In a message of Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:07:32 CDT, Jeff Rush writes:
I've just been frustrated lately across several spheres of life with how very hard it is to get people, in general, to get involved, to take on meaning ful projects even those they agree are valuable. The explanation eludes me a nd keeps me awake at night and I ask those I meet from other walks of life w hy.
One reason is that having ideas is easy. Work is work. One thing that I have found that has had a limited amount of success -- though better than near 0 success, as was before -- is for you to step in, take the idea, and break it down into tasks that would need doing before it is implemented. This may need collaboration with the idea-haver, but not always. Then organise something -- a sprint, say to go make code out of the idea. People are justifiably afraid of getting involved in a project that could suck up all their available free time and more, and give them a responsibility that they will be stuck with forever. If the thing starts out as shared, there can be some trust that it won't become an intolerable burden later -- and that ducking out later to do something else that is interesting won't damage a community that in some way has become dependent on you. Laura