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<article>
<artheader>
   <title>Open Source Writers Group: Mission Statement</title>
   <revhistory>
      <revision>
         <revnumber>0.1</revnumber>
         <date>November 1, 1999</date>
         <authorinitials>Deb Richardson -  deb@oswg.org</authorinitials>
      </revision>
   </revhistory>
</artheader>

<sect1>
<title>
Purpose of this Document
</title>
<para>
The Open Source Writers Group Mission Statement has been written to
clarify the purpose, goals, and future of the OSWG.  This document
exists to help other projects understand what the OSWG is about, and to
help current and future OSWG members understand what we're trying to do.
</para>
<para>
This Mission Statement will be an evolving document, changing over time
as the needs of the community change and the OSWG, in turn, changes to
fill those needs.  This Mission Statement is not "written in stone", and
the OSWG maintainers reserve the right to modify the Mission Statement
when circumstances require.
</para>
<important>
<title>
Non-modifiable section
</title>
<para>
There is one non-modifiable section of the Mission Statement -- the
first paragraph of the Mission Summary and Related Activities.  It is of
utmost importance that the OSWG always remain a non-commercial and
non-profit organization with a primary goal of improving the quality and
quantity of free open-source and open-content documentation.  This is
non-negotiable.
</para>
</important>
</sect1>

<sect1>
<title>
Mission Summary and Related Activities
</title>
<para>
The Open Source Writers Group is a non-commercial, non-profit
organization whose primary goal is to improve the overall quality and
quantity of free open-source and open-content documentation.  All OSWG
activities and projects are related to this primary goal.
</para>
<para>
The following is a list of ways in which the OSWG works to fulfill this
goal.
</para>

<sect2>
<title>
Improving Project-Volunteer Communication
</title>
<para>
One method by which the OSWG works to improve open-source/open-content
documentation is by helping to improve the communication between volunteer
writers and editors and the open-source projects that need them.  These
efforts are largely related to helping projects recruit volunteers to
work on project documentation.  This includes (but is not limited to) a
volunteer/project "registration" program through which volunteers make
it known that they are willing and able to help with documentation for
open-source projects.  Similarly, open-source projects can also register
to make it known that they are looking for people to help with
documentation.  The OSWG thus provides a central point of contact for
projects and volunteers, helping to match each with the other.
Currently the "matching" process is a fairly passive role, but the OSWG
will take a more active role when time and circumstance allow. 
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>
Improving Project-Project Communication
</title>
<para>
The OSWG also provides a forum in which people working on various
open-source documentation projects can share ideas, experience, and
knowledge.  Enabling this sort of knowledge exchange is of key
importance -- documentation projects often encounter many of the same or
similar problems and challenges.  Being able to discuss these problems
with others who have already worked through those challenges can be very
valuable. 
</para>
<para>
Fostering increased cooperation and collaboration between disparate
documentation projects is one of the main methods through which the OSWG
hopes to improve open-source/open-content documentation.  The sharing of
ideas, experience, and knowledge is a strong benefit to each project,
and to the community as a whole.
</para>
</sect2>
 
<sect2>
<title>
Providing Free Collaborative Documentation Tools and Repository
</title>
<para>
The OSWG also works to provide useful and open collaborative
documentation tools and a centralized documentation repository for any
free open-source or open-content documentation.  These tools are
available for any writer or group of writers who wish to use them, so
long as the documentation license falls within the acceptable range of
licenses as outlined in the OSWG Licensing Policy.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>
Working to Improve the Usability of Existing Free Documentation
</title>
<para>
As many people who are experienced with open-source know, there is a
wealth of information available both online and off.  One problem most
often encountered by newcomers to the open-source, however, is that it can
be very difficult to find the specific information required to solve a
particular problem.  It's the "needle in a haystack" issue, more
recently called "the Information Fire Hose" (a term coined by Alan Cox).
There is so much information available, that sifting through it all can
be both frustrating and time-consuming.
</para>
<para>
The OSWG hopes to improve this situation by helping the various projects
that are working towards solving these and similar problems.  Two such
projects are the Linux Knowledge Base (linuxkb.org) and the Open Source
Research Team's Metadata project (see metalab.unc.edu/osrt).  
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>
Promoting Open-Source and Open-Content Documentation Projects
</title>
<para>
There is truth in the adage that there is "strength in numbers".  The
OSWG, as a "neutral" organization in the open-source/open-content community,
is unaligned with any particular project, operating system, or
corporation.  This neutrality allows the OSWG to help promote any of the
numerous documentation projects that are part of this community.  The
more projects the OSWG helps promote, the better it is for all involved,
as the OSWG will become known as a centralized location where people can
get news, information, and help with open-source and open-content
documentation.  
</para>
<para>
The OSWG is uniquely situated in this because the group is not "about
Linux" or "about GNOME" or "about FreeBSD".  The OSWG is about all of
these projects, and more.  At its foundation, the OSWG is simply about
improving all open-source and open-content documentation, and can
therefore work to help all open-source projects, rather than just a
specific subset of them.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>
Providing an Open-Source Documentation News and Announcements Resource
</title>
<para>
As community awareness of the OSWG grows, the OSWG website will also
grow to become a central news and information site for open-source and
open-content documentation.  The site maintainer(s) will accept news
pointers, announcements, press releases, and the like, from contributors
and post these to the site in as timely a fashion as possible.  
</para>
<para>
Again, because of the "neutral" nature of the OSWG, posted news and
announcements can be about any open-source or open-content documentation
project, not just those pertaining to a particular subset of the
open-source community.
</para>
</sect2>

</sect1>

<sect1>
<title>
Getting Involved
</title>
<para>
If you are interested in getting involved with the OSWG, please visit
our website at <ulink
url="http://www.oswg.org">http://www.oswg.org</ulink>.  Also feel free
to contact any of the current OSWG maintainers at the following email
addresses:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><address><email>
editor@oswg.org
</email></address><note><para>
general coordinator/contact
</para></note></listitem>

<listitem><address><email>
webmaster@oswg.org
</email></address><note><para>
website maintainer
</para></note></listitem>

<listitem><address><email>
cvs-maintainer@oswg.org
</email></address><note><para>
CVS system maintainer
</para></note></listitem>

<listitem><address><email>
list-maintainer@oswg.org
</email></address><note><para>
mailing list maintainer
</para></note></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>
It is also recommended that you subscribe to the main OSWG discussion
list, oswg-discuss.  To subscribe, send mail with
<command>subscribe</command> in the subject line to
<address><email>oswg-discuss-request@oswg.org</email></address>
</para>
<para>
List archives can be found through the main OSWG website at
<ulink url="http://www.oswg.org">http://www.oswg.org</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the
current OSWG general maintainer at:
<address><email>editor@oswg.org</email></address>.
</para>
</sect1>

</article>

