A well-designed onboarding process is crucial for nurturing a thriving open-source community. But managing it efficiently can be challenging without dedicating excessive time to documentation and instructions. This article provides a comprehensive guide for open-source project maintainers to streamline onboarding and attract qualified contributors.
This article focuses on attracting and onboarding contributors to your open-source project by:
Setting clear expectations: Defining project requirements and the review process.
Motivating contributions: Leveraging gamification to encourage engagement.
Automating mentorship: Utilizing onboarding challenges to guide new contributors.
Manage Expectations for the Review Loop
Potential contributors are more likely to engage if they understand the review process and its timelines. Clearly communicate this information in key areas:
README (repository and organization): Include a section outlining the review process, including expected turnaround times for feedback.
Code of Conduct (CoC): Emphasize respectful communication and prompt review practices.
Issues: Provide clear instructions for opening issues and the expected response time.
Discussions: Encourage active participation in discussions and clearly state the response time for questions and feedback.
Pull Request Comments
Leverage the power of pull request comments to enhance onboarding and motivate contributors:
devActivity: The devActivity app automatically generates a comment on the first pull request, showcasing XP, levels, and achievements earned. This encourages contributors to sign up and continue contributing for ongoing rewards.
Welcome Message: Include a welcoming message thanking the contributor for their contribution and providing a link to your project's documentation or resources.
Review Timeline: Provide an estimated timeframe for review completion.
Onboarding Challenges
Onboarding challenges are a powerful way to guide new contributors and provide automated mentorship. Here are some examples:
First Commit Added: Awarded for the first commit to the project.
First Pull Request Pushed: Awarded for the first pull request submitted.
First Comment Added: Awarded for the first comment on a pull request or issue.
First Code Review Done: Awarded for completing the first code review.
First Issue Created: Awarded for creating the first issue.
Specify the Assistance You Seek
Clearly state the specific skills and contributions you are looking for in your project. This helps attract qualified individuals who are interested in contributing to your project's specific needs.
Are New Contributions Encouraged?
State your project's needs: Highlight the areas where new contributions are most welcome.
Define the desired skills: Specify the skills or expertise you are seeking from contributors.
What Specific Skills are Anticipated?
Technical Skills: List the programming languages, frameworks, or tools used in the project.
Non-Technical Skills: Mention any specific skills, such as writing, design, or community management.
Leverage devActivity for Enhanced Onboarding
The devActivity app offers a gamified approach to onboarding, making it more engaging and rewarding for contributors. It provides:
Automated Recognition: Automatically recognizes and rewards contributions with XP, levels, and achievements.
Engaging Leaderboards: Creates a friendly competition environment, motivating contributors to strive for higher levels.
Custom Challenges: Allows you to create specific challenges tailored to your project's needs.
Conclusion
By implementing a well-designed onboarding process with clear expectations, motivating rewards, and automated mentorship, you can effectively attract and nurture a thriving community of contributors for your open-source project. devActivity is a valuable tool for streamlining the onboarding process and fostering a vibrant open-source community.