Our Contribution to Communities

During the Christmas season, people often tend to question what they had done in the past year and if there is anything that could have been better. On the other hand, this is also the time when they spread love, share positive thoughts, and help someone in need. We have decided it is time to share our contribution to communities.

Since Kolosek is a remote software development company, we have multiple communities to cover, but we will name just the two of them. First, there is a "general" community and then there is a community of developers. We will separate our actions into these two groups.

Keep in mind that doing good makes you feel good. Most people do it because the more you put in, the more you'll get back. We do it because we can and not because we are supposed to.

Giving back to the community of developers

There are multiple ways to do this. We chose just a few.

Reviewing software

You might remember from our text about the new approach to blogging that we mentioned that there will be pages on our sites for submitting codes and designs. We are still in the process of creating them but that doesn't mean we are not reviewing projects.

Reviewing the code and the design keeps us responsible. If we have all this knowledge, why wouldn't we share it and help others?

Writing blog posts

We have to come to the realization that blog posts don't just help our readers, they help our new employees to solve the issue regarding the code.

GitHub and open-source projects

We are currently in the process of creating a few open-source projects. And you know where we will be posting them, as soon as they are done. :)

Meetups

Meetups are a great way to learn something new and meet new people. They represent an example of great contribution to communities. Although most people consider meetups as business opportunities, we know great friendships that are born this way. Is there a better New Year's gift?

We suggest you look around meetup.com and find a community you can become a member of or just attend their gatherings.

Other events

As a company, we like to participate as partners. As individuals, we like to volunteer at different events and conferences.

Teaching a fellow developer

If you have time, that is. Reaching out to someone who doesn't know to solve a problem is a very colleague-ish thing to do.

Note: Please keep in mind there are many ways you can help the community online. Sharing the knowledge on Stack Overflow, and starting a discussion on Twitter, Facebook groups and Quora is a great thing as well.

Giving back to the "general" community

Contributing to communities is important and you should never neglect it. By "general" community we mean a circle of people who are not developers but can use your help.

Donating

Donating is a huge trend in the Xmas season. Everyone wants to present themselves as kind, giving people. We say: Sure, why not? Find a charity you want to contribute to but, remember, it isn't all about the money. Those people need food, clothes, something to play with etc.

Offering to help someone

Holding a door for an elder person. Helping an older person with carrying groceries. Everything counts.

Volunteering at a National Kitchen

Providing a nutritious, healthy meal to the homeless. Also, if there are food leftovers from some party, you can just drop them off at a National Kitchen. It costs nothing and we guarantee it will put a smile on those people's faces.

Not just during the holidays

Contribution to communities isn't a one-season job. If holiday guilt is something that drives you, your motivation is limited. Remembering to do these and even greater things should be your New Year's resolution.

Be someone's Santa. Appreciate what you have and give back to others because, sometimes, giving is the best present you can give to yourself.