mhoyeSep 2, 2023

Re: this earlier post: https://mastodon.social/@mhoye/110991950899025738

One of the things I'm most proud of in my last gig was adding notes to our getting-started docs saying explicitly "if this process fails for you, this is a bug and we want to hear from you."

Granting explicit permission to file bugs against the _get-involved process_, quickstart docs particularly, is another way of saying "we care about the details of the experience of getting involved in this project and community", and it is very powerful.

Show threadmhoyeSep 2, 2023
There is such a thing as community accessibility, of the ergonomics of getting involved. It is _extremely common_ for smart, determined people to hit failure after failure during an install process, and decide this project or community just isn't for them. Open Source projects often end up self-selecting for people who coincidentally have not just hardware or software but _cultural expectations_ identical to the primary developers, because all of those failures are completely invisible.
Show threadNinad PundalikSep 3, 2023
@mhoye this reminds me of one of @whack's guiding principles (not sure if he viewed it that way, but was definitely to me): If a newbie has a bad time, it's a bug.
Show threadJordan Sissel
@ni_nad @mhoye ++ exactly this! Explicit permission at the very beginning to report bad experiences and acknowledgement from an authority that those reports are desired, respected, and will result in action 👍👍
Sep 3, 2023 at 5:59pmWeb