Hi There,
I am trying to add a Fab Lab…
Apparently, the referee part does not work properly.
In “Select 3 referee labs”, there is a list of 11 fablabs, none of which I know.
In “Parent (Supernode) Lab”, I can find my referee labs, but can only select one.
Could it be that the two lists have been mixed up?
If not, could anyone explain to me how it works?
Many thanks in advance.
Sébastien
There is probably a naming issue in the UI and code, there are two lists now:
- one list is where 3 referees must be chosen from the list of Supernodes
- one list where parent supernode lab is chosen from a list of all labs
So, a probable solution for the moment is:
- Explain that the referees are Supernodes
- Change the text so that parent labs are not Supernodes
or, @tomasdiez, how do you see the list of Supernodes being edited?
This was fixed today as you can see from the GitHub issue:
- The list of Referee Labs was updated
- Incorrect reference to Supernodes was removed
- Text was clarified
@Z3bastien the Referee Labs are labs that have been active for a while especially in the Fab Academy and that therefore know well how Fab Labs work. So for the moment all new labs have to ask these Referee Labs for approval, please check the new updated list, if you don’t know any of them, please contact them. 3 Referee Labs and 1 Parent Lab is correct. This is the current approval process, so that’s how we are distributing the approval process in the network for the moment (we are working on improving it).
@openp2pdesign
Thank You for your reply.
I fully understand your process and the need for reference.
However, none of the referee list members is around us.
Why would they support us if they don’t know us?
Would it not be better to select referees from existing fablabs around us?
In 2013, I founded the Fablab-Chene20, which is on fablabs.io
Last year, I became involved in a research work amongst Swiss schools. This work led the Swiss education system to a will of change. Creative activities at school, as in many different countries, should follow the Fab Lab philosophy.
In order to promote this change, I have been discussing with several of the different fablabs of Switzerland to create a common movement.
The HEP (group of schools for future teachers) where I now work, has asked me to build a first Fablab, in Lausanne, in one of the Swiss HEP schools.
The goal is to mix teachers, School children and the public to work and share.
All this to tell You that it led me to get familiar with several Swiss fablabs, but not yet with international fablabs.
Would It not be a good start to have several Swiss fablabs as referees?
Thank You for Your feedback.
The current approval system is based on the idea that Referee Labs should be Fab Labs with experience and that have not only being open for a while but that have also collaborated with the global network. And since the Fab Academy has always practically been the core of the activities, knowledge and expertise of such Labs, this is why Referee Labs are Labs that have been particularly active in the Fab Academy. I’ve been in many labs, and sometimes I had the problem of not having access to local machines and expertise that are supposed to be in all the network, and the Fab Academy is usually a very good way for spreading them.
So, I’d say that probably a good way for this to have more labs in the Fab Academy (whether the Fab Academy should be changed or improved is of course an important topic, but it should be discussed in another thread since it would be a huge topic).
Again, this is the current process, we are working on improving and distributing it… but it takes a lot of time!
We are working (it’s almost ready!) on a section for local networks, called Organizations at https://www.fablabs.io/organizations. There will be more features in the future there, and probably something related to Referee Labs as well.
Regarding local networks/organizations, see also the discussion here: FabLabs.io - Discussions on new features
@Z3bastien … you can always just select any referring lab and alert me personally … if I happen to know you (as I do) I can then talk to the admins behind the scene …
@trox Thank You very much for Your suggestion and help.
I will go back to the inscription right away.
Kind regards.
Sébastien
Yes, @Z3bastien we are always going to help you if there are any specific problems. Changing the whole system takes a bit more of time 
@openp2pdesign Thank You!
I submitted our inscription, as Peter suggested, by picking the first referee labs.
Please review our application and let me know if You need anything else from me.
Thank You again
Sébastien
I approved your lab as Referee from BCN 
Now lets’ wait for the other two Referees (you should contact them)
Dear Peter,
Could You please help me get the approval of the two other Referee fablabs?
Thank You very much in advance.
Kind regards
Sébastien
Hi @Z3bastien,
from Fab Lab Barcelona I have approved you (we discussed here extensively, so for me this count as you having contacted Fab Lab Barcelona), you still need to be approved by the two other Referees you chose, Fab Ed Carolina and AS220. Have you contacted them? It’s not important that you already know them, it’s important that you start a discussion with them. We are doing this so that the connections among the Labs (especially for new Labs) get strengthened.
By the way, I’m admin (and project manager) here, so if you ask @trox here to contact the admins, he would then contact me. I can approve you manually, but the importance of this thread is to make clearer the process and help it, not to shortcut it (otherwise we would have an exception everyday).
So @Z3bastien how’s the discussion with Fab Ed Carolina and AS220 going? Have you contacted them? Have they replied you?
Dear Massimo,
Dear Peter,
Could You please let me know the status of our application ?
I have not had any news or reply for quite some time.
Many thanks in advance,
Sebastien
Dear Peter,
Could You please let me know the status of our application ?
I have not had any news or reply for quite some time.
Many thanks in advance,
Sebastien
The other two referees haven’t replied yet, I’ve approved you manually now, since from Barcelona we already approved you: https://www.fablabs.io/labs/fablabhepvaud