Building Open Source Communities of Starfish

A presentation at GitHub Universe in November 2019 in San Francisco, CA, USA by Ben Greenberg

TELL ME AND I’LL F O R G E T, S H O W M E A N D I M AY REMEMBER, I N V O LV E M E A N D I ’ L L U N D E R S TA N D @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

WRITING GOOD CODE CAN BE CHALLENGING @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

S O CA N C O L L A B O R AT I O N @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

HELLO! $ (I.E. WHO IS SPEAKING RIGHT NOW?) • I 💙 RU B Y & E L I X I R • C O - E D I TO R O F TO R A H & & T E C H • FORMER RABBI & COMMUNITY O RG A N I Z E R • 🌎 S A N D I E G O ↝ N YC ↝ B O S TO N ↝ D E N V E R ↝ N YC ↝ I S R A E L 🌍 • D E V E L O P E R A DVO C AT E @ N E X M O @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“ A 2013 study, from Beihang University in Beijing, of Weibo… found that anger is the emotion that spreads the most easily over social media. … we are willing to join in the rage of strangers. ” “ C L I C K I N G T H E I R W AY T O O U T R A G E ” NEW YORK TIMES 3/7/2014 @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“ “The Internet exacerbates impulse-control problems,” he said. “You get mad, and you can tell the world about it in moments before you’ve had a chance to calm down and think things through.” ” “ C L I C K I N G T H E I R W AY T O O U T R A G E ” NEW YORK TIMES 3/7/2014 @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

PROBLEM AREA #1 T H E W AY W E C O M M U N I C AT E

PROBLEM AREA #2 TIME IS A LIMITED RESOURCE

IT HAPPENED T H AT T H E C AT M E T T H E F OX I N A F O R E S T, AND AS SHE T H O U G H T TO HERSELF: @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘HE IS CLEVER AND FULL OF EXPERIENCE, AND MUCH ESTEEMED IN THE WORLD,’ @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

S H E S P O K E TO HIM IN A F R I E N D LY WAY. ‘GOOD DAY, DEAR MR FOX, HOW ARE YOU? HOW IS ALL WITH YOU? HOW ARE YOU GETTING ON IN THESE HARD TIMES?’ @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

T H E F OX , F U L L OF ALL KINDS O F A R RO G A N C E , L O O K E D AT T H E C AT F RO M H E A D T O F O O T, A N D FOR A LONG TIME DID NOT KNOW WHETHER H E WO U L D G I V E ANY ANSWER OR N O T. AT L A S T H E SAID: @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘OH, YOU WRETCHED BEARDCLEANER, YOU PIEBALD FOOL, YOU HUNGRY MOUSEHUNTER, WHAT CAN YOU BE THINKING OF? HAVE YOU THE CHEEK TO ASK HOW I AM GETTING ON? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? HOW MANY ARTS DO YOU UNDERSTAND?’ @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘I U N D E R S TA N D BUT ONE,’ REPLIED THE C AT, M O D E S T LY. @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘WHAT ART IS THAT?’ ASKED THE F OX . @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘WHEN THE HOUNDS ARE FOLLOWING ME, I CAN S P R I N G I N TO A TREE AND S AV E M Y S E L F. ’ @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘IS THAT ALL?’ SAID T H E F OX . ‘I AM MASTER OF A HUNDRED ARTS, AND HAVE INTO THE BARGAIN A SACKFUL OF CUNNING. YOU MAKE ME SORRY FOR YOU; COME WITH ME, I WILL TEACH YOU HOW PEOPLE GET AWAY FROM THE HOUNDS.’ @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

JUST THEN CAME A HUNTER WITH FOUR DOGS. T H E C AT S P R A N G N I M B LY U P A T R E E , A N D S AT D O W N AT T H E T O P O F I T, WHERE THE BRANCHES AND F O L I AG E QU I T E CONCEALED HER. @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

‘OPEN YOUR SACK, MR FOX, OPEN YOUR SACK,’ CRIED T H E C AT T O HIM, BUT THE DOGS H A D A L R E A DY SEIZED HIM, AND WERE HOLDING H I M FA S T. @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“’Ah, Mr Fox,’ cried the cat. ‘You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch!” – T H E F O X A N D T H E C AT GRIMM @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

DECISION SHUTDOWN @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

PROBLEM AREA #3 N O C L E A R PAT H W AY S F O R I N V O LV E M E N T

e d o c No t c u d n o c f o d e l e b a l l l e w t o n s e u s s I Abusive Spam Pu Behaviou r ll Reque sts FRUSTRATION d e t a pe e R s n o i t s e u Q e Sam E M D A E R o N New bies n No M ot we lcom odera tion e @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

(1) C O M M U N I C AT I O N (2) TIME (3) N O C L E A R PAT H W AY S @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

W H AT C A N WE DO? @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

… C AN GROW AN ENTIRE NEW S E A S TA R J U S T FROM A PORTION OF A SEVERED LIMB 😲
N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

S TA R F I S H A R E NEURAL NETWORKS @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

THE USE OF WA T E R S A V E S S PAC E , N O NEED FOR A COMPLEX BLOOD SYS TEM. . @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev S E A WA T E R I S H I G H LY A B U N DA N T A N D THEY WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF IT. visitsealife.com

OUR COMMUNITIES CAN B E M O R E L I K E S TA R F I S H @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“When you give people freedom, you get chaos, but you also get incredible creativity.” – T H E S TA R F I S H A N D T H E S P I D E R @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“When you put people in an open system, some of them will get high, dance all night long and attack street signs. But most people will create elaborate art … and try as hard as they can to contribute to the community.”

TURNING HIERARCHY I N T O S TA R F I S H A R M S

K.I.S.S. “MAKE EVERYTHING AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT SIMPLER” –ALBERT EINSTEIN @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

What do you want people to know? What do you want people to do? Why should people care? @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” –ALBERT EINSTEIN ADAPT ABILITY @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

… A N D M Y P E R S O N A L FAV O R I T E

“When others took note of AA’s success, they borrowed the twelvestep model and launched organisations combating a variety of addictions, including narcotics, food, and gambling. AA’s response? Good for you.” – T H E S TA R F I S H A N D T H E S P I D E R @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“… Open systems can easily mutate.” – T H E S TA R F I S H A N D T H E S P I D E R @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“A successful product may not be scalable, a successful process always is.” – D R . FA I S A L K H O S A @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“As the software industry becomes more decentralized, an entirely new logic system is being adopted, it seems like something from Alice in Wonderland…” T H E S TA R F I S H A N D T H E S P I D E R “Who would ever have imagined, for example, that companies would race to give away their software for free?” @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

“If you want user contributions, build platforms that are familiar and easy. Lower the barriers to participation, focus on helping users to understand what you want from them.” –NEIMAN LAB @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

(1) D E C E N T R A L I Z AT I O N (2) K . I . S . S (3) A D A P TA B I L I T Y (4) S C A L A B I L I T Y (5) E V E R Y O N E C O N T R I B U T E S @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

B U T, I S THERE AN EXAMPLE? @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

KEEPING IT SIMPLE W H AT D O P E O P L E N E E D TO K N OW ? “WE ARE A FOR PROFIT ` C O M PA N Y… T R A N S PA R E N C Y T H AT COMES WITH OPEN SOURCE S H O U L D A D D A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y. ” @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

KEEPING IT SIMPLE W H AT S H O U L D T H E Y D O ? “ R E FA C T O R I N G C O D E … F I X I N G B U G S … B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S . THE PRODUCT ROADMAP SHOULD BE A G O O D G U I D E T O F O L L O W. ” @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

KEEPING IT SIMPLE WHY SHOULD PEOPLE CARE? “WE ARE A LARGE COMMUNITY OF SOFTWARE D E V S C O M M I T T E D T O T E `A C H I N G O N E A N O T H E R , B U I L D I N G O U R C A R E E R S , A N D G E N E R A L LY MAKING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT A MORE H U M A N E E N D E AV O R . ” @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

REIMAGINE YOUR GITHUB REPOSITORY A S A H O M E PA G E @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

THE BEST OF THE FOX AND THE CAT @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

ROADS ARE PA V E D W I T H GOOD INTENTIONS @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

C O M M U N I C AT I O N @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

IT IS IN THE LONG HIS TORY OF H U M A N K I N D T H AT THOSE WHO LEARNED TO C O L L A B O R AT E AND IMPROVISE M O S T E F F E C T I V E LY H A V E P R E VA I L E D . CHARLES DARWIN @rabbigreenberg @nexmodev

Ben Greenberg
@benhayehudi

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As the world of open source software has exploded and more people enter the field, essential questions around good communication, boundaries of time and space, and how to work on a shared project across cultures, languages, and geography arise. How can we make sure that new contributors who arrive at a project through Hacktoberfest feel inspired to stay? How can we make sure that maintainers, who are already overburdened and overworked, are given the proper tools to do their sometimes thankless work? As a developer who spent ten years working in the fields of non-project management, counseling, and community organizing, Ben will share some strategies on how to create a more holistic environment where everyone thrives, based on lessons sociologists and researchers have learned from starfish and spider communities.

Building Open Source Communities of Starfish

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