The document discusses lessons learned from running a successful open source CFML project over 4 years. It recommends participating in open source software, building something that scratches a common itch, and recognizing that overnight success takes years of work. It also emphasizes the importance of being grateful, being nice to others, and not expecting perks or rewards for open source contributions.

1. Building
Communities
@AdamTuttle

2. Lessons Learned From 4
Years Running a Successful
Open Source CFML Project

3. Agenda
• You should participate in oss.
• What should you build?
• What is success?
• if you build it, will they come?
• How do you build a community?
• are there fringe benefits?

5. Why should
you care?

6. Giving Back

7. GitHub is
Your Resumé

8. GitHub is
Your Resumé?

9. GitHub is
Your Resumé?
X

10. Level Up!

11. But my work
is top secret!

12. Community
Approved is
Better than
Home Made

13. What if it’s
not perfect?

15. A Poo Dollar is
still a Dollar

17. What Should
I Build?

18. Stupid Ideas
are Plentiful

19. Nobody’s waiting
for a new CFML
Blog engine

20. Research or
Predict

21. Interlude...

24. What Does
Success Look
Like?

25. Popularity (?)

26. It could live
without ME

29. If you build it,
will they come?

30. Nothing worth
doing in life is
FREE

31. oct ’09 - CF9
aug ’10 - Taffy 1.0
May ’10 - Taffy first commit
MAY ’11 - Mailing List
Feb ’11 - 1st pull request

32. May ’12 - CF 10
REST baked in
Taffy 1.0
affy first commit
MAY ’11 - Mailing List
’11 - 1st pull request

33. July ’13 - Concurrency Bug
Aug ’13 - office hours
3rd birthday
Taffy 2.0
dec ’13 - taffy.io
Jan ’14 -

34. The Community
exists before
The Product

36. Can’t I just
make people
participate?

37. Be Grateful

38. Start a
Mailing List

39. Word of Mouth

40. Market Anyway

43. Fringe
Benefits?

44. Don’t Ask

45. Be Findable

47. Brand =
Presence +
Consistency

48. Spam!

49. Everything is
Leverage

50. OSS Culture?

51. Review

52. • participate in oss
• scratch a common itch
• overnight success takes years
• cfml is a small but friendly pond
• be grateful - be nice
• don’t do it for the perks