Building A Team

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+4 Q:

I'm trying to put a small team (about 5 members to start) together here in Honolulu to work on some hobby-projects members and myself may have, and am having trouble finding other members who are interested. Basically am just looking for people with skills in JavaScript, JQuery, AJAX, PHP, MYSQL, and anything else in that realm. I've posted to Craiglist and came across a professional graphic designer, so far. I myself am only knowledgeable of HTML/CSS/PS so we're a long way away from getting things going, in terms of projects I have in mind.

What would you guys suggest is a good way to build a team? Or more specifically, where or how would you go about finding potential interests? I've been at this over 2 weeks now and me and my design guy really want to get the ball rolling.

Maybe if you've done the same thing you can share your experiences as well, and maybe some tips.. that'd be greatly appreciated.

+2 A:

Start your project, get visibility, host the code somewhere, create a website, put some communication tools in place (mailing lists, IRC, im, wiki, issue tracker, etc), let people know you're looking for team members, document how to contribute, encourage contributions, welcome contributors and promote active ones to commiters (meritocracy), reference your project on specialized websites, market it a bit, etc, etc

Pascal Thivent 2009-09-14 23:43:20

+6 A:

This is a difficult problem. Here are a few things I could think of:

1) Try searching for technology related meetup groups in your area. If you can't find any that have a high turnout, make your own. I've personally met some fairly smart developers this way. (http://www.meetup.com/)

2) Put together a regional based open source project (such as one that consumes government data to do something useful). This would be a great way to meet and attract other developers in the area. If you don't get any talent out of it you may qualify for a sunlight award (http://www.sunlightlabs.com/).

Robert Venables 2009-09-14 23:46:56

Thanks Robert. Ya, I had a look around MeetUp.com and there are no groups even close to what I'm looking for. I began the New Group process but after page 4 realized they changed their service to a subscription-based service. Quite a turn-off. Second time around.. After looking again I notice they have a 30 day guarantee. I may just try that out.

Z with a Z 2009-09-15 00:03:19

They've been subscription-based for organizers for about 4 years. My experience is that it took about 4 months to build up a lively group, but Meetup.com is an excellent way to create the opportunity for people to find you.

JasonTrue 2009-09-15 17:35:50

One thing you may want to consider is looking at people outside you local area as this obviously dramatically increases your talent pool. And with modern collaborative tools like skype, vnc and what not its easier than you may imagine to work remotely.

Joshua 2009-09-15 00:22:26

Thanks Josh. I have future plans to use such tools, though in the beginning I plan to build a team that can meet face-to-face to work on things, help each other during non-meets, etc - much like a group of friends would do. It also helps the build trust in the team more efficiently. Plus, I'm not too keen on the vulnerabilities of working with people I don't know overseas - I'd rather learn how to walk before I attempt running.

Z with a Z 2009-09-15 00:33:11

University is probably the best place to look..

You should be able to find bright people there, who don't have a job/girlfriend/wife/kids or other ties.

Wouter van Nifterick 2009-09-15 00:35:24

Hmm.. I guess this could work if I posted to a bulletin board on campus, or just found some online networks where those students hang out.

Z with a Z 2009-09-15 00:52:13

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Building A Team

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