Frequently Asked Questions

Context

What is Mozilla's Summer Code Party?

It's Mozilla's big summer campaign, kicking off June 23 and running all summer long. It's all about helping people learn the basics of coding and the web by making and building together. With tools, resources and events that make it easy, social. It's 100% free, open and fun.

Who should come?

• Anyone who wants to learn the web. learn how to code and make stuff with new tools. Or just increase your general web literacy. 
• Volunteer teachers and  instructors. From code Yodas and ninjas to peer learning around your own kitchen table. 
• Developers, designers, open web geeks. Help build learning tools, resources and curriculum. 
• Partner organizations and communities. Gather under our big summer umbrella, so that we can all make and learn together. 
  

What is Mozilla bringing to the party?

• tools. software, authoring tools and webmaker apps that take the fear out of code and help people learn by making. 
• resources.  Recipes, kits, curriculum, and how-tos. Fun summer projects anyone can take on quickly. The web equivalent of building your first birdhouse. Or light saber.
• events.  Festivals, camps, learning labs, and kitchen table meet-ups around the  world. Plus a platform and way to share your own meet-ups, courses, teach-ins or kitchen table makefests. 
  

What will I come away with?

• sharpen your web skills. From basics like HTML, CSS, Javascript, to playing with more advanced tools like Mozilla Popcorn, HTML5 and ridiculously powerful new apps and prototypes. 
• make something awesome. Learn by diving into your first project fast. Like building your own birdhouse, Lego castle or light saber. 
• get badges and party favors. Get public recognition for your new skills with Mozilla digital badges.  
  

What do you mean by "webmaking?"

Think Mashable meets Make Magazine: using code and web tools the same way makers use soddering guns and sparkle. "Coding" not just for people who want to become professional developers, but for the rest of us: youth, teachers, film-makers, journalists, gamers, mums, Bieberites – everybody. 

We live in a digital world where everyone should know a little code. It's all around us. Mozilla's Summer Code Party will help you see it, shape it, and make something amazing with it.

It's not the summer in the Southern Hemisphere!

Thanks for bringing up this point. We realize the name isn't as globally applicable as it could be. We've got an active community in Latin America, for example, who are adapting the message to match their seasons.

If you're interested, we'd be happy to share documentation for localization. And perhaps, if there's interest, we can do a code party later in the year, when it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Id like to help localize Thimble into my own language. How do I get started?

We're so happy to have contributors like you. We thank our lucky stars every day.

Thimble isn't ready for localization just yet. We are hoping to be able to begin that process by end of summer. Please let us know via email [1] if you wish to join our localization team.

Will it be fun?

Hell yeah! This  is not your grandpa's summer school, or a buncha nerds getting sand kicked in their face. Think MaferFaire meets Mozilla Festival, or summer ninja camp for geeks. We want to:

• help you make something amazing. Using the web to create something meaningful quickly – because that's always the best way to learn.
• get real skills fast. From the basics of HTML to advanced, next-level stuff, like Popcorn, HTML5 and cutting-edge new apps.
• spread the party. Do your own thing. Or connect with what great local groups and organizations are already planning this summer. 
  

Host Help

Do I need any skills to start a Mozilla Webmaker event?

Glad you're interested! Since we just launched, there will be more events added every day, so depending on where you are there's a good chance something will be added.

But, if no one else steps up, it's certainly something you can do even with very little coding experience (in fact, that's one of the ideas for hosting — you learn along with the participants! Our "Thimble" tools can help.

Can you help with finding a venue?

At the moment, we can't help much in cities Mozilla is not based in.

However, we've found that for non-profit events, especially around education and helping the broader community, there are a number of companies and organizations happy to provide space.

For example, writing a short letter of intent explaining your plans and what is required of the space (time, equipment, etc), and then sending it around to relevant companies might be effective.

In some cases, we might be able to spread the word among the larger Mozilla community for ideas.

I'm not sure about the different kinds of events. What should I organize?

We've written up some short event guides to share formats we think work well. If in doubt, we recommend hosting a kitchen table event. It is simple and fun. All you need is 3-5 friends, a laptop, and to hang out and make things using tools like Thimble.

Here's a slidecast to show you how!

I can't make it to the host trainings. Will they be recorded?

Yes, we will record the trainings. You can also review the full training notes.

What tools do you recommend using at a hack jam?

The idea around the hack jam is that you are all hacking on a shared problem. That topic is determined by the interests of the participants, so it's hard to settle on a one-size-fits-all tool.

However, one tool you might find useful is Thimble, our newly launched editor:

This can help you prototype quickly using simple HTML. You can of course use other tools like you like and are familiar with. Be sure to let us know what you did, so we can help improve host guides for future events.

"Palestine" is not listed as a country. What should I do?

This is a known issue with our events platform. One way to route around that is to go to https://webmaker.org/en-US/events/new/ and select "Palestinian Territory, Occupied" from the country drop-down menu.

Tools

What are "digital badges" and how do they tie into all this?

Through Mozilla's Open Badges infrastructure (more at http://openbadges.org/) you'll be able to earn recognition for participating in the Summer Code Party that you can share with anyone you like – from badges lauding you for hosting or taking part up to ones awarded for specific skills you'll obtain.

If we submit our project can we get any certificate or reward?

Eventually, but not quite yet. We're working on making it possible for you to earn badges using Mozilla's "OpenBadges" project. But that won't be ready until later in the summer. We'll post an update as we get closer.

Be sure to hold onto links for things you've made, to submit later on.

Do I have to be an engineer / computer science person / serious geek to attend?

No! We're all about teaching anybody how to become a webmaker.

Convinced yet? Sign up here:
To join the Party as an individual: https://donate.mozilla.org/Summer-2012
To join the Party as a partner organization: https://donate.mozilla.org/Summer-Code-Partner