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Twenty Contributors, Three Days, One Goal: Bringing the Tor Community Together
**The Tor project relies heavily on the contributions of its global volunteer community. However, with most collaboration happening remotely, it's essential to have regular in-person meetings to integrate new volunteers and maintain existing relationships within the community. After a while without such a meeting, a group of Tor enthusiasts decided to take matters into their own hands and organize one.
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A Community-Driven Effort
**The goal was ambitious: bring together twenty contributors for three days to socialize, collaborate, and work on various topics related to the Tor project. But how would they make it happen without relying on traditional channels? The answer lay in a combination of creative planning, open communication, and a willingness to learn from past experiences.
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The Planning Process
**To start, a dedicated website was created to collect information about attendees, their interests, and potential session topics. A form was set up for contributors to share their ideas and suggestions, while a mailing list and Signal group were established for communication among participants. The invitation list consisted of Tor Project's core contributors and a selection of community team members, chosen for their existing relationships within the project.
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Keeping Costs Low
**To ensure as many people as possible could attend, the organizers sought to keep costs low. They chose Hylkedam in Denmark, the same venue used by the annual BornHack hacker camp, which offered affordable accommodations and meals. The option to bring tents was available for those who wanted it, while vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner were prepared together. With a budget of $200 per person for three days, attendees could focus on socializing and collaboration rather than financial constraints.
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A Structured Program
**To create an engaging and productive program, the organizers polled potential session topics and interests among attendees. They structured sessions for the three days between breakfast and lunch, leaving afternoons open for unstructured sessions and hacking time. This cycle of opening sessions, structured sessions, unstructured sessions, and closing circles proved to be effective.
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Collaboration and Innovation
**The meeting was a resounding success, with contributors from various backgrounds coming together to discuss topics ranging from Tor consensus transparency to improving Grafana dashboards for relay operators. The diversity of participants made it easier to work on different projects simultaneously, ensuring that everyone had a chance to contribute.
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This community meet-up was not intended to be a one-off event but rather the start of a series of similar gatherings. While Hylkedam may have been an ideal location for this first meeting, other venues are welcome to host future events. The organizers encourage anyone interested in contributing to future community gatherings to get in touch and share their ideas.
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Want to be part of the next community gathering? A good opportunity is coming up at the upcoming Chaos Communication Congress, where a relay-operator and community meet-up will take place. Drop by if you're around and interested!