Episode 249: Why work with writers in Open Source? With Jenn Turner

Sep 27, 2024

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Guest

Jenn Turner

Panelist

Richard Littauer

Show Notes

In this episode of Sustain, host Richard Littauer interviews Jenn Turner, a content strategist at Fastly and part of the Glitch team. They discuss Jenn's unusual journey from journalism to open source, the challenges of being a non-technical contributor in a technical field, and the importance of effective communication in open source projects. Jen shares insights about maintaining work-life balance, the role of community in sustaining open source, and the impact of social media changes on community engagement. They also touch on strategies for non-technical contributions to open source and the value of humanities skills in tech. Hit download now to hear more!

[00:01:57] Jenn shares her journey into open source.

[00:05:09] Richard asks how Jenn navigated being an editor through the world of open source. She emphasizes that many brilliant coders lack the communication skills necessary to bring communities along and highlights the importance of developing critical thinking skills through humanities courses.

[00:07:25] Jenn talks about how editors and writers can play an essential role in promoting and communicating the value of open source projects.

[00:08:30] We learn that Jenn had to deal with the pressure to learn how to code early in her career, but she recognized coding wasn’t her passion.

[00:10:38] Jenn explains how she contributed to Node.js community by writing newsletters and serving on the community committee.

[00:11:56] Richard and Jenn discuss the challenges of identifying as non-technical while contributing to technical spaces.

[00:14:58] Jenn shares how she decoupled her identity from her occupation to prioritize time with her daughter.

[00:17:23] We hear advice from Jenn for non-technical people looking to join a project in open source.

[00:21:18] Richard and Jenn discuss the importance of event organizing in the open source space, encouraging listeners to get involved with organizing conferences.

[00:23:09] Jenn reflects on the challenges of social media and community engagement, and she shares how Glitch and Fastly try to create meaningful conversations in their forums to foster a more centralized community.

[00:32:06] There’s a conversation on the importance of having a style guide for social media to ensure consistency and fun communication.

[00:34:00] Find out there you follow Jenn and find her work online.

Quotes

[00:05:16] “One of the funny things about the tech industry is how much emphasis is put on the ability to code.”

[00:05:24] “You could be the world’s most intelligent coder but have no skillset to bring a community along.”

[00:13:42] “Truly no one’s value is creating code on a project; it’s their thought process and all of the intentions and goals and things that they’re working towards.”

[00:23:33] “You have to have a level of cultural fluency in order to be able to authentically connect with your audience.”

Spotlight

[00:35:13] Richard’s spotlight is Nolan Lawson.
[00:37:12] Jenn’s spotlight is Lynn Fisher’s website, lynnandtonic.com.

Credits

Produced by Richard Littauer
Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound
Show notes by DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound

Special Guest: Jenn Turner.

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