New Members

Welcome to HackRVA!

This is a quick guide for new members.

• Contact HackRVA Official-Like: Membership payment stuff, general inquiries, or almost anything else HackRVA can be resolved by emailing us at - [[email protected]] -. If in doubt, just send us an email.

• Intro: For a primer on what makerspaces are about, check out this link and this article on Wired

• Cool Projects: You're here to make cool and awesome things. Do it! Good projects are the true currency of any makerspace. Get started on a new idea, jump in on an existing project, take pics, share on the web. Even better, email us with pics and description and we'll feature it on one of our blogs.

• Culture or This is how things work right now:
  • Hackrva is a collaborative community space. Members more or less choose their own level of involvement. There are no space custodians, no one is paid, and most of the work is completed by amateurs (This means you!).
  • Everyone is expected to contribute to some degree. In general, if you see something you don't like, you should attempt to make it better. As a collaborative space, we need to be considerate of others. This means if you're changing something at the space that has the potential to effect everyone, you should send an email or speak to one of the more active members (This sounds ambiguous, but if you come to the space on a Sat, it's obvious).
  • We don't have a perfect way to make decisions and not everything at the space works all the time. Part of the point of the space is to enable members to adapt and work together. Hackrva is generally forgiving of mistakes. We would like to limit the time spent repeating work, but we're here to help and we would rather you try and fail than not try at all. You should also expect things at the space to change and evolve.
  • This space is what we make of it. We sincerely hope you feel a sense of ownership and the space becomes a valuable resource for you.

• Volunteering: Volunteering for one our weekly jobs is a good starting point if you're interested in helping out at the space. For more info on that and other volunteer opportunities, go here: Getting Involved

• Mailing List: Sign up for the mailing list. This is the place where most of our online communication takes place.

• Social Media: Follow us on twitter, facebook, or googleplus. Links to these as as well as our GitHub and Meetup.com presence can be found under the "links" sidebar of the main webpage: hackrva.org. We use Meetup to broadcast our general public facing events and the calender for all the events members might want to be aware of.

• Calender: if you'd like to follow our calender, find it on the main website and do this. This is probably the most comprehensive resource for officially scheduled events, though people have been known to come together in impromptu ways using the mailing list.

• Donating: We're incredibly thankful for your monthly contribution as a member. For those that are able and would like to donate additional money or items see our Donating section on the wiki. We also have an Equipment requests wish list where you can see things we'd like to have for the space. If you have something to donate not on this list, there's a good chance we'll take that too, just let us know.

• Classes and Events: Attend a class or event by checking the calender. Want to give a class or host an event? Email us ([email protected]) and we'll get you set up with the coordination tools needed such as calender and meetup.com access. We also use this class scheduler for brainstorming and teaching signups so you can see what people are thinking about.

• Buying Stuff at The Space: If you'd like to recommend a purchase for HackRVA, go here - Acquisitions

• Donating at the Space: Go here,Donating, for more info.

• To-do and Ideas List: Check out our idea list. If you can help with any of these things or have something to add, get in touch with us!

• Board Meetings: If you'd like to become even more involved you're welcome to attend a board meeting. We're always looking for great people with good ideas. You can check the calender or email at the below for dates.

• For Parents: Please read the HackRVA policy on minors at the space - Minors at HackRVA

• Additional Info:You definitely want to swing buy the [Terms and Conditions] and clicking around in the wiki is a good way to get some other insight (this, that http://www.hackrva.org/wiki/index.php?title=Special:AllPages all pages, is a fun one for exploring).

Thanks and happy hacking everyone!