How do I start a Mozilla Community Club or Group?
Anyone who can start a club or group in as long as it contributes to or supports Mozilla’s mission. You don’t need special permission to start a group or register it in the portal however it should be relevant to Mozilla and specific for people to find you. If you’re looking to start a group for the first time we recommend identifying a few people who might be interested, and running an event together based on one of the campaigns or activities. If the event is successful, consider inviting participants to join a more formal group and plan recurring events and activities to achieve the goals of your group.
What is a Mozilla Community Group?
Mozilla Community Groups are groups of people who meet regularly and work collaboratively to advance Mozilla’s mission. Anyone who is working to advance Mozilla’s mission can start a Community Group. Groups can meet in-person or virtually and can be organized around a region, contribution area, identity, or interest. All groups must respect and adhere to the community participation guidelines and naming guidelines below.
Can there be multiple groups from the same country, city or campus?
Absolutely! Everyone has the freedom to create a group that reflects their diverse set of interests and identities while promoting inclusivity and Mozilla’s mission. We welcome multiple groups from the same countries, cities and campuses assuming they meet the requirements for validity.
Mozilla encourages a multiplicity of groups to pursue our shared mission and will not acknowledge any hierarchy between groups.
When setting up a new group the creator should consider whether a group already exist with the same audience and purpose. Groups that have the exact same focus and mandate should be open to merging or revise their title or description to be more descriptive of their differences.
What if two groups want to use the same name?
The system will not allow multiple groups with the same name in the portal and where two groups wish to use the same name the following guidelines will be applied and both groups may be encouraged to find names that are informative and help new and established community members identify the groups that are most relevant to them.
Group names should strive to meet the following criteria:
- Reduce confusion - Names should be descriptive and accurately reflect the focus of the group. Groups that have the exact same focus and mandate may be asked to merge or revise their title or description to be more descriptive.
- Avoid exclusivity - Using more descriptive titles helps avoid the appearance that a particular group exclusively represents the entire topic or area throughout the movement. Groups may overlap with other groups i.e. French Localizers in Quebec City and MozFR but people are never obligated to join a group to participate within a focus area or region. Mozilla encourages names that allow a multiplicity of groups to pursue our shared mission and will not acknowledge any hierarchy between groups.
What is a group contact?
Group contacts are the people who are responsible for maintaining the group’s page on the portal and liaising, on behalf of the group, with Mozilla staff. There must always be 2 group contacts and they must change every year.
What do group contacts do?
- Maintain the content and activity of the group page
In order to be validated, group contacts must be responsive and able to answer and address issues on the group page. We recommend that group contacts are people who feel comfortable communicating in English. And have a good understanding of what is happening inside their community.
Note that group contacts do not have to correspond to governance roles inside the community. Communities are free to create their own internal structures and governance though all leadership roles should follow the Volunteer Leadership Principles.
How can I request resources (budget and/or swag) for my event?
For every event that you organize at that community portal you can request budget and/or swag by contacting a local Resources Reps. You can find what you can request based on the size of your event here. If your event is tied to a campaign, your request will be fast-tracked for up to 100 USD. Again reach out to a local Resources Rep to help you out.
Can I become a student ambassador for Mozilla?
Mozilla does not have a student ambassador program. Instead we encourage everyone with an interest in representing and supporting Mozilla’s mission to participate in the campaigns and activities listed on the portal.
What is currently on Activate that won't be on the Portal?
99% of content will be nearly identical on the portal as it is on Activate. As part of transitioning activate to the portal we are reviewing all of the activities and will be updating ones that have out of date information, removing activities that are no longer relevant, and adding contribution activities that are missing. All of the current, upcoming and past campaigns will be present on the Portal. The mailing list will stay the same. The portal is not localizeable right now but will be by July, 2020.
Will the portal integrate with Mozillians?
This portal will integrate with Mozilla’s People Directory in H2 which will replace Mozillians.org.
Will the portal integrate with Mozilla's People Directory?
We are working to build an integration with Mozilla’s People Directory (people.mozilla.org) for H2.
Will the portal be available in other languages?
We are prioritizing localization and the site will be localizeable in Version 2 which is scheduled for July, 2020.
What kind of events can I create in the community portal?
You are welcome to create all kinds of events in the community portal (community meetings, conferences, in person meetings, on-line meetings) as long as they contribute to advancing Mozilla’s mission and respect and adhere to the community participation guidelines.
