Communication Platforms#
In The Turing Way, our GitHub organisation serve as the primary source of information. The main project repository hosts book chapters and project management documentation and resources.
In addition the project delivery team makes use of various communication platforms to facilitate effective information dissemination within and beyond the engaged community.
Given the diverse range of formal and informal projects managed by both the project delivery team and community members, the communication within The Turing Way community can be broadly categorised as synchronous and asynchronous.
GitHub for Synchronous and Asynchonous Communications#
GitHub Issue and Github discussions serve as a dynamic space where updates, queries, and discussions happen. The GitHub ‘discussions’ feature, although not as frequently used by community members as the issues and Pull Requests, allows the project delivery team to share information related to specific topics, maintaining transparency among community members. These avenues ensure that even individuals not actively participating in a conversation can stay informed about ongoing developments and contribute where they can. Contributors can respond in real-time, but the system is mainly used to accommodate varying time zones, allowing participants to engage at their convenience.
To streamline communication, issues that seek input or require voting are labelled appropriately, such as community, when a certain discussion requires community input.
When soliciting feedback, adding clear titles, mentioning the right people and indicating timelines help improve the engagement.
These issues can be crossposted on other communication channels to boost their visibility.
Some examples of when issues and discussions can be used for communication purposes are the following:
Inviting community inputs, ideas and feedback: Issue #2811 about Using/supporting open infrastructure - suggested alternatives to currently used tools
Keeping a record of an ongoing project: Discussion #3081 about Technical Improvements to enhance the usability of The Turing Way Book (GSoC 2023)
To indicate the specific nature of the issue/discussion, we also use words such as [TALK], [INVITATION] and [FEEDBACK NEEDED] (in square brackets) before writing the full title.
Synchronous Communications#
We use the Slack and social media platforms to engage with our collaborators and community members synchrnously.
Slack Workspace#
The Turing Way Slack Workspace (theturingway.slack.com) is one of our core communication channels. This platform enables instant messaging, fostering quick exchanges and real-time collaborations among team members. It is a space where folks ask questions, learn about each other’s work, and get involved with The Turing Way and other projects. While it is not the only communication channel used by the community, it is a popular platform, increasingly used by remote teams around the world.
You can join the workspace using the joining invitation.
Asynchronous Communications#
In addition to our synchronous communication channels, we leverage various platforms for archiving, sharing, and preserving project-related outputs within The Turing Way community, which serve as asynchronous communication channels.
Zenodo Community Page#
The Turing Way community page on Zenodo is the main platform to archive and preserve project-related outputs, including slide decks, reports, datasets (such as the entire GitHub repository and illustrations), and publications. This platform provides persistent identifiers (DOI) to keep stable and citable records, enhancing accessibility and longevity.
GitHub Repositories#
Central to our information storage and sharing, our GitHub repositories serve as the primary hub for project-related documents, resources, and collaborative efforts, offering transparency and collaboration for both synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Since our transition from a single repository to a GitHub organisation, we are moving towards community-maintained repositories on various projects taking place within the community, including governance work, Working Groups, community events and different kinds of communication outputs.
By February 2024, following repositories host specific working group communications and meeting notes:
The Turing Way Book Chapters#
The book chapters themselves serve as a form of asynchronous communication, providing an extensive range of practices documented for reuse by others. Community members can refer to these chapters at their convenience for onboarding, reference and self-paced learning. These ultimately serve as an important pathway for the community members to identify where they would like to get involved.
The Turing Way community members document the practices they use within the project and our community activities, which are shared in the Community Handbook. Templates and resources are shared to help with future community-building efforts within and beyond The Turing Way.
In the subchapters of this chapter, we compile the processes and practices guiding communication across different platforms. By doing so, we provide a reference point for community members to identify the right channels they would like to follow and other projects looking to establish effective communication strategies within their own communities.
Feel free to edit and update these resources, or adapt and implement them to suit the unique needs of your community/projects.
Social media channels#
In expanding our reach beyond project-specific communication channels, The Turing Way project delivery team uses social media platforms to connect with a wider audience and share project updates broadly.
Twitter (@turingway): Used since 2020, our Twitter presence has played an important role in getting the community engaged in real-time with updates and announcements from the project. Follow @turingway.
Fosstodon (@turingway): Since 2023, we have been using Fosstodon, a platform for open science practitioners in our community.
LinkedIn Page: Since late 2023, we have been testing and expanding our presence on LinkedIn among professional networks.
These social media platforms complement our primary communication channels, providing additional avenues (often requiring manual cross-posting) for community engagement and outreach.