VanCity HQ

This one is Vangroover based and came to me via a FB link from Irwin Oostindie at W2, but it’s on their website too:

We’re looking for a Communications Assistant (deadline May 24)

Job Posting: Communications Assistant, Demonstrating Value (Vancity Community Foundation)

Position Description
The Demonstrating Value program at Vancity Community Foundation seeks a Communications Assistant to work in their downtown office at 815 W. Hastings. The position reports to the Manager, Evaluation and Community Impact. This is a part-time contract position, 2 to 3 days per week (with some scheduling flexibility). The contract is from June to December 2012 for at least 420 hours total with a possibility for up to 540 hours, paid at $20/hour.

The primary and ongoing responsibilities of the communications assistant are:
- Gathering, editing, writing and publishing the Demonstrating Value blog and newsletter
- Managing the Demonstrating Value client and subscriber database
- Administrative support for Demonstrating Value consultants (invoicing and information requests)

Additional projects to be undertaken:
- Migrating and editing content from the current Demonstrating Value website to a new Drupal website for launch by mid-summer 2012
- Consolidating several subscriber and contact lists into a single CRM system
- Update of the DV program’s printed materials with new brand and colours

Required skills and experience
- Proven top-quality writing and editing skills for both business and public audiences (writing samples required)
- Demonstrable interest in sustainable business practices, corporate social responsibility and/or social impact evaluation
- Proficiency with Drupal content management system and other web-based communication tools (MailChimp, Eventbrite) (or transferable experience)
- Experience with social enterprises or granting foundations is a plus but not required
- At least two years work experience in an office environment; ability to manage projects independently with minimal direct supervision.

Please submit a cover letter, resume, one page of writing samples, and references via e-mail to Garth Yule (garth_yule@vancity.com) no later than 12 pm, Thursday May 24, 2012.

More information about the Demonstrating Value program: www.demonstratingvalue.org
More information about Vancity Community Foundation: www.vancitycommunityfoundation.ca

bebelplatz

I got this from the excellent AIR mailing list. The benefits in particular are excellent. You can view this on the website as well.

in  addition to our previously announced doctoral positions (http://www.hiig.de/en/doctoral-programme/), we are now seeking applications from researchers and students for our Policy & Governance Section. Backgrounds in STS, Political Science, Sociology or Media and Communication Studies are especially welcome.

See the full announcement at our website and below:
Research Position http://www.hiig.de/en/job-announcement-research-position/
Student Assistant http://www.hiig.de/en/job-announcement-student-assistant/

##

Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
Internet Policy & Governance
Job Announcement

Research Position
(65% TVL 13, plus children, literature and travel allowances, one year, extension possible)

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) seeks applications from researchers interested in working on projects within the research area of Internet Policy & Governance. Expected starting date is June 1, 2012.

The research area Internet Policy & Governance looks at public and private forms of ordering processes. We are especially interested in the interplay of socio-cultural, technical and legal norms shaping the development of the Internet. The research program aims to extend the debates about Internet regulation by a genuine social science approach, embedding the analysis of modes of coordination, emergent public and networks into socio-technical contexts by means of science and technology studies (STS).

For more specific information about the Institute and the research area, please visit our website http://www.hiig.de/en/research/internet-policy-governance/.

*Responsibilities & Duties*

The successful applicant will develop, design, and implement research projects within our research fields ?Coordinating the Allocation of Information Goods? and ?Information Infrastructures?.

*Qualifications*

? >> A postgraduate degree  in social sciences or cultural studies (especially political science, communication studies, sociology).
? >> A strong interest in current developments regarding online communication, regulation and network infrastructure.
? >> Proficient in using online platforms, and experience with research tools and databases.
? >> Knowledgeable about relevant scientific literature and concepts (e.g. Internet governance, regulation of information goods, science and technology studies, sociology, online communities) as well as policy debates.
? >> Experience with empirical studies and relevant methods.
? >> Fluent in both English and German.

The research activities of the new and growing Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin provide excellent conditions to develop your own research ideas and and to contribute to the emerging research agenda of the Institute. Our projects are transdisciplinary, and planned as well as implemented in small teams working in an office located in the heart of Berlin. The Institute has a strong international focus, hence, international applicants are especially welcome. The position is open to extension.

Please direct your application to application@hiig.de. The application should contain your CV and any relevant publications, blog posts, or a web site you may have. Application review will begin May 15, 2012 and the search will remain open until the position is filled. You are welcome to direct your questions to Christian Katzenbach.

Delete the Cookies

my Google+ problem fixed thanks to @raincoaster. Now I have to find out whether it's of any use.—
  (@GeorgeMonbiot) May 01, 2012

Oh, am I going to gloat about this? YOU DAMN WELL BET I AM!

And what was this nugget of 24 karat genius that I was able to impart to crusading environmental documentarian George Monbiot that cleared the skies and caused the flowers to blossom and so on and so forth?

The Cookie Dance.

The Cookie Dance is probably the most useful tech trick you’ll ever learn, and definitely if you use Firefox. You can skip to the next post if this is old news for you. I learned it way back in the mists of time from Dr Mike, who had an uncanny ability to suss out the most esoteric of problems. The Cookie Dance, however, does not work on the most esoteric of problems; it works on the commonest. And that is why you will use it so often, if you’re not already doing it.

Basically, whenever you are trying to do something simple that always works and it’s not working and there appears to be no reason why, do the Cookie Dance. Examples of when to Cookie Dance:

• You can’t see the YouTube videos on your page, just space where they should be and they’re all like that.
• You can’t click on the simple buttons like Like, Publish, Save Draft, Preview, etc
• You can’t seem to type anything into the box, whether the box is the Title, the Post, or a custom form box.

So, how to Cookie Dance? Simples.

• Log out of whatever you’re logged in to.
• Clear your browser cache and cookies.
• Restart your computer. Do a full restart. Yes, really.

I bet your problem is gone, isn’t it?

To keep this at a completely un-techie level, I’ll just say that particularly when you’ve been online awhile your computer’s memory gets bogged down with too many things in the Temporary Internet Files. Some of those things interfere with the loading of new things. Clearing them all out is a good idea every time you close your browser, but it’s critical if you’re using Firefox, which seems to need this a lot.

So, George Monbiot couldn’t get the G+ Hangout to work until he complained about it on Twitter (lesson #1 in Social Media Lessons from the Homeless) and I gave him the solution. Now you don’t even need to do that!

We CAN do it. And if you don't pay us, we WILL do it to you.

One more entry into the annals of Freelance Isn’t Free. If you don’t think the ability to look a client in the eye and hold his stuff for ransom is a key business skill, you are not ready to freelance, trust me.

Thusly:

Client: Yeah, we’re not paying for this.

Me: Why not? I’ve spent three weeks on this.

Client: Because we can just use the sample you sent us. Think ahead next time.

Me: But it has the words ‘sample’ across it and it’s four times too small.

Client: Ah. Crap. We need you to send us the final version then.

Me: After I receive payment, sure.

Client: Is that really necessary?

Apparently it is.

kiip sending in those resumes

Got this from Kiip founder Brian Wong on Google+, if memory serves. He’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, with the ability to see the long-term effects of decisions. If I were going to work for any barely post-pubescent startup guy from Vancouver, it would be him. They’re also hiring a number of interns and some design contract workers.

Analytics Engineer

Kiip’s mission is to be the rewards layer of the world. We’ve made it easy and fun to reward people for their achievements on many different platforms. We currently process billions of data points per month and are looking for are looking for extraordinarily talented engineers who would like to help scale, process and analyze this data.

We’re looking for someone would who values their craft and is excited to be a part of our great culture and small family.

Responsibilities

• Apply your passion and expertise in data mining and analysis to extract useful and actionable product insights
• Partner with teams to solve/identify trends and opportunities
• Build and maintain analytics tools, dashboards, reports, and metrics to monitor the performance of our products
• Manage development of data resources, gather requirements, organize sources, and support product launches
• Research 3rd party and open source analytics solutions if applicable
• Help inform, influence, support, and execute our product decisions
• Build tools to help apply insights in controlled A/B tests across our mobile products

Requirements

• You’re a fun and awesome person to be around
• Fluent in SQL and at least one programming language (Python, Ruby, Java)
• Must not be afraid to learn new languages
• Mastered the fundamentals of data structures
• Ability to initiate and drive projects to completion with minimal guidance
• You have the ability to communicate the results of analyses in a clear and effective manner to a variety of teams including Business Development, Engineering and Sales
• Experience with large data sets and distributed computing (Hive/Hadoop)
• B.S, M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science or equivalent
• Have built something you’re proud of in the past and are happy to explain it in detail
• Excited to share your knowledge and expertise with the team

Our Engineers

• Collaborate on system reliability, architecture and code quality
• Creators and contributors to large open source projects, like Vagrant.
• Are great teachers and love to share their knowledge with others
• Are great students and are always trying to better themselves
• Code in a variety of programming languages (Python, Ruby, Java, Objective-C, C, Erlang) and embrace the right tool for the right job

Response

If you’re interested, please apply by filling out the application.