Open Source 101: A Beginner’s Guide 🌱
Ever wondered what “open source” means, and why our campaign uses it?
So, what exactly is Open Source?
Imagine a community potluck dinner. Everyone brings a dish, shares recipes openly, and helps set up and clean up. The whole community benefits because everything is visible, collaborative, and shared.
Open-source takes this idea online:
- Visibility: Everything (policies, strategies, tasks) is public and easy to find.
- Collaboration: Anyone can suggest improvements or new ideas, just like bringing a dish to the potluck.
- Sharing: All materials can be used by others freely, spreading good ideas widely.
Why does this matter in politics?
Traditional political campaigns often keep their strategies hidden—like secret recipes. But when campaigns operate openly:
- Trust grows because people see how decisions are made.
- Ideas improve since anyone can suggest changes based on their experience.
- Participation expands as barriers to involvement disappear.
How does our campaign use Open Source?
Instead of hidden rooms and private documents, we use clear online tools (like GitHub) so anyone can:
- Read our policies and strategies: Check out how we plan to tackle issues like housing and healthcare.
- Suggest changes: Found a typo or have a better way to phrase something? You can easily suggest edits.
- Join discussions: Help shape our plans by contributing your insights and experiences.
Common Open-Source Terms, Simply Explained
| Open-Source Term | What it Means Here |
|---|---|
| Repository (Repo) | A public folder where we keep all campaign materials. |
| Issue | A task or idea noted publicly, like a community noticeboard. |
| Pull Request (PR) | A suggested change anyone can propose. |
| Fork | Making a personal copy to experiment and suggest improvements. |
| Merge | Accepting someone’s suggested change into the official materials. |
Your First Open Source Action: (Easy!)
Here’s a simple way to get started:
- Go to any document in our repo.
- Click the pencil ✏️ icon.
- Make your change (fix a typo or clarify a sentence).
- Click “Propose changes”.
That’s it! Someone will review your suggestion and merge it in if it helps improve the campaign.
Why You Should Get Involved
Your voice matters. Just like a community dinner is better when everyone contributes their favorite dish, our campaign becomes stronger when more people pitch in.
Together, we can create politics that are open, fair, and inclusive.
🌱 Castro for Georgia Team