DRAFT ONLY. Incomplete. Changing Daily.

Where are we at?

We're at an exciting turning point for the Mozilla Foundation. We need to:

• retire the Drumbeat brand. (notes: tie to larger Mozilla brand) Play a leadership role in articulating the Mozilla brand.
• tell our new "web maker" story. (Establish "web maker" as a known thing.)
• provide ongoing program and project news. To the public, to Mozilla, and to the Mozilla board.
• build a bigger megaphone. to raise profile and reach more people.
• assist with project and program-specific messaging.
• drive participation and simple ways to get involved.

To help lead all this, we have a new Communications Director. Here's his job desccription

What are the major pieces we're working on in Q1 and Q2?

• Brand and sub-brands
• Retiring Drumbeat
• Web maker story
• Community calls
• Web site
• Communications channels
• Project messaging

Roadmap

Web Maker Story

Q1: Launch "make.mozilla.org." Publish, test and refine our new story.
Q2: Scale up. Launch video and campaign around "building a generation of web makers with Mozilla."

Q1

• Blog posts. Synthesize and shorten existing posts & slides. Think out loud, tee up one-pager. (Jan 1 - 30)
• One-pager. "Mozilla Web Makers" one-pager. The story in five crisp headlines and acts. (version 1.0: Jan 30)
• Slides. Shortened and simplified "Mozilla Web Maker" slides. In static and narrated slidecast form. (version 1.0: Jan 30)
• Video. Like "the Story of Mozilla" video -- but focused solely on "web makers" vision. (Q2)

Community calls

Q1: Polish the technology and format. Begin producing media artifacts that feed into other channels.
Q2: Level up our communications & facilitation skills. Get better at the soft skills we need to make the calls better.
Q3: Scale up attendance. Occasional high-profile guests & magnetic attractors, driving participation, sign-ups and Join.

Q1

• Audio. Stable & reliable (complete)
• Video. Begin experimenting with Big Blue Button for screen sharing, etc. (Dec 20)
• Polished video. Video is stable & seamless. The calls feel more like a real-time, interactive "show." (Feb 15)
• Media artifacts. The best demos, HOW TOs, and mini-learning labs are regularly published as segments, feeding into other channels. (Feb 28)
• Feedback. Get team input on how the calls can be improved. How do we make them more practical? Focused on getting real work done? Showcasing "working in the open?" More continuity between calls? Easier to program? (Mar 30)

Q2

• Format. A clear set of templated pieces for regular participation, documented on the wiki. e.g., "peer assist," "mini-learning lab," "demo," "documentation sprint," "participation audit," etc. (April)
• Communications skills & training. We're offering training and help on presenting and communicating more effectively. Feels like we're getting better at it as a team. (April - June)

Retiring Drumbeat

• Reach consensus around what to do with drumbeat.org web site. At all-hands and community call. (Jan 15)
• Blog posts & emails communicating plans. Giving people time to get their data out, etc.
• drumbeat.org web site goes offline (Jan 30)
• All social media channels & mailing lists are re-branded / transitioned (e.g., Mozilla Drumbeat Facebook: 7,000+ likes) (Feb 15)

Web site

Q1 / Q2: "make.mozilla.org:" provide copy for key pages. Assist with imagery and art-direction. Consult on content strategy.

Q1

• Copy for these make.mozilla.org pages (Feb 30? Ask Steph re: timelines)
  • front page
  • "about" page (drawn from one-pager, above)
  • "get involved" pages
  • FAQ page
• Imagery and art direction. I have the most extensive knowledge of our photos & visual assets. How best to pass this on? (To discuss w. Steph)
• Content strategy. How do we "package" our program offerings in ways that make the most sense to end users / newcomers? (To discuss w. Steph)

Project messaging

Q1: Streamlined process for shipping public copy. Workshop project talking points in the open as a team.
Q2: Project talking points are polished and up to date. Project leads are more comfortable telling their story.
Q3: Test and refine.

Q1

• Process for shipping copy to project front pages and about pages is streamlined and documented. (Jan 13)
• Being workshopping & updating project talking points together. Use community calls and blog posts from project leads to sharpen copy for project front pages and about pages. (Jan 2 - Feb 28)
• Documentation for best practices. "HOW TOs" & style guide for crafting more effective Mozilla project messages. (Feb 30)
• Project "about" pages are definitive, up-to-date talking points for each project. (Mar 30)

Q2

• Participate in and excel at "Mozilla messaging boot camp." (Date?)
• Project leads are comfortable pitching those points to press and key audiences. (April 30)

Communications Channels

Planet Web Maker / Blogging

• Planet Web Maker is running and up to date
• Planet Web Maker feed is visible, readable, and looks good. (e.g., surfaced through make.mozilla.org)
• Planet Web Maker is tagged and grokkable by subject. Showing up on other Mozilla channels where appropriate.

Newsletter

• Newsletter template is designed (Jan 15)
• First newsletter goes out (Feb 1)
• Collect metrics

QA Process

Q1: QA standards for shipping copy to public pages exists. More streamlined and professionalized process.

Proposal for Copy-writing and approval process:

• Your community and friendly neighborhood Communications Director needs to be involved in TWO main instances:
  • front pages
  • about pages
• Each project and program's "about" page will contain *the* canonical talking points for the project. For press, the public, and the rest of Mozilla. This is where our talking points live.
• Project and program leads own the message and story for their projects. But your colleagues and the Communications Director needs to be involved:
  • at the very beginning. So we can get briefed on what you're thinking, and offer input. New "front" or "about" pages, or changes to those pages, need to be workshopped in a Community Call peer assist.
  • at the very *end.* The Communications Director will take the *last* and *final* pass on copy before it is shipped to live.
  • This ensures that all our copy is properly *proofed* for spelling, grammar and style. And reduces noise & uncertainty in the production chain.
• The Communications Director is the final link in the chain. They are responsible for shipping copy to live. They hand the copy over to developers for implementing. This spares developers from receiving conflicting versions of copy from different team members.