SeaGL speaker Q&A: Rikki Endsley

Rikki gives her talk titled, “The proper care and feeding of communities and carnivorous plants” on Saturday afternoon.

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?

A: I’m the community manager and an editor for Opensource.com, a community publication supported by Red Hat. My background is in tech publishing, and before I joined Red Hat as a community evangelist for the Open Source and Standards team almost three years ago, I wrote for and/or edited a bunch of different publications, such as: Linux Magazine, Ubuntu User, ADMIN Magazine, UnixReview.com, Sys Admin Magazine, NetworkWorld.com, Linux.com, ITWorld, and more. I also worked as the Associate Publisher at Linux New Media USA, which means I wore lots of hats for our English publications.

Q: Without tipping your hand on the actual talk, can you give us an idea of what we might expect?

A: I adopted a Venus fly trap, named Gordon, last summer, which ended up requiring a lot more thought and upkeep than expected. I don’t have a green thumb and manage to kill succulents and air plants, so I should have waded into the distilled waters of carnivorous plant care more carefully. As I tried caring for this cute, fun little creature that depended on me for its survival, I started seeing similarities between taking care of a carnivorous plant and an open source community. In my talk, I’ll share a few best practices for how to care for both, and I’ll give an update on what happened to Gordon.

Q: Is this your first visit to SeaGL? If so, what are your expectations? If not, can you give us your impressions of the event?

A: This will be my first visit, but I’ve wanted to attend it every year. I don’t have any specific expectations, so go ahead and surprise me.

Q: What do you want to get out of SeaGL?

A: I’m looking forward to seeing friends and Opensource.com writers, and I’m hoping to meet lots of new people. I’d love it if I found a few new contributors for Opensource.com.