Hi Naike. Not necessarily everyone knows which tasks an Executive Secretary has. For which topics can we contact you?
Let's say that I am here to support the TYPO3 Association first of all, especially the Board. Therefore, everyone can contact me with all requests that would be directed to the Board, so that I can coordinate the interaction and ensure a response within a certain a time. More specifically, I am in charge of coordinating the membership related activities as one of the major priorities. If a member has a question or issue to report about his or her actual membership, or if someone wishes to get an affiliation to the Association, is very welcome to contact me. I also take care of regular activities such as reporting, newsletters, and of maintaining the website of the T3A up to date. Should someone have inputs for these elements, please drop me a line or give me a call.
Take a look to the the full <link http: association.typo3.org executive-secretary ref assoc _blank description executive>job description of the Executive Secretary.
What has been particularly challenging so far?
Well, the TYPO3 Community is just so big. It is amazing how many people are motivated and actively involved for the success of the projects and of the Community. Sometimes, as a newcomer, it is hard to know who is responsible for what and to follow up with the numbers. With the time I see that my understanding is improving and the more I get to know people, the more I understand.
How did you familiarize with the TYPO3 Project? What does differentiate the work in an Open Source project from the one in a private company?
Someone might argue "work is work". But this would be totally wrong. The differences between the experience within TYPO3 project and within a private company are big. First of all, people are driven by passion and motivation and this makes the environment totally different. Within a company, teams or groups are more likely to think in one way only. Here at TYPO3 ideas matter and the environment is very democratic. This means that I am confronted with varied opinions and points of view each day, that's very interesting. Of course this means also that the voluntary basis can sometimes make things run slower, or that people are less available at times. But that's also why I am here, right?
Which was your most beautiful moment?
I actually had quite few great moments during these 100 days. Just to name few, the welcome messages I received from the Association and community members when I started have been incredibly nice. Also, I joined just before the 6.2 release and it was great to be able to join the Release Party in Stuttgart at JWeiland and to be able to meet the passionate community members.
What are you busy with in these days?
Besides the support of the normal and daily Board activities, I am now participating in the organization of the sponsoring to the OpenExpo Day in Madrid (June 26th). I am also supporting the back office on improving the accounting and invoicing system, together with updating the membership listings. The creation or concretization of processes within the Association is something that keeps me busy as well.
What could we expect to happen in the next 100 days?
The next 100 days will have a clear focus on membership administration: some elements have to be created, others to be improved. Another focal point will be on the communication aspects. There is space for improvement for the communication between the Association and its members, as well as with the community. We will try to identify the gaps and to improve the whole flow of information, it will be an interesting project! Also, the organization of the Events needs some support and I will be on that as well. Let's meet again in 100 days and see what else I can tell you!
We wish you a lot of success and we are looking forward for further collaboration with you!