Folks have asked me how to find and build community.

Here is a very pragmatic and approachable way to find the community in your local town or neighborhood.

A little of bit of the concept with a focus on praxis.

So if you're new to community and mutual aid, don't think about what you can build. You're going to be wrong. People have already tried what you're thinking and dropped it back at version 0.3 - Everyone is on 8.2c right now.

So join what exists. Once you get good at it, then you can build out from there - with the knowledge of what is actually needed and works.

Quick note: Things are working. You're just not hearing about it via corporate news. Because it doesn't make those corps money. But its working and has been working. Glad you are joining us now! I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised as what exists around you and what you've been missing out on. Everyone joins at some point. Glad you're here now.

How do you find what exists?

The simple answer is, via community. But you haven't joined the community, so how do you find community without the community!

Since you're here, on the internet, let's start with the internet.

One thing: Folks building and running mutual aid aren't always building and running websites. They're meeting actual people doing physical things in the world. So their websites suck. Also, putting things out publicly runs the risk of inviting the nose of town government and their police forces. Sometimes posting publicly is a *BAD IDEA*. So they don't. You understand OpSec. They understand it better.

But, you certainly can start on the internet to find a "doorway".

Mutual Aid and community is DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT from charities. I won't go into it here, but the two aren't the same and actually opposed to each other.

Buuuuuut.....

Folks overlap between the two.

So I might focus on mutual aid, but I'll work with some charities because their apparatus furthers a mutual aid goal in the immediacy.

With that in mind, you can search out charities on the internet. They are well established there and are often upheld by local govt and churches. So they're protected.

Certainly go find some charities that align with your "one thing" (the thing you'll focus on now until you learn about more).

The big thing though, is the charity is not the goal. The people that work there are the goal. You are building a network. So go and meet people but BE FUCKING CHILL about your goals. You start spouting off mutual aid and bad things happen. So just be quiet and listen (this being quiet and listening is going to be your main skill to develop for a long while... so embrace it now).

You'll mostly find old boomers in retirement and religious folks with some politicians. They are charity folks. Great. But you're looking for folks that don't fit those molds. You're looking for the hippies, the socialists, the anarchists, the folks who have grown up poor and now have some means. "One of these things is not like the other". Find the anomalies and follow *their* lead.

You're going to sit in these charities for months while you meet people. Listen to "small talk". If it's Jesus focused, just smile and nod and praise god.

But if it's apparatus building and working with other groups, those are the conversations you want to join in on.

I'll say that again:

If the conversation is about WORKING WITH OTHER GROUPS on shared goals... get in on that. I don't care if its other charities. Get in on it.

After a while, you'll start meeting folks that are building real mutual aid. Learn the initiatives in your area and you'll find and settle into the groups that are doing work but not advertising on social media about it.

So.

Where to start?

Pick one of the following areas (there are more, but these are entry points):
- Food.
- Homeless outreach.
- Literacy / schooling.
- Political access and voting.

Just pick one area and find groups that do that thing. Don't worry about picking the right one. You're going to be moving around for a bit while you learn, so its fine. They all flow.

For Food: Find your local Food Bank and Food Pantries. Feeding America is a good start. Look there. Food Banks need lots of volunteers. Find a thing you can do and do it. Local churches act as Food Pantries. Go to those and help hand out food. If you're really lucky, find a place that makes and serves hot food. DO THAT!!! You'll get real close to mutual aid right away.

For Homeless outreach, look up local shelters - sure. Shelters tend TO ABSOLUTELY SUCK!!! So your mileage may vary. Look for places that gather up clothes and coats and hand them out. Look for places that serve the homeless communities and do that.

For Literacy and schooling, look up various elementary schools, libraries, and the same. After school programs for children. Boys and Girls clubs and the like as well. If you have kids, talk with your school counselors and ask them about the school programs that serve under-privileged families.

For political access and voting, don't join a political party. Instead find local orgs that focus on registering people for voting. The NAACP shines in this. You don't have to be black to join the NAACP. Local DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are also a good place to look.

Great. So how do you find them?

A quick note on internet searches just to get it out of the way: Search for "city or town name" and:
- "food bank"
- "food pantry"
- "mutual aid"
- "after school programs"
- "voter advocacy"
- "homeless shelter"
- "women's shelter"
- "town resources"
- "library"

On that last note: The BEST PLACE TO START is your local library.

Just go hang out in the library for a while. They post A LOT of stuff for the town. Classes, resources, groups, events, etc. And by "post" I actually mean physical posts. Fliers on the wall and on physical "announcement boards". The librarians themselves are great. Just ask them. They're there to help. Literally.

In fact, don't approach looking for these groups as a volunteer (I hate that word). Don't approach them as a person looking to contribute and build.

Instead, approach these groups as a person who could benefit from them. So for food, ask the librarians to help you find "food pantries for distributions". The libraries are geared to help the community. So get all the info on that, and then flip it around and go to the food pantries and ask how you can help.

So. Internet search for groups is an okay start. But go to the local library and ask.

All you need is ONE WAY in. Once you find some sort of group doing something - anything... go there. Then meet the people. Find a stray community worker that also works there and learn from them. Then find out about the other groups that meet and are building and doing. Go to those in person meetings and spread from there.

(Ask questions in this thread and I and others will give you ideas.)

Also, if you need help finding those initial groups, DM me with your town name and I'll give you a list of groups that you can start with.

#solarPunk #mutualAid #community

There are many ways you can contribute to NVDA. These include (but are not limited to!):

- Translation (UI and user guide)
- Core NVDA software development
- Add-on software development
- Testing NVDA
- Submitting GitHub issues
- Triaging GitHub issues

We would be happy to hear from anyone who does or might be interested in contributing in any way - docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #Survey #Contribute #Community #Feedback

NVDA Contributor Documentation Survey

Thank you for participating in this survey. Your feedback is valuable and will help us improve NVDA's contributor documentation.

^{Google Docs}

This afternoon, an acquaintance joined a Mastodon instance and asked me which "celebrities" are present in the Fediverse, as if it were important to determine the value of a social network based on that.

I told him that the most important user in the Fediverse is him. Just as it’s you, reading this. Someone who has decided to interact with others freely. Who has chosen to trust their administrator (or create their own instance) more than they trust those who run traditional, monolithic, centralized social networks.

So, I want to thank all the friends of BSD Cafe, whether local or not, for being here and making this place what it is. And I thank all my friends in the Fediverse, who make my timeline lively, interesting, intelligent, fun, and thought-provoking - every day, at any time.

#BSDCafe #Mastodon #Fediverse #SocialNetworks #SocialMedia #Community #Trust #OpenSource #DigitalFreedom #JoinTheFediverse

Sensitive content Click to open/close

Our latest productivity blog is out - and it was inspired by one of @RL_Dane's many Thunderbird tips, tricks, and hacks! If you're fighting against an overflowing inbox, and don't know where to start, the 'Grouped by Sort' view can help.

#Thunderbird #Productivity #Community

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/10/m…

Maximize Your Day: Focus Your Inbox with 'Grouped by Sort' - The Thunderbird Blog

If your inbox is overflowing with unread and unprocessed messages, Thunderbird's 'Grouped by Sort' feature can help you tame it.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

Let's keep the contributor appreciation from earlier going! Our most recent Contributor Highlight is out, and we're shining the light on Toad Hall, one of our Mozilla Support (SUMO) forum superheroes! The SUMO forums are the pillar of our support, and contributors like Toad keep it strong.

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/10/c…

EDIT: Now updated with ISO 639-1 codes!

Do you speak Croatian (hr), Breton (br), or Scottish Gaelic( gd)?

All three of those languages have slipped under 70% translation for Thunderbird for Android! Normally this would mean removing them from the app. But we're hoping we can rally some translators to help complete these languages - or at least get them over 70% translated!

#OpenSource #Localization #Community

To learn more or get started, go to our Hosted Weblate! hosted.weblate.org/projects/tb…

In the September Community Office Hours, we chatted with the voice of our community - the Thunderbird Council! @dannycolin and @clokep, two current council members, talk about the council's origins, its responsibilities, and how to get involved.

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/09/v…

Today, our job is simple - to inspire to to try a Thunderbird Add-on to boost your productivity! If you don't know where to get started, our community (including here on Mastodon!) gave us some great ideas. 💡

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/09/m…

NV Access are very pleased that RACQ Magazine interviewed us for an article on NVDA, "Revolutionising accessibility through a global community". RACQ noted: "A Brisbane-based not-for-profit organisation is behind a global movement breaking down barriers for blind people."

Read the full article on RACQ:

racq.com.au/road%20ahead/2024/…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #News #Impact #Community #RACQ

Uuuuiii, finally: It's online! Machiav3lli & I were speakers at DroidCon Berlin earlier this year (in July), talking about "Open Source Community Building and Maintenance". Now the video is online:

droidcon.com/2024/08/30/open-s…

How do you maintain your communities?

#dcbln24 #IzzyOnDroid #NeoCollective #community

There are some amazing people who provide all kinds of support about Thunderbird, whether it's here or in our official Mozilla Support (SUMO) site! If you've ever wondered how to get involved there, or are just curious how it works, our most recent Office Hours shows you the ins and outs of tackling community questions. You don't need a cape to be a Thunderbird superhero (also, no capes!), just skill, knowledge, and time!

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/08/v…

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

VIDEO: How to Answer Thunderbird Questions on Mozilla Support

In this first of a two-part series, the Thunderbird Team discusses how to get involved with providing Thunderbird support.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

Last month @linuxflower and @ryanleesipes went to GUADEC, the yearly @gnome conference! Heather has a fantastic write-up of their experience at the event, which includes Ryan's inspiring, insightful keynote (seriously, watch it if you haven't already) and some conversations about calendars, flatpaks, and (controversy alert!) telemetry.

Read more at blog.thunderbird.net/2024/08/t…

#OpenSource #Community #Thunderbird

Thunderbird goes to GUADEC 2024 - The Thunderbird Blog

Last month in Denver, Thunderbird literally took center stage at GUADEC 2024 with a dynamic keynote from our own Ryan Sipes.

^{Heather Ellsworth (The Thunderbird Blog)}

So, what do you think of Mike (see linked toot)? Should he become our mascot? * (We're asking for your input because we love him, but aren't sure if he would well represent the quality app that we aim to provide.)

#community #vote

* We might or might not follow the outcome of this poll.

• Yes, definitely! (25%, 144 votes)
• Yes, but only on social media etc (not in the app) (41%, 233 votes)
• Meh / Nah / Nope (33%, 191 votes)

We think our project's journey from nearly dead to thriving is an awesome story with lessons for any OSS project. Watch @ryanleesipes tell that story in today's #GUADEC keynote at 21:45 UTC/ 15:45 Mountain. @gnome is streaming their talks (thank you!), and you can catch his talk here: youtube.com/live/jS7NzYqxH3o?f…

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

GUADEC 2024 – Day 1, track 1

GUADEC is the GNOME community’s largest conference, bringing together hundreds of users, contributors, community members, and enthusiastic supporters for a w...

^YouTube

So my local library's makerspace offered a free event where they brought in a bunch of old tower computers, printers, game consoles, etc., - laid out a bunch of iFixit toolkits - and let everyone (kids and adults alike) take everything apart!!!

One kid was hesitant because they didn't want to break anything and the library staff were like, none of it works. We're recycling and throwing everything out afterwards! Go hog wild, you won't get in trouble! You're meant to break it and take it apart!

The kid was absolutely enthusiastic and went to town!

I got to be a kid again and go into detail about all the computer parts and what each of the hardware did. It was awesome watching my children and other kids and adults interact, share tools, show off what they found.

I spoke with the organizer afterwards and asked if this was a regular thing and he said that he didn't have enough old equipment to make it regular. I laughed and said all of my friends have CLOSETS FULL OF THIS STUFF and the idea of giving it to a bunch of kids and adults to play with would bring joy and meaning to their life, lol!

I gave him the time to meet up with @fxbghackers and told him to make a community announcement about needing old electronics for donation to take apart and he'd get truck loads.

Just another way community helps each other out. This is post scarcity education.

#solarPunk #mutualAid #community #library #makerSpace

Hello hello Jamers 😎

Transifex serves as our collaborative translation management platform, simplifying the process of translating Jami into multiple languages. 🔄

This tutorial aims to provide our remarkable community with step-by-step guidance on how to contribute to Jami's translation efforts on Transifex.💪

If you're multilingual, lend us a hand and help us connect with a wider audience 🌍.

👀 Want to know how ? Here is the link: jami.net/how-to-contribute-to-…

#Jami #Community #Contribution

[Video and PDF presentation now available at the blog link below!]

Our last Office Hours session was an inside look at Thunderbird's build and release process. Wayne and Daniel ran through an informative presentation, answered questions, and treated us to live demos showing how a new Thunderbird build gets pushed and promoted to release.

Check it out: blog.thunderbird.net/2024/06/m…

#Thunderbird #Community #Development

Thunderbird: The Build and Release Process Explained

Wayne and Daniel shed light on Thunderbird's build and release process, run through an informative presentation, and treat us to a live demo.

^{Jason Evangelho (The Thunderbird Blog)}

The Thunderbird story is an epic of countless individual stories, coming together to make something bigger than themselves. We're sharing those stories in a new series, and our first spotlight is on one of our amazing Bugzilla volunteers.

Arthur helps new volunteers document issues, as well as testing bug fixes. Read more at the blog, and find out how to share (or start!) your own Thunderbird story!

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/06/c…

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

Our First Contributor Community Highlight

In our very first Thunderbird contributor highlight, we shine a spotlight on Arthur, one of our amazing community volunteers.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

Community Office Hours start in an hour at 17:30 UTC! Join us to talk about the present AND future of the Thunderbird release process! Details and joining information here: blog.thunderbird.net/2024/05/m…

#Thunderbird #Development #Community

The Thunderbird Blog Thunderbird

Thunderbird team members discuss the present and future of the Thunderbird Release Process in the May 2024 Community Office Hours.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

In this episode of the CHAOSScast podcast, Alice Sowerby, Luis Cañas-Díaz, and Dawn Foster unpack the new Practitioner Guide for understanding and improving responsiveness on Open Source projects. podcast.chaoss.community/85

#community #OpenSource

Introducing CHAOSS Practitioner Guides: #1 Responsiveness

In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Alice Sowerby is joined with Dawn Foster and special guest, Luis Cañas-Díaz from Bitergia.

^CHAOSScast

Do you care about the future of #Thunderbird? Join this mailing list and participate in helpful discussions with your point of view: thunderbird.topicbox.com/group…

#community

This week's In-Process is out! Featuring the latest on NVDA 2024.1, add-on updates, the Microsoft FOSS Fund, Philanthropy Australia awards, an Interview with our GTO Gerald, and more! All available now at: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-2…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #News #Newsletter #Blog #Awards #Interview #FOSS #Community

Today more companies are announcing their support of the Valkey community (the group that includes committed developers previously working on the OSS version of the core Redis engine): Aiven, Alibaba Cloud, Chainguard, Heroku, Huawei, Percona, and Verizon.

#OSSummit #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #FOSS #OSS #Redis #Valkey #Community #LinuxFoundation

linuxfoundation.org/press/valk…

Valkey Community Announces Release Candidate Amid Growing Support for Open Source Data Store

Valkey community welcomes new partners, including Aiven, Alibaba Cloud, Chainguard, Heroku, Huawei, Percona, and Verizon.

^{The Linux Foundation}

Now on stage for the morning #OSSummit keynotes, core team member Madelyn Olson to speak about the new Valkey community effort.

The walk-on music: "We are never ever getting back together" by Taylor Swift. 🤣

Love it!

#OSSummit #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #FOSS #OSS #Redis #Valkey #Community #LinuxFoundation

You've got questions, and we've got answers! We took feedback from recent social media, mailing lists, and in-person conferences, gave it to our team in last month's office hours, and then turned those answers into a blog! 📖

So if you want to know more about Thunderbird for Android features, or when full sender names are coming, read this short and sweet post full of information! 💡

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/04/t…

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

Team Thunderbird Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

Exchange support & add-ons for Thunderbird mobile? True conversation view on desktop? The team answers your most frequently asked questions.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

I am working a talk for DORS/CLUC in Zagreb about #OSM.

My topic is how and why to start contributing to #OpenStreetMap as a total beginner. I'll be showcasing tools such as @streetcomplete , @everydoor, @MapComplete.

I'll be also talking about #gamification, #community, helping projects like #hotOSM and #OpenHistoryMap.

Do you have any tricks or ideas you would like me to include into the talk. How would you encourage a total stranger to start contributing?

dorscluc.org/

blog.commune.sh/federated-webr…

In the glory days of web 1.0, social websites would prominently link out to their digital neighbors via lists known as webrings; magical doorways to an expansive hinterland of digital villages.

Let's envision what a truly federated chat like #Matrix could do to improve the cross-connectivity of chat channels. Most of these features are already possible, they just haven't been implemented yet in a community-oriented client experience.

#CommuneApp #fediverse #community

Federated Webrings

^{Erlend Sogge Heggen (Commune Blog)}

Who needs bad April Fools' Day jokes when you have laptop lids! Today's lid is from @Unaccounted4

Things we are loving:
* Sweet, squishy mascots 🐧
* Sound haberdashery 🎩
* Science and swears 🤬

Rating: 1100/1010 binary references

#OpenSource #Community #WeRateLaptopLids

Thunderchat Alert! 🚨

Community Office Hours start in ONE hour at 17:00 UTC! Today's format is Open Forum and FAQs, so bring your questions and comments and we'll bring the team! Find out how to join in the blog post: blog.thunderbird.net/2024/03/m…

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

March 2024 Community Office Hours: Open Forum and FAQ

The March 2024 Thunderbird Community Office Hours invites questions from the community in an open forum format.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

It's time for our Community Office Hours this Wednesday March 27 at 17:00 UTC and the topics are up to you! We'll answer live questions, questions sent to officehours@thunderbird.net, and some of the questions we heard most at SCaLE! 🤔 🐧

Find out how to join us in the blog, and note the shift in day and in UTC! Silly spring time changes. 🗓️ ⏰

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/03/m…

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

March 2024 Community Office Hours: Open Forum and FAQ

The March 2024 Thunderbird Community Office Hours invites questions from the community in an open forum format.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

#SCaLE21x, it's almost time to say goodbye, but it's been a blast. Thank you everyone who came by our booth to share your stories, heard @linuxflower talk about Thunderbird for Android, and made our first time here a great one. 🐧 💙

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

This is your friendly reminder for our monthly Community Office Hours this Thursday at 18:00 UTC! Team Thunderbird will be joined by John Bieling, who will be talking to us and answering your questions about Add-ons and Add-on development.

Find out how to join live and more on the blog post: blog.thunderbird.net/2024/02/f…

#Thunderbird #Community #OpenSource

February 2024 Community Office Hours: All About Add-Ons!

Sr. Software Engineer John Bieling joins us to talk about Thunderbird Add-ons in the February Thunderbird Community Office Hours! Learn about what they can do and how to get involved.

^{Monica Ayhens-Madon (The Thunderbird Blog)}

Before we get too far into 2024, we wanted to think about everything that went well - and the things that didn't go so great - for Thunderbird in 2023. Don't get us wrong, while we think some amazing things happened last year, we also want to admit what we could have done differently. 🙂 😐 😕

As always, we'd love to know your thoughts on where - and how - we can improve! 💙

blog.thunderbird.net/2024/02/t…

#Thunderbird #OpenSource #Community

Thunderbird In 2023: The Milestones and The Lessons We Learned

We're listening, and we're learning from your feedback. Here's where Thunderbird succeeded in 2023, and the lessons we learned along the way.

^{Jason Evangelho (The Thunderbird Blog)}

Exciting news! The Ubuntu Community is now on Matrix. As of today, we're now fully federated with the rest of "The Matrix"! Anyone can join the party 🎉

Did you know that you can also find the Ubuntu HPC community on Matrix? We're an active group supercomputing professionals that meet every Wednesday over Jitsi. Just look for hpc:ubuntu.com when exploring rooms.

Hope to see you there with the rest of the Ubuntu Community 😎

#Ubuntu #Community #Matrix #HPC #supercomputing

At long last, the Thunderbird blog now has a "Share To Mastodon" button!

A hearty round of applause and eternal thanks to @micah, @oopsallnaps, and @devmount for making it happen 💙

#Mastodon #Community #OpenSource