Building communities: FOSSY Day 3
Angie Byron shares tips on how to get new users over the growth curve.
On the other side of collective intelligence (CI) lies conflict. Managing decentralized groups can be thankless, even brutal when users test the boundaries of a project’s code of conduct.
“If you think about project governance as the way to reduce burnout, it becomes a lot more palatable to invest in.”
Sometimes, projects fall victim to their success. An unexpected cash windfall or user influx can pressure a collective’s social and technical infrastructure. Anyone trying to shepherd a decentralized, collaborative project might feel overwhelmed sometimes. But help is out there. “When I was a boy,” said Mr. Rogers, memorably, “and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would tell me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Today at FOSSY 2023, we’re considering designing inclusive, sustainable spaces to encourage the diverse contributions that drive CI.
Three Key Insights
Rewarding contributions
Tracking contributions on leaderboards can be a double-edged sword. Some people are super motivated, but when individuals are on leaderboards, it can pit them against each other. It also matters what you're measuring. Some people make enormous contributions that aren't lines of code. Far better is to reward high-performing teams and regularly pause to celebrate shared achievements.
Conflicts and healing
When conflict happens, take the following four steps - hold conversations in as rich of a medium as possible (in person is best, then video chat, then voice, etc.). Provide space for every party to be heard, even if they are angry and rude. Name underlying problems and map out ways to address them. Finally – a solved problem does not equal a healed team! Consider how to design intentional spaces for healing, such as bringing in a trusted third party to solicit parties’ perspectives on improving governance in the future.
Spirited debates over nachos at a Portland staple.
Nuances in inclusion
Inclusion is a moving target, and that’s okay. As we learn more about ourselves and each other, we can adopt new metrics to capture this complexity and inform our goals. Consider the difference between seeing your community members as “male” or “female” compared to getting a fuller picture: “non-native English speaker prefers direct communication, contributes under these three usernames.”
Three Faces of FOSSY
Katheryn Sutter teaches urban studies and planning at Portland State. Her dissertation studied applications of one of the most interesting models of CI I’ve ever seen - Jürgen Habermas's theory of communicative rationality. The theory describes elements of rational discourse, in which deliberation can effectively incorporate the object-level argument, the trust between parties, and the shared understanding of the language used to describe everything.
Anna e só challenges attendees to use systems thinking to build more equitable and inclusive projects.
Anita Sarma explores how human behavior insights can lead to developing tools that facilitate more effective collaboration. Her research aims, she writes, “to understand the cognitive processes of humans and build inclusive technological support to help both professional and end-user programmers.”
Darrick Wong is an open-sourcer and kernel manager in the Linux ecosystem. He’s a lifelong lover of computers and has spent many years supporting the FOSS community by building tools, managing communities, and investing in the culture. Unsurprisingly, he’s a perceptive listener serious about mastering his craft.
Two Sessions I Enjoyed
FOSS community advocates gathered for an intimate round-table discussion in “The Hidden Challenges of Inclusive Collaboration,” led by Ildikó Váncsa. We discussed the difficulty of making inclusive environments accessible and legible to newcomers. What visual signals can communicate welcome? How can text-based environments support the wide range of users who find verbal communication difficult or draining? On the latter, we might find inspiration from assisted speech tools in healthcare or tone-monitoring tools currently available through Grammarly.
As the day winds down, community members catch up with old friends and make dinner plans with new connections.
How do we protect open, collaborative spaces? In “Advocacy 101 - Your role in passing pro-FOSS legislation,” Kevin O'Reilly, director of Right to Repair at PIRG, taught us the basics of advocacy, including how to tell personal stories and advocate for policies. Consider this four-part structure to tell a compelling story: challenge, choice, outcome, and moral. Don’t forget to use rich, descriptive detail and keep it to three minutes or less.
Looking forward to tomorrow
On my last day in Portland, I want to open up conversations about our augmented collective intelligence (ACI) research priorities that will continue after FOSSY. When I was younger, the end of an event usually meant the end of the relationships with fellow attendees, but Zoom culture means that’s no longer true! This is just the beginning.
