Peers and Growing the Puppy

[raffy]

From mainly a developer community, the Puppy Linux enthusiasts now comprise a diverse following, and more are joining.

Most everyone started feeling around and then came forward to fill in a need that s/he can serve well.

This is fine perhaps up to that point when each such initiative is unique in itself. Whenever a duplication arises (whether real or imagined), some unease may be expected. Also, new enthusiasts may offer perspectives that may be strange given the currently held views, and disagreement can run for some time.

The Puppy community should be congratulated for being able to ease through such challenges, although bits of unease have appeared lately.

This community is still small, while out there, the need is as big as one's imagination. The trick is to keep finding niches - unfilled spaces where one's own talent and contribution can grow.

At the same time, we may have to be conscious of how one's contribution weighs in the community. This will provide some form of stability, much like a boat is ballasted with (not one but many) weights so the wayward wind does not pull it off-course. Each of these "ballasts" is in fact the contribution that every enthusiast is tending for the community itself and/or the world at large.

Newbies to the Puppy "boat" will not know who these "weighty enthusiasts" are unless we tell them. At least Pizzasgood often includes in his signature his Puppy project (if I recall it right). Others may be reluctant to do the same, but at this point, it will make us conscious of cultivating our own niche and attending to it well - it is the accountability aspect of what we individually do. It will also make the task of joining a preferred project easier for others (usually as a lesser contributor until s/he has shown his/her worth through own contributions).

So unless you have a different suggestion, let me get started with an example. Maybe this will be my niche for Puppy (for now): Role - Coordinator, Puppy Linux Nonprofit Group; Project - Minimalist PC for education. (I will have to update those pages so they become more relevant to these descriptions.)

And I rest my thoughts there for peer review.

[guest]

I really like the way the puppy community is. Very diverse and tolerant. Difficulties always arise but puppy prevailed stronger. By those who participate makes things even better.
also, pupsafe looks brilliant!

[J_Rey]

Yes, good perspective. Also, people could use their wiki user pages more also and link to it in their profile (like me).

Another thing I was thinking of was creating a How to help/contribute article at http://puppylinux.org/user/ to help with recruiting volunteers. But like you said, "the need is as big as one's imagination," and so I still help out where needed, but kind of at random/at my interest level. The main thing needed by the experienced users is organization so the newer users have a strong structure from which to positively contribute. Also, similar resources in the Puppy Web need to link to each other, and I could go on and on.... Well, keep up the good work!

[babbs]

I like being able to help out where I can.

[raffy]

Allow me to post here some comments that I wanted to add during the February 2006 meeting:

We are already a virtual foundation with regular members contributing to common goals. Registration may be necessary but acting together is more important.

We are already doing things the committee way via open discussion in the Forum.

What people shy away from is voting on what specific things to do, as this is not favorable to innovation (innovation being driven by individual initiative).

But when it concerns use of shared resources, it is alright to vote.