Flourishing FLOSS: Making Your Project Successful

You maintain an Open Source project with great code? Yet your project isn’t succeeding in the ways you want? Maybe you’re struggling with funding or documentation? Or you just can’t find new contributors and you’re drowning in issues and pull requests?
Open Source is made up of many components and we are often better-trained in methods for writing good code, than in methods for succeeding in the other dimensions we want our project to grow.
In this talk we’ll explore the different components of an Open Source project and how they work together. After this talk you’ll be well-equipped with a ideas and strategies for growing, cultivating, and nourishing your Open Source project.

Transcript

2. About me...
3. Flourishing FLOSS: Making Your Project Successful Anna Ossowski FOSS North 2019 @OssAnna16
4. @OssAnna16 Meet *All emojis by emojione.com Grace Ada &
5. all@company.com Open Source Funding Program Hi all, We are so excited to announce our new Open source funding program. @OssAnna16 ceo@company.com
6. @OssAnna16
7. @OssAnna16 Open source code is: • Publicly accessible • Reusable (depending on the license) • Modifiable (depending on the license)
8. Open Source Project Code Community Funding Docs Ticket triage Marketing Etc. @OssAnna16
9. @OssAnna16
10. Give back Give forward @OssAnna16
11. @OssAnna16
12. @OssAnna16
13. @OssAnna16
14. @OssAnna16
15. @OssAnna16
16. @OssAnna16 Engage with people via the means they use to engage with you.
17. But no one has ever thanked me... @OssAnna16
18. @OssAnna16 happinesspackets.io
19. “I’m having trouble installing your software…” @OssAnna16
20. @OssAnna16 Step 1: Run this command. Step 2: Magic happening in between. Step 3: The software should work now.
21. @OssAnna16
22. @OssAnna16 Most people figure it out on their own… The docs make sense to me...
23. Ask them to help you improve the docs. @OssAnna16
24. But this person is a beginner... @OssAnna16
25. Open source projects need contributions from people of all skill levels and expertise. @OssAnna16
26. firstpr.me @OssAnna16
27. But I don’t have time… And I’m not qualified enough to mentor someone... @OssAnna16
28. Pay it forward! Helping someone succeed is the best feeling in the world! @OssAnna16
29. @OssAnna16 I’m excited to become a mentor!
30. I wish my project had more contributors... @OssAnna16
31. @OssAnna16 Give people incentives!
32. But I tweet about my project sometimes... @OssAnna16
33. Your project needs: • A website, including a blog • An active Twitter account • A mailing list • People to evangelize @OssAnna16
34. But I’m not good at social media... @OssAnna16
35. Contributions to Open source don’t have to involve code. Everyone has different talents. @OssAnna16
36. @OssAnna16 Write down one individual talent (other than coding), which you can use to contribute to Open source.
37. @OssAnna16 Diversity of contributors matters!
38. @OssAnna16 I don’t know what tasks to assign to people when they offer to help...
39. @OssAnna16 Assign roles. Give people ownership.
40. I struggle with ticket triage. I never know which issues are important. @OssAnna16
41. Close issues you won’t be working on in the next 6 months. Close bugs as “known limitations” and document them. @OssAnna16
42. I don’t do the best job engaging with people... @OssAnna16
43. “Came for the language, stayed for the community.” - Brett Cannon @OssAnna16
44. My project doesn’t need a Code of Conduct. Everyone is always nice. @OssAnna16
45. Your project needs a Code of Conduct. And you need to be willing to enforce it. contributor-covenant.org @OssAnna16
46. @OssAnna16 • Listen to your contributors. Be responsive. • Offer your financial supporters something valuable in return.
47. @OssAnna16 • Establish good communication systems. • Thank *all* contributors of your project.
48. @OssAnna16 • Write thorough documentation, including screenshots and gifs. • Acknowledge all contributions as equally important.
49. @OssAnna16 • Find contributors of all skill levels and expertise. • Offer mentorship!
50. @OssAnna16 • Provide contribution incentives. • Work on marketing: Website + blog, active Twitter account, mailing list, evangelism.
51. @OssAnna16 • Recognize the importance of diversity of contributors and talents. • Give contributors ownership.
52. @OssAnna16 • Learn to say no to bugs and issues you won’t fix in the next 6 months. Document them. • Nurture your community.
53. @OssAnna16 • Add a Code of Conduct and be willing to enforce it!
54. & = @OssAnna16
55. In a world where you can be anything, be kind. @OssAnna16
56. Thank you! @OssAnna16