Many free and open source software projects emerge from solving problems, and people start contributing to them because they also want to fix problems they encounter. When end users find the project useful for their needs, the project begins to grow. And for the purpose of sharing, people are attracted to the same project community.
Like everything has a lifespan, growth is both a sign of open source project success and a source of success. So how can project leaders and maintainers motivate the growth of the contributor base? Here are five ways.
1. Provide Good Documentation
People often underestimate the importance of project documentation. It is the main source of information for project contributors, and it motivates their efforts. Information must be correct and up-to-date. It should include steps on how to build the software, how to submit patches, coding style guides, etc.
Check out experienced tech writer and editor Bob Reselman’s 7 rules for creating world-class documentation.
A great example of developer documentation is the Python Developer’s Guide. It includes clear and concise steps covering all aspects of Python development.
2. Lower the Barrier to Entry
If your project has an issue or bug tracking tool, make sure to mark entry-level tasks as a “small bug” or “starting point.” New contributors can easily enter the project by solving these issues. The tracking tool is also a place to mark non-programming tasks such as graphic design, artwork, and documentation improvements. Many project members don’t code every day but become driving forces through this approach.
The Fedora Project maintains such a tracker for easy-to-fix and entry-level issues.
3. Provide Regular Feedback for Patches
Acknowledge every patch, even if it’s just one line of code, and give the author feedback. Providing feedback helps attract potential candidates and guides them to become familiar with the project. All projects should have a mailing list and chat functionality for communication. Q&A can happen in these mediums. Most projects don’t succeed overnight, but those with thriving lists and communication channels create an environment for growth.
4. Promote Your Project
Projects that start from solving problems may actually be useful to other developers. As a main contributor to the project, your responsibility is to document and promote your project. Write blog posts and share project progress on social media. You can start with a brief description of how to become a contributor to the project and provide reference links to the main developer documentation in that description. Also, be sure to provide information about the roadmap and future versions.
For your audience, check out writing tips written by Opensource.com community manager Rikki Endsley.
5. Stay Friendly
A friendly conversational tone and quick responses will strengthen people’s interest in your project. Initially, these questions are just for seeking help, but in the future, new contributors may also propose ideas or suggestions. Give them confidence that they can become contributors to the project.
Remember you’re always being judged! People observe how project developers talk on mailing lists or chats. These indicate the level of welcome and openness to new contributors. When using technology, we sometimes forget the human touch, but this is important for any project’s ecosystem. Consider a situation where the project is good but the project maintainer is not very popular. Such an administrator might drive users away from the project. For projects with a large user base, an unsupported environment may lead to splits, where some users may decide to fork the project and start a new one. There are precedents for this in the open source world.
Additionally, having people from different backgrounds is important for the continued growth and steady stream of ideas for open source projects.
Finally, project leaders have the responsibility to maintain and help projects grow. Mentoring new contributors is key to the project, and they will become future leaders of the project and community.
Read: 7 ways to make new contributors feel welcome by Red Hat content strategist Nicole Engard.
Author Bio:
Kushal Das - Kushal Das is a CPython core developer and director at the Python Software Foundation. He is a long-time FOSS contributor and mentor who helps newcomers enter the world of contribution. He currently works as a Fedora Cloud Engineer at Red Hat. His blog is at https://kushaldas.in. You can also find him on Twitter @kushaldas.
Compiled from: https://opensource.com/article/17/1/expand-project-contributor-baseAuthor: Kushal Das
Original: LCTT https://linux.cn/article-8529-1.htmlTranslator: geekpi
Reposted from: Developer Relations »
