I have been a member of the Joomla! Community for three years. When I think back on what we have been through as a project, I have mixed emotion about how changes have impacted us. I have worked very closely "on the inside" of the project this past year and I am impressed with the dedication, the intelligence, and the efforts of our contributors. It is a fine group of people and I am proud of my association with this project.

As a member of the Communications Team, I think a lot about how best to encourage the growth of our community.

We will always need to strengthen our contributing community. It is due to the efforts of these volunteers that Joomla! innovates forward. We need people to help in the forums, to write documentation, to find and fix bugs, to write core code, to test, to implement unit testing, to build important, strategic extensions with others, to provide translation services, to organize Joomla! Users Groups and Joomla! Day events, and to contribute funds.

Every group has its rules. These boundaries communicate expectation, and compliance shows respect to the group, which in turn helps keep the group productive and happy. From my perspective, if you want to participate as a contributor on the Joomla! project, there are four basic rules:

1. Respect Joomla!'s license.

2. Respect Joomla!'s copyright.

3. Comply with Ian's rule - "Don't be an ass."

4. Try to give something back.

Not everyone agrees with these rules, and that's cool. We are not all going to agree and each of us must decide whether or not we are willing to comply with the group norms. Joomla! is not the only project to get involved with and finding a good fit is key.

Everyone is free to download Joomla! without cost and without any requirement to contribute. Many of us choose to contribute because we want to be a part of what we believe is a worthwhile and noble project. Those who participate see personal benefit. For some, it might be good for business. For others, it could help with individual growth and learning. Others consider working with the project a fabulous hobby. Others still enjoy the sense of belonging. For most, it's a combination of these reasons.

I hope you consider contributing. I strongly recommend it. If you want to play a bigger part, first consider if you can live within those guidelines. If those rules work for you and you have a desire to get involved, let someone know, we would love to help you find a place you can use your gifts.