Episode 260: Robert Douglass and contributing as a corporation to OSS

Guest Robert Douglass Panelist Richard Littauer | Abby Cabunoc
Mayes Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, hosts Richard Littauer
and Abby Cabunoc Mayes speak with Robert Douglass, Entrepreneur in
Residence at Open Strategy Partners, to delve into sustaining open
source projects. They explore Robert's extensive history with
Drupal, the role of Open Strategy Partners, and the innovative
Drupal Certified Partner Program designed to address the
maker-taker dilemma in open source. The episode also covers the
recently launched RFP templates aimed at promoting open source
software and certified partners. Robert shares insights on
gamification, the economic aspects of contributing to Drupal, and
future initiatives to ensure the continued sustainability of open
source projects. Hit download now to hear more! [00:01:49] Robert
shares his background in the Drupal ecosystem and his involvement
with Open Strategy Partners, which provides strategic content
marketing for B2B tech companies focusing on open source.
[00:02:43] Robert explains Open Strategy Partners’ focus on
supporting open source projects and mentions clients like DDEV and
TYPO3. [00:04:06] Richard and Robert discuss what it means to be an
entrepreneur in residence, with Robert explaining his role in
developing new products for Open Strategy Partners and the books he
has written. [00:05:52] Robert reflects on the early days of Drupal
and the challenges in making open source sustainable. He notes how
the community was initially driven by passion, with few paid
opportunities. [00:08:05] Robert introduces the Drupal Certified
Partner Program, a system for supporting Drupal sustainability by
encouraging companies to contribute both time and money. [00:10:03]
The conversation covers how Drupal’s contribution system gamifies
the support companies provide to the ecosystem. Companies can earn
contribution credits, which are visible on Drupal.org and benefit
their reputation. [00:15:41] Abby asks about the potential
downsides of gamification, especially regarding diversity. Robert
explains how placing the system at the company level may mitigate
some negative impacts. [00:18:17] Richard inquires about the
financial structure of the Drupal Certified Partner Program. Robert
clarifies that the funds collected support the Drupal Association’s
core mission, including maintaining Drupal.org and organizing
events. [00:21:33] Robert discusses the development of RFP (Request
for Proposal) templates to encourage companies to consider
certified open source providers, explaining how this initiative
promotes sustainability in the ecosystem. [00:25:56] Robert
describes how the RFP templates allow purpose-driven organizations
to incorporate open source values in their procurement process,
aligning with their missions. [00:27:00] Robert invites listeners
to explore and utilize the RFP templates, which are available under
a Creative Commons Zero license, encouraging others to adapt and
improve them. [00:29:47] Find out where you can follow Robert and
his work online. Quotes [00:08:57] “Open Source is like a free
puppy.” Spotlight [00:30:30] Abby’s spotlight is Common Sort thrift
shop in Toronto. [00:30:52] Richard’s spotlight is Wikidata.
[00:31:21] Robert’s spotlight is Chad Whitacre and Sentry. Links
SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/) podcast@sustainoss.org
(mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org) richard@sustainoss.org
(mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS Discourse
(https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Abby Cabunoc Mayes X
(https://x.com/abbycabs?lang=en) Robert Douglass LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttdouglass/) Open Strategy
Partners (https://openstrategypartners.com/) Open Strategy Partners
Blog (https://openstrategypartners.com/blog/) Building Online
Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress by Robert Douglass,
Mike Little, Jared W. Smith (https://www.drupal.org/node/1850002)
Drupal Certified Partner Program
(https://www.drupal.org/association/become-a-drupal-certified-partner)
Drupal (https://www.drupal.org/) How to Write an RFP for Open
Source Solutions: Featuring Drupal Certified Partners
(https://www.drupal.org/association/blog/how-to-write-an-rfp-for-open-source-solutions-featuring-drupal-certified-partners)
OSP: Supporting Drupal Certified Partners
(https://openstrategypartners.com/blog/osp-supporting-drupal-certified-partners/)
Sustain Podcast-Episode 148: Ali Nehzat of thanks.dev and OSS
Funding (https://podcast.sustainoss.org/148) Common Sort
(https://commonsort.com/) Wikidata
(https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Main_Page) Chad Whitacre
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadwhitacre/) Sentry
(https://sentry.io/welcome/) Credits Produced by Richard Littauer
(https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree
Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by DeAnn Bahr
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Special Guest:
Robert Douglass.