[[!meta title="Joining SIPB"]]
-## Membership
+## Becoming a Member
If you are interested in contributing to SIPB's computing services and in
-helping users with unusual computing questions, consider becoming a member.
-Full [[membership|members]] in SIPB is granted after becoming **socially
-integrated** and **Furthering the Goals of SIPB** for a sustained period.
+helping users with unusual computing questions, consider becoming a member!
+[[Keyholding status|members]] in SIPB is granted to a member after becoming **socially
+integrated** and "**Furthering the Goals of SIPB**" for a sustained period.
-### Socially Integrated
+### Becoming Socially Integrated
A big part of the value of SIPB is in the social interaction. Many members
spend much of their spare time hanging out in the SIPB office: hacking on
personal, SIPB, or class projects or chatting with fellow SIPB members about
topics technical and otherwise.
-Prospective members are encouraged to *hang out around the SIPB office* during
+Members are encouraged to **hang out around the SIPB office** during
meetings (they're Mondays at 7:30PM) and at other times (check the door icon on
-[sipb.mit.deu](http://sipb.mit.edu/) to see if the office is open).
+[sipb.mit.edu](http://sipb.mit.edu/) to see if the office is open). (Coming to at least four meetings is required before you can be nominated for keyholding status, though usually this happens before members are otherwise ready to become a keyholder.)
You can also participate in SIPB activities like hackathons,
[cluedumps](http://cluedumps.mit.edu/), and [IAP
-classes](http://sipb.mit.edu/iap). Our [[calendar]] contains the many of our
+classes](http://sipb.mit.edu/iap). Our [[calendar]] contains many of our
events.
-### Furthering the Goals of SIPB
+### "Furthering the Goals of SIPB"
-Furthering the Goals of SIPB, or FTGOSing, usually means working on some SIPB
-[[projects|project]].
+"Furthering the Goals of SIPB", or FTGOSing, usually means **working on some SIPB
+[[projects]]**.
Our technical [[projects]] can generally absorb arbitrary amounts of attention. If
you are already familiar with the relevant skills, you may be able to find the
We also have a number of more organizational projects, such as running
[cluedumps](http://cluedumps.mit.edu/) in the fall, and [IAP
-classes](http://sipb.mit.edu/iap). Prospectives often take the lead on
+classes](http://sipb.mit.edu/iap). New members often take the lead on
organizing these.
You can also start your own SIPB project if you're so inclined. The best way
important to you, find some like-minded individuals, and try to solve it,
discussing your ideas and plans around the SIPB office, and reporting on your
progress to the SIPB. The most successful SIPB projects have often been things
-that the people involved really wanted to do, and found resources or
+that the people involved really wanted to do, where they found resources or
collaborators to do them through SIPB.
-#### One route
+### A possible route
-One possible way to get involved is:
+There are many possible ways to get involved in SIPB, but one route is:
1. Take a look at the [[Projects]] page, and identify a project that looks
interesting.
5. Code your thing, and talk to somebody involved in the project to get it
committed.
-You probably can't do all of that on your own. Feel free to talk to people
-around SIPB about each of those steps, and somebody will probably be happy to
-help you through them.
+If you follow something like this process and get some contributions into some
+SIPB project, you're probably doing fine at FTGOS. You probably can't do all of
+that on your own, though. That's fine, since you also need to get socially
+integrated. Feel free to talk to people around SIPB about each of those steps,
+and somebody will probably be happy to help you through them.
## The office
<img class="right" alt="The office fills with people working together in a hackathon." src="../photos/office-hackathon.320.jpg"/>
-Prospective members are encouraged to hang out in the SIPB office
+Members are encouraged to hang out in the [[SIPB office|office]]
anytime it is open, which it is on a typical weekday afternoon and
evening. We strive to make it a fun and comfortable place to work on
projects, homework, or anything else by providing an array of amenities:
* Nice chairs, big monitors, many computers, table space for laptops
-* Music: ours (CDs or [LAMP](https://lamp.mit.edu/)) or yours (via a certain ["printer"](http://sipb.mit.edu/sipbmp3/))
+* Music: ours (CDs or [LAMP](https://lamp.mit.edu/)) or yours (via a certain ["printer"](http://sipb.mit.edu/doc/using-sipbmp3/))
* Tons of equipment and supplies from video adapters to an oscilloscope to Band-Aids
* A diverse technical library, including popular textbooks
* Soda and snacks for late-night sessions, cheaper and closer than Verde's
-## You
+## Questions?
If you have any questions about SIPB or the SIPB membership process,
or ideas for projects, feel free to either drop by our office
sipb-www / wiki.git / blobdiff