Community Management as Open Source's Core Competency

Organizations that run open source project are not software firms. They are community management firms whose communities happen to create a software product. Applying this frame, this talk will on the questions of: How do we make community management a core competency of open source projects?; What skills, tools and culture facilitate and enable collaboration?; and Why can't we all just get along? Drawing from the fields of facilitation and mediation, David will discuss his thoughts on how the leaders of open source projects can help create and manage sustainable, effective and collaborative communities.

David Eaves An expert in negotiation, strategy and public policy, David works as a writer, public speaker and consultant. His writings on technology, public policy and foreign policy are frequently published in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and Embassy Magazine. As a consultant he works with Common Outlook, a spin-off of the Harvard Negotiation Project, developing and implementing collaborative negotiation strategies that enable organizations to maximize the value they generate with community members, partners, alliance members, customers, and suppliers. He has worked with leading companies across North America and Europe in a range of industries including financial services, healthcare, information technology, and telecommunications. In addition, David works with community groups, non-profits and government agencies consulting on negotiation strategy and public policy issues.