Roberto Allende

Plone entrepreneur, trainer and evangelist, creator of the World Plone Day. Advisor to the Plone Board and Plone Community Ambassador for Spanish-speaking countries during the 2008-2009 period.

Who I am

I work as a trainer and commercial manager at Menttes. In 2007 I co-founded Plone Cono Sur and for the last 3 years I have been involved in over 50 activities promoting Plone, including talks in free software conventions, free as in free beer and free speech training sessions, mini-sprints, etc. Most of these events were held in South America, though I also took part in activities in Central America, the United States and Europe. I am one of the co-administrators of Plone Cono Sur and I have translated several documents into Spanish and written articles in blog posts and magazines. During the 2008-2009 period, while serving as advisor for the Board, I was able to attend its meetings and gain experience regarding Board issues. I am also contributing to the Plone Marketing Committee and maintaining some of the 12 third-party products my company has published and currently maintains.

Why I am interested

I am passionate about working to promote the use of Plone worldwide and to make an impact on the foundation as a whole. While I contribute to all aspects of the community, I am particularly interested in focusing on the Spanish-speaking market in particular and non-English speakers in general. This focus is especially evident within the many user-groups I have created and to which I contribute regularly. I have noticed that there is an increasing demand for volunteers within this category. Whenever there is a Free Software convention or similar event, I am there promoting Plone by organizing mini-courses, educating the public, and proudly spreading the word. Being a member of the Board would boost my credibility as a promoter and allow me to substantiate the work I do on a regular basis. I believe that if needed I can be an asset when it comes to securing financial support for certain projects.

What I can add to the Plone Foundation

• As a Plone entrepreneur from a non-European or North American country, I believe I can strengthen the global vision of the board and Plone Foundation. WPD is an example of this.

• During the many free software conventions and meetings I have attended, I have met a great many people and I believe we should get closer and at least try to work together with other Python and free software communities.

• The Marketing committee has made awesome improvements over the last two years but we have not been able achieve regular meetings and activities as yet. I want to work to change this and build a team of people working the whole year round on a regular basis. A marketing team working on a regular basis is essential to create further as well as new initiatives to promote Plone.

Seconded by:

• Chris Calloway
• Steve McMahon