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# System prepended metadata

title: Ideas and outline broad goals for our communication platforms

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# Ideas and outline broad goals for our communication platforms

## What is the problem we are addressing

## Too many channels

* [name=Allan] There are too many communications channels, which leads to stovepiping/lack of cross communication 
* [name=Rory] Too many channels/systems, many non self hosted, many proprietary. hard to keep track of all. Fragmentation of communities

### History

* Some talk about hosting Matrix, Mattermost, Discourse - a recurring community pattern
* [xkcd 927](https://xkcd.com/927/)

* List of channels https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contact_channels
* 
* OSM Community Index: visualisation at [community.osm.be](https://community.osm.be) (source: https://github.com/osmlab/osm-community-index)
* https://www.openstreetmap.org/help
* "should we run a mattermost server": https://github.com/openstreetmap/operations/issues/128

### Ideas

* Set up matrix server to bridge between channels
* Better channel documentation on   
* Home page of osm.org is missed opportunity
* Better outreach, e.g. Belgium community (welcome.osm.be), personal outreach

ACTION ITEM: Guillaume to move on "New user UX" on osm.org first page
ACTION ITEM: Rory will engage with the 2 existing volunteers about setting up a matrix server, and find out how the OSMF can support that. Investigate bridging that server to existing OSM channels.

## Safety and comfort

* [name=Mikel] People do not feel comfortable contributing in the key channels
* [name=joost] Not everyone feeling safe in the main spaces

 * [name=Guillaume] Lack of moderation tools and teams

### Actions

* Talk to folks straddling the lines?
* Outreach to local communities?
    * There may not be a role, not happening in local community channels, happening in OSMF hosted channels
    * Ask to actively report communications they find chilling

## Silos

* [name=Tobias] Subcommunities stay mostly in their own, sometimes proprietary, silos.











--8<-cut-here---
> [name=Allan]

> [name=Guillaume]

> [name=Joost]

> [name=Mikel]

> [name=Paul]

> [name=Rory]

> [name=Tobias]
--8<🔪------