Volunteer projects - real?

Question

Habr

Interestingly, if you post a request for participation in the development of a volunteer web project on Habré, will there be a response at all? There is a service project for players “What? Where? When? ”, The entire intellectual movement of this game is based, practically, on a volunteer basis, while through the system of intellectual games What? Where? When? more than one generation has passed at the levels of secondary and higher education in the USSR / Russia. And now he plays under 10,000 teams in 17 countries (in other countries, these are mostly Russian-speaking people).

PS TK is available.

Answer 1

It depends on how you imagine a "volunteer" project.
But one way or another, to begin with, you need three components:
- The presence of a small amount of money for placement and small projects are needed.
— A project already partially implemented by you.
— A great desire to finish it no matter what.
- Ability to manage a large and varied team of people.
If you don't have any of these, don't try.
Most people with experience and a positive attitude towards "volunteer" creation of something will not help someone who does not know how to lead and work independently.
People have a lot of negative experience, and no one will waste time on a project that is likely to “fold”.
Well, since the project concerns a very popular and well-known game, you also need the ability to communicate with a large number of people and attract them.
If you are ready to spend energy on this and you have the indicated qualities, go for it.

Answer 2

On points:
1. I have something, I’m ready to allocate something from my pocket personally (hosting, domain, etc?)
2. I have sketches of all site screens on paper, the technical task is being completed, I tried to do something on Drupal, but it’s very difficult to teach good manners.
3. Yes.
4. In two projects out of three, he successfully acted as a leader.
There are many forces, I am ready to throw everything into this project.

Answer 3

As much as I have come across volunteer projects, only those where the leader was really "real" were:
- adequate,
- persistent.
I won't talk about adequacy. Well, everyone knows about it.
If the leader slows down in the promotion of the project, if he cannot clearly set the task, if he does not listen to the right advice and oppresses only him with his incomprehensible line, if he has not written the concept of the project, if he himself cannot really do anything, then the project will fail.
The leader must be stubborn (adequately stubborn) until I can't.
I participated in several "volunteer" projects, which closed after a couple of months. The reason is banal - the leader "died", lost interest, lost confidence.
On the contrary: I know one Ukrainian schoolboy who has been writing his game for more than six months - and I am 100% sure he will write it.

Answer 4

it’s even better to try to find volunteers among the players themselves, if there are so many of them, then there should be specialists, the concept of a problem and a return will be greater

Answer 5

Think about what you can give volunteers in return and offer it. Of course it should be interesting. “Participate because you once played what where when” is nothing. "Your name will be on the Project page" - nothing.