WordPress NYC Meetup Group

You’ve read the contributing guide. You’ve joined the chat. But some of the most useful things about open source aren’t written down anywhere: how to get your first contribution noticed, how people grow into bigger roles, and what counts as contributing when you don’t write code.

This Meetup is an evening of trading advice with contributors from across open source, whatever project you call home.

The conversation draws on Words Worth Knowing, a series for Workplace Fluency, adapted here to name the parts of open source contribution nobody teaches you. We’ll open with a few of those terms:

• Visibility vs. Presence: Visibility gets your name in the release notes; presence means people think of you when they need help.
• Shadow Portfolio: Your shadow portfolio is the reviewing, documenting, translating, and mentoring that never shows up in your commit history, and it still counts.
• Lurking: Watching before you contribute is how many people learn a community’s culture, and it’s a stage, not a failure.
• Trust Ladder: Every project has a trust ladder, and you climb it by showing up consistently.

What to expect
This is a conversation about your experience as a contributor, so come ready to share what you’ve learned. We’ll break into small groups, and each group will take on one of these questions:

• How did your first contribution get noticed?
• How did you find your team or your role?
• What contributions are easy to overlook, and how do they get recognized?
• What do you wish someone had told you in your first month?

We’ll close with each group sharing its best advice.

Who should come
Contributors to any open source project, in any role: code, documentation, design, translation, testing, support, events, or community. Newcomers and longtime contributors are equally welcome, and the evening works best with both in the room.
No prep needed. Bring one question you’ve always wanted to ask someone who’s been around longer than you.