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 Joe to Paul
Thanks for you years-long commitment to hosting and maintaining the mailing list manager for the LUGOR mailing lists and all that goes with it.
Anonymous message
Hi! Sending this as part of the Happiness Packet Challenge if you didn't hear of it, hope you will consider participating too. https://twitter.com/fedora/status/850966509115498496
I wanted to say that I'm happy we have people like you in the Fedora community. You've been around for a long time and bring wisdom and perspective with that. You're never afraid to be straightforward and direct, yet you still understand that there are people behind the screen and you are considerate with your words too. You have done and continue to do a lot in Fedora, and sometimes I am surprised to find you involved in one area of the project or another (or maybe I shouldn't be so surprised anymore)…
Thanks again for all of the time and energy you devote to Fedora. It definitely does not go unnoticed!