, and how states and their citizens can use it in a self-determined way - because there is still a lot wrong with it. Max Mehl provides an overview of the most important contexts and discusses pragmatic possibilities based on existing examples to put public digital infrastructure on a modern footing.

The lecture will take place at 19:30 (CEST) at the invitation of Europe Direct Dortmund and can be attended online. No registration is required."