Community Council/FAQ

What is the council for?
There have been a number of times when Nokia have asked for the community's input on something (for example, the 100 days brainstorm) and been met with either silence; or a cacophony of disparate voices. The aim of the council is for the community to have selected five representatives who speak with a more authoritative voice. These council members, elected for their views, can express their opinions safe in the knowledge that the community has permitted them to do so.

What is the difference between a council member and a committed community member?
Paperwork ;-)

More seriously, nothing much at all. Many of the roles and tasks council members will be involved in are no way restricted to just council members. It is, in all honesty, a facilitation role: doing what one would do normally, but also absorbing information from other sources to try and minimise any duplication and represent the community to Nokia; and itself.

It is expected that council members will attend more of the monthly meetings, and be aware of more community channels than otherwise.

It has also been proposed that the council would have oversight of paid staff working for maemo.org.

Do council members get paid? Is membership a "reward"?
No. Council members will typically (but not necessarily) "do" more than another community member. The council are still community members, and have been selected by the community's belief that the views presented by the selected members will both a) align with their own views, and b) best represent the community's interests.

It is hoped that membership of the council will count strongly towards any future device discount programmes, or event sponsorship; but these are a) not guaranteed, b) relatively small.

Have the council signed general NDAs with Nokia?
No. The council does not know anything that anyone in the community couldn't find out. The only exception is that Nokia will sometimes warn the council about announcements shortly ahead of time to warn the council that their efforts in facilitating community discussion may soon be needed.

How can I get involved?
You do not need the council's permission to become an active member of the Maemo community. In the words of a famous shoe maker: just do it.

If you require additional help from the community, email the maemo-community mailing list. If you require more discretion, there is an email alias which goes directly to the council members: [mailto:council@maemo.org council@maemo.org].

If there is a specific task you want to raise, and push for at the monthly meetings, see the Maemo.org_Sprints.

How can I stand for the council?
Before the elections, nominations are requested on the maemo-community mailing list. It is expected that someone who wants to help shape the community will be subscribed to that mailing list.

Will MeeGo have a council?
It's not yet known whether MeeGo will have an exact equivalent to Maemo's Community Council, however the council will work with the MeeGo Community Working Group to best shape that growing community.