Community in a nuthshell for developers

Alessio Fattorini

ROME 24-25 MARCH 2017

Alessio Fattorini

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer

John Vincent Atanasoff

Shockley - Bardeen - Brattain

Thompson e Ritchie

“To go fast, go aloneTo go far, go together

African Proverb

Hello!Alessio Fattorini

Linux Sysadmin at NethesisNethServer Community Manager Community JunkieProsecco evangelist

ale_fattorini

Alessio Fattorini

Go FarCommunity is the key to go far

Why?

Why community is good for your project?

★ Feedback

★ Feedback★ Comparisons

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content★ Spread the word

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content★ Spread the word★ Support

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content★ Spread the word★ Support★ Development

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content★ Spread the word★ Support★ Development★ Translations

★ Feedback★ Comparisons★ Testing and Bugs★ Content★ Spread the word★ Support★ Development★ Translations★ Loyalty

Loyalty★ It’s much harder to leave a group

of people you’re connected to than a faceless product

Loyalty★ It’s much harder to leave a group

of people you’re connected to than a faceless product

★ In community you’re building connections with people which is way more powerful than features

Why community is good for devs?

The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas

Dr. Linus Pauling - American chemist

Build an ideas factory

Build an ideas factory★ Different point of views

Build an ideas factory★ Different point of views★ No matter who you are, most of the

smartest people work for someone else (Joy’s Law)

Build an ideas factory★ Different point of views★ No matter who you are, most of the

smartest people work for someone else (Joy’s Law)

★ 90 % of all community feedback is crap○ this means 10% is gold! (J. Atwood)

Build an ideas factory★ Different point of view★ No matter who you are, most of the

smartest people work for someone else (Joy’s Law)

★ 90 % of all community feedback is crap○ this means 10% is gold! (J. Atwood)Community is the idea factory where

innovation comes from

Ivory Tower Development

Ivory Tower Development★ It’s dangerous to create an evironment

where developers have no idea who the users are

Ivory Tower Development★ It’s dangerous to create an evironment

where developers have no idea who the users are

★ Developers assume everyone else is a developer

Ivory Tower Development★ It’s dangerous to create an evironment

where developers have no idea who the users are

★ Developers assume everyone else is a developer

★ A community brings developers back to the reality and helps to stay grounded.

From the outside

NethServer is an operating system for Linux

enthusiasts, designed for small offices and medium

enterprise

NethServer is an operating system for Linux

enthusiasts, designed for small offices and medium

enterprise

NethServer is an operating system for Linux

enthusiasts, designed for small offices and medium

enterprise

What’s your audience?

How to build a community?

In a nutshell

If you build itthey won’t come

But my project is a great idea and my code is solid!

Why?

Keep your values always in

check

You don’t launch a community

Start small and grow organically

Create a founders group

Give a place to congregate

You may need to manufacture the first interactions

Create activity

Be Welcoming

Be Welcoming★ First experience is critical★ Feel acknowledged★ Know what to do first★ First post prompt response

Be inclusive

Be inclusive

It doesn’t matter how fun and amazing your project is. If people

don’t feel safe they won’t contribute

Be inclusive★ Create a space of emotional safety★ Be humble - don’t patronize★ Leading by example setting the bar of

kindness (and guidelines!)

Be inclusive★ Create a space of emotional safety★ Be humble - don’t patronize★ Lead by example setting the bar of

kindness (Guidelines!)★ Don’t take yourself too serious

Thank you Toolset

Be supportive

Be supportive★ Be responsive

Be supportive★ Be responsive★ Close the loop

Be supportive★ Be responsive★ Close the loop★ Read the Fucking Manual is not an

answer

Train your community★ They join community to get help not to

give it★ Train your community to answer★ Social Debt -> Offer opportunities to

members to give help in return

Train your community★ They join community to get help not to

give it★ Train your community to answer★ Social Debt -> Offer opportunities to

members to give help in return★ Call upon specific people to help other

specific people

Autonomy

Autonomy

Listen to your community

Listen to your community★ Be open-minded

Listen to your community★ Be open-minded★ Be ready to discuss

Listen to your community★ Be open-minded★ Be ready to discuss★ But don’t let them tell you what to do

Half baked ideas

Half baked ideas★ Don’t approach with a blank state

○ Be aware of bikeshedding ★ Make your questions specific and provide

half the answer yourself

Be Transparent

Be transparent★ Work out loud★ Show what kind of contributions your

looking for and how much they matter★ Document everything

○ Open roadmap and no changelog!

Be transparent

Some of these might seem obvious but plese keep in mind:

THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU!

Linus Torvalds

You need to have the people-people, the communicators, the warm and friendly people who really want to hug you and get you into the community, but that’s not everybody and that’s not me. I care just about the technology.

Code is not the challenge of a community, people are.

Let’s put them first

Thanks!ale_fattorini

community.nethserver.org

ale_fattorininethesis.it