Comms bonus
The ProgClub Comms Bonus is either a payment of AU$100 off selected members' phone or internet bills or the purchase of a technical book. The idea is that we want to do what we can to help keep our most valuable members in communication so we'll make a contribution to their communications costs. Since it's not always practical to pay a bill, we offer the purchase of a book instead. The comms bonus is a small friendly incentive to participate at ProgClub.
About the scheme
ProgClub receives annual funding from its sponsor Blackbrick. Some of this money is slated for members through the Comms Bonus scheme and ProgClub events such as the Christmas Drinks and Anniversary Party.
The ProgClub Comms Bonus is given to zero or more members (usually one member) every twelve months. The member who receives the award is selected by the Benevolent Dictator based on how much they think members have contributed over the preceding year to furthering the ProgClub mission. In exceptional circumstances more than one member can be awarded the Comms Bonus for the year.
The award is given in July each year on the ProgClub anniversary. Details of the scheme can change at any time, but if they do notice will be posted on the ProgClub announcement list and on the annual news page.
In order to be eligible for the ProgClub Comms Bonus a member needs to:
- be an active registered member of ProgClub,
- be selected by the Benevolent Dictator for the award,
And either:
- have, and be prepared to disclose to ProgClub administrators, a B-Pay biller code and reference number that can be used to make a payment against your mobile, fixed line or internet account,
- or, provide a mailing address for a technical book to be delivered.
Who is nominated for the award is completely at the discretion of the current Benevolent Dictator and the person in that role can apply whatever criteria they like to the selection of members for the ProgClub Comms Bonus.
John is the current Benevolent Dictator and his process for the selection of winners is to look over the list of ProgClub members and ask if, over the applicable period, the member has:
- been registered for the majority of the period
- contributed (at all) to the general or programming mailing lists and how useful were their contributions (i.e. did they answer questions correctly, start interesting conversations, help or encourage anyone, etc.)
- answered questions on the admin mailing list
- done any system administration activity on the user or admin machines
- contributed any articles to the ProgClub blog
- contributed any documentation to the ProgClub wiki
- contributed to their MemberNet or MobileNet websites
- committed any code to a version control system
- contributed in any way to a ProgClub project (and which ones?)
So those are basically the questions asked. Then the winner is based on how impressed John is by the answers to those questions.
That's everything there is to know about the ProgClub Comms Bonus scheme.
Winners
Members who have been awarded the ProgClub Comms Bonus are recorded here. Members are listed in member number order and the newest period is added to the top of the list.
2018
- Curious, for sharing his programming and hardware projects on MemberNet and programming@progclub.
2017
- Uncle Jedd, for his work introducing John to SaltStack and his ongoing and highly valuable (!) contributions to programming@progclub.
2016
- Jevan, for his work on QuitFirefoxAtTime and Pcphpjs; and his contributions to programming@progclub.
2015
Missed due to chronic disorganisation.
2014
- Chris, for his work on Pccipher firefox addon.
2013
Missed due to illness.
2012
- SanguineV, for his work on pcad and contributing to the mailing lists.
- Adriano, for his work on pcphpjs.
2011
- Tasaio, for: contributing to the mailing lists and helping with system administration.
- Key, for: contributing to the mailing lists, contributing to the wiki, contributing to her MemberNet and MobileNet sites and hacking on the pcmnet project (including code and documentation).
