śr., 25 wrz 2024 o 21:17 Arnaud Becheler via Boost
I agree with Vinnie:
- Projects like Boost tend to draw in a diverse range of contributors. - While things may have been different in the past, it seems today Boost wants to focus on attracting → engaging → retaining contributors and users. - This isn’t a technical issue, but a communication challenge. - Just like you call an electrician for electrical problems, you turn to marketing, outreach, or community-building peeps when facing communication issues. - With that in mind, I agree with Kristen: drawing inspiration from onboarding processes and basic marketing strategies could be a helpful approach. - I also agree with Robert and Andrzej: I personally don't like being spammed (even with technical mails, the reason why I initially left the mailing list lol) - The key question is then: how to develop these communication strategies that retain contributors without deterring those more focused on the technical side? - It seems there is no consensus on the answer
When in doubt I tend to acquire data: perhaps the first step could be to better (re)-understand the actual/potential audience?
- Run a survey in your networks (aka email/reddit/slack/meetups) to identify the different types of actual/potential contributors (e.g., technical contributors, casual users, new contributors, core maintainers). - Identify their preferences: their motivation in boost, how often they want updates, what kind of information is relevant to them, and their preferred communication channels - Use this input to inform a first segmented, non-intrusive communication strategy: pass relevant information along different channels only to those who want it.
Maybe this is the key: "only to those who want it". This started on the algorithm to apply when a newcomer registers for the Mailing List. Maybe a single, more general checkbox (I actually mean two radio buttons) would do the trick. --------- Which do you prefer: ( ) Community Building experience ( ) Pure Technical Content experience ------------ Regards, &rzej; - Build a feedback loop: iterate on the feedback to refine how, when,
and what you communicate. - I also note this kind of survey could also be informative to the Foundation for inclusion problematics :)
Kind regards - and rainbow kitties, Arno
On Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 11:16 PM Vinnie Falco via Boost < boost@lists.boost.org> wrote:
On Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 1:59 PM Kristen Shaker via Boost < boost@lists.boost.org> wrote:
They're supposed to help orient people who are new to a
service or a community and encourage them to engage.
Intuitively, this feels correct to me, yet I am continuously reminded by experts why marketing is bad.
A recurring theme exists. There is a natural tension between experts who don't want their hand held and like things dry and technical (Peter and Andrey come to mind) and those who appreciate community-building (such as Arnaud or Christian). And apologies if I am being presumptuous about stated individual preferences.
Some of the reviews have shared wonderful experiences in various social spaces which highlight the fact that not everyone thinks the same. Some folks like it technical, some want to feel like they are part of something larger. International audiences in particular might prefer a more technical focus as some social customs might be regional and misunderstood. Knowing that a space is going to be purely engineering-focused alleviates the anxiety that someone might feel when interacting in a second or third language.
When Boost participation was on the upswing, the project attracted people naturally and the absence of invitational and welcoming aspects of presentation were not missed. Yet now we are ponding how to increase the visibility of the project.
My advice is simple. We don't want to send four consecutive automated emails to every person who signs up for the first time. And we might want to send one, as we are already doing so. There is nothing wrong with thinking about how we might improve that initial automated message to improve user experience. I think the pendulum swung too far in the direction of ignoring appearances and impressions. There is value in taking at least small steps the other way.
Thanks
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