It isn’t the coding; it’s not even the starting that’s the hardest to do when developing open source software.
It’s making people care.
Making people care enough that they use the software. Making people care enough that they contribute to the project. Making people care enough that they voluntarily form a community around the project.
Making people care is (or should be) the key that starts the whole open source project engine, and keeps it going.
Why Should People Care?
Perhaps you feel that your software will be awesome, and it doesn’t matter that people won’t care initially. But for any open source project to succeed, a large part of its inception should focus on who will actually use the software. Of course the software matters as well; but as we all know, in community-based open source it ceases to matter when you’re the only one who thinks it matters.
So why should people care about your project? This is a question you need to be able to answer right from the start if you ever hope to achieve growth and longevity for your project.
How to Make People Care
Of course you can’t force people to care. However, you can persuade them. There are several ways you can do this:
- Select technology with broad usage. Creating niche projects is fine, as long as you’re sure that you’ve got a good base of interested users and contributors there. If you’re unsure however, it’s best to choose a project with a number of different applications, or technology that most people use every day like operating systems, databases, etc. These are more likely to generate outsider interest and contributions.
- Zone in on a real need. Let your software meet a real need in the market and meet it exceptionally. This will guarantee that people take notice of it. Meeting a need could be a matter of timing, or it could be uncovered with research. A need that is uncovered through diligent research is more likely to have long term applications, but will take some time and effort on your part.
- Clearly specify the value of the project, and the value that people can add to and get from the project. When people understand the value of a project , the value they can get from a project and how they can be valuable to a project, getting them to care and contribute becomes easy. So make sure you do your part. Clearly specify on descriptions the many applications of your software and how it can benefit users and contributors. Make sure you use jargon-free, easy-to-understand language.
- Develop a culture and architecture of inclusion. Sometimes people just want to feel welcome in order to start caring and contributing. Some people just need encouragement. Make sure you give it. Invite participation constantly, and make it easy for people to participate by writing good documentation and creating modular code that’s easier for contributors to work on.
Once you get people to care about your project, don’t leave them behind. Keep nurturing your community by being supportive of their efforts and sympathetic to their needs. Caring can be contagious, so when you show you care the rest of the community can follow suit.