What Makes Open Source Communities Thrive Remotely?
summary
Remote productivity drops because loss of social grooming breaks team cohesion; evidence: Dunbar-style limit around 150 people, face-to-face meetups about every six months, and teams above roughly six people incur a heavy communication tax. Practical fixes described: mandate equal-bandwidth setups or reorganize time zones, require templated, versioned docs (not meeting recordings), reward documentation as much as code, and small fixes like a $100 four‑panel folding room divider to recreate a visual work boundary at home.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00What Makes Open Source Communities Thrive Remotely?
- 5:20Work/Life Balance
- 7:57Accessibility
- 10:16Dunbar's Number(s)
- 13:24Unintended Cliques Affect Everyone
- 14:34Balance The Bandwidth
- 16:14How Do We Reduce Communication Tax?
- 19:10Social Supports
- 22:00Diverisity -vs- Inclusivity
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