Add node-forward/mentors to iojs website?

[fhemberger]

I was just watching @mikeal's recent talk and noticed the node-forward resources (especially the mentors idea). There were already discussions if a simple list of names in a README is the best way to handle mentors and there are a bunch of unmerged PRs going back to last year.

What do you think of transforming the list into a JSON file, add a filterable data table widget and put it on the iojs website? I believe this is a great way to get people started with node/iojs, who then might in turn become contributors to the project and its ecosystem as well.

[snostorm]

Holding off on this (from a technical level) until https://github.com/iojs/website/pull/276 lands. We can start adding dynamic pages like this -- and my long longed for versions page -- once we have the new content infrastructure in place.

It would be interesting to add an extra "languages spoken" field to this data, so that we/people can filter to fit the localization being viewed. For example, I wouldn't have us filter the list to show only German-speakers on the German localization (for example,) but we might sort German speakers to the top. And let users filter the list based on location, language(s), etc.

[fhemberger]

Good point!

[mikeal]

The mentors repo is pretty dead. I don't think it's very successful as an experiment in how to arrange mentors and mentees. We should try something else, something new, I have a few ideas that I'll post on the evangelism repo in the next few days along with a post mortem of the prior effort.

[blakmatrix]

Mentorship among millennials, genXers and younger has generally fallen to the wayside for anything super formal. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but a part of it is also the community.

I've found that people in the JavaScript/node/io communities fall into pretty much two categories that overlap somewhat (at least in Seattle). You have your corporate agenda folks, and then you have the fluctuating group of early adopters/evangelists/open source oriented/collaborative folks who's agenda may be their own and/or to make the world a better place.

The first we will almost never be able to approach because governance is out of reach by the second group, larger companies have thier own programs in place and as iojs ushers is all into the future more companies will grow and want to use programs that have a known structure and outcomes.

The second group is much easier to approach when we are all open accepting, and let everyone have a say, and let the leaders who want to lead lead.

I hate to make sweeping generalizations, but we live in a world with tons of information and tools at our fingertips, structures that have been in place for centuries are being abandoned for more efficient processes.

Modern day mentorship is bourne of an old world ideal. We first see our first usage of mentor from Greek mythology when Athena, the goddess of wisdom, appears to Odysseus' son Telemachus And encourages him to find out what happens to his dad that took off for the Trojan war when he was just a boy... If I recall correctly he had come of age but was being held back buy his mothers suitors because many thought Odysseus was dead. Later, a French author wrote a book about the adventures of Telemachus and the mentor in the romantic period at the turn of the 18th century. This author, while embroiled in religion (as many of the time) believed that truth will set people free essentially. This particular story is an attack on The "divine right absolute monarchy" ideology at the time In France used by Louis the 14th. This author, Fénelon was a reformer and defender of human rights. While not the first, he was a major proponent of equal education for both sexes when it was an unpopular view... Anyways to make a long story short, in this book he essentially imparted and popularized a new form of advisory, instead of advisors and tutors who serve the will of the absolute, let's create the mentor, someone who imparts wisdom in order Denounce war, selfishness, and luxury; proclaim the brotherhood of humanity and the necessity of altruism. From this work mentor came to be a person that made the world a better place and would impart wisdom among mentees. It was to stifle the status quo of those that ruled at the time AND warred with other nations as he saw nations fighting nations as the greatest insult to humanity.

Information is now widely available, direction and wisdom in the form of how to make the world a better place is reserved for leaders and colleagues that share the same ideal.

Nodeschool is great for this, I have never been part of such a collaborative, open group where every one is truly welcome and treated equally. It's definitely the place for taking iojs into the future, it fits the ever changing modern day mentorship model--where people tend form informal mentorship bonds with equals, aligned on making the world ultimately a place we all want to live in. Where the individual takes more responsibility in making the world a better place, and working with peers in unison to drive societal change.

That's my take anyways.

Farrin A. Reid http://www.linkedin.com/in/farrinreid

[fhemberger]

The mentors repo is pretty dead. I don't think it's very successful as an experiment in how to arrange mentors and mentees.

Okay, I'm closing this.