Launch already

Some months ago I ran out of patience when someone asked for my advice on an open source project I’d already given lots of advice to. They were trying to help a fledgling project grow it’s “open source wings” behind closed doors (which rarely works).

Here’s what I said, and I still believe it.

Like I keep saying on the REDACTED devel list… my suggestion is to stop discussing and thinking about this internally (immediately) and switch over to doing 99% of anything REDACTED related on the external list and in public places–allowing for that 1% that doesn’t make sense.

I truly believe (from my own experience) that the only way this is going to catch on and grow is if you:
1) Do everything in public
2) Be consistent about whatever you do in public.
— If you say “we are going to have IRC meetings,”
then have IRC meetings each week at the same time
until people are dismayed and up in arms when you skip a week.
— If you say “we are going to do periodic REDACTED releases,
do period REDACTED releases that people can count on.”
— If you say, “We’re going to have a G+ group,” advertise the heck out of it, everywhere, and then do stuff, every day.
— If you say, “We’re going to build REDACTED and enable anyone to do anything they want” then do it!

You can’t do any more “planning”… it’s time to “do,” where people can see stuff happening and build trust that when REDACTED says they are going to do something, they do.  The key is building trust and respect.  And that’s only going to come from consistently delivering and doing “something” where “something” doesn’t have to be very big.

I know it’s hard to get started.  I’ve been there.  I want to help, I also think it’s time to “do it!”