Community-Driven Tech Development in Open Source

Sometime ago in 2019, out of curiosity I asked a friend who was a community engagement person to explain her job to me. What exactly is the role of a “community engagement person?”. Could it be just another title for a social media manager, or content creator?

Well, my friend loved her job and her explanation was plenty, but let me break it down and explain the role of community engagement.

I have come to the conclusion that some job titles can be used interchangeably, like Software Developer and Software Engineer. Whichever title you choose to have on your profile, the responsibility is the same. I feel, most companies use either for what suits their brand archetype.

But, it’s different about Community Engagement vs Content Creator or Social Media Manager. In fact, they are miles apart. While a content creator and social media manager creates content and manages social media posts respectively, a community engagement person on the other hand, seeks to engage a community to achieve sustainable outcomes, equitable decision-making processes, and deepen relationships and trust between an organisation and the community.

I know. These terms can be confusing sometimes. But stay with me, I would take it a step further to explain this in context. My Outreachy role at HOTOSM is “Tech Community Engagement Intern”. Which simply means I seek engagement with the tech community, and I am focusing on open source enthusiasts. My end goal is to create a relationship between the HOT community and open source contributors, while helping them achieve their career goals in open source in the process. So far, I have deployed different strategies with the guidance of my mentor, like writing docs, creating explanatory videos to open source contributions, having a 1:1 conversation with open source enthusiasts, online interactive and practical sessions on how to contribute to open source, skillshare with the community, writing contributors guide docs to Github projects, etc.

Okay, I can hear you being curious. How does “tech community engagement” impact the development of open source? Tech community engagement strategies are helping beginners to open source or those with little experience to gain knowledge and confidence on how to navigate the vast world of open source. Let’s discuss that further, together:

Importance of Community engagement to open source development

1. Creates Social Cohesion and Connection:

Community engagement plays a pivotal role in building social cohesion and fostering connections among open source enthusiasts. Whether it’s through webinars, events, collaborative tasks, blog posts, or stories, an active engagement creates a sense of belonging. This shared identity helps build strong social ties, reducing feelings of isolation and contributing to a supportive and inclusive environment. And this will often have an effect of trust and relationship between the community and an organisation.

2. User-Centric Development and Feedback:

Community engagement ensures that open source projects remain aligned with user needs. By actively involving users in discussions and decision-making processes, an organisation and the developers can gain valuable insights into user experiences, preferences, and pain points. As a Tech Community Engagement intern at HOT, I was involved in one of HOT’s software (Tasking Manager ) demo meet up. Discussions were focused on user feedback, suggestions, and updates to improve the performance of the software. Present in the meet up were the software developers, users and testers, and other interests. This user-centric approach leads to more effective and user-friendly solutions, enhancing the overall quality of an open source software.

3. Empowerment and Amplification of Voices

Community engagement empowers individuals by providing them with a platform to voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas. This empowerment is crucial for marginalized groups, as it allows them to find their voice and advocate for change. Through engagement, communities can work towards common goals, advocate for justice, and influence decision-making processes at various levels, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society.

Conclusion

In summary, community engagement serves as a catalyst for social cohesion, collective problem-solving, innovation, and empowerment. It creates spaces where individuals can connect, collaborate, and contribute to positive change, both at a local and global scale.

I believe now you have “an idea” of what my role is at HOTOSM as an Outreachy intern. I seek to engage the open source community, just like I am doing right now with this article, connecting with you to explain important terms and functions that might be useful in your journey as an open source contributor. Join the HOT Tech and Innovation Working Group to learn and grow your skill, within an inclusive community. If you want to get your hands busy right away, check for “good first issues” at the HOT Github page. And if this article was helpful to you or you have questions to ask, tweet https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/me and I will be happy to help : )