== Session title ==
Better recommending of tasks suitable for new technical contributors
==Main topic==
[[ https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Developer_Summit/2017/How_to_grow_our_technical_community | How to grow our technical community ]]
== Type of activity ==
Unconference session
== Description ==
%%%
=== 1. The problem ===
FOSS projects have a **chicken and egg problem**: Some interested people manage to join IRC or a mailing list, state that they want to contribute, and expect us to tell them what to work on.
However, FOSS projects have a "scratch your own itch" attitude so we expected contributors to choose themselves what to work on.
We link to [[https://mediawiki.org/wiki/Annoying_little_bugs | mw:Annoying_little_bugs ]] from numerous pages, such as [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker | mw:How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker ]].
* Links to Phabricator queries on mw:Annoying_little_bugs are sorted by functionality areas (Phabricator projects as search criteria), require another click, and the Phabricator **results might get incomplete** as project naming and organization changes in Phabricator.
* Some potential contributors mention which **programming languages** they know. We can recommend projects but do not offer a "list" of projects per programming language.
* Some **project developers/maintainers are not aware of `#easy`** and do not mark tasks as such. For existing `#easy` tasks, the lists are not much nurtured by developers/maintainers.
* There are also different **levels / scopes of 'easyness'** (technical requirements or required knowledge for a new contributor) which currently are not exposed either.
* After a contributor has worked on an `#easy` bug, we do not have a **follow-up concept** in place how to make contributors grow their knowledge and become regular developers.
* Bonus bikeshed if too much time is left: The terms "Annoying little bugs" and "easy" might not be the best names (I get frustrated if I cannot fix a bug supposed to be "easy" and I don't see how many of those starter bugs are "annoying").
=== 2. Expected outcome ===
* Answers or agreement on approaches to (some of) the problems outlined above in the bullet points.
* Generally more awareness of (correctly) applying the #easy tag across developer teams.
=== 3. Current status of the discussion ===
See links listed below.
(If you want to discuss a specific aspect already covered by a task listed below, please use that task listed below. For general or high-level comments on recommending tasks that are suitable for new technical contributors, please use this very task.)
=== 4. Links ===
* #easy
* {T146960}
* {T136866}
* {T122683}
* {T131706}
** "and then what" (e.g. "mentored bugs") is related to {T148557}
== Proposed by ==
@Aklapper, @srishakatux
== Preferred group size ==
15-20
== Any supplies that you would need to run the session ==
Post-its and markers
== Interested attendees (sign up below) ==
# @Qgil
# Add your name here