Open Source Matters

Every time I turn around, it seems like more positive change is coming out of Open Source Matters.

Jacques Rentzke opened an Open Source Matters group in People as "an informal space for the community to interact with the members of the board." Prior to this, there has never been a way to do so. This is openness.

Two days ago, Ryan Ozimek posted an article OSM Board Members Take New Leadership Roles.

* Community Liaison - Steve Burge
* Trademark Team Liaison - Marko Milenovic
* Events Team Leader - Robert Deutz

More openness as to what those roles entail and more changes coming. Genuine meritocracy in action. I don't think anyone who has been observing and who knows these people would disagree that these are the right roles.

Steve has acted as a community liaison since the moment he became a board member. He has been openly answering questions, helping people get information and support they need, listening and responding appropriately, educating people on their responsibilities. In terms of communication, one of the first things Steve did in his role on the board was to ask community for input on communication needs, and then summarized the results with a small panel of respected community members. Steve provides information on community on a regular basis and is very responsive on Twitter.

Marko is BSD in the Joomla! forums. He has been very involved in the community since the beginning of Joomla! having served as a forum moderator, a member of the Joomla! Serbia Translation Team, and organizer behind local Joomla Day events. Marko is also a member of the Free Software Foundation Europe core team. Since July 2007, Mark has worked on the Freedom Task Force for the FSF on various GPL violations and legal issues. Seems very suitable as our Trademark Team Liason. This has been a very difficult area for the community and I hope that this change might make it possible for the community to discuss the Trademark in more open and positive ways.

Who can argue with Robert as our Events Team Leader? That selection in and of itself is a sign of respect for the community members who came together at JandBeyond. It is obvious that Robert understands the importance of engaging community in planning these events. He knows the importance of the event, itself, serving the community by providing great learning material provided by peers, building the community through networking and strengthened connections, and enthusing the community into action. I am confident he can work with our friends in Australia to get the international Joomla! event on the right track so that the community enthusiasm we heard coming out of Germany will sound even louder in our next international event in Australia. Robert's positivity is something we all need to hold on to as we work together.

Earlier, it was announced that Jacques Rentzke agreed to serve as the Board's Secretary. Again, as more evidence of the commitment to openness from this board, look at the Board Meeting Minutes now available for March 18th and April 19th.

Finally, I want to acknowledge Ryan Ozimek as a professional and positive leader. He has always been a great evangelist for Joomla! and I am encouraged to see Ryan presenting at Open Camp, along with community leaders Chris Justice, Jeremy Wilken, Cory Webb, Joe LeBlanc, and Kyle Ledbetter. Ryan is someone who inspires the community into action and his inclusive and positive nature builds commitment and loyalty. I encourage you to watch his JandBeyond video that I found to be a good talk for that moment in Joomla!'s community evolution to help pull community together and urge service.

Leadership is so important for change, but leadership cannot bring change, people do. In a free software community, people bring change by contributing to what we produce and that is software. There are lots of ways to get involved in helping make Joomla! better. Follow the #jfwd tag (and tweet using it!) to see what's going on. Today is a Bug Squash Sunday, a great way to join the fun of making Joomla! 1.6 possible.

Time for us to help. Let's do our part, too!