Hi
Ubuntu mate is the first distro ever that made me use linux without even once turning to windows in last 2 months. Thank you UM team.
Since most people who get stuck on a simple problem they use irc chat
It is easy accessible (hexchat preinstalled)
It is a more interesting way to get help than to google it (I prefer more to ask people than to google :P)
Keeps the community together
On one thing we all can agree that the #ubuntu channel is the most “populated” and there is always something going on. On the other side you have UM channel which is VERY useful and helpful but not as nearly populated.
So to keep people on and to motivate other people to help I was thinking that the chat needs to have a bot. A simple bot where if I say eg. “Thank you User1 for helping me” the bot would notice the “thank you” and the registered username User1 (in this case) and give him 1 cookie. And everytime he would do something good he would get the cookie and it would show like.
User1 got a cookie for helping others. Now he have 362 cookies.
You can also add like ranks etc you get the point.
Ofc this idea needs to be refined, I am just interested in your opinion.
Well, I think small communities tend to develop better when allowed to grow more naturally and organically. If the the #Ubuntu-MATE channel is less frequented or has less participation than these forums (it has its days in fact), that’s because that’s precisely how the Ubuntu-MATE community positions itself.
Gamification and other bait techniques are fine, but in the context of some central interest that wants to expand, like a business, or a blog. I do realize this forum applies those techniques, but they came with the package and I think they are largely ignored by most of the people in here. You will also find some people (I’m afraid, myself included) that are critic of this tendency, that both distorts the core principles of a community sharing a common interest and overburdens servers and people’s bandwidth with unnecessary fluff.
The IRC culture in particular is still comparatively purer when compared to the nonsense the web has become, and you will probably find that such bots are a nuisance and largely unnecessary, as users of IRC are more naturally given to participate regardless of any endowment. In fact such type of bots may be somewhat embarrassing to the recipient of the cookie. That’s IRC for you.
The Ubuntu-MATE IRC community is what it is because it simply reflects the numbers of Ubuntu-MATE users compared to the more vibrant Ubuntu channel. As the community naturally grows (or shrinks, eh!), its IRC channel will reflect that. The raison d’être will always be Ubuntu-MATE and how good it is. That’s your cookie right there. And the only thing capable of growing the IRC channel and make it more alive. And of course, you too. By both staying around and telling your friends to also use it.