[Xen-API] GSOC 2012 Feedback on Xen.org

[Lars Kurth <lars.kurth@xxxxxxx>]

Guys,

we just got off the call regarding GSOC 2012 feedback. As you know, we 
did not make it this year. Fundamentally a number of things are going on:
a) Google is mixing up mentoring orgs a little to give new organizations 
a chance
b) Some organizations which had good applications and ideas pages got 
caught out by this
This was actually not the case for us:
- Positive feedback on outcome in 2011
- Good application
- Bad ideas page !!!

In a nutshell, Google chooses a returning mentoring org basically on the 
quality and content of the ideas page. This means
a) General information for students
b) Clarity, expectation setting, process, etc.
c) Quantity of ideas (relative to size of community)
d) Quality of ideas (detail, how clear, are mentors assigned, etc.)

Specific feedback we got was that our ideas were not well enough formed 
or described and that we did not make it because of this. Also that 
there was generally too little guidance for students on it. This means 
that next year, we will need to have ideas well formulated, vetted, 
mentors assigned and everything presented nicely by the time we apply as 
mentoring organization for GSoC. I guess we got away with not doing this 
in 2011, because we were still considered a new mentoring org. So in a 
nutshell, because we succeeded two times in a row the bar has been 
raised and we were not aware of it.
In a nutshell:
- We need to start the process of collating ideas straight in the new 
year (or even before XMas)
- We need to decide how to run the program and publish this on the ideas 
page before we apply
- Use February to decide which ideas to put forward, identify mentors, 
tidy the ideas, etc.
- Clean everything up and make it presentable and look nice
- We will also need to show a degree of maturity on the ideas page*)

Basically, we will need to do signifcant work for GSoC before we get 
accepted on the assumption that we will. Do let me know if you have any 
questions.
Best Regards
Lars
-----
*) Aka process and information to help set expectations. We need to 
include all information for students and mentors when we apply for GSoC. 
We actually had a lot of this from 2011, but I took it out out because 
we were going to make significant changes which we had not yet agreed. 
Obviously that was a mistake.


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