What are Open-Source Happiness Packets?
People are generally much more loved than we think we are. But while it's easy for many to complain when they don't like something, 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.
However, 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 and important 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. With this, we're building an archive of open-source happiness that people and communities can use to draw inspiration.
As an example, here are two random messages from our archive:
From Janet Swisher to Mara
Thanks for editing a bunch of CSS reference pages on MDN during Write the Docs 2017 Writing Day! And also for being fun to talk to :-)
Anonymous message
Every year for DevConf, I always see your name, usually months before the conference is even here. It's clear how much effort, planning, and time you put into organizing DevConf with the rest of your team. To me, I love DevConf because it isn't only a place to share ideas and build better software together, but it's a way to get to know members of our own and other communities in a better way. We spend so much time online, working so long together, and DevConf is one of these rare opportunities where the collaboration isn't spread across by hundreds or thousands of kilometers.
Thank you for all you put into DevConf. It always shows. I'm looking forward to this year's event.