Tackling New Challenges in a Virtual Focused Community

Tips for Hosting Successful Virtual Events

• Having multiple mediums of communication gives people more ways to engage with each other
• Make it easy for people to participate
• Don't neglect the social side of things
• Back up your virtual event with physical items such as awards to incentivize greater communication
• Keep everyone informed by creating a searchable archive for other contributors

During a contributor celebration, a game night was suggested as an activity. However, the team realized that not everyone may enjoy playing games, so they brainstormed ways to involve everyone. They decided to have a baking activity instead, which is something everyone can relate to and enjoy.

The pandemic has had many communities scrambling to find ways to capture, grow, and continue to strengthen the bonds of their community members. Virtual events, zoom burn out, and increased familial responsibilities are things that are impacting not only contributors but software communities as a whole. They do pose an opportunity - They can be made more accessible, there are less financial pressures for attendees, and they open up possibilities for others that might not be able to previously contribute to open source. In this talk, we’ll go over some of the successes and failures that we have encountered over the past year, share our experiences, and explore strategies to mitigate “virtual” fatigue. Attendees will learn the following things: - How to approach virtual events and activities, both as an organizer and an attendee - Set and manage expectations with themselves and others - Technical do’s and don’ts with virtual events