Merge branch 'blog/summer-2024-updates' into develop

app/web/markdown/blog.md

@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@ title: Blog
 
 If you'd like to contribute to the blog, please [sign up](/volunteer) and let us know!
 
+## [Summer 2024 updates](/blog/2024/09/08/summer-2024-updates)
+
+2024/09/08.
+
+Catch up on news with Couchers: read about what's been going on and what's coming up this in the rest of 2024!
+
+[Read more.](/blog/2024/09/08/summer-2024-updates)
+
 ## [Where we are and where we are going](/blog/2024/06/12/where-we-are-and-where-we-are-going)
 
 2024/06/12.

app/web/markdown/blog/2024/09/08/summer-2024-updates.md

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+---
+title: "Summer of 2024 Updates"
+slug: summer-2024-updates
+description: "Catch up on news with Couchers: read about what's been going on and what's coming up this in the rest of 2024!"
+date: 2024/09/08
+author: Aapeli
+share_image: https://couchers.org/img/share.jpg
+---
+
+Hi all, we're excited to share with you some news on the Couchers project as well as some updates on what we're still working on and will be releasing next! It's been a while since we sent a newsletter or updated the community on what the volunteering team has been up to, so there are quite a few things to cover.
+
+Many of you might have noticed that there was a period of inactivity on the project: but worry not, we are back! I wrote a little bit about what happened that caused the inactivity and what we've done to make sure we keep moving forward with a steady pace in the future on our [last blog post](https://couchers.org/blog/2024/06/12/where-we-are-and-where-we-are-going).
+
+
+## Public roadmap and milestones
+
+We are launching a new [Roadmap page](https://couchers.org/roadmap) that we will keep up to date with the latest developments on what has been worked on and what the priorities are next. A lot of people asked us to communicate more clearly what the strategic and development goals of the project are, so we hope this will help you keep up to date.
+
+We currently build around a quarter-based system of strategic *milestones*. We divide the year into calendar quarters, Q1 (Jan to Mar) to Q4 (Oct to Dec) and choose a strategic and development focus that we call a *milestone* for each quarter. This helps the various teams at Couchers align behind a common goal and have clarity on what they should be working on together. Each strategic milestone is brainstormed and chosen by the [Board of Directors](https://couchers.org/foundation) along with the [volunteer team](https://couchers.org/team) using input from the community.
+
+Our first and current official milestone starting in this July has been a focus on *Safe and Active Community*. This means working on features that both increase safety and trust on the platform, as well as help us highlight active users. You can read more about this on the [Roadmap page](https://couchers.org/roadmap).
+
+At the conclusion of each milestone we will send out an update to those signed up to receive the newsletter, where we will inform you about the progress made towards that milestone during the quarter and highlight the upcoming quarterly milestone and what we will be working on during it.
+
+
+## Latest feature updates
+
+This summer, we've launched a bunch of exciting feature updates:
+
+* **A new notification infrastructure**: we've overhauled the way notifications are processed and sent on the platform. This is in preparation for mobile apps (iOS & Android), as well as web push notifications. You might have noticed the new layout of Couchers email messages that went live a few months ago, which are part of this overhaul.
+* **Notification preference settings**: you can now also change your notification preferences on the account settings page, thanks to one of our new volunteer developers. A big thanks to Nicole, we're excited to have you on the team!
+* **Community invites for events**: you can now invite nearby users to your event. Find it under the "Invite the Community" button on an event you created. The invite is sent after moderator approval. You can read more about this feature [on the help page](https://help.couchers.org/hc/couchersorg-help-center/articles/1720304409-how-does-the-invite-the-community-feature-work).
+* **Map Search overhaul**: we've rebuilt the map search page based on user feedback, fixing a bunch of bugs in the process and preparing for more map awesomeness. We've also updated the map style in preparation for the mobile apps! Thanks to David for his hard work in rebuilding the map!
+* **Strong Verification**: we are working on a new identity verification feature called "Strong Verification" that allows you to securely verify your passport information (via cryptographic signatures embedded in passports). It's currently available as a preview feature and we'll be building out the rest of the frontend implementation soon.
+* **Profile badges**: we've added profile badges for donors, verified users (passport or phone), volunteers (past and present), and so on. We'll add a few more as we go, but these are a nice little addition to recognize our volunteers and supporters. If you are missing a "past volunteer" badge and would like one, please see the section at the end of this post for how to get one on your profile!
+* **Travel map on profile**: we've added a map that shows the places you've visited and lived according to what you fill out, and it adds some more color to the profiles!
+
+There are also a few less visible or less exciting updates:
+
+* **We removed all password optinality in the backend**: there were some relics of the old password-optional regime that have been removed, and we also simplified the login form to show the username and password inputs straight away.
+* **A variety of behind-the-scenes upgrades**: we've also done a lot of work that's not very visible. There was a really gnarly bug that was causing havoc for a week or so but that we managed to squash last Sunday. We've also created a bunch of reliability-related monitoring and observability infrastructure that has helped us speed up some parts of the platform that, you might notice it's a bit more snappy now (but there's more to come)! We made some upgrades to the infrastructure that helps us run the project. Finally we also built some new admin tooling that helps mods keep the platform safe, fun, and friendly with much less effort!
+* **New support infrastrucutre**: we switched out our support platform from a very old and flaky open source platform to a much more modern open source platform called Chatwoot! We also switched from using a commercial mailing list provider to a self-hosted, open source platform that will save us a bunch of money.
+* **You now "decline" requests** instead of "rejecting" them, because this sounds friendlier and Couchers is a friendly place :).
+
+
+## Celebrating our community of 43k Couchers!
+
+Couchers is continuing to grow quickly with over 43,000 registered Couchers! Getting many more couch surfers to join our community and getting them onto the platform is one of our most important goals at the moment.
+
+You can help us with this goal by spreading the word online and at events, as well as continuing to use the platform, provide feedback, and help us grow!
+
+
+## Our long-term strategic goal: the safest couch surfing platform
+
+For a long time our marketing has centered around being "like CouchSurfing™, but better". While this is still the core vision and has resonated strongly with current and former CouchSurfing™ users, we believe we need to explain what sets us apart from CouchSurfing™ and other platforms, and also better appeal to fist-time couch surfers.
+
+We believe a core value of couch surfing, and what enables the whole activity, is the trust and safety we have in other humans. This is also (by no coincidence) the biggest inhibitor of outsiders joining our community. Through our many past, current, and future efforts, we believe Couchers can effectively position ourselves to be the **safest couch surfing platform** out there. By focussing our efforts around this goal, we think we can best serve both current and future couch surfers looking for the most safe platform for couch surfing.
+
+We have always believed that in building this community, it's important that we set clear expectations for the community, such as via our Community Guidelines. By taking an opinionated stance on these issues and keeping up a system of careful moderation, we believe we can create the safest, healthiest, and most trustworthy couch surfing community.
+
+
+## Changes to our Board of Directors
+
+Couchers.org is operated by Couchers, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. As part of future-proofing the project, we have invited some new people onto our Board of Directors. The current Board Members are the Founders Aapeli ([@aapeli](https://couchers.org/user/aapeli)) and Itsi ([@itsi](https://couchers.org/user/itsi)), as well as at-large Board Members Emily ([@emily](https://couchers.org/user/emily)), Yannic ([@spreeni](https://couchers.org/user/spreeni)), Natalia ([@natalia](https://couchers.org/user/natalia)), Paul ([@paul](https://couchers.org/user/paul)), and Jesse ([@jesse](https://couchers.org/user/jesse)). These folks have all been involved with the project for a long time and the outgoing board is firm in their belief as good custodians of the project with the right values, spirit, and vision for our community
+
+You can read more about these wonderful community members and other minor governance changes on the [blog post announcing the changes](https://couchers.org/blog/2024/04/30/new-board-members).
+
+
+## Past volunteers: get a badge on your profile!
+
+Couchers has been built by an incredible army of volunteers, to whom our whole community is incredibly grateful for. We want to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions every past developer has made to the project.
+
+If you have volunteered for Couchers.org and would like to be recognized for it on your profile, please fill in the following form and we'll add one to your profile:
+
+[Past Volunteer form](https://forms.gle/UYdBHn8S1tCNiVgNA)
+
+
+## Support Couchers: volunteer or donate!
+
+The Couchers.org platform and community is built by a team of volunteers in their spare time, organized around a non-profit. All our work is open source and community lead. You too can support the project.
+
+We are currently raising money for development tools to build mobile apps for Android and iOS. This endeavour costs money, so we are looking for some extra financial support from the community. We are also hoping to produce some merchandise (Couchers t-shirts & hoodies, stickers, and of course decorative couch pillow covers, etc), which has some upfront costs.
+
+[Donate to Couchers](https://couchers.org/donate)
+
+
+### Volunteer
+
+We are looking for motivated and self-driven volunteers to help build out the community or develop the platform. Our recruiting resources are currently quite limited, so we are looking for people who are able to join the project and take charge of individual projects or initiatives.
+
+In particular, we are currently looking for the volunteers with the following skills:
+
+* Mobile app software engineers: we are building the mobile app in React Native (expo), and are looking for some folks to help with that undertaking
+* Backend software engineers: with Python experience (also SQL Alchemy, Postgres/PostGIS, protobuf/grpc)
+* Frontend software engineers: with React experience (also TypeScript, Material UI, React Query, etc)
+
+_Written by [Aapeli](/user/aapeli). Published on 2024/09/08_
+
+**Want to submit to our blog? [Sign up](/contribute) and let us know.**

app/web/markdown/roadmap.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+---
+title: Roadmap
+crumb: Roadmap
+type: general
+description: Keep up to date with the Couchers development roadmap.
+---
+
+*This page was last updated 7th September, 2024.*
+
+# Our current milestone: a Safe & Active Community (Q3 2024)
+
+We are currently (Q3 2024, July to September) focussing on building around the goal of a *Safe & Active community*.
+
+This milestone will include efforts such as:
+
+* rebuilding the map search to filter and sort members better, better highlight active members, and show more information on the map,
+* building a system of "activeness probes" to keep track of who is still interested in hosting Couchers (eg. allowing inactive users to be "filtered out"),,
+* rolling out the first version of Strong Verification to help build safety and trust on the platform,
+* limiting sending requests and some other features to only those with completed profiles to reduce empty profiles and low-quality requests,
+* completing the work on push notifications and the new notification system, and
+* migrating the old handbook to the new help center to make information more easily accessible.
+
+# Detailed roadmap of current development work
+
+You can find out up-to-date and in-depth information about what we are currently working on on our [Development Roadmap view on Github](https://github.com/orgs/Couchers-org/projects/4/views/13) which we update regularly as we plan our day-to-day development work. Note that some of the information there may be highly technical in nature and not be accessible to all audiences; and dates or timelines listed there are by no means guaranteed and are only an indication. Please keep in mind that Couchers is a volunteer project built, maintained, and operated entirely by volunteers in their free time!
+
+# How we structure our strategic and development goals and roadmap
+
+We currently build around a quarter-based system of strategic *milestones*. We divide the year into calendar quarters, Q1 (Jan to Mar) to Q4 (Oct to Dec) and choose a strategic and development focus that we call a *milestone* for each quarter. This helps the various teams at Couchers to rally behind a common goal and have clarity on what they should be working on together. Each strategic milestone is brainstormed and chosen by the [Board of Directors](/foundation) along with the [volunteer team](/team) using input from the community.

app/web/markdown/volunteer.md

@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ Want to help but don't see anything listed for you? [Fill out this form](/volunt
 
 #### Operations
 
-- [Compliance Specialist](/volunteer/compliance-specialist)
 - [Volunteer Coordinator](/volunteer/volunteer-coordinator)
 
 #### Marketing
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ Want to help but don't see anything listed for you? [Fill out this form](/volunt
 
 #### Support
 
-- [Handbook Project Manager](/volunteer/handbook-project-manager)
 - [Technical Support Analyst](/volunteer/technical-support-analyst)
 
 ### Community Building

app/web/markdown/volunteer/backend-developer.md

@@ -1,39 +1,40 @@
 ---
 title: "Backend Developer"
 crumb: Backend Developer
-description: "Apply to become a Backend Developer for Couchers.org"
+description: "Apply to volunteer as a Backend Developer for Couchers.org"
 ---
 
 ## [Apply Here](/volunteer/form)
 
 ## Position Description
 
-**This is a remote position**
+**This is a remote volunteer position**
 
-Couchers.org is seeking one or two additional backend developers to increase the pace of development and assist in a backend pivot to a Django framework. While we are seeking experienced engineers, we will also consider interns and junior developers who have baseline skills and can commit their time after necessary training.
+Couchers.org is seeking additional Backend Developers to increase the pace of development and assist in building the platform that powers the Couchers.org community. While we are seeking experienced engineers, we are also excited to hear from junior developers or those with strong technical skills in other areas of software who have baseline skills, can work independently, and commit their time.
 
-The Couchers.org codebase is open-sourced under an MIT license and we accept occasional contributions, however, we are looking for some dedicated volunteers who can join the formal backend team and make a commitment of 5+ hours per week.
+The Couchers.org codebase is open source under the MIT license and we accept occasional contributions via the [Open Source Developer process](/volunteer/open-source-developer), however, we are looking for some dedicated volunteers who can join the formal backend team and make a commitment of 5+ hours per week (you choose when!).
 
-We pride ourselves on good documentation, ease of contribution, and ability for contributors to make large impacts. You will be working alongside experienced professionals who are motivated to develop their skills, meet other professionals, and develop this critical platform for the couch surfing community.
+We pride ourselves on good documentation, a fun volunteer experience, ease of contribution, and ability for contributors to make large impacts. You will be working alongside experienced professionals who are motivated to develop their skills, meet other professionals, and develop this critical platform for the couch surfing community. And most of all, have fun and do something we love together!
 
 ### Duties
 
 - Developing and expanding features;
+- Helping define the direction and architecture of backend development;
 - Debugging, documentation, and testing;
-- Pivoting backend to Django framework;
 - Implementing some data pipelines to assist with key measurements for the organization's goals;
 - Working with the frontend and UX teams to design and implement features;
+- Helping review code by other developers and working in a fun volunteer team.
 
 ### Requirements
 
-- Experience with writing tested, production-grade Python and Django;
-- Experience with Git and GitHub;
+- Experience with writing tested, production-grade Python code;
+- Experience with best practices Git and GitHub including code review;
 
 ### Preferred
 
-- Good understanding of REST APIs;
-- Experience with React and Typescript for occasional frontend implementation;
-- Experience with PostgreSQL and SQLAlchemy;
+- Experience with SQLAlchemy, Postgres and/or the PostGIS geospatial extension;
+- Experience with Protocol Buffers and/or gRPC;
+- Experience with React, React Native and/or Typescript for occasional client implementation.
 
 
 ### Expectations/Commitment

app/web/markdown/volunteer/frontend-developer.md

@@ -9,18 +9,17 @@ description: "Apply to become a Frontend (web) Developer for Couchers.org"
 
 **This is a remote position**
 
-Couchers.org is seeking one or two additional frontend (web) developers to implement features, improve our UI, and assist with a transition to a new backend API. For this role, we are seeking experienced engineers who require minimal training to get started.
+Couchers.org is seeking one or two additional frontend (web) developers to implement features, and improve our UI. For this role, we are seeking experienced engineers who require minimal training to get started.
 
-The Couchers.org codebase is open-sourced under an MIT license and we accept occasional contributions, however we are looking for some dedicated volunteers who can join the formal web team and make a commitment of 5+ hours per week.
+The Couchers.org codebase is open source under the MIT license and we accept occasional contributions via the [Open Source Developer process](/volunteer/open-source-developer), however, we are looking for some dedicated volunteers who can join the formal web team and make a commitment of 5+ hours per week (you choose when!).
 
-We pride ourselves on good documentation, ease of contribution, and ability for contributors to make large impacts. You will be working alongside experienced professionals who are motivated to develop their skills, to meet other professionals, and to develop this critical platform for the couch surfing community.
+We pride ourselves on good documentation, ease of contribution, and ability for contributors to make large impacts. You will be working alongside experienced professionals who are motivated to develop their skills, to meet other professionals, and to help build this critical platform for the couch surfing community.
 
 ### Duties
 
 - Developing and expanding features;
 - Improving UI based on wireframes;
 - Debugging, documentation, and testing;
-- Assisting in connecting frontend to new backend API;
 - Working with the the backend and UX teams to design and implement features;
 
 ### Requirements