How to join UniFOSS

UniFOSS primarily operates out of a Zulip realm that is invite-only.

To be a part of this realm, you need to know someone who is already a part of UniFOSS. We want to grow our community slowly and organically, which is built around a web of trust, where everybody is well-known to someone else.

We do this to ensure that our community always remains authentic and lets us have control over the kind of culture we want.

How to get invited

The best way to get invited is to connect with someone who is known to the UniFOSS community. We don't mean this at a superficial level. Since the person who invites you has to introduce you, and is generally responsible for you, you must gain their trust.

Some general guidelines that may help:

• Participate in meetups of groups or people affiliated to UniFOSS, and connect with them
• Contribute to FOSS projects whose maintainers and community members are affiliated to UniFOSS
• If you do choose to cold contact someone from the UniFOSS community, you need to demonstrate that you are a good steward of Open Source, and your presence will bring value to our members

How to invite someone

If you are already a member of UniFOSS, and you know someone who can bring value to the community, DM any moderators¹ of the Zulip realm and send them the email address of the person you want to invite. The moderator will send the invite to your contact.

Once your contact accepts the invite, it is your duty to introduce them. You can always ask your contact how they would like being introduced. Not being introduced is not an option ;-)

It is also your responsibility to help them assimilate into the UniFOSS community. You will also be held accountable for the people you invite.

Some guidelines to keep in mind inviting others

• Invite people you trust to be active in our communities activities, be it through discourse, meetups, Unit activities etc.
• Prefer inviting people who can add to the diversity of our community – whether it be diversity of fields of interest, gender, socio-cultural backgrounds etc.
• Ensure that your contact is made aware of our Code of Conduct
• Do not invite people you have barely met or known. If they have demonstrated that they can provide value to our communities, but you don't know them well, inform the UniFOSS core team about this and we'll collectively make a decision.