Re: How to Increase Contributions from Volunteers

["Joseph Michael Smidt" <jsmidt@byu.edu>]

Well I decided to grab the bull by the horns.  

Margarita Manterola had this to say:

So, rounding it up, if you have ideas as to how to get more people to
help Debian, your best course of action is to _go do it_. Create a
wiki page, blog or get someone to blog about it on Planet, etc. No
one is going to do it for you, but if you do it and are successful at
it (even if successful means only a small number of new contributors),
then it might start getting bigger.
I hope this is not discouraging, but rather encouraging. Really.

So I have done so.  I have added this concept to the wiki, under the development section DebianContributerProject.  I will maintain this wiki but do ask for all to please contribute for the reasons I have already stated as well as the fact that I really believe this will keep Debian much more organized.  For example:

Andreas Fester said:

Some of the things you mentioned are already
available, even if you are not an official developer.
For example,
- - your packages are listed at http://qa.debian.org/developer.php

- - of course you can make entries in the debian wiki at
  http://wiki.debian.net

- - Probably some of the statistics you propose (number of mails
  on mailing lists etc) can be calculated from a google search ;-)

But the problem here is the lack or organization in this respect: You have to go multiple places to keep track of everything.  I do not think this is as efficient as it ought to be.  I think it is more practical if everything is networked together from one place.

I ask those who maintain the website to link to this wiki under the how to help Debian sections.  I will write a separate letter to their mailing list.

Please contribute to this effort by adding your wiki page to this project.  I believe it will greatly increase or organization and help the whole Debian project run more efficiently.  Many have more wiki skills than I do so please make the wiki pages better and send me ideas.  Thanks for all your helpful suggestions, because of you this project, which I believe will become an official part of how Debian runs, has begun.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Smidt

422 Wymount
Provo, UT 84604
phone: 801-371-5564
email: jsmidt@byu.edu