Contributing to the Community for Joy and Gain (Design for Drupal Boston 2011 session proposal)

This proposed session didn't make it on the schedule, but we'll be perfecting this concept which we can't help but write about and take notes about and wax political about.

Contributing to the Community for Joy and Gain

Presenter(s):
Benjamin Melançon, Claudina Sarahe

SESSION TAKE-AWAYS:

1. If you use the code without engaging in the community you are missing many of the benefits of Drupal.
2. Community participation powers the success of the Drupal content management framework.
3. You and your business can power community participation.
4. Three simple things you can do to participate in the Drupal community locally, regionally, and globally.
5. Participating in the Drupal community directly benefits and can be sustainable for your business.

WHY THIS SESSION?

Drupal and its galaxy of modules, themes, and other projects are too big to understand by oneself. The most knowledgeable people are key contributors, and are too busy to help people who don't also contribute. And too much is riding, for all of us, on Drupal's continued improvement to leave this improvement to chance.

It's time to get involved— and to reap the benefits of participation.

The Drupal community provides everything there is in Drupal, and is the number one reason to choose Drupal. It is not the functionality, the extensibility, the power, the flexibility, or even anything related to the code. It is the community of developers, documenters, administrators and more who overcome obstacles and fix problems every day— frequently working together and helping each other across company and country lines.

The top ten Drupal shops could switch to stone tablet technology tomorrow and there would still be an amazing array of contributors to carry development forward. Not many open source free software projects can say that, and of course no proprietary products can make such a claim. This is what both protects and makes so promising your future in Drupal.

It is difficult but possible to work with Drupal sustainably as a professional and as a participant in the Drupal community. But in the long run, it's easier and more profitable than not engaging in the community.

This session will cover ways to contribute effectively, sustainably, and with joy.

[Note: The attached slides are from an old version of a similar presentation, and new ones will be uploaded shortly before or after this session is given.]