Build Your Own Contributors (One Part at a Time)

Dreamwidth Studios, a code fork of the LiveJournal open source blogging software, averages 50 commits a week from over 70 unique contributors. Over half of those contributors have either never programmed in Perl or never contributed to an Open Source project before, and roughly 75% of those contributors are women.

Mark Smith and Denise Paolucci, owners of Dreamwidth Studios, will discuss the tactics they’ve used to make their project successful, including:

• Lowering the barrier to entry for new contributors, both experienced programmers and newcomers to the Open Source world, and how doing so creates an environment that enables the experienced developers on the project to work even faster.

• Creating a mentoring program that accepts anyone who wants to learn that teaches programming in Perl (the project’s language), using Linux, designing good code architecture, and navigating the social norms of an Open Source project, without sacrificing your project’s ability to innovate advanced features.

• Fostering an atmosphere of collaboration, not competition.

• Harnessing users’ passion for the product and turning them into contributors passionate about the project.

• Adapting these techniques to projects of all types, sizes, and lifecycle points, with practical tips for easy implementation.

If you want to broaden your contributor base and build an inclusive, passionate developer community, come and learn how to apply Dreamwidth’s methods to your own project.