[Ambassadors] EMEA Membership Questions

[Francesco Ugolini]

2008/5/17 Christoph Wickert <christoph.wickert at googlemail.com>:
> Hi Francesco,
>
> thanks for your reply and for defining your position. I cannot agree to
> everything (especially to your mathematics ;)), so please let me give
> you a few answers:
>
> Am Freitag, den 16.05.2008, 15:03 +0200 schrieb Francesco Ugolini:
>> 2008/5/10 Christoph Wickert <christoph.wickert at googlemail.com>:
>>
>> > Sorry if I took you to literally. Also as I already told you in private
>> > I do not criticize you or your work. Please don't be offended just
>> > because you are the chair of EMEA. Thanks
>> >
>> > Maybe someone else of the people who voted for 128 EUR could explain it
>> > to me then? I'm not talking about 128 or 129 Euros now but the general
>> > height of the fee.
>>
>> All the founders vote for this fee, and they all together decided that
>> it would the best solution, considering the number in a year ( 10.5 €
>> circa per month and less than 4 cent per day),
>
> ??? 10,50 Euros a month divided by 30 days is 35 Cent per day. (This
> makes me wonder if I'm the only one who is reading your mail.)

Just a mistake made with calculator (I've read the decimal like the
cent and I've approximated this one, sorry). The substance doesn't
change.

It doesn't matter if nobody took care of my mail, I prefer to see 10
people working for fedora than 20 ones reading my mail :)


> I'd love to but I have no idea what document your are talking about. I
> did a full text search on all my fedora mail but I can't find it, did
> search the Wiki and did not find it ether. Could you please show me this
> document?
>
> In January we had the "EMEA: Preliminary Statutes" thread and there
> only a maximum was defined. The fad_2007_emea_ship_en presentation at
> http://chitlesh.fedorapeople.org/FAD/ mentions two fellowship/membership
> levels: 25 and 50 Euros. So I hope you can understand why I was shocked
> when I first heard of 128 EUR last week.
>
> According to Gerold the cost reduced membership is only available to
> pupils, students or to people who do not work full time. I already wrote
> this im my second mail in this thread and nobody has corrected me/Gerold
> since then, so I have to assume this is correct.
>
> The Problem with this fee is that it does not take the ambassador's
> income or their countries purchasing power parity (PPP) into account.
>
> GDP - per capita (PPP): [1]
> Germany: 34,400
> France: $33,800
> Italy: $31,000
> Netherlands: $38,600
> Switzerland: $39,800
>
> and in contrast:
> Armenia: $5,700
> Jordan: $4,700
> Mauritius $11,900
> Mozambique: $900
> Nigeria: $2,200
>
> We have Ambassadors from all these countries and all these people will
> have to pay the same amount of money. Do you really think you will be
> able to attract members from Africa or the Middle East this way?
>

For this question, it would be a pleasure to know the African and
Middle East ambassadors opinion.

Fedora NPO is the only way to get resources for EMEA without being
dependent from others. I think if we want enough money to produce
cd/dvd, to sponsor events, to get help and to coordinate everything we
have to set up a responsible fee. Everyone in EMEA could benefit from
this decision, especially ME and Africa, i don't see how Fedora NPO
membership could affect your ambassadors status.

>
> Do you really think we are loosing people because we TALK? Fedora is
> lucky to have a large and vital community and it is completely normal
> for people to have different opinions. Talking about this is not a
> uncomfortable liability or a waste of time but a fundamental need.
>
> If you say we are moving away from the community I have to reply that
> IMO we are moving away by making the Fedora NPO an exclusive club of
> Europeans or people who can afford it otherwise.
>

But, once again, Fedora NPO is a resources' bridge, Ambassadors
project is a different thing: Ambassadors could ask Fedora NPO for
resources and help: they still remain Ambassadors, without any
difference at all.

I, you, Gerold,  ME and A members etc. are both Ambassadors, and we
will be so without any difference. I don't understand why join a NPO
could change our status, when we would able to get stuffs and help
from it :)

Personally I think your opinions are important and those ones
underline that you are following with attention this important step in
the evolution of Fedora. I don't want to cut the discussion, I'm just
asking to wait and see what the Board will do, because I'm sure they
are working hard and they have the same goal of any other person here.

Long life to Ambassadors!

Francesco Ugolini