[Food for thought] Last term, we on the OGB spent some time and effort trying to articulate a set of values for our community. Jim Grisanzio and Glynn Foster in particular talked and wrote passionately about building communities, but, as we turned the discussion into text for the Values page on OS.o (http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Main/values), we (imho) boiled away much of that passion; the result, correct as it may be, reads like a dry textbook :-(
Today, on one of the blogs I follow (http://www.rallydev.com/agileblog/), Jean Tabaka had the following to say about her involvement in the Agile development community. Her words weren't dry and tasteless at all; it felt like she was speaking for many of us, and I wanted to share: ?A Community of Thinkers? I am a member of a community of thinkers. I believe that communities exist as homes for professionals to learn, teach, and reflect on their work. I challenge each community in the software industry to: # reflect and honor the practitioners who make its existence possible; # provide an excellent experience for its members; # support the excellent experience its members provide for their clients and colleagues in all aspects of their professional interactions; # exemplify, as a body, the professional and humane behavior of its members; # engage and collaborate within and across communities through respectful exploration of diverse and divergent insights; # embrace newcomers to the community openly and to celebrate ongoing journeys; and, # thrive on the sustained health of the community and its members through continual reflection and improvement. I believe that leaders in each community have a responsibility to exhibit these behaviors, and that people who exhibit these behaviors will become leaders. I am a member of a community of thinkers. If I should happen to be a catalyst more than others, I consider that a tribute to those who have inspired me. She goes on to say: ... we wanted to avoid putting our statement up as some kind of manifesto that people can sign. If you feel strongly enough about this statement that you would want to sign up, copy it. Post it on your own site. Attribute it to wherever you got your copy from ? the act of sharing is more important to us than the act of creation ? and feel free to change it so that it reflects your own values. I don?t think that any statement like this can ever be perfect, nor will we perfectly live up to it. I am a member of a community of thinkers. So are you.
