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‎docs/keynoter-scheduling.md‎

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# Keynoter Social Media Scheduling
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This document describes the process for scheduling keynote speaker
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announcement posts to Buffer. In short, you should:
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* prepare the images in canva and deploy them to have a live url to the image
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* prepare copy for each platform and put it into a json file
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* run the script to schedule posts for the keynoters, one at a time, to all the supported social media platform
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The script posts to all connected channels in one run per keynoter:
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`instagram`, `linkedin`, `fosstodon`, `bsky`, `x`, `tiktok`.
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---
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## Prerequisites
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- Python environment with `requests` and `python-dotenv` installed
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- A `.env.local` file in the **repo root** with your Buffer API key:
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```
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BUFFER_API_KEY=your_buffer_api_key_here
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```
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### Getting the Buffer API key
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1. Log in to [buffer.com](https://buffer.com) with the EuroPython account
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2. Go to **Account Settings → Apps & Integrations**
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3. Copy the personal access token under **Access Token**
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4. Paste it as `BUFFER_API_KEY` in `.env.local`
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---
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## Step 1 — Prepare and deploy the images
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Buffer requires a **publicly accessible image URL** — local file paths, Google
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Drive links, and Canva share links do not work. The image must be hosted on the
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live site before the script can use it.
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### Prepare the images
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- Export images as PNG from your design tool (Canva)
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- Name them `firstname-lastname.png` (lowercase, hyphenated)
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- Place them in `website/public/media/keynoters/`
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### Deploy
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1. Commit the images and open a PR
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2. Wait for the PR to be merged and deployed to production
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3. Verify each image is accessible, e.g.:
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`https://ep2026.europython.eu/media/keynoters/leah-wasser.png`
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> ⚠️ Do not run the scheduling script until the images are live. Buffer fetches
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> the URL at scheduling time and will fail with a "Not Found" error if the file
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> hasn't been deployed yet.
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## Step 2 — Prepare the post copy (`keynoters.json`)
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All post text lives in `keynoters.json`
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```json
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{
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"Speaker Name": {
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"image": "https://ep<year>.europython.eu/media/keynoters/firstname-lastname.png",
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"instagram": "Post text for Instagram...",
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"linkedin": "Post text for LinkedIn...",
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"fosstodon": "Post text for Fosstodon/Mastodon...",
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"bsky": "Post text for Bluesky...",
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"x": "Post text for X/Twitter...",
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"tiktok": "Post text for TikTok..."
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}
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}
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```
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A few things to keep in mind when writing copy:
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- Social handles (e.g. `@leahawasser.bsky.social`) go **inline in the post text**,
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not as separate fields. Each platform's post should use the handle format native
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to that platform.
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- X and Bluesky have character limits — keep those posts short.
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- Instagram and TikTok don't render clickable URLs, so use the short form
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(`europython.eu/tickets/`) rather than the full URL.
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- LinkedIn and Fosstodon support full clickable URLs.
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Add one entry per keynoter. The key must match exactly what you'll set in the
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script in Step 3.
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---
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## Step 3 — Schedule posts via Buffer
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The scheduling script is `buffer-keynoters.py`.
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Run it once per keynoter.
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### Configure the script
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Open `buffer-keynoters.py` and edit the two lines at the top:
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```python
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KEYNOTER = "Leah Wasser" # must match the key in keynoters.json exactly
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SCHEDULED_AT = datetime(2026, 6, 16, 10, 0,
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tzinfo=ZoneInfo("Europe/London"))
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```
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Set `SCHEDULED_AT` to the date and time you want the post to go live. The
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timezone is `Europe/London` — adjust the year, month, day, hour, and minute
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as needed.
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### Preview before posting
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```bash
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python buffer-keynoters.py --dry-run
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```
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This prints the first 200 characters of the post for each platform without
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sending anything to Buffer. Use it to sanity-check the copy and confirm the
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right keynoter is selected.
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### Run
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```bash
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python buffer-keynoters.py
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```
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The script will:
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1. Connect to Buffer and fetch your channel IDs
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2. Fetch the image from the live URL in `keynoters.json`
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3. Schedule the post to every platform that has text defined
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4. Skip any platform not connected in your Buffer account
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5. Print a confirmation line with the Buffer post ID for each channel
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Repeat for each keynoter, updating `KEYNOTER` and `SCHEDULED_AT` each time.
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---
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## Troubleshooting
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| Error | Cause | Fix |
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|---|---|---|
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| `BUFFER_API_KEY not set` | Missing `.env.local` | Create `website/.env.local` with the key |
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| `Image upload failed (404)` | Image not deployed yet | Merge the images PR and wait for deployment |
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| `not connected in Buffer — skipped` | Channel not linked in Buffer | Log in to Buffer and connect the missing channel |
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| `not found in keynoters.json` | Typo in `KEYNOTER` | Check the exact key spelling in `keynoters.json` |

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