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Updates of the informal FSCI meetup at DebUtsav Kochi 2018 on 24th November

PB Pirate Bady Public Seen by 168

We didn't have much time, so we skipped introducing each other and started discussing stuff right away. Since this wasn't a preplanned meeting there wasn't any clear agenda. @balasankarchelamat started with a brief intro to FSCI & the services provided. 2 main topics that got discussed are:

  1. How to reach more people.
  2. How to sustain FSCI services with the help of more volunteers.

The 2nd question may seem redundant, but it's an immediate need while the 1st is long term. People do have a right to know that they have better choices rather than sticking to proprietary software that they're used to. It's of no doubt that we need to reach more people to help them make an informed decision rather than just telling them what are good & bad. One suggestion was to reach people who are already open & somewhat aware of the centralization & privacy issues rather than just approaching random audience. Another approach is to reach more schools & colleges since they have more time & energy than employed people who will have many other priorities (It's not like we should avoid general public or employed people, but about setting priorities).

This may reflect my biased opinions, so I request the others who joined the meeting to share their views here as well.

PS

Pavithran S Mon 26 Nov 2018 12:55PM

I haven't attended but I agree with the approach towards open people as a start as we have less resources. Also catching the students young is a good idea.
One major issue we have to tackle is the availability of smartphones and the rapid reach of centralised networks where even kids are dragged into them via the network effect. How can we even attract the attention of kids in today's smartphone era?