PowerPoint Presentation

How to get contributors for your Free/Libre/Open Source project from Vietnam and Asia

- Libre Graphics Meeting Brussels 2010
Hong Phuc Dang

Contents

1. My background and motivation
2. Adoption of Free and Open Source in Asia
3. Projects need new contributors
4. Make it simple to join - ideas to involve Asian contributors
5. Add your idea and follow up

1. Background and Motivation

What is my background and involvement in Open Projects and Libre Graphics?

Participating in the community since 2007 at FOSS Bridge Hanoi, Linux User Group Meetings in Singapore and organizer of GNOME.Asia Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), helped to translate Software (freifunk) and articles (e.g. Wikipedia) to Vietnamese

Studied in Vietnam, internship in Disneyland Orlando, study abroad in Singapore

Founder of company using FOSS for ICT projects, Marketing and Consulting

Also marketing manager of womens hospital

1. I like to meet international people and exchange ideas
2. I learn a lot about modern technology, design, languages, new ideas
3. The idea of sharing, cooperating and helping people is great I want to give back and show others how to involve
4. The diversity of people is exciting and people in the community are fun
5. Working with projects offers a lot of opportunities, like participating in LGM
6. You can become an active part in the technological advancements even as a non-techie from Cantho, a 'not yet famous city' in the Mekong Delta
7. I can use the collaborative outcome of the work to earn an income

What is my motivation to involve in Open Projects and Libre Graphics?

Ho Chi Minh City with its district 1 still called 'Saigon' is the economic power house of Vietnam. Events like GNOME.Asia and FOSSASIA happen here.

Can tho city is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta

Cantho's floating market very early in the morning is legendary.

Women in the community panel during GNOME.Asia 2009

2. Free and Open Source in Asia

A lot of projects are widely used in Asia

* Content Management Systems: Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress
* Embedded Devices using Android, Freifunk and OpenWrt
* Servers using Linux
* Companies using Gimp and Inkscape for services, e.g. GHP Vietnam for making personalized Manga potraits
* People using Wikipedia

Using Drupal and free licenses for commercial website developement

3. Projects need new contributors

The challenge of making a project sustainable

1. Beginning stage of any projects: Many developers
2. Later some become less motivated
a) as they have to take care of other things in their life, like their family
b) other people don't see a lot a movement and leave
c) some find other interesting projects
d) or need to focus more on income generating development
3. There is a constant need of younger newcomers.

The challenge of making a project sustainable

1. Beginning stage of any projects: Many developers
2. Later some become less motivated
a) as they have to take care of other things in their life, like their family
b) other people don't see a lot a movement and leave
c) some find other interesting projects
d) or need to focus more on income generating development
3. There is a constant need of younger newcomers.

There are many capable young people in Asia.

While there are many users of 'Open' projects in Asia (some don't even know they are using free and open source) the number of contributors seems still limited.

In Asia millions of people study IT, design, languages, communication...

Why aren't there more contributors and in particular students doing projects in the community?

We asked people during GNOME.Asia, during FOSS meet ups and ...

during educational projects we do like here in Bac Lieu Province.

There is too little research that has been done about the community in Asia. Asking potential contributors why they did not involve yet, I often hear things like:

I do not know enough about Free and Open Source.

I would like to submit a bug report, translate the system... BUT: I don't know how to join the project and help.

I want to help, but I do not have a lot of knowledge.

4. Make it simple to join - ideas to involve Asian contributors

Top 1: Understand the background of your potential contributors and consider implications for your project

- There are many people who want to learn and share in Asia
- People may not always be confident speaking English
- Asian people sleep while Europeans and Americans are up
- Even some know a lot they might still say that they do not have knowledge
- Some contributors might be afraid to contribute and discuss anything e.g. code, that is unfinished (meaning they never contribute, even though they would have the resources code is never finished)
- It seems Asian founded software projects do not often encounter mailing list fights, edit-wars, etc. and language is often 'smoother' than on Western founded projects
- In many Asian countries parents pay a lot for the education of their kids. Some students might have to 'justify' what they are doing contributing their free time to a project for free.

Top 2: Identify some simple entry points suitable for contributors and make it easy to join

- Create a 'Join Page' for your project on your website (possibly in several languages)
- Define different to do items for different groups, e.g. developers, designers, translators, event organizers.
- Mention as well that people can help by offering support in a forum or writing an article on their blog.
- Tell the advantages people have contributing to your project.
- Consider the way of communication in your project. Do you use lots of abbreviations and insider language?

Top 3: Make it easy to communicate

- Adapt communication channels people are using already
- Set up meetings at a time Asians could join
- Provide guides for "new channels" like IRC
- Offer a forum (many developers do not like them, but newcomers like them and they can be found through search engines).

Top 4: Set up projects within your project and ask people to become project leads

- Just set up web projects, video projects, documentation projects, translation projects...
- This works very well with the LXDE translation project for example.
- Make a wiki page and a forum page.
- For projects like a design project set up a public sharing folder on Dropbox for example.
- Speak to people at community gatherings.
- Make a poster and send the file to universities and ask them to hang it up to inform students.

Top 5: Create guides for contributors

- Involve designers, translators, writers to make guides and publications for contributors. This is a lot of work, but people need to know 'how to contribute'.
- There is a general lack of opportunities to meet up at conferences and community events compared to Europe or North America. People can access only the info that is available online or through books.
- Why not team up with some contributors to make a book. Printing is usually inexpensive in most Asian countries.
- You can use services like flossmanuals.net to develop content.

Top 6: Translate your core website and documentation to other languages

- Make wikis and forums available in different languages.
- Ask actively around: Does anyone want to take responsibility for the forum in language X?
- Ask for 3 contributors at least so they can back up each other.

Top 7: Join or set up a contest, a support program and offer certificates

- Start a contest or code event in cooperation with local partners.
- Ask LUGs or local companies who contribute to the project to cooperate and help you.
- Google Summer of Code is well-known. You could make your own program.
- Offer certificates for participants. Contributors need it to validate their engagement as important in front of their parents, educators and employers.
- Consider: The challenge is often to have someone of your team taking care of the program and contributors rather than the funding.

Offering certificates and contests helps your contributors. Here are students active in the Bejinglug.

olpc.vn

The One Laptop per Child projects in Afghanistan and Vietnam are progressing well with offering training and certificates for teachers and students.

Top 8: Attend or organize events in Asia

- Personal meetings, create personal relationships.
- Fun events are important to develop a sense of community.
- After all FOSS and Libre Graphics is not only about getting things done, but also about peaceful collaboration and international exchange.
- Try to stay a few days longer after events and ask the local community to set up a workshop or support businesses working with your project.
- If you cannot attend events consider offering event organizers in Asia to submit a video presentation and be available for a live video chat during the event.

Top 9: Consider 'add ons' on your projects website to offer your community more opportunities

- You can offer a job section for people who are looking for a job.
- Add a section 'paid services' to your site and offer active contributors to post for free.
- Add the name of contributors at sub projects and offer them to put up a link to their site from the project page.

Recruitment opportunities during events

5. Add your ideas and follow up

Please, actively share success stories among the wider community.

* Please visit us in the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City or Cantho.
* There are many people who want to meet you and share ideas and knowledge.
* We cordially welcome everyone and especially contributors to 'Open' projects.
* We always keep a desk ready for visitors and we would be very happy to offer you a free Internet connection and our famous Vietnamese coffee.

Better Together.

Thank you.

Hong Phuc Dang
hp@mbm.vn
Belgium +32 486522682
Vietnam +84 939871001

Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Nov. 12-14, 2010
fossasia.org