What is #BuildInPublic ?

Now that the #AI4ALL submission period is over, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what I observed during the hackathon and discuss the importance of emphasizing the concept of #BuildInPublic.

It was encouraging to see that all the projects provided a link to their GitHub or replit project. This is a great step towards building in public, but it is important to understand that there is more to it than simply sharing the final product.

Merely dropping the project on the last day and writing about it or linking a pitch video does not truly capture the essence of building in public. To effectively demonstrate the process of building in public, it is necessary to showcase how the sausage is being made. This means being transparent about the challenges, setbacks, and failures encountered along the way.

Building in public can be messy and can sometimes break one's confidence. However, it is through this transparency that we can truly learn and grow. By sharing the journey, the thought process, and the iterations involved in the development of a project, we not only inspire others but also create a space for collaboration and feedback.

It allows others to learn from our mistakes and contribute their own insights, ultimately fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

I am still a beginner in this and here are the list of things I keep on tabs.

1. Starting a project from scratch and showcasing regular commits/progress updates: When beginning a new project, it is essential to start from scratch and demonstrate consistent progress through regular commits. By doing so, team members and stakeholders can easily track the project's development and stay updated on its status.

2. Enhancing project understanding with comments and detailed readme docs: To make the project easily understandable to anyone who comes across it, it is crucial to include descriptive comments within the codebase. Additionally, a comprehensive README document should be provided, offering clear explanations of the project's purpose, installation instructions, and usage guidelines.

3. Active participation in forums and groups to solve problems: Engaging with online developer forums and groups can be incredibly beneficial. It allows you to seek help from the community when facing challenges and also provides an opportunity to assist others by sharing your knowledge and expertise.

4. Encouraging collaborative development and PR submissions: Fostering a collaborative environment is key to project success. Encourage other developers to participate in the development process alongside you. Welcoming and reviewing Pull Requests (PRs) from contributors can lead to valuable enhancements and fresh perspectives.

5. Innovation over redundancy - avoid reinventing the wheel: While creating new elements for the project, it's essential to focus on innovation and avoid duplicating existing solutions. By building upon existing tools and libraries, you can save time and effort while contributing new and valuable features.

6. Contributing to protocol development like Lightning or Nostr: Consider contributing your code to the development of established protocols like Lightning or Nostr. By aligning your project with these well-established standards, you can enhance interoperability and broaden its potential user base.

7. Acknowledging credits and respecting others' work: When utilizing code from other sources or linking to external projects, always provide proper credits and acknowledgments. Respecting the work of others not only strengthens the open-source community but also establishes goodwill among fellow developers.

8. Offering a step-by-step guide for local project setup: Make it easy for others to run your project locally by providing a detailed, step-by-step process for setup and configuration. A clear installation guide will reduce barriers for potential contributors and users.

9. Facilitating issue reporting, tracking, and feedback: Ensure that there is a straightforward way for anyone to report issues or provide feedback on your project. Utilize issue tracking systems to manage and address reported problems effectively, fostering a responsive and user-friendly development process.

10. Embracing forks that add value to the project: When others fork your project to create their versions, embrace their efforts if they add value to the overall project. Openly welcome contributions and encourage collaboration to drive continuous improvement and expansion of the project's scope and capabilities.

In conclusion, building in public is not just about sharing the final outcome but also about embracing the messiness and vulnerability that comes with the process. It is through this openness that we can truly harness the power of collective intelligence and push the boundaries of innovation.