My Mozilla, Why Me, Why Now?

Archives MozFest
#1

As we start our coaching and facilitation pre-work, lets introduce ourselves and share why we’re here, why now and why Mozilla :slight_smile:

I’ll go first.

Hi my name is Emma, I am super super excited to be collaborating with all of you to build leadership and learning programs in Mozilla communities for 2016!

Why Mozilla

For Me the pillars of Mozfest best reflect why Mozilla: Teach, Make, Lead. The Mozilla way of ‘learning by doing’ is incredibly powerful, combined with the call to innovate and protect the open web through our community leadership is what I feel the best chance of protecting the open web while making it possible for innovation we can’t yet imagine.

Why Me

Honestly - Why not me? I understand how Mozilla’s mission matters to may family, my community and the things I care about around the world. I believe that by acting locally I cam acting globally, and that potential of a small action is that I can inspire others to collectively impact things in a big way.

Why Now

I worry that not enough people who care about the same things Mozilla does, understand the opportunity of Participation. I feel we are at a critical time for the web - later might be too late, and that by designing for more and better Participation can do anything together.

Looking forward to reading from all of you : Why Mozilla, Why YOU, Why Now? :slight_smile:

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#2

My name is Errietta, and I hope Mozfest includes pizza at some point.
I’m now a participation leader at global events, which sounds very very exciting, and a little scary!
I’ve also been contributing to Mozilla open source projects for a while now.

Why Mozilla
Mozilla is awesome. They don’t only focus on making profit, but instead want to teach and expand web literacy. To me, that’s really important. Learning to program was one of the best things in my life, and I want others to have the same experience. Also, advocating for privacy and security online!

Why me
Well, as I said I love contributing to Mozilla projects, and this is one more way to do it. I’m very enthusiastic about Mozilla’s tools, and I’d love to get more people to participate…

Why now
Better late than never, right? You have to start at some point :slight_smile:

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#3

Hi, my name is Yofie, I am excited to help on Participation Team because we are about making a difference, together.

Why Mozilla
I like Mozilla because it’s an open community that really welcome everyone to take part and really help to make a difference. For me, Mozilla is like the true democratic country, things that we build together, are from you, by you, for you. So everyone is matters. From the history, Mozilla already take part in the creation of many web innovations, that we use nowadays. Maybe many people not realize, that Mozilla already built the strong foundation for internet or web that we use and enjoy nowadays.

Why Me
It’s really awesome to take part on what Mozilla is doing, keeping the web open for everyone and make innovations for the future. Luckily, it’s inline with what i am doing as web designer. So my ideas and contributions, i hope will help to shape the open web in future. Maybe my name will not written on the History book, or Wikipedia, but Mozilla Wiki will be fine, and already written on Mozilla Monument. Ha!

Why Now
If talking about the future, we can’t deny how important the young generations taking part in this. We are holding the responsibilities to pass over the spirit and legacy to the young generations to help to shape the open web. Nowadays, many young generations might forgotten how important it is to keep the web open, because many might just use and take it for granted. I can imagine, one day, i will tell a story to my childrens, about the birth of the Web, and how hard it is to defend it from many corporate interests, just like telling a fairy tale. Ha! (We should make a story book about it)

So Teach, Make, then Lead will be the right thing to do for Mozilla with Participation Program. Looking forward to really make a difference together with Mozilla!

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#4

My Name is Daniele, I am very interested at the participation team to improve the partecipation on my community.

Why Mozilla
Mozilla is an awesome global community and there is always something to do to improve the projects of the community and improve the community itself and myself. Is a loop of improvements :smiley:
Is fantastic contributing in Mozilla because Mozilla is make the difference globally.

Why Me
Because I’m interested to improve the web and opensource. Also discuss with others about our projects and activities make the difference in this complex world.

Why Now
My skills now require to improve my participation skills, because also I am recently a Reps and I want to improve the participation on my local community.

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#5

This is great! Thanks Errietta!

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#6

Love this! Thanks for sharing @yofiesetiawan

Yay! Thanks @Mte90

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#8

Hey, my name is Saif, I feel like I’m in the right place for several reasons and on the top of them I’ll will participate with you guys to Build great programs in mozilla communities

Why Mozilla

Mozilla is taking a great steps to improve their communities in several sides which serving the main goal ‘protecting the web’. They create a new way of learning new skills and different styles of thinking. Yeah mozilla is like pure and simple place that have main condition ‘everybody is matters’.

Why Me

Well the thing that make me can’t stop learning new things and always scratched my mind to achieve it is the passion of learning. Also helping others to learn what I’ve learned is very important to me. I’m leading a big area of my community right now and improve my leadership skills will be great for this!

Why now

Because we are part of the cycle and that’s great chance to use it in the right place. who knows maybe we will repeat this event for other generations in different regions, who will still protect the web and share the awareness about privacy and security.

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#9

Hiiii!! My Name is Tanha Islam and I am from Bangladesh. I am super duper excited to join Mozfest this year as it has been one of my dreams to join Mozfest since 2013 (And I mean it :wink: ). I would like to help the participation team in every possible way and that is why I am here :smiley:
Why Mozilla
Firefox was my favorite browser since I started using internet and that love led me to contribute to Mozilla. Mozilla has an awesome global community with no boundaries that connects people from many parts of this world while contributing and helping each other! :slight_smile:
Why me
Well, since I love contributing to mozilla projects and lead events in my country, I am very much interested to help the community grow bigger. I believe that many people were inspired before and also getting inspired because of me. Getting new and interested people in this global community was always my first choice. So, why not me? :wink:
Why now
It’s high time that people should care about the web, especially privacy on the web and Mozilla is doing great events to make people aware about their online presence and also to make the web globally along with thousands of contributors! Better participation can do solid things with maximum output.

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#10

Hi, My name is Abdelrahman Manna, I am from Amman,Jordan. A Mozilla representative and I am a localization head in Jordan, also one of the top localizers around the world. I have been working with Mozilla for 2.5 years and really enjoyed every single moment in contributing with Mozilla in many fields.
Why Mozilla
Mozilla proved the efficiency of the non-profit organisations and how do they effect in the technology fields, Mozilla helped people to be reached because of its various services that target all people not only specific ones or rich people who can use the technology, and proved that “technology is for all”. Its services and easiness make people tend to use it instead of many technologies.
Why me
I believe that Mozilla values the output of its contributors and it is concerned about giving them right recognition, so that it gives them the chances to participate in global gatherings and meetings to encourage them and help them staying up to date on the technological field, that’s why I am here.
Why now
Because now it’s the right to start heading to the leadership programe in order to help people who needs help and bring new people to Mozilla by spreading its name and let people who doesn’t know it to know about its various benefits and services, and why they should move to use instead of the other technologies.

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#11

My Name is Anup and I am a Mozilla Volunteer from India. I am excited to be part of the global gathering event.
Why Mozilla
Mozilla is global open source community which keeps principles aheads of profits. Volunteers are core of the organization and the organization is working for the welfare of the Internet. Mozilla says Internet by the people – Internet for the people. If someone wants to make a difference, this Mozilla community provides them a ladder to do so …so why not Mozilla?
Why Me
I believe that web is our responsibility and as a user of the Internet I am also responsible for protecting it. I believe in contributing to the Open source projects because I understand the impact of such project on the life of people. I love to talk about Open web and spread Mozilla mission. Mozilla empowers people with various tools and I love taking part in the mission by spreading these things in the community that I am living.
Why Now
it’s now or never. It’s better to start early than regret later. Today there are lots of destructive agents in the Internet world and we the “Mozillians “have pledged to save Internet from such agents and promote learning at the same time as well. I am privileged to be a Mozilla Rep as I help people learn different internet tools and understand the Internet world which helps them to decide about their own good. I understand the Particiaption is very important and without effective participation I cannot make a difference. Hence, I am all geared up to make effective participation.

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#12

Hi everyone, my name is Flore, I live in France (Lyon, not Paris) and I have been involved in mozilla since 2004. I did some localization (still help when needed) and mostly work with the community, now.
Why mozilla
I can hardly remember how it was before I got involved in mozilla. I have the feeling that it has always been there, a part of my life. We grew up together (almost). I saw it develop, getting bigger, stronger. I always felt that its mission is important, that the community is important. It’s different from other softwares, it’s unique. And I love it for that.
Why me
If not me, who? (Emma Watson said that to the UN). Maybe other people would do the same, maybe better. MAYBE. I can not rely on ‘maybes’ when a project is this important to me. So, here I am. Wanting to help, to learn and do better.
Why now
If not now, when? When it’s over? No way! I’ve had the feeling, for a few years, that the enthusiasm driving mozilla is fading out. People do not understand the mission or think that it has been accomplished. But no! There’s always a new challenge, it’s endless. It’s happening here and now and I want to be part of it!

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#13

I’m Akshay (asd). I’m studying medicine at Mysore in India and I speak Malayalam as my mother tongue. I’m thrilled to be a participation leader and to fly to MozFest.

Why Mozilla?
Because only Mozilla understands the importance of preserving the open Web as a public resource that can solve many of the world’s problems.

Why me?
Because the Web is a huge part of what I am today. I owe it a lot and every chance to give back something is golden.

Why now?
Any time now is good. There are new people coming into the Web every day. Their Web experience is probably going to be much differently shaped than how we found it. Will they discover, like most of us did, the importance of an open Web by themselves?

Also like @flore said we may be beginning to lose charm. If we lose people who are already with us, who will talk to the people who want to join us?

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#14

Hi, I am Shagufta, a representative from Pune, India. I am very glad to have been selected as a part of the participation team to attend the global gatherings and meet amazing new people with different ideas, learn a lot.and thereby helping the participation team by giving my best.

Why Mozilla
Mozilla believes in making the web open for all. It is not only just a non-profit organization, but also always works for the betterment of users, has an excellent global community and a structured volunteer base and has always been innovative in its strategies. The web is a part and parcel of each and every one’s life. By contributing to Mozilla, I am probably making a change in the lives of millions of people around the world.

Why me
Because I want to always keep learning something new, collaborate with a number of people across the world, with similar interests and thereby make a difference in at least one person’s life. I want to payback to the community to which I owe a lot. After all, when you believe in what you’re doing and use your imagination and initiative, you can make a difference. At the end of the day, I just feel it is the RIGHT thing to do.

Why now
Becqause the world can’t be changed by those who don’t act. And there is no refund for the lost time. It’s now or never.

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#15

Why Mozilla? Why Me? Why Now?

I wrote a blog post very recently that answered this:

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#16

My name is Sara Mansouri, Persian Mozillan coming from Canada. I am so excited to join Mozfest 2015, I am going have a session about Flexagons in youth zone.

Why Mozilla
Mozilla is about growing together, coming up with creative ways to help people understand the web, and working together on fascinating projects.

Why Me
I started working with Mozilla from April 2014 when I had my Internship with OPW program. Now I am leading Mozilla Persian localisation effort and also holding some Mozilla Maker Parties. During my last maker party I have started a project called Flexagon that is a fun crafty tool which is remixable and can be used for teaching HTML CSS.

Why Now
It is a great time to talk about maker party results and our plans for future and meeting people with similar interests.

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#17

Hi, My name is Chiung-Hui Fang, Taiwanese Mozillian. I am getting excited and nervous to participate MozFest!! Hope all we have a good meet to each another and make the mozilla/world more better!

Why Mozilla

Why not Mozilla? Mozilla is caring the free and open of WEB, and trying make world better. Mozilla is doing the RIGHT things. Moreover, I learn many things and make great friends through Mozilla. Could I don’t love Mozilla at all? I can’t love Mozilla more!

Why Me

I recognise Mozilla mission, and willing contribute for Mozilla. I am learned many things from Mozilla and I hope I can help more people by what I learn.

Why Now

I care our community very much. Mozilla’s goal is big that we need more people to contribute it. So now, it need people who willing leading get gather and discuss ideas.

#18

Hi, My name is Florian Merz, Berliner Mozillian. Since there was not much of a community when I arrived in Berlin 2 years ago, I’m currently building the Berlin Mozilla Community.

Why Mozilla
Web technologies have always attracted me. How they work and where they could go are the questions driving me. Mozilla is the obvious choice for me as we are a open community building something together having all people in mind. A free and open web is one of the most important things for me and Mozilla is an important part of this.

Why Me
Initially all I wanted to do is to start contributing code. But I soon realized that much more is needed. I am good at bringing people together and in organizing events, I also love teaching people and having discussions. I was quite shocked when I discovered that there is no active Mozilla Community in Berlin, so I made it my mission to change this.

Why Now
Hard question to answer. It was just the right time for me to step up, I left another community due to moving to another city. Furthermore, it is an important time for Mozilla as the open web is more and more endangered.

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#19

Hi , My name is Biraj Karmakar,Indian Mozillian. I have started contributing to Mozilla from 5 Years back. I am contributing in Mozilla as Recognition lead, swag management lead for FSA team, bn-IN locale lead for Mozilla l10n. I am also MDN mentor, Webamaker super Mentor, Mozilla reps. I love to do community building.

Why Mozilla
Mozilla supports open web, that’s why I support Mozilla. Mozilla believes in openness. Not only I am learning so many new things from Mozilla, but also I am developing my skill in various field. When I was student I joined Mozilla as contributor, Mozilla helped me to contribute in real time projects. Even mozilla recognizes volunteer contribution very well. Also mozilla is helping me to build friendship with new people around the world. I :heart: :firefox: .

Why Me
By understanding Mozilla’s mission, I have started my journey in Mozilla from late 2010, that time I realised that there was no mozilla community in Durgapur, my college town. I joined reps and started the Mozilla Community officially. Then there was a huge gap in Bengali-India localization, I started to pull it for every releases. I love the webmaker to teach, learn and share new things with people. So I have joined this mission. After that I was one of the people who started FSA program 2 years back to empower students with Mozilla mission. Now I am FSA recognition lead. Yes I am always fighting for web to keep it open. “WHY ME”, yes I have potential to create something awesome in the community. In future, I try my best to promote Mozilla’s goal to upcoming contributors.

Why Now
This is actually critical time for net neutrality, that’s why this is perfect time to fight for keeping the web open. Also I believe that if you want to make something for the betterment of world, then I should say Don’t Wait, Start Work Now. As because we all have limited time in the world. I think this is great time to come forward with the all other mozillians around the world for promoting Open Web

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#20

Hi Everyone!

I’m Havi Hoffman, a Mozillian on staff within the Developer Relations team, working out of Mountain View, CA.

I’m preparing to travel to London for my first MozFest. I’m looking forward to meeting old and new friends there and I’m very excited. And, just a little nervous, as always before a big trip and a long flight.

Why Mozilla
I remember the joyous launch of the Firefox browser all those years ago, the pride I felt being a Firefox user and unofficial advocate, and finally the thrill of joining Mozilla as a “content wrangler & cat herder” about 4.5 years ago. These days I manage Mozilla Hacks, where we write and share technical knowledge about Mozilla and the open web for web developers around the world. I also get to work with bright passionate Mozillians all over the world through programs and events focused on our developer audience. Mozilla’s mission and our global community give us a unique opportunity to influence the future of web and thus the future of humanity, our culture and civil society.

Why Me/Us
Late last year, the devrel team was invited to work on a program to reach and support technical contributors and developers who are out and about in their regional and technical communities speaking to other technologists about the open web. Inspired by the evangelism reps program that came before, we decided to take an experimental approach that would align well with the participation strategy articulated by Mark Surman, Mitchell, and then activated by George and the new Participation team. An essential piece was reciprocity - we wanted to contribute back to contributors like you and help in your reach to personal and professional goals that in turn will help us activate change together.

Because it was an experiment, we began the Mozilla Tech Speakers program by inviting Mozillians we knew and trusted to try things and give us honest feedback. Some of them will be coming to Mozfest, as guests, presenters and Participation Leaders.

Dietrich Ayala and I, along with Kaustav Das Modak, Szmozsánszky ‘Flaki’ István, and some Mozillians you may know, will facilitate a Sunday session called “Scaling Tech Speakers” in the Participation Space at 2:45. We’ll demo some techniques you can use to amp up your presentation and public speaking skills. We’ve been focused on talking to developers, but this session will be useful for anyone who wants to work on their storytelling in order to activate and teach others as a speaker presenter at workshops, meetups and other events.

Why Now
Why not?! It’s Q4 and I’m not getting any younger. :stuck_out_tongue: And I can’t wait to see you!

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#21

Hey Folks, I just came back here and didn’t found my post before the mozfest for some reason I don’t know. So I’m glad I still have the post here to share. So here we go!

Hey guys, my name is Adriano and I’m so glad to be the chosen one to represent Brazilian community and I will do that in a very Brazilian way! I will turn Mozfest into a Samba session and the leadership games that will make people go very participative at the sessions!

Why Mozilla

Since I started to contribute with Mozilla many things has changed but the best bit still solid as a rock: Build through people! Build communities, relationships, products, experiences, knowledge and friends. MozFest is giving me the oportunitty to do something even bigger: Empower people! To learn, to impact, to believe, to teach, to make and something that I believe will be the bottom line of my paragraph: Empower others to make us grow fast and steady.

Why me, Why Now
It’s like everything is coming together at the right time as if the universe were expecting it. Every experience I had in my background in my studies and career seems to me that I did it on purpose to have this experience. Participation only gave me that tap on the shoulder and said, Go there and rock it!