this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2025
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Programming

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How do i ask for contributors to my open source projects? (self.programming)
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by xoron to c/programming
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id like to ask if there is some guideline/advice for asking for open source contributions.

initially i thought i could just have open source code, documentation and communicate about it, but that doesnt seem to work for gaining contributors.

maybe there is something else im overlooking?

contributors would be using their own valuable time and effort so it could just be that my projects are not interesting enough. it might be worth concluding that i should proceed on this solo.

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[โ€“] starshipwinepineapple 20 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Just some general advice:

  • get regular users. Contributors are going to be a subset of users as another commentor mentioned.
  • make sure to have a CONTRIBUTING.md and that it is clear/ easy to follow. Some projects will link to a separate wiki from the .md which is fine. But make sure your "first time contributor" instructions are easy to follow to set up whatever dev environment needed. The less clear the documentation then the more motivated the contributors will need to be.
  • if you haven't already, make issues with feature requests that you are wanting to add. Include enough details that someone other than you will understand your requirements.
  • consider a label you use to signify "great issue for a first time contribution". These should be relatively simple fixes or simple features but give time for someone else to try them instead of completing it right away. Make sure to reference this label in your contribution documentation as a great starting point. If you're able to get someone to do a simple fix then they will have set up the dev environment and may do other future issues.
  • advertise that you're looking for contributors. Point out your docs, first time contributor label, and any specific features you want/need help with.
[โ€“] xoron 6 points 4 days ago

thanks! i'll make time to create those.