The Volunteers
We depend upon our volunteers in every aspect of our mission
and operation. We are grateful for their dedication to our mission
and in exchange we hope that we provide them with invaluable experience
with one of the most exciting new technologies in our time: 802.11
wireless. Further, we can't describe how rewarding it is to install
a new hotspot and see the smile on the faces of the proprietors
and their customers. It's community service at its best, because
not only does it enable us to make Austin "less wired," it turns
strangers into friends, builds new relationships with local businesses,
strengthens ties between businesses and the community, and improves
the quality of life in Austin. Our volunteers are divided into
three groups.
Walkers
Walkers are the volunteers who walk through their communities
and neighbhoorhoods and identify appropriate venues for publicly-available
free wifi. Typically these venues are owned or operated by independent
businesses or non-profit organizations with lots of public contact
such as coffee shops, cafes, pubs and bars, restaurants, bookstores,
and community centers. The Walkers explain the benefits and process
of installing a publicly-available free wifi hotspot. They also
conduct a preliminary "site survey," taking note of broadband
service provider, presence of office or business computers, ease
of installation, and radio coverage issues.
Hotspotters
Hotspotters are the volunteers who actually conduct the hotspot
install based on information gathered by the Walkers. They arrive
in small teams equipped with cabling, crimping tools, staple guns,
2-way radios, access points, and the wifi hotspot server--a used
PC running special hotspot software. Typically, this PC will be
located in a back office near the broadband modem.
Caretakers
Caretakers are the volunteers who are responsible for monitoring
and maintaining the service after it's been installed. Because
our community network is not a monolithic megacorporation with
800 customer service numbers and large call-centers, we hope that
users of the free wifi service recognize and remember that we
are providing the best support we can with limited resources.
That said, we strive to provide user support that rivals the biggest
monoliths! Let's see what happens. The primary way of contacting
the Network Caretakers responsible for a particular hotspot is
via email. We understand that this could be problematic if the
service is unavailable at a venue due to a problem. Over the next
few months, we will be experimenting with inexpensive voicemail
technology to augment contacting us via email.
Coordinator Positions
Coordinator positions are highly responsible positions
requiring organizational and verbal and written communication
skills. These are new positions requiring the development
of new processes and documentation to define their respective
functions within the organization. There are bi-weekly meetings,
other meetings as required, and public contact. Coordinators
report to the Executive Director.
Volunteer Coordinator
The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for recruitment,
training, and retention of Project personnel. The VC will
develop and provide general orientation and training to
all new recruits. Some volunteers will need position-specific
training (eg, walkers, hotspotters, and caretakers) to be
developed and provided by the relevant Leads. The Volunteer
coordinator will ensure that all volunteers have received
their proper training before providing service to the public.
Since continuing education is priority for the Project,
the VC will be responsible for working with the Leads to
develop meaningful curriculum and certification whenever
possible. The VC will be responsible for maintaining the
personnel records of the volunteers.
Vacant Coordinator Positions
Service Coordinator
The Service Coodinator is the primary contact point for
the Project when the public seeks service. Service requests
include new hotspot installation, existing hotspot upgrade,
venue equipment or service failure, end-user assistance,
new WiFi user orientation, or any other request for resources
from the Project. The requests arrive by email, postal mail,
voicemail, or in person. It is the responsibility of the
Service Coordinator to route the request for service to
the proper parts of the organization and followup to make
sure that the service is delivered satisfactorily.
Public Relations Coordinator
The Public Relations Coordinator will be responsible for
marshalling the Project's resources around temporary, event-oriented
service requests such as fairs, shows, conferences, and
festivals.
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To become a volunteer, please send a blank message to:
recruits-subscribe@austinwirelesscity.org . You'll start to receive
notifications for upcoming volunteer orientation and training
sessions. To stop receiving notifications, please send a blank
message to recruits-unsubscribe@austinwirelesscity.org
For more information, email info at austinwirelesscity.org
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