Hey newbie open source contributors: please blog more

As a full-stack developer who has worked on and maintained several popular open source projects over the years, I‘ve seen firsthand how vibrant communities and prolific collaboration are the lifeblood of the open source world. New contributors bring fresh energy, diverse perspectives, and creative problem-solving approaches that are essential to the continuous innovation that open source is known for.

However, getting started in open source can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially for developers who are still learning and building their skills. Many newcomers hesitate to get involved because they feel like they don‘t have much to contribute, or that their perspectives aren‘t valuable.

This couldn‘t be further from the truth! Beginner contributors have so much to offer, not just in terms of code contributions but in sharing their learning journeys, documenting their experiences, and making projects more welcoming and accessible for the next wave of newbies.

That‘s why I want to issue a call to action: if you‘re a new open source contributor, please blog more!

The state of open source contribution

Open source is bigger than ever. According to GitHub‘s 2020 State of the Octoverse Report, over 56 million developers are using GitHub, contributing to over 60 million repositories. Over 1.9 billion contributions were made to open source projects in the last year alone.

However, while overall participation is high, the bulk of contributions come from a relatively small group of highly active developers. The top 14.2% of repositories account for over 80% of all contributions. Many projects struggle to attract and retain new contributors.

A 2019 analysis by Tidelift estimated that there are only about 4,000 full-time open source maintainers in the world. These maintainers often shoulder a huge burden in reviewing code, triaging issues, updating dependencies, and guiding the overall direction of the project. Burnout is a serious problem, causing many maintainers to step back or hand off their projects.

For open source to thrive in the long run, we need to be continually bringing in and nurturing new generations of contributors. Increasing participation from newbies is key to the sustainability and diversity of the ecosystem.

Why newbie contributions matter

Imagine you‘re a maintainer of a large open source project. You‘re pulled in a million directions – reviewing PRs, responding to issues, planning roadmaps. As much as you‘d like to spend time onboarding and mentoring new contributors, it often falls by the wayside. There‘s just too much to do and not enough hours in the day.

Now imagine a new contributor shows up and, in addition to opening a pull request, they write a blog post about how they found the project, what setup steps they followed, what challenges they encountered, and how they solved them. They share this post in the community forums and on social media.

This is immensely valuable! Not only does it save the maintainers time in documenting the contributor experience, but it gives them direct insight into the pain points and barriers that newbies face. It‘s like user testing for the contribution process. Maintainers can use this feedback to improve the new contributor experience, whether that‘s clarifying instructions, adding setup scripts, or identifying good starter issues.

The blog post has ripple effects beyond the original project. When newcomers write about their experiences, it lets other would-be contributors know that it‘s okay to be a beginner. It shows them that the community is welcoming and that their efforts are appreciated. It inspires them to take the plunge and submit their first PR.

This is how open source communities grow – through developers paying it forward and lighting the path for those coming after them.

What to write about as a newbie

Many new contributors get hung up on feeling like they don‘t have anything valuable to say. They look at the wealth of technical content already out there and wonder what they could possibly add. If that‘s you, don‘t despair! Your experience is worthwhile, regardless of your technical skill level. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Your open source journey

• What inspired you to get into open source?
• How did you find the project you‘re contributing to?
• What made you pick that particular project?
• What are your goals as a contributor?

Your first contributions

• What was it like to submit your first pull request?
• What challenges did you encounter in setting up your development environment?
• How did you go about finding your first issue to work on?
• What guidance or mentorship did you receive from the maintainers?
• What did you learn from the code review process?

Concepts you‘re learning

• What new programming languages, frameworks, or tools are you using in the project?
• How are you going about learning them? What resources have been helpful?
• What are some of the key concepts you‘ve learned so far?
• How does the project‘s architecture or design patterns differ from what you‘ve seen before?

The human side of open source

• What is the community like? How do people communicate and collaborate?
• Are there any particular maintainers or contributors who have been especially welcoming or helpful?
• What do you appreciate about the project‘s culture or values?
• Have you had any positive interactions or experiences that stood out to you?

Your reflections and learnings

• What has surprised you most about contributing to open source?
• What has been the most rewarding part of your experience so far?
• What advice would you give to other developers who are thinking about getting started?
• How has contributing to open source influenced your career goals or aspirations?

Remember, your post doesn‘t have to be groundbreaking or profound. The most important thing is to write honestly about your own experiences and perspectives. Your authenticity is what will resonate with other newbies.

Getting started with blogging

If you‘re new to blogging, getting started can feel daunting. But it doesn‘t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Here are some tips:

• Keep it simple: You don‘t need a fancy website or custom domain. Start with a free blogging platform like DEV, Hashnode, or Medium. You can always migrate to your own site later.
• Find your niche: Do you want to write tutorials, opinion pieces, or personal reflections? Narrow your focus to topics that genuinely interest you. This will help you stay motivated and make it easier to come up with post ideas.
• Set a schedule: Consistency is key to building an audience. Aim to publish one post per week, or whatever cadence you can realistically sustain. Don‘t beat yourself up if you miss a week occasionally – it happens to everyone.
• Engage with the community: Share your posts on social media, dev forums, and community Slack or Discord channels. Respond to comments and questions. The more you put yourself out there, the more you‘ll learn and grow.

To all the newbie contributors out there

If you‘re a new open source contributor, I hope this post has convinced you of the value of sharing your experiences and perspectives through blogging. Your voice matters, even if you‘re just getting started on your open source journey.

Think of your blog as a journal, a place to reflect on your growth, celebrate your successes, and work through your challenges. Over time, it will become a valuable record of your progress and contributions.

But more than that, your blog will be a beacon to other new contributors. By sharing your story, you‘ll inspire and guide the next generation of open source contributors. You‘ll play a vital role in making the community more inclusive and accessible.

So here‘s my challenge to you: publish your first post about your open source experience in the next month. It doesn‘t have to be perfect or polished. It just has to be authentic and true to you. Share the link with me on Twitter – I‘ll be your first reader and cheerleader.

Let‘s build a culture of knowledge-sharing and paying it forward in the open source community. Let‘s create a rising tide that lifts all boats. It starts with you.