Utopian.io rewards Open Source contributors for their work. http://utopian.io
I am a dreamer and I always had the hope that one day, anyone, with no more than a good project, could contribute to the Open Source world, join forces with other contributors and be rewarded for that, thus increasing the interest in Open Source projects and speed up the development of exciting new ideas.
That's why few years ago I came up with Utopian.
Utopian was born to be Crowdfunding/Crowdsourcing platform for Open Source projects, where everyone, with no budget but a good project, could eventually share it with the Open Source community, get it done and access investments/donations to further improve it.
That's an Utopia, isn't it?
Absolutely, it is. I tested the idea and built a group of more than 7000 followers really fast (https://www.facebook.com/utopian.io). I gave up after thinking so hard about the many different, impracticable ways to achieve a real impact... until I found Steem.
Why Steem?
There were so many issues I had to solve to make Utopian a reality, to name some:
- How do you reward contributors so they can dedicate a lot more time into the Open Source community?
- How do you understand the value of each contribution and reward contributors accordingly?
- Why someone in the world would ever donate for an Open Source project when they can just copy the code?
Steem provided practicable answers to all my questions and I am going to show you why, but lets first examine the problems Utopian aims to solve.
Which problems Utopian aims to solve?
As you can see from the image above, I made a pool to understand from other Open Source contributors which tools they really needed.
An immediate way to access funds
Open Source does not mean free and it always has a cost to run and improve an Open Source project. Apart from bountysource and few similar tools, there is no real way for Open Source projects to directly access funds.
It's hard to find contributors
I have seen wonderful projects with zero contributions. That's a reality. Github and similar tools just don't have a clear and direct way to connect contributors to join forces.
Not enough time
I am a software developer and I always thought I should have contributed more to Open Source projects but never really had the time to do so.
Let Me Introduce Utopian.io
The current online version of Utopian.io is an initial, super early, super alpha setup of what Utopian aims to become in the near future.
How Does Utopian.io Work Today?
With Utopian, contributors can create a so called Contributor Report or Contribution Report.
A Contributor Report is a standard Steemit post, that will automatically fall under the category "utopian-io" (https://steemit.com/trending/utopian-io), where contributors will have to specify their latest contributions for an Open Source project, by telling their story and involvement for the project they are contributing to.
Contributing is not only about coding, but it's also about graphic design, documentation, spreading the word and much more.
Contributions must be verifiable, trustworthy and must tell a story. Contribution Reports are not intended to be cold reports. They must be personal and meaningful.
The post I am writing just now is in fact a Contributor Report for the Utopian project, the very first Contributor Report of Utopian.io.
In order for a Contributor Report to be verifiable, it should always contain:
- Links to pull requests/branches/forks if you are contributing to the development.
- Proof of social engagement if you have contributed by sharing on social media.
- Any other verifiable proof of your contributions.
Contributors are invited to share their Contribution Reports no more than once a week for a single project and never post contributions already posted in previous Contribution Reports.
Contributors will immediately access the rewards they get from their Contributor Report being upvoted (after the standard Steemit reward waiting period).
READ THE HELP SECTION TO LEARN MORE: http://utopian.io/help
Utopian is already happening on Steemit
Many Steem contributors are already sharing their contribution reports. Witnesses are doing that to show their work for the community. Utopian wants to provide a structured way to do that for every Open Source project out there. Here are a few examples:
How Utopian.io Will Work Tomorrow?
The current version of Utopian.io is only a proof of concept. If the community will respond well the project is going to change substantially.
Lets come back to the problems and how Utopian is solving them now and will solve them in future releases.
How do you reward contributors so that they can dedicate a lot more time into the Open Source community?
Contributors will immediately access the rewards they get from their Contributor Report being upvoted.
Soon Utopian will also provide a way to equally transfer donations (or power delegations) to all the project contributors.
More contributors will likely join the Open Source world thus creating more opportunities for amazing projects to grow. Utopian will also provide tools to make discovering exciting new projects easier.
How do you understand the value of each contribution and reward contributors accordingly?
Based on the number of contributions and upvotes received by each contributor on their Contribution Reports for the project, transfer donations (or power delegations) will be given to them.
Why someone in the world would ever donate for an Open Source project when they can just copy the code?
Instead of a standard donation, Utopian will most likely provide a way to delegate power to the project owner and to the contributors based on the following principle.
20% of delegated power will go to the project ideator/owner.
80% of delegated power will be shared between the project contributors based on their contribution rank for the project.
Delegating power gives a way to donators to earn a fixed income, thus making it an attractive investment and will give to project owners and contributors the ability to earn higher rewards.
By providing a way to earn rewards/income from the contributions, Utopian aims to provide a new form of work compensation, a new meritocratic economy from which everyone will benefit immediately.
Utopian.io is Open Source:
https://github.com/utopian-io/utopian.io
Utopian.io is a fork of the new template of the Busy.org project with few modifications. I really want to thank Busy.org for their amazing work.
As explained above Utopian will change substantially if the community will show enough interest for the project to grow.
Contributions to the project are not yet open. Will soon be accepted once the project has a clear roadmap.
Ideas are well accepted and I am looking forward to discuss the Utopian project with you in the comments.
Utopian is a Proof Of Concept:
Utopian.io is a proof of concept with the only aim to test the idea and understand if the community will love such a tool or not. Please be aware that there may be downtimes. The frontend may not always work as expected and major changes will happen on the way.
Utopian Needs Your Ideas:
Rome wasn't built in a day. I need your ideas and I need your active contribution to make this Utopia....a reality!
Does Utopian Take Any Fee:
No and no. While there may be costs to be covered in the future, at the moment Utopian is not getting any kind of fee.
Who am I?
11 years Senior Software Architect - Javascript Full Stack Developer, focused on ES6, React.js, Redux, TypeScript, Node.js, and DevOps.
Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@elear
Follow me on Utopian: http://utopian.io/@elear
Add me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/puccidiego/
