Community

Ubuntu Members

Membership in the Ubuntu community recognises participants for a variety of contributions, from code to artwork, advocacy, translations and organisational skills. If you are active in the Forums, or submitting icons or sounds or artwork, then you are eligible for Membership, which gives you a say in the governance of the project.

There are several different levels at which individuals can become involved in the Ubuntu community. Each of these levels confers certain rights and responsibilities. These levels include:

Ubunteros (Ubuntu Activists)

An Ubuntero (or Ubuntite) is a person in the Ubuntu community who has committed to observe the Ubuntu Code of Conduct. Ubuntites are self nominated and confirmed. All you need to do to become an Ubuntero is sign the Ubuntu Code of Conduct (digitally or on paper), publish that signature or send it to Benjamin Mako Hill and make a note of that in your account in Launchpad. See the Launchpad account of the SABDFL for an example.

Membership

A member is someone who's made a substantial contribution to the Ubuntu community -- of any type -- and who has explicitly agreed to the code of conduct. Members play an essential role in Ubuntu governance and confirm, by vote, all nominations to the Ubuntu Community Council. They may also be called upon to vote on resolutions put to the members by the Community Council. As a Member you will get an email address @ubuntu.com and the right to carry Ubuntu business cards too, if you want them! (We'll supply the artwork, you print your own cards.) A list of Ubuntu Members can be found online.

Membership lasts for two years, and is renewable. If you don't renew your status as a member you will join the "inactive members" list. Membership can be reactivated at any time after it has lapsed, on request and with the confirmation of the Community Council.

Qualifying for Membership

A person who wants to become a member should be engaged in a sustained level of contribution to the Ubuntu community. This can include coding, writing or documentation, the creation of art-work, music, testing, bug triage and verification, translation, advocacy, leadership of LoCo teams, etc. Contributions should be significant and visible. Anybody who is active in the Ubuntu community is a good candidate for Ubuntu membership.

Becoming a Member

Anyone who feels they are qualified and wishes to become an Ubuntu Member should follow these guidelines:

1. Document your work on your home page on the Ubuntu Wiki. This can include links to code, mailing list messages, or wiki pages. It can also include narrative descriptions.

2. Be prepared to have current Ubuntu members provide testimonials on your work and involvement in Ubuntu. For many types of work, testimonials will be the single most important part of a members application. For example, if you are doing great work with the MOTU, ask some of them to be at the Community Council meeting where your membership is considered.

3. Add yourself to the Community Council Agenda and link to the wiki page

4. If it is convenient, come to the next Community Council meeting.

5. Upon approval by the council, you will need to "sign" a copy of the Code of Conduct. This can be done in three ways:

   1. A signed (i.e., with a pen) paper copy FAXed to Benjamin Mako Hill at (+1) 815.361.7509.

   2. A cryptographic (GPG) signature on the text of the code itself sent to Benjamin Mako Hill

   3. A cryptographic (GPG) signature on the Code of Conduct in your Launchpad account.

If any potential member wants help or a review of their application before a community council meeting, they are strongly encouraged to contact Benjamin Mako Hill or any member of the Community Council.

If a person is not (yet) known and the council is not comfortable confirming them, they will be encouraged to fill out their wiki page and to gain testimonials from existing members they have worked with and then to resubmit their application again at a subsequent meeting.