Re: A More Welcoming Community

From: Arnaud Becheler (arnaud.becheler_at_[hidden])
Date: 2024-09-25 13:04:24

I agree with Vinnie:

   - Projects like Boost tend to draw in a diverse range of contributors.
   - While things may have been different in the past, it seems today Boost
   wants to focus on attracting → engaging → retaining contributors and users.
   - This isn’t a technical issue, but a communication challenge.
   - Just like you call an electrician for electrical problems, you turn to
   marketing, outreach, or community-building peeps when facing communication
   issues.
   - With that in mind, I agree with Kristen: drawing inspiration from
   onboarding processes and basic marketing strategies could be a helpful
   approach.
   - I also agree with Robert and Andrzej: I personally don't like being
   spammed (even with technical mails, the reason why I initially left the
   mailing list lol)
   - The key question is then: how to develop these communication
   strategies that retain contributors without deterring those more focused on
   the technical side?
   - It seems there is no consensus on the answer

When in doubt I tend to acquire data: perhaps the first step could be to
better (re)-understand the actual/potential audience?

   - Run a survey in your networks  (aka email/reddit/slack/meetups) to
   identify the different types of actual/potential contributors (e.g.,
   technical contributors, casual users, new contributors, core maintainers).
   - Identify their preferences: their motivation in boost, how often they
   want updates, what kind of information is relevant to them, and their
   preferred communication channels
   - Use this input to inform a first segmented, non-intrusive
   communication strategy: pass relevant information along different channels
   only to those who want it.
   - Build a feedback loop: iterate on the feedback to refine how, when,
   and what you communicate.
   - I also note this kind of survey could also be informative to the
   Foundation for inclusion problematics :)

Kind regards - and rainbow kitties,
Arno

On Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 11:16 PM Vinnie Falco via Boost <
boost_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 1:59 PM Kristen Shaker via Boost <
> boost_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
> > They're supposed to help orient people who are new to a
>
> service  or a community and encourage them to engage.
> >
>
> Intuitively, this feels correct to me, yet I am continuously reminded by
> experts why marketing is bad.
>
> A recurring theme exists. There is a natural tension between experts who
> don't want their hand held and like things dry and technical (Peter and
> Andrey come to mind) and those who appreciate community-building (such as
> Arnaud or Christian). And apologies if I am being presumptuous about stated
> individual preferences.
>
> Some of the reviews have shared wonderful experiences in various social
> spaces which highlight the fact that not everyone thinks the same. Some
> folks like it technical, some want to feel like they are part of something
> larger. International audiences in particular might prefer a more technical
> focus as some social customs might be regional and misunderstood. Knowing
> that a space is going to be purely engineering-focused alleviates the
> anxiety that someone might feel when interacting in a second or third
> language.
>
> When Boost participation was on the upswing, the project attracted people
> naturally and the absence of invitational and welcoming aspects of
> presentation were not missed. Yet now we are ponding how to increase the
> visibility of the project.
>
> My advice is simple. We don't want to send four consecutive automated
> emails to every person who signs up for the first time. And we might want
> to send one, as we are already doing so. There is nothing wrong with
> thinking about how we might improve that initial automated message
> to improve user experience. I think the pendulum swung too far in the
> direction of ignoring appearances and impressions. There is value in taking
> at least small steps the other way.
>
> Thanks
>
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