[HOT] knight civic media session

[Dan S]

2013/6/23 Richard Weait <richard at weait.com>:
> So.  Where a person knows enough about OpenStreetMap, for example but any
> collaborative Open Data project would work here, to decide to consume the
> data, but they don't know that their reciprocal contributions are valued
> and worthwhile.  Well, they are ignorant.  If they don't know, then they
> don't know.  If we can engage with them perhaps we can find out where our
> message can be refined so that they will know that their contributions are
> valued.
>
> But on the other hand, where that same person is consuming data and
> benefiting in the same way, and they DO know that they could make
> contributions back and improve the data source for others BUT they choose
> not to do so, well, that looks pretty bad on them.
>
> - Some think contributing to OpenStreetMap is too hard.  Okay, that's either
> fear or ignorance or some lack in our outreach / training / reference
> materials. If they've tried contributing and it is still too hard, then they
> are off the hook.
>
> - Some think that they don't have the time.  Okay.  I'll call this
> "ignorance" again, as I believe that learning to contribute to OpenStreetMap
> will improve your ability to consume OpenStreetMap.  I think that any "time
> lost to learning to map" will pay off in terms of whatever that person is
> already doing to consume data.
>
> - And some just choose not to contribute when they know that they could,
> they know how, and they know that they could make a difference.  I think
> that describing them as greedy lets this group off the hook a little but
> feel free to suggest another description.

OSM, like many open data projects, is free for everyone to use,
irrespective of the amount they contribute back to the project. This
is both the licence stipulation, and the community spirit that I've
always felt around this and similar projects. Reciprocal contributions
are indeed valued and worthwhile, but I don't see much benefit it
making frowny faces at people who don't feel they have the
time/skill/inclination to give.

An open data project that does not tolerate free riders is a dead
project. So is a project that has no way of encouraging some
proportion of free riders to become peripheral contributors, which may
be your concern, but I wouldn't blame the free riders for that since
it doesn't get us anywhere.

Dan