i, quaid

This is something that The Open Source Way has needed for a while, some checklists to follow when seeing where you are in implementing the various principles. Since the principles meld the narrative a bit, there may be a few checklist items in one principle. Also, a short checklist is just plain easier to follow, and useful when it has links back to principles … when someone-of-you-and-I fixes that, too

This first checklist, Organizing a community – checklist, is derived directly from the chapter, How to loosely organize a community. It is focused on the first work that needs to be done to get a community started and ready for sustainability. I’m sure it is incomplete, which is why I’m putting it out there in hopes that those of you-and-I who care will comment here … or on the project mailing list … or even come do some fixes on the page yourself.

Two caveats:

1. This might be done better somewhere else. If it is freed and opened enough that I can include it, I would like to. At the very least, a link on the references page would be good.
2. This checklist is for any type of community interested in emulating the success of free software and following the open source way. As such, it is a generic checklist and does not dive in to specifics that matter to any one domain. Such as software development. So, for example, don’t tell me that I missed the “licensing” section. Not all communities have copyright works to license. What is a general way to handle that question? Let’s put that in the book.