An open source project’s success depends on the community it attracts, networks of motivated members working together for a common purpose, creating and nurturing interfaces which evolve, often at an incredible pace, and snowball in popularity, as new people get drawn in, share and contribute.
![](https://inperpetualbeta.commons.gc.cuny.edu/files/2011/01/osi.jpg)
It’s exciting to watch as the CUNY Academic Commons grows, expands, and responds to users’ feedback.
Commons users – CUNY faculty and grad students – create groups, participate in forums, post content on blogs, and collaborate on our wiki. Some help develop and maintain our underlying software, which we, as a community, document, test, and if we find issues, report and track defects.
As we collaborate, we may have epiphanies or nervous breakdowns, we may write about Archeology in Iceland or managing on-line courses for distance learners, but it’s incredible to be part of the Commons!
We are enjoying a bumper crop of new members, and I look forward to their contributions!
Wonderful post, Scott.