[linux-audio-user] The AGNULA newsletter - the future

[Andrea Glorioso]

[Sorry for cross-posting - feel free to forward around]

Dear all,

I'm  sending this e-mail to all  mailing lists/persons  I think (often
with a less-than-optimal inductive process) could be interested in the
future  of what's currently know as   the "AGNULA Newsletter".  If you
receive multiple copies of this e-mail or if you are not interested at
all   in the subject,  please excuse  me  and  drop  everything to the
bitbucket.

First, a bit of history.   The AGNULA newsletter  was born in Nov 2003
(more or less) as a service to our users who  could be informed of new
software releases, events, research achievements in the field of music
& sound,  with specific preference   given to topics related to  Libre
Software.  You can see some more information here:

http://www.agnula.org/documentation/newsletter/

(you can find the past issues archive at the same URL).

The AGNULA Newsletter was never  meant to be AGNULA-centric (although,
as was recently pointed out on our  mailing lists, the naming we chose
could suggest that)  but rather as  a way to spread information  about
the above mentioned topics - and of course to  talk about AGNULA news,
if relevant.

Over  the time  we managed to  send  around  12 weekly  issues  of the
newsletter to  our  `newsletter-dist'  mailing list  subscribers,  who
currently  amount  to  70.   Honestly,  given the   young  age of  the
newsletter and the amount of manpower we've been  able to put into it,
I'm not too dissatisfied with these numbers.

However,  as the  AGNULA project is  reaching  the  end of  its funded
lifetime I  think it's  high  time that  we think whether   the AGNULA
Newsletter should become something bigger  and better organized.  What
does this mean?

Basically,  I'd like to  understand  whether the wider GNU/Linux audio
(and video?) community is interested  in turning the newsletter into a
"community project".  What we would basically need is:

(a) that Libre Software project maintainers add the newsletter contact
address (currently newsletter-collect at lists.agnula.org, but this    is
not  cut in  stone)  so that when they   send announcements about  new
releases the newsletter team is notified more quickly;

(b)  a (team of) editor(s) for  the newsletter.  I've  been doing that
for  the  past  months, but time   pressure  is growing  and  since my
position as AGNULA  technical manager will  end in April, I forecast I
won't  have the same  amount of time to   dedicate to this project.  A
native english speaker would be preferred, of course;

(c) a (team of) news   pieces collectors/writers.  The AGNULA  project
can give (or try  to give :) all  the necessary instruments needed  by
the newsletter  team to coordinate  their work  - that means  CVS, bug
tracking system, mailing lists, whatever;

(d) [optional] a (team of) translators to create nationalized versions
of the newsletter.  This is of course a long-term  goal and can be put
aside for the moment.

So, the question is: do you think this - turning the AGNULA Newsletter
into the "AGNULA Newsletter on Sound  & Video" or even the "Newsletter
on Sound & Video",    although I'd like  the   AGNULA name to   remain
somewhere in the newsletter, if anything for  sentimental reasons :) -
is a good idea?

If any of you think it is, I would encourage all of you to discuss the
topic on:

users at lists.agnula.org
http://lists.agnula.org/mailman/listinfo/users

If you are  not subscribed  to the  mailing  list, don't worry  - I'll
authorize your messages as they arrive.  Please  put a clear sign that
you want to be put in Cc: for replies.

Thanks for your time and attention,

Andrea Glorioso
AGNULA Technical Manager