What happens when you mandate masks at a conference now that most people no longer wear them but medically vulnerable people are still at risk because #CovidIsNotOver? In the case of #PyConUS, the conference sells out.
Why a masking policy? “Many of us and our fellow community members can’t attend without health and safety guidelines in place. We want PyCon US to be an event that everyone feels safe attending,” organizers explained.
Well done @pycon https://fosstodon.org/@pycon/112445571644276379
To those who follow this account for #Covid rants and politely tolerate my posts about the wonderful and elegant #Python programming language I’ve used almost daily for over a decade: The #pycon2024 conference required masks because they apparently haven’t stopped caring about the people behind the keyboards.
Yes, masks. In 2024. At a tech conference. It’s a beautiful thing.
Enormous news! the Python Software Foundation now has a 5 year commitment with Fastly to deliver @pypi, us.pycon.org, and much more. We appreciate you and your continued investment in the #python community, Fastly! #PyConUS
Out of curiosity, I searched for the #PyConUS hashtag on Mastodon and Twitter and scrolled back 16 hours and started counting posts. 🤔
I counted:
87 posts on Twitter on the PyCon hashtag 🐦
134 posts on Mastodon on the PyCon hashtag 🐘
The PyCon conversations have finally moved (mostly) to Mastodon! 🙌
Not a HUGE difference, but enough that I felt like there was more activity and decided to confirm my suspicion. 💗
I have tested every day since coming home from #PyConUS, a 2700 person indoor conference, and have so far tested negative for COVID each day.
Masks. Work.
Okay time for the big announcement. @blackpythondevs is officially operating as a US Non-Profit under the @Gnome foundation! #PyConUS.
You can now contribute directly to our efforts.
Learn more about our descision here - https://blackpythondevs.com/2024-05-17-non-profit-announcement/
Tips to prevent maintainer burnout from the beautiful soup maintainer. A single maintainer managing a package will millions of users
*ask users to contribute issues before a pr
* practice defensive programming. Use warnings to point to common user mistakes
Another #PyConUS accessibility thing that is *HUGE* but never seen as an accessibility thing:
SIGNAGE.
Having signs outside talks saying what talk was next, having signs directing you towards lunch or checkin, etc, is a big deal.
For anxious people, or people who have rejection sensitivity, or people who have social-related trauma, knowing the door you are about to open is the right door is a big deal.
PyConUS did pretty good here!
“PyCon has all these workshops on how to get into open source, but it doesn’t have any on how to get out”
(Followed by a mix of laughter and knowing groans)