Create public communication channel for open source community to engage, interact, get help, get involved with MagicBox projects
Background
Open source projects usually have a place where interested users, developers, or contributors can ask questions, get help, talk about the project, and more. Having a public platform to do this is important for the health of a project. Otherwise, it's like having a public train system, but to get to it, you have to go through membership-only gym.
A public channel truly enables us to engage with the community because it enables two-way interaction between the community and the Office of Innovation.
Details
There are many platforms that exist, but I suggest these three, ordered in rank by most preferred to least.
IRC is most preferred because it brings us directly into an inter-connected "bubble" of other open source projects and communities. Countless projects use the freenode IRC network, and many communities are based there for over two decades. Using IRC also taps us into that network.
GItter
Gitter is also a popular option, but I believe it to be slightly less connected as compared to IRC. I've also found its mobile support to be lacking.
Slack
Slack is a well-known platform, but it is proprietary and also may require a paid plan in the future. However, it does offer granular permissions and easier separation of public vs. private channels (the other platforms support public vs. private too, but it's not as straightforward).
Outcome
UNICEF Office of Innovation and MagicBox projects are better connected to the wider open source community, and new users or contributors are better able to get involved with projects
Summary
Create public communication channel for open source community to engage, interact, get help, get involved with MagicBox projects
Background
Open source projects usually have a place where interested users, developers, or contributors can ask questions, get help, talk about the project, and more. Having a public platform to do this is important for the health of a project. Otherwise, it's like having a public train system, but to get to it, you have to go through membership-only gym.
A public channel truly enables us to engage with the community because it enables two-way interaction between the community and the Office of Innovation.
Details
There are many platforms that exist, but I suggest these three, ordered in rank by most preferred to least.
IRC
IRC is most preferred because it brings us directly into an inter-connected "bubble" of other open source projects and communities. Countless projects use the freenode IRC network, and many communities are based there for over two decades. Using IRC also taps us into that network.
GItter
Gitter is also a popular option, but I believe it to be slightly less connected as compared to IRC. I've also found its mobile support to be lacking.
Slack
Slack is a well-known platform, but it is proprietary and also may require a paid plan in the future. However, it does offer granular permissions and easier separation of public vs. private channels (the other platforms support public vs. private too, but it's not as straightforward).
Outcome
UNICEF Office of Innovation and MagicBox projects are better connected to the wider open source community, and new users or contributors are better able to get involved with projects