Book a Software Heritage ambassador
“Booking” an ambassador may be one of the most effective ways to discover Software Heritage services.
Lower the entry cost, improve your efficiency
As the members of the ambassadors’ community have different backgrounds, it’s easier to identify the one who will speak the same professional language as you: these experts know the stakes and current practices from different fields, they share the same references as yours. This is why, inviting an ambassador to talk to your team or community is the beginning of an engaging journey through Software Heritage features, tools and documentation. Having a shared repertoire is crucial when implementing new practices. Put it in other terms, the ambassadors know your business.
Software Heritage ambassadors come from diverse fields, including academia, industry, cultural heritage, and Public administration. A broad range of academic disciplines is represented, beyond computer science.
Added to this, as our community is international, many of our ambassadors are fluent in multiple languages such as: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, etc. Starting the discussion using a common mother tongue can really smooth the adoption process.
The ambassadors are volunteers. While some ambassadors work as consultants in their main occupations, alongside their commitment to software preservation, their role in the ambassadors program is to provide support free of charge. You will only need to cover their travel expenses for in-person events.
What can I ask?
Depending on your field, here is a non-exhaustive list of activities an ambassador can do:
- Provide guidance to researchers who need to save and reference research software
- Help you to foster Software Heritage as a pillar of Open Science in your institution and research community
- Explain how they implemented workflows based upon Software Heritage
- Present the Software Heritage Acquisition Process (SWHAP) for archiving landmark legacy software
- Make clear how the SoftWare Hash IDentifier (SWHID) can ensure traceability along the supply chain, across future development and organizational changes
- Explain the importance of collecting, curating and sharing the public source code
How can I get in touch with an ambassador?
As the ambassadors are volunteers, supporting Software Heritage is one task among many others for them. So, the sooner you get in touch with them, the better it is to realize your project. 2 options are at your disposal:
- send an email to ambassadorprogram@softwareheritage.org; describe your needs (i.e.: type of event, target audience, key deadlines, modalities of participation, language, etc.) and we’ll help you finding the best solution
- check the ambassadors page and get in touch with the expert whose profile fits the best with your expectations: https://www.softwareheritage.org/ambassadors/
Build your local network upon the ambassadors’ programme
Promoting the Software Heritage ambassadors’ programme may also be a convenient means to identify experts within your organization and to build connections around software preservation.
Encourage people from your community to apply by making the ambassadors’ programme more visible. Let’s begin the conversation that will transform your approach to software preservation!