TY - JOUR T1 - Community-Built Software: What I Learned from Calagator JF - Open Source Business Resource Y1 - 2009 A1 - Audrey Eschright AB - Many open source projects start with a single developer trying to scratch an itch by making a new tool for their own use. But what if the need to be addressed is bigger, and affects more people? How can the creation of open source software involve a whole community? At the start of 2008 I decided to build a solution to an ongoing problem in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Portland's growing technology scene was having trouble tracking all of the user groups, meetups, and events that people were planning. I started a central calendar using Google Calendar, but found it hard to maintain. People planning the events needed the ability to make their own updates without me having to add them individually as users. A single, central information source that would be completely open to the community at large was needed. The solution became an open-source calendar aggregator called Calagator. The process of creating that solution became a very rewarding community-building effort. By trying different things along the way, we learned how to organize an open source project to encourage community development, and code sprint practices for group work sessions, and worked with a number of tools that make collaboration easier. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa UR - http://timreview.ca/article/260 IS - June 2009 U1 - Elevated Code Audrey Eschright is a programmer and self-described geek who works as a developer for Elevated Code. She is part of the core team for Calagator, an open source calendar aggregation project. She was also a founding board member of the Legion of Tech, and is currently co-chair of the Open Source Bridge conference. She was recently featured in the Oregonian's Ultimate Northwest Magazine as one of Portland's 25 Most Creative Thinkers. ER -