What are Open-Source Happiness Packets?
People are generally much more loved than they think they are. Especially when things don't go according to plan, other people almost never think as harshly of you as you might think of yourself. It's easy for us to complain when bad things happen, and yet we're often fairly silent when things are good. Open-source communities are no different, especially when our main communication channels are textual and virtual.
The feeling that you made a difference, that your work matters and has value, and that the people you work with are happy to work with you, is an awesome feeling. With Open-Source Happiness Packets, we're trying to spread that feeling.
How does it work?
Openly expressing appreciation, gratitude, or happiness to other people can be difficult. This is especially true when you don't know them very well. Many of us come from cultures in which people are not open by default about such feelings, and naturally feel uncomfortable or even creepy to share them.
Open-Source Happiness Packets is a very simple platform to anonymously reach out to the people that you appreciate or to whom you are thankful in your open-source community. Your message can be sent anonymously if you feel uncomfortable to share your name with the recipient. Of course, we encourage you to share your name, but it's completely optional!
Happiness Archive
If both the sender and the recipient agree, we can publish the Happiness Packet on the website. We hope to build an archive of open-source happiness that communities can draw inspiration from.
As an example, here are two random messages from our archive:
From Yulytas to Neville
Hi Neville,
You are definitely in my top seven favorite people in the Linux world.
I admire you as a person, professional and as a community manager.
Thanks one more time, for all your support and kindness, you are a gentlemen and responsible. Since 2013 that I know you, I think that I can trust in yourself!
When I needed you to reach newcomers you were there in time and with good mood! Fedora LATAM is great because people like you, make it an awesome group!
A big hug from Peru and I hope you can visit us again to share all your knowledge,
Julita
From pingou to Sitaram Chamarty
I would like to thank you for your effort on developing and maintaining gitolite as well as providing support for it, including for the Fedora project which has a very particular setup.
Thanks!