Overview
The Data Mesh Learning (DML) Deputy Program recognises individuals in the community who are actively participating in activities and engaging with other community members. It then empowers them to do more in the community by giving them greater access and responsibility. There is no set time commitment for deputies to give to the community – they must be actively engaging on a timescale that works for them.
Deputies will join for a period of 6 months, at which point they can choose to continue for another 6 months (repeating indefinitely if they wish) or step away from the program. Previous deputies are always welcome to return.
Benefits for Deputies
Deputies will receive the following benefits:
- Included in public listings on the DML website
- Announced at Town Halls
- A digital badge to share on social media
- Access to a private, exclusive group of deputies
- Discounted tickets for relevant community events
Deputy Activities
Deputies are empowered to engage in a range of tasks that serve the DML Community:
Taking part in community programs and working groups
Deputies are well-positioned to take part in community working groups – this is a great way to form a deep connection with the community and foster ongoing growth. These groups will be announced as they are created and deputies are encouraged to suggest and initiate new projects.
Writing content
Deputies will publish content that can include general blog content, event recaps, project updates, or content on other publications that can be syndicated through the DML community platforms.
Welcoming new members
An important task in the community is ensuring that newcomers feel welcome and know where to go. Deputies will help guide new members to the resources they need to succeed in the community. In practice, this means welcoming new members as they introduce themselves in Slack. Here’s an example message that can be used for welcoming newcomers:
Welcome to the DML community – we’re excited to have you join us! Have a look through the channels for interesting discussion – the #general-discussion channel is a good place to start. I hope you find this community to be a valuable resource and a fun place to connect with other data mesh enthusiasts.
Depending on the content of their introduction post, you can respond to questions, highlight relevant resources, or connect them with other community members. This is ideally done in a public channel/thread, but it can also be done in a DM if needed.
Supporting member journeys & answering questions
Deputies play a key role in supporting the growth journeys of individual members. They support and guide community members along their path of learning and engaging with the community. This means that deputies are on hand to respond to people in Slack and help them through any issues they’re struggling with. This may mean giving them a clear answer if possible, but it will more commonly be connecting them with other members who can help, or sending them links to relevant resources.
Initiating conversations
Deputies will be a vital part of fostering engagement in the DML Slack group – this means initiating new conversations by asking questions, posting links to interesting articles, or sharing their own stories. Any relevant channel can be used for this and deputies are encouraged to do this as often as they like.