Change the future

Friday 10:50 a.m.–11:20 a.m.

Gittip: Inspiring Generosity

Chad Whitacre

Audience level:
Novice
Category:
Community

Description

Gittip is a platform for sustainable crowd-funding. The site's primary funding mechanism is the "gift tip," a small, anonymous, weekly gift to a worthwhile person or project. These gifts are given with no strings attached, and represent a new model for funding free and open source software. Moreover, Gittip itself is funded on Gittip, with potential implications far beyond software.

Abstract

  1. Introduction - Gittip Week to Week
    1. The basic concept of Gittip
    2. History since launching in June, 2012
      1. users and dollar volume data
      2. hot tickets showing development of a community
    3. Python success stories
      1. David Glick's campaign for his Plone work
      2. Eric Holscher's campaign for ReadTheDocs.org
      3. ??? (There's a lot of time, relatively speaking, between now and PyCon!)
  2. Wider Implications - Continuing the Open Source Evolution
    1. ESR, concluding CatB in 2000:

      Yes, the success of open source does call into some question the utility of command-and-control systems, of secrecy, of centralization, and of certain kinds of intellectual property. It would be almost disingenuous not to admit that it suggests [a certain] view of the proper relationship between individuals and institutions. [...]

      I expect the open-source movement to have essentially won its point about software within three to five years (that is, by 2003–2005). Once that is accomplished, and the results have been manifest for a while, they will become part of the background culture of non-programmers. At that point it will become more appropriate to try to leverage open-source insights in wider domains.
    2. Now is the time.
      1. Not Revolution. Evolution.
      2. Not Good and Evil. Good and Better.
    3. I don't have The Master Plan, but here's what I see:
      1. Open companies, open partnerships, open products
      2. A new relationship to work. A new economic foundation?
        1. Out: striving and desperation
        2. In: generosity and gratitude
  3. Specific Challenges for Gittip
    1. Mixing in projects and corporations
    2. Muting rock-stardom
    3. Reaching out to other communities
  4. Call to Action - Join Gittip!
    1. Individuals: Say thank you to developers who inspire you.
    2. Companies: Back the stack! Support the developers of the software you build your business on.
    3. All of us: Be generous and grateful!

Sponsors