If you’re building commercial solutions around open source projects, good for you. As long as you are respecting the licenses of those projects I have absolutely nothing against you. In fact, well done for working to create a sustainable business around projects that provide end users with core freedoms.
However, here’s the point many of the people before you have missed; give a little.
Give a little back to the core of the project. It’s the single most important thing you can do to help the project continue to move forward and for your business around that project to stay relevant.
Giving back is easy and you don’t have to be a programmer. Small actions like reporting bugs, updating documentation, and answering questions in the forums go a long way towards helping out the community and pushing the project in the right direction. If you are a programmer, consider writing patches for the project to fix those outstanding bugs you’ve been side-stepping and working around for so long.
Your image will do nothing but benefit from this, it shows the community that you’re in it because you love the project. It shows that you want to see the project continue to develop and get better and better. Most importantly it shows you’re not just in it to make a buck or two then move on to the next project when there’s nothing more to gain. Intrinsic interest speaks volumes.
A lot of companies on the web subscribe to a program called 1% for the planet. Let’s put a spin on that and start something called “1% for the project”. Instead of money, it would be 1% of your time per year spent towards helping the project that your company is built around. That’s two hours per month helping ensure your business continues to support a thriving open source project.
Hit the “Reply” link at the top right of this post to leave your comments.
Nathan Barry 10:18 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
As someone using BuddyPress on a commercial project I know what you mean. I hope to release some free themes we have developed soon.
I have found that even writing blog posts about tips and techniques helps other users considerably! I hope to contribute more in the future.
Andy P 10:28 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Writing about the project to help others is also a great way to give back. Consider adding some of the content (or links to it) to the project documentation also.
Matt 6:34 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
This is a good point — it’s best if content is focused on the officially-hosted documentation and websites so it’s easily findable, not cluttered with ads, and its development can be continued and improved by the community.
Pete Mall 6:38 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Another way of contributing is by coming to WordCamps and sharing your experience working with the projects… Sponsoring helps!
Nathan Barry 8:34 am on September 27, 2009 Permalink |
@Matt You’re right about the official site being the best place for it, though I prefer to blog about an idea, get feedback in the comments, then decide which ideas are worth contributing to the codex.
David Bisset 10:21 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
The success of BuddyPress rests with the contributions of developers. That is how WordPress, with it’s countless themes and plugins, has been made big today. BuddyPress *will* be to social networks what WordPress is to blogs. But only if we give.
If you can’t give code or documentation, give time. Speak at local tech meetups or Refresh/WordCamp gatherings. Get other people interested in it. Everyone wins.
Andy P 10:25 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Another excellent way to give back David, spread the word, speak at meetups.
David Bisset 10:40 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
And share the slides! Post slides and presentations. (I have mine on my linkedin account).
Raul 10:37 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
I’m not a developer but I do give back by promoting open source projects
BuddyPress included (and I write about them on my blog!)
Jane Wells 10:47 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
I like the idea of quantifying it… I’m going to start using this idea (1% = 2 hours per month) when talking to users, potential contributors and volunteers, starting this weekend at WordCamp Seattle.
Andy P 10:57 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Sounds great! You’ve done a fantastic job so far in pushing this overall concept Jane.
Andrea_R 1:26 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Helping out in the community brings HUGE rewards, and people looking only at dollar signs miss the point.
Barry 4:11 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
You mean like putting together and giving away free admin manuals, sponsoring plugin competitions, holding platform specific competitions for WPMU and Buddypress to encourage plugin development, hosting and giving away free plugins? Supporting new (and not so new) users in the MU forums? Things like that? Does that count as giving a little back?
raincoaster 6:49 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
I do my bit by annoying people in the Technical Support forums!
Xcobar 8:18 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
That’s true – I try to do the same in the WordPress.com Forums from Brazil and Portugal, and often consulted your answers in English forum.
So, thank you!
Ryan Hellyer 6:52 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
1% at the top is not enough IMO. 10% would be a lot better.
Andy P 6:58 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
1% is a baseline. Some folks put in a lot more than that, of course.
Paul Stamatiou 8:59 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
I don’t have anything to add other than, well said!
John James Jacoby 10:35 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
Well put Andy. I know I’ve personally learned a lot from Andy and everyone else in the WordPress community, and for every 1% I try to put back into it, I still feel like I get 10% back somehow.
So… Tomorrows pint is dedicated both to the volunteer developers and the WordPress community as a whole for being a really fun and exciting project to contribute to.
Cheers everyone!
Frederic Sidler 10:37 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink |
As soon as you release something I test it and give feedbacks.
PS I like this theme and the mobile version
Arlan Berglas 7:20 am on September 26, 2009 Permalink |
The Pass It Forward Movement calls this “Thought Tithing” or “10% For A Better World”. We have added a link to your article on this page http://www.aunitedworld.org/tithing.asp.
milo 8:40 am on September 26, 2009 Permalink |
Released a couple of free BuddyPress/WPMU themes with more to follow ;P