Report from Mallory Knodel
National Technology Coordinator for the US Social Forum (USSF)
February 1 - 28, 2010
Ongoing fixes and functionality development accomplished with the organize.ussf2010.org includes design, workshop review process, content display. Working with the International Solidarity Team, I created a survey for visa request management. Created functionality for interested participants to endorse the forum without joining the NPC as was discussed at the previous NPC meeting. Applicants can send their contact information for display on the site and a site editor can promote these applications as published. Built off of the email forms, the online registration for the upcoming OC meeting enables attendees and organizers to communicate logistics related to travel, accommodations, and agenda items. Enabled online voting and distribution of results for NPC applications in the month of February. Helped to develop content and functionality for the ABCs of the USSF site. Continue to create and answer many support tickets and individual emails every day from those needing support or answers to questions related to ICT areas of work.
Forming training sessions for the organize.ussf2010.org site. Gave a CiviCRM training for Detroit local organizers for mail-in registrations and pay-by-check management. Training for viewing online Culture submissions. Ongoing coordination of website trainings is slated to being this month.
Coordinating with the Detroit Logistics Working Group, Cobo Hall was toured and assessed for media and tech needs. Also, accommodations information was posted by the Logistics WG. Communications and ICT decided that weekly ICT articles could help create news stories. Communications and ICT also have been collaborating intensely on the use of corporate websites. Additionally, with Communications, work to bring together the People's Media Center is in full swing and I've chaired one of the two meetings as well as answered and written many emails to organizers interested in participating. Working to strengthen the ICT work, met with Tdka in Detroit and also began looking for housing techies in June. Program has been asking for the ability to review the workshops, which has been implemented, so I've helped coordinate the communication and requests to some degree. Gave Culture a training on viewing submitted requests. Met in Detroit to discuss work brigades and projects content and submission on the ABCs of the USSF site in addition to bringing together all of the information for People's Movement Assemblies, Caravans, and Detroit Expanded onto a fully functional and complete site. Collaborated with the Resources Mobilization working group to empower local organizers in Detroit to help maintain the registration database. I drafted a budget for the ICT working group to submit this weekend. Detroit Expanded continues to gather interest from the international community so I've been writing more language, communicating with funders and activists interested in joining the project. Nearly half of all workshops submitted so far have requested participation in Detroit Expanded.
Conferences, events, and other opportunities to do outreach for the USSF included a trip to Detroit to speak with local organizers on housing and foreclosures support. Also is the organization of efforts to bring together more technologists to work on the social forum and for the Detroit Expanded event planned by MF/PL called the Techie Congress. Currently, the Techie Congress is a collaboration of WSF techies and open outreach events will start in April. I organized a NYC information meeting at Bluestockings Bookstore. I attended and spoke at the Brecht Forum and Green Spaces for a local Gender Justice WG meeting. At the Deep Dish TV Conference I was asked to attend to talk about the USSF and how DDTV can get involved with the media center.
