I had not realized that the git repo wasn't the authoritative location for TOSW's
data - the wiki is, so my patches were misled in the first place. I added new content at
https://www.theopensourceway.org/wiki/Stuff_everyone_knows_and_forgets_an...
- feel free to slice, dice, criticize, hammer, laud as you like.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Ottinger" <jottinge(a)redhat.com>
To: "For discussion about how and why to be a practitioner of the open source
way" <tosw(a)lists.fedorahosted.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 12:20:57 PM
Subject: Re: Content patch for "care and feeding"
Patrick, that was what got me, too - I thought it focused too much on the concept of
restriction rather than enablement. Care and feeding isn't the same as
"weeding." Promotion based on meritocracy is good; promotion based on "we
need more bodies to make up the community" is bad. Demotion is always bad, but is
sometimes necessary when someone goes off into the weeds themselves, but this text focuses
too much on control, like I said.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick Masson" <masson(a)opensource.org>
To: "For discussion about how and why to be a practitioner of the open source
way" <tosw(a)lists.fedorahosted.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 12:08:21 PM
Subject: Re: Content patch for "care and feeding"
Perhaps it would be good to create a repository for such submissions. They could be linked
from the section where they were intended, but include comments that make it clear they
are not part of TOSW yet are included for archival purposes / future reference, as well
as--and I think this would be the greatest value--a point for ongoing discussion and
reflection.
As I read this example, I too find some problems with the tone, but I wonder if they are
the same as yours? Discussions around these types of contributions, even if never
included, provides an opportunity for greater education and understanding among the
community: why aren't the contributions included? what is the issue(s) with tone?
I'll go out on a limb and offer, one issue I have is that I don't like the idea of
promotion/demotion. Might the idea of merit and role be better represented as reputation,
commitment and/or participation (something else)? Whatever the case, the resulting
discussions would help develop a common understanding of language, concepts, values,
principles, etc. which in turn would help, not only organize and clearify TOSW, but also
develop it by identifying areas then need further development and refinement.
Just a thought,
Patrick
On 08/14/2014 08:21 AM, Joseph Ottinger wrote:
These are patches for "community care and feeding," contributed for historical
reasons and NOT so they can be integrated. The tone is wrong, on rereading, but I hate to
just lose the content.
Here's what it is, if you aren't desperate to read the patches themselves:
------------------------
Imagine if you grow a garden and are very ambitious. The first year you overplant and are
unwilling to thin out the seedlings. You end up with overcrowded, unhealthy plants.
In practice, communities need to grow at manageable rates, with measurable positive
impact. This means that in the formation of a community, you may need to be somewhat
discerning in how you accept and promote community members. This also implies that
sometimes you need to be willing to demote community members for the sake of how the
community operates.
It's important to maintain the community's perspective separately from an
individual community member's opinion; a given member may rub someone else the wrong
way, or be otherwise difficult to get along with, but still offer valuable contributions.
Such a person might find it difficult to be promoted in a community - because a community
is, at its heart, a political body - but such a person also shouldn't be demoted or
otherwise weeded out (using our gardening analogy) without just cause from the entire
community's perspective.
Rely on both contributions and general opinion when deciding to accept or demote community
members; if the overall opinion of a promotion is horror and surprise, it's probably
not a very good idea. Further, promotion should be based on merit, and not merely opinion
(or, as happens often in new projects, desperation for higher user counts).
A careful approach to managing the community establishes a rhythm of growth; careful
tending means your community is built of its strongest potential members, which makes for
a strong community.
_______________________________________________
tosw mailing list tosw(a)lists.fedorahosted.org
https://lists.fedorahosted.org/mailman/listinfo/tosw
--
|| | | |||| || || | |||| ||| | |||
Patrick Masson
General Manager, Director & Secretary to the Board
Open Source Initiative
855 El Camino Real, Ste 13A, #270
Palo Alto, CA 94301
United States
OSI Phone: (415) 857-5398
Direct Phone: (970) 4MASSON
Skype: massonpj
Em: masson(a)opensource.org
Ws:
www.opensource.org
_______________________________________________
tosw mailing list
tosw(a)lists.fedorahosted.org
https://lists.fedorahosted.org/mailman/listinfo/tosw
_______________________________________________
tosw mailing list
tosw(a)lists.fedorahosted.org
https://lists.fedorahosted.org/mailman/listinfo/tosw