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Designing Inclusive Open Source Communities
Tammie Lister @karmatosed
Davide Casali @folletto
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Davide Casali @folletto
Tammie Lister @karmatosed
Product Designer Automattic
Founder Baker Framework
Contributor WordPress
UX Designer Automattic
Contributor BuddyPress
Contributor WordPress
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An open collective of creators that unites to reach a common open goal.
Open Source Community
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The community is defined by the community.
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CHAPTER 3
Problems
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Power problems
Cultural problems
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How can you have a local culture when the project is global?
Local Culture
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Are your tools, documentation, forums, reporting tools accessible to everyone?
Developer only spaces
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Are your tools, documentation, forums, reporting tools accessible to everyone?
Jargon
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Do you require a specific timezone or location to participate in the community?
Keeping up to date
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How do you address the power inequality of commit access?
Decision power is in the code
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Who decides? Who really decides?
Decision making
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How do you communicate when everyone isn’t like you?
Personalities
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Who has the power and soft skills to avoid conversations escalating?
Divergent opinions
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CHAPTER 4
Diversity
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In a social group, the coexistence of individuals that belong to different dimensions.
Diversity
* but… the definition can be quite fuzzy in this context.
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KINDS OF DIVERSITY
Cultural
Gender
Race
Neurodiversity
Ability
Age
Skills
Economic
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In a social group, it’s an active process that aims to acknowledge, express, and increase its diversity.
Inclusivity
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McKinsey & Co. (2014) Diversity Matters Report
WHY?
Diversity means a wider pool of talent.
Diversity means better understanding of customers.
Diversity means higher employee satisfaction.
Diversity means better decision making.
Diversity means enhanced impact on society.
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McKinsey & Co. (2014) Diversity Matters Report
Gender Diversity
+15%Ethnic Diversity
+35%
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
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CHAPTER 5
Building
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It all starts with communication.
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
5 / Many Ways to Contribute
6 / Transparency
7 / Credit
8 / Open to Failure
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Identify the personas you want to involve.
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TYPES OF PERSONAS
Designers
Writers
Event Organisers
Developers
Testers
Support
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2 / Core Team Growth
1 / Personas
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Leading chorus not leading voice.
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Mentoring new contributors
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Mentoring new leads
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
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Different people enjoy and are stressed by different things.
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Focus on what you only can do, not what you’re good at doing.
Thanks to Brie Anne Demkiw for the tip.
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Create key forwarders, not key doers.
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
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Your first contributionHow did it feel?
1
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Onboarding… for each persona!
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Identify easy ways to start
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CASE
Tag simple bugs with a special intro tag
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CASE
UX-Feedback tag on WP and impact
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
5 / Many Ways to Contribute
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There are many ways to contribute.
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You can… write documentation.
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You can… improve existing tickets.
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CASE
Guide making new tickets
WordPress
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You can… translate.
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You can… run tests with users.
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You can… support people.
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CASE
Response Time Baker Framework
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
5 / Many Ways to Contribute
6 / Transparency
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Discuss everything in the open
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Avoids groupthinkADVANTAGE
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New people get up to speed quicklyADVANTAGE
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CASE
Do everything in the open even releases
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Meeting etiquette
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Timezones-8 -5 -2 +5 +2 +8
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
5 / Many Ways to Contribute
6 / Transparency
7 / Credit
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Props for every commit
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Props for every contribution
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CASE
WordPressRelease Announcements
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CASE
WordPressProfile Badges
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CASE
Show historyof people in project
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Great jobProps
ThanksGIVE F*CKING CREDIT.
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1 / Personas
2 / Core Team Growth
3 / Delegate
4 / Onboard
5 / Many Ways to Contribute
6 / Transparency
7 / Credit
8 / Open to Failure
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Admit your faults.
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Show people they can make mistakes and still participate.
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Accept changes in direction.
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CHAPTER 6
Experimentation & Iteration
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Keep iterating on both the community and the project.
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Keep the project alive.
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“”
BRUCE LEE
Be water my friend.
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Thanks
Tammie Lister @karmatosed
Davide Casali @folletto