Support point volunteer manual

• Where do I register as a support point?

  Als Nederlandstalige kan u zich inschrijven als steunpunt op http://vrijesoftware.be/steunpunten/formulier.html .

  As FR_BE, you can register as a support point at http://vrijesoftware.be/steunpuntenfr/formulier.html . Yes, this is mostly in Dutch, sorry. We are working on it.

  Please report any difficulties you might have registering to mvdborre@gmail.com. Thank you.

• I'm only a beginning Ubuntu user. Do you even want me as a support point? Every even sporadic Ubuntu user can help as a distribution point. For giving a demonstration, it's up to your judgement. Please look at the manual for demonstration points. Do you feel comfortable enough with the things you're expected to demonstrate? Then you're ready to go!
• I see there are five users in my town already. Do you still need me as a support point? Yes!
• Why would I register myself as a support point?
• Why this commitment period?

Distribution point

As a distribution point, we expect you to hand out an Ubuntu installation set to whoever asks for one, for the time you committed yourself.

• I have no installation sets, but I received a request for one. What should I do?

  • Check https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-be/ . If there are pressed CD sets available, recent list postings should tell you where to get them. If not, ask the list!

  • If you can't get a pressed installation set, burn one yourself. Always check your burned installation set using the CD's builtin checksum utility before distributing it!
• Some hints:
  • Do not ask your guest to bring a blank CD. It's not as if you'll starve from donating a burned CD, and receiving a gift from you will make your guest feel good. If he's well mannered, he will undoubtedly offer you his gratitude in some way or another.
  • Try to meet your guest in person. He's making the big jump. No matter how short or seeminlgy insignificant, personal contact will reassure him.

Demonstration point

As a demonstration point, we expect you to give a demonstration of the basic concepts behind Ubuntu and daily Ubuntu use. You should also hand out an Ubuntu installation set to every demonstration visitor.

• Some hints:
  • Print a sheet with useful community support resources for handout at the end of the session. Send a copy to the ubuntu-be mailing list if you do!
  • Use a fresh and separate account on a cleanly installed machine for this demonstration.
  • Use the default applications. This is what your guest will come into contact with first when he tries to install Ubuntu himself.
  • Talk to your guest. Take the time to listen. Ask him what tasks he uses his computer for. Start by showing him the Ubuntu way of accomplishing this. System administration work like software installation comes second.
  • Try to let your guest discover similarities between his current system and Ubuntu. Gradually introduce him to the differences.
  • Start directly with a practical demo. A demonstration is not the moment for a technical or philosophical talk.
  • Try not to use the command line, especially not in the beginning of your demonstration.
  • Don't be afraid to say "I don't know that part of Ubuntu". Use this as an opportunity to introduce your guest to online community support channels (forums, irc,...).

* The internet:

• Check a few sites. This is probably closest to his previous experience:
  • his favorite site
  • ubuntu-nl.org or ubuntu-fr.org (community support: forums!)
  • magnatune.com (Creative Commons record label -- needs mp3 playback!)
• Check community support if your guest's online banking system is usable under Ubuntu.
• If your guest is not a webmail user, show him Evolution.
• Gaim. If your guest is not an instant messaging user, offer to create him a Google or Belnet Jabber account.
• Xchat. Show your guest irc.freenode.net, #ubuntu-nl or #ubuntu-fr (community support channel!).
• Let your guest browse the example content for a few minutes.
• Software installation:
  • Show your guest how to do it, and intersperse this with the underlying logic:

    • Applications->Add/Remove...

    • System->Administration->Package manager Synaptic

    • Contrast the Ubuntu approach of modular packages in repositories against Win32 .exe monolithic installers.
    • Introduce the "root versus ordinary user" concept.
• Show a short default game. The smallest minesweeper is a good choice.
• Multimedia:

  • Try to play mp3 music from http://magnatune.com . Help your guest grab the gstreamer mp3 playback codec. Use this to explain RestrictedFormats.

  • (to be discussed) Do we want to promote things like Easy Ubuntu? (http://easyubuntu.freecontrib.org/)

More useful suggestions

* the advocacy Howto: http://www.datasync.com/~rogerspl/Advocacy-HOWTO.html, especially http://www.datasync.com/~rogerspl/Advocacy-HOWTO-5.html * some past presentations about Ubuntu: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Presentations

Read the Ubuntu Code of Conducts...

• [en] http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct [fr] http://doc.ubuntu-fr.org/codedeconduite

How to show "Security" ?

Make installations

Dual boot is complex to maintain... Just make poeple aware of that + Win reinstall (MBR disappear) + Share data's + Maintainance (keep data structures, ...)

Best is a cheap machine to try Ubuntu... + Ask for hardware + ask for backups if they want really dual-boot

Other questions ? [en] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Installation [fr] http://wiki.ubuntu-fr.org/installation

Help people "geek" way

Our mailing list [https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-be] is not intended to help people with Ubuntu problems. See [en] http://ubuntu-be.org/index.php?page=Support [de] http://ubuntu-be.org/index.php?page=empfang [fr] http://ubuntu-be.org/index.php?page=supportfr [nl] http://ubuntu-be.org/index.php?page=ontvangst

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