Ambassador’s charter

Why become a champion for Software Heritage?

Software Heritage Ambassadors are passionate advocates who bridge the gap between our organization and diverse communities. They perform “cultural brokerage,” as defined by Jang: “[…] the act of facilitating interactions between actors across cultural boundaries” (Jang, 2017).

You’re already committed to a community (e.g., a research unit, a community of practice, a team/a department, a group of customers, etc.) by sharing best practices in a formal setting (e.g., training sessions, learning materials, working groups, etc.) as well as informally (e.g., the coffee-machine helpdesk): make your engagement visible.

You’re passionate about connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and thrive in international communities.
You enjoy learning from others and using those insights to improve products and workflows. Join us in building solutions for your community, powered by Software Heritage.

How can you benefit from becoming an Ambassador?

Deepen your knowledge of Software Heritage (market and products, strategic roadmap)
Advance your professional career
Grow your network
Gain access to resources: leverage resources to support your project and initiatives.
Connect with a supportive community: Ask questions, share ideas, and collaborate with others.

Expected skills

Ambassadors direct their attention towards others: by different means, they create bridges with a community.

Ambassadors come from all career stages, from early-career researchers to seasoned professionals, including PhD students, open-source community leaders, etc.). Ambassadors are encouraged to expand the diversity of languages used to promote Software Heritage, and English is the language used by the community as it is international.

While programming skills aren’t strictly required, the ability to execute concrete plans and foster collaboration are essential qualities for a Software Heritage Ambassador.

A knowledge of software engineering main concepts (e.g.: CVS, forge, development history, etc.) and a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities in digital information sharing will be beneficial for potential ambassadors.

How to apply? Process and tips

Choose your area of expertise: academia, culture, industry or public administration.
Tell us more about you with the online form https://www.softwareheritage.org/ambassadors/#becoming-an-ambassador
or email ambassadorprogram@softwareheritage.org

Applicants are encouraged to showcase experiences or potential plans related to the following skills:

Disseminate knowledge and resources
Connect with communities and stakeholders: identify use cases, understand strategic stakes, listen to usually untold stories, etc.
Amplify the reach of Software Heritage activities: being an official ambassador may give you a Software Heritage mandate to collaborate with different organizations and institutions.

A detailed plan outlining your goals, target audience, and specific actions will strengthen your application. Please share more about your community, your proposed next steps, and any challenges or opportunities you foresee. We’re eager to learn about your strategy.

What does a Software Heritage ambassador do?

A Software Heritage Ambassador can contribute in many ways. Whether you prefer public speaking, writing, technical implementation, or training, there’s a role for you. Your passion for software preservation and open science is what matters most.

Supporting our external communication on social media is appreciated, but being an ambassador goes beyond that. The program focuses on empowering ambassadors to share knowledge with their communities, rather than providing formal training.

Here are some ways you can support Software Heritage:

Raise awareness of software preservation in your community
Promote and attend Software Heritage events
Create tools and documentation to enhance Software Heritage end-users experience
Share information with relevant mailing lists, venues, and contacts
Train end-users and trainers in your community, recruiting new ambassadors
Identify and collaborate with new communities in your area, by attending working groups, advisory boards, steering committees, etc.
Post Software Heritage news on blogs and social media
Help us identify forges to be archived
Feedback loop: Share insights from your community with the Software Heritage team

What Software Heritage provides

Software Heritage supports ambassadors by:

Sharing selected relevant material
Providing training opportunities
Giving opportunities to showcase your skills
Providing access to the Software Heritage team and experts
Acknowledging the ambassador’s name and affiliated organization

Materials for ambassadors are available in this repository: https://gitlab.softwareheritage.org/outreach/ambassadors/program

Ambassador responsibilities

Attend at least one event per year: e.g. plenary session, community workshop, internal training, etc.:
- There are two online yearly meetings for the full ambassadors’ network, a summer and a winter plenary. The standard plenary is a two-hour online meeting to exchange information about Software Heritage and the activities done by ambassadors. The plenary sessions are key moments for the ambassadors’ community. Other meetings can be scheduled to prepare additional events.

Provide asynchronous feedback on your recent activities towards your community. Staying up to date via the SWH channels
Stay up to date via the Software Heritage channels

The program is also designed to support the ambassadors who need to adapt their action plans during their fellowship.

As with any other community member, ambassadors are expected to respect our Code of Conduct: https://wiki.softwareheritage.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct

If you encounter issues while interacting with our development community, contact us: conduct@softwareheritage.org

Sources

Jang, S. (2017). Cultural Brokerage and Creative Performance in Multicultural Teams. Organization Science, 28(6), 993–1009. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1162

Software Heritage