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Newcomer Integration and Learning in Technical Support Communities for Open Source Software

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2012

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Proceedings of the 2012 ACM International Conference on Supporting Group Work

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Association for Computing Machinery

Abstract

In this paper we present results of an NSF funded project on exploring and understanding cyber learning that happens in online open source software (OSS) communities for technical support. We look across multiple OSS support communities (Firefox, Java, and Koha) to understand the behavior of newcomers in these communities, the role that the community response plays in their continued participation and newcomer best practices. We found that newcomers are not a homogenous group and majority of them display model" behavior. We also found out that community response is critical for continued participation of newcomers. In our dataset, almost all non returning newcomers can be attributed to receiving no reply or a condescending reply from the community. We found that one third of newcomers' transition into a role of help givers in the community and demonstrate evidence of learning. We also highlight best practices for newcomers to be successful in these online communities."

Description

Singh, Vandana (2012): Newcomer Integration and Learning in Technical Support Communities for Open Source Software. Proceedings of the 2012 ACM International Conference on Supporting Group Work. DOI: 10.1145/2389176.2389186. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 65–74. Sanibel Island, Florida, USA

Keywords

cyber learning, newcomer integrations, virtual communities, distance education, online communities, open source software, learning

Citation

DOI

10.1145/2389176.2389186

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https://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/4913

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GROUP 2012

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Number of citations to item: 19

  • Simon Butler, Jonas Gamalielsson, Björn Lundell, Per Jonsson, Johan Sjöberg, Anders Mattsson, Niklas Rickö, Tomas Gustavsson, Jonas Feist, Stefan Landemoo, Erik Lönroth (2018): An investigation of work practices used by companies making contributions to established OSS projects, In: Proceedings of the 40th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Practice, doi:10.1145/3183519.3183531
  • Jiayi Sun (2024): Sustaining Scientific Open-Source Software Ecosystems: Challenges, Practices, and Opportunities, In: Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE/ACM 46th International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion Proceedings, doi:10.1145/3639478.3639805
  • Sogol Balali, Igor Steinmacher, Umayal Annamalai, Anita Sarma, Marco Aurelio Gerosa (2018): Newcomers’ Barriers. . . Is That All? An Analysis of Mentors’ and Newcomers’ Barriers in OSS Projects, In: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 3-6(27), doi:10.1007/s10606-018-9310-8
  • Simon Butler, Jonas Gamalielsson, Bjorn Lundell, Christoffer Brax, Johan Sjoberg, Anders Mattsson, Tomas Gustavsson, Jonas Feist, Erik Lonroth (2021): On Company Contributions to Community Open Source Software Projects, In: IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 7(47), doi:10.1109/tse.2019.2919305
  • Jim Buchan, Stephen G. MacDonell, Jennifer Yang (2019): Effective team onboarding in Agile software development: techniques and goals, In: 2019 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM), doi:10.1109/esem.2019.8870189
  • Dan Sholler, Igor Steinmacher, Denae Ford, Mara Averick, Mike Hoye, Greg Wilson (2019): Ten simple rules for helping newcomers become contributors to open projects, In: PLOS Computational Biology 9(15), doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007296
  • Simone da Silva Amorim, John D. McGregor, Eduardo Santana de Almeida, Christina von Flach G. Chavez (2018): Educating to achieve healthy open source ecosystems, In: Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Software Architecture: Companion Proceedings, doi:10.1145/3241403.3241433
  • Alcides Velasquez, Rick Wash, Cliff Lampe, Tor Bjornrud (2013): Latent Users in an Online User-Generated Content Community, In: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 1(23), doi:10.1007/s10606-013-9188-4
  • James D. Palmer, Nakai McAddis (2019): Documentation as a cross-cutting concern of software, In: Proceedings of the 37th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication, doi:10.1145/3328020.3353949
  • Sanna Malinen (2015): Understanding user participation in online communities: A systematic literature review of empirical studies, In: Computers in Human Behavior, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.004
  • Masayoshi Matsumoto, Sho Tsugawa (2023): On the Effectiveness of Features for Predicting User Churn in Reddit Communities, In: 2023 IEEE 47th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC), doi:10.1109/compsac57700.2023.00177
  • Igor Steinmacher, Marco Gerosa, Tayana U. Conte, David F. Redmiles (2018): Overcoming Social Barriers When Contributing to Open Source Software Projects, In: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 1-2(28), doi:10.1007/s10606-018-9335-z
  • Zixuan Feng, Katie Kimura, Bianca Trinkenreich, Anita Sarma, Igor Steinmacher (2024): Guiding the way: A systematic literature review on mentoring practices in open source software projects, In: Information and Software Technology, doi:10.1016/j.infsof.2024.107470
  • Christopher Scaffidi (2019): On-Ramps to Learning: The Progression of Learners Through Topics in the Online LabVIEW Forum, In: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-11890-7_74
  • Igor Steinmacher, Marco Aurélio Graciotto Silva, Marco Aurélio Gerosa (2014): Barriers Faced by Newcomers to Open Source Projects: A Systematic Review, In: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55128-4_21
  • Igor Steinmacher, Ana Paula Chaves, Tayana Uchoa Conte, Marco Aurelio Gerosa (2014): Preliminary Empirical Identification of Barriers Faced by Newcomers to Open Source Software Projects, In: 2014 Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, doi:10.1109/sbes.2014.9
  • Igor Steinmacher, Christoph Treude, Marco Aurelio Gerosa (2019): Let Me In: Guidelines for the Successful Onboarding of Newcomers to Open Source Projects, In: IEEE Software 4(36), doi:10.1109/ms.2018.110162131
  • Aditya Johri (2018): How FLOSS Participation Supports Lifelong Learning and Working, In: Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Open Collaboration, doi:10.1145/3233391.3233541
  • Igor Steinmacher, Tayana Conte, Marco Aurélio Gerosa, David Redmiles (2015): Social Barriers Faced by Newcomers Placing Their First Contribution in Open Source Software Projects, In: Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing, doi:10.1145/2675133.2675215
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