A 30 minute exploration of what I think leads to successful open source projects and successful enjoyment of learning git. It also introduced Commitmukkah, which will complement Commitmas by being a way to get back to basics.

1. Curating a group of people
that build tools together
Merry Commitmas!

2. Agenda
•The case study of Commitmas
•Where do you start?
•How do you lead?
•How do you sustain?

3. Dec 2014 Dec 2015 Dec 2016
What you see
What made it happen

4. Dec 2014 Dec 2015 Dec 2016
• Matt gathers
some people
• They git for 12
days straight
Matt really wants to
learn git with friends
Josh Coen starts a Slack
group to collaborate.
This group of people blog
about it together and
help either other learn
• vBrownBag hosts 30 days of
presentations thanks to
Jonathan Frappier & Rob
Nelson
• Cody Bunch lights a fire
• Commitmas focuses on 5 teams
of contributors + presentations
(thanks to JF again)

5. Where do you start?

6. I’m learning git by contributing
to Open Source!
Someone says:

7. help I don’t get how to write a document in
markdown, also what’s a rebase, and I’m also learning
Python/Ruby/Powershell but I’m trying to write it
when I don’t get what it means to have a constructor
but what’s a method or impotency is that different
than a function ok I’m going to have a small mental
breakdown in the corner or become a farmer because
I can’t computer and I feel dumb.
I hear:

8. Focus

9. Separate out each goal
• Learning git != learning code
• Learning code != learning git
• Learning git != learning markdown

10. Separate out each goal
• Learn git & only git
• Learn markdown while using git
• Learn to contribute to learning markdown
• Learn code while learning to contribute

11. Where do you start?

14. • It’s okay to wander.

15. How do you lead?

16. Visualize Work

17. Ask For Help
Make it easy to help (and fun)
with GitHub labels

18. How do you sustain?

19. Design Guidelines
• Lead by example then document your expectations.
• Start with:
README.md
CONTRIBUTING.md
Code of Conduct
&
Some kind of mission statement
https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/tao-of-hashicorp.html

20. Reduce Noise
Go make this rule in your inbox right now...
• From is notifications@github.com
• Move to Folder "GitHub Not Me"
• Except if Body contains "@mjbrender" (with your username)

21. Be Thankful

23. One More Thing...

26. Commitmukkah is coming
• December 24 – January 1
• Commit to focusing on just git and markdown
• Get reminded regularly in #commitmukkah by @bubbebot

27. TL;DR
• Admit that you’re trying to learn too much at once
• Respect that you can learn anything you want to
• Review Commitmas years past for help
• Reach out to others on Slack: https://commitmas-invite.herokuapp.com