Re: A More Welcoming Community

From: Andrzej Krzemienski (akrzemi1_at_[hidden])
Date: 2024-09-25 20:39:50

śr., 25 wrz 2024 o 21:17 Arnaud Becheler via Boost <boost_at_[hidden]>
napisał(a):

> 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.
>

Maybe this is the key: "only to those who want it".
This started on the algorithm to apply when a newcomer registers for the
Mailing List. Maybe a single, more general checkbox (I actually mean two
radio buttons) would do the trick.

---------
Which do you prefer:
( ) Community Building experience
( ) Pure Technical Content experience
------------

Regards,
&rzej;

   - 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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