The Virtual Coffee Podcast

In Episode 8 of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan delve into the intricate process of open sourcing a private repository. Drawing from their experience with Virtual Coffee's community docs, they discuss considerations like verifying the safety of repository content, ensuring appropriate permissions, and maintaining the privacy of sensitive discussions. They also tou...

In this episode of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah Hawrot Weigel and Dan Ott delve into the journey of climbing the contributor ladder in open-source projects. They explore the progression from contributor to maintainer, focusing on the importance of trust-building, consistent contributions, and respectful interactions within the community. Key strategies discussed include engaging with pr...

In Season 10, Episode 6 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan explore the multifaceted aspects of building and nurturing relationships within the open source community, particularly during Hacktoberfest. The episode highlights the significance of effective networking, making meaningful connections, and becoming a valued repeat contributor. The hosts provide practical advice for newcom...

In this episode of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan delve into the benefits and challenges of being a maintainer in open source projects, particularly during Hacktoberfest. They discuss the excitement and responsibility of maintaining projects, the joy of welcoming new contributors, and the importance of community building. The hosts also highlight the preparation involved in enhanc...

Bekah and Dan explore the community's engagement with Hacktoberfest, a month-long event encouraging open source contributions. They discuss what Hacktoberfest is and what it means to be a positive contributor in the open source community. They highlight the importance of meaningful contributions, respecting maintainers' time, and provides tips for navigating and contributing to open sour...

In Season 10, Episode 3 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan explore the topic of 'Big M' versus 'Little m' Mentorship. They distinguish between formal, one-on-one mentorship ('Big M') and more informal, community-based mentorship ('Little M'). They discuss the advantages and potential pitfalls of each approach, emphasizing the importance of fi...

In Episode 2 of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan discuss the concept of 'trust capital' and its importance in tech communities. They define trust capital as the value and trustworthiness one has with others. The hosts explore how to build trust through consistent actions, showing up, transparency, and effective communication. They highlight the difference betw...

In the first episode of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan introduce the new format focusing on "back pocket topics" from Virtual Coffee community discussions. They delve into common remote collaboration tools and techniques, sharing insights from their experiences in tech. Topics include effective communication, the importance of documentation, and how differen...

Join hosts Bekah and Dan as they engage in a captivating conversation with Jessica Wilkins, a prominent figure from freeCodeCamp. In this episode, Jessica shares her invaluable insights on nurturing and developing relationships within the open source community. Delve into the nuances of effective collaboration with maintainers, understand the significance of embracing non-traditional skillsets, an...

Join hosts Bekah and Dan with guests Matt McInnis, Ray Deck, and Tom Cudd, as they chat about the complicated topic of open source software (OSS) licenses. They share insights into how to choose the appropriate license, how to understand licenses on other projects, and general guidelines for maintainers and contributors. Links: ChooseALicense.com by GitHub Example of clarifying subfolders in the L...

Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episode with Nadia Eghbal's "Working in Public" enthusiasts Jessica Wilkins and Brian Meeker. We discuss the nuances of open source collaboration highlighted in the book, the challenges and rewards of being both a contributor and a maintainer, and the profound impact of individual contributions in the open source community. Dive into the transformati...

Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episode with monthly challenge Preptember leads, Dominic and Ayu. We talk about the importance of preparing both as a contributor and a maintainer, some of the challenges you might face as someone new to those roles during Hacktoberfest, and some of the benefits you'll receive by participating in open source. Links Ayu's Episode: Working through burnout a...

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial Planning We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com . Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episo...

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial Planning We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com . Join Bekah and Dan in this week's...

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial Planning We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com . Join Bekah and Dan in this week's...

Join Bekah and Dan in this week's episode, where they dive into the transformative journey of Reda, a self-taught developer. Hear about the unique challenges and victories Reda faced as he navigated the journey to becoming a front-end developer. Gain valuable advice on the ideal timing for job applications, as Reda shares advice he heard along his journey: "When should you start applying...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Caitlin Floyd, a front-end developer, to chat about the concept of collective learning and explore new possibilities in the evolving landscape of tech mentorship. Discover firsthand how Caitlin's experiences highlight the power of collaboration, breaking down silos, and leveraging collective knowledge to drive innovation and success. Links: Jonan Scheffle...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Carmen Kohole, a DevOps Engineer based in Portland, Oregon, to chat about the benefits of collaboration and the valuable opportunities you can gain just by asking for help. We also discussed the benefits of fostering strong relationships in the tech industry, and what it means to be a DevOps engineer. About Carmen DevOps Engineer based in Portland, Oregon. Big...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Alex Curtis-Slep, long time member and volunteer and self-taught developer, about documenting the small wins, falling in love with the process, and aligning your goals to maintain a healthy life while job searching and during your tech career. About Alex Alex Curtis-Slep is a self taught software developer. After getting his initial tastes of HTML and CSS in t...

We're starting the new season with a conversation with our maintainers, including our new maintainer, Julia Seidman! We share our thought process for adding a maintainer and walk through our culture citizenship statement to share how we intend to create a positive community. About Julia Julia Seidman is a developer education consultant based in the Seattle area. Julia is a believer in embraci...

Join Bekah, Dan, and Special Guest Nick Taylor for a live-streamed episode of the Season Seven Finale! Watch the video replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wj-zlORvm8 Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - yo...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Ramón Huidobro, a developer advocate and DevEd enthusiast, and chatted about the process of learning and growing and how asking questions and knowing what questions to ask is an important part of the tech experience. Check out Ramón's article about reaching out for help ! About Ramón Ramón Huidobro is a developer advocate and DevEd enthusiast. He thrives...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Dominic Duffin, a Full-Stack Developer, Co-founder of ArtTechChat Twitter chat, Salon Host at The Interintellect, and Open Source contributor, and chatted about the the value gained in creating a learning environment wherever you go and the importance of participating in community experiences. Links: Pass the Pen: https://codepen.io/collection/nZrZLy https://t...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Arthur Doler, a Software Engineer and Community and Culture Steward, and chatted about the human side of tech, the importance of recognizing our emotions, communication styles, and the dynamics of the environments we're working in. Links: Daniel Pink's Drive Arthur's talk: You're Not Just Tired: The Psychology of Burnout Aikido Pro Disc Gol...

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Rebecca Key, a PhD in Organic Chemistry and now Software Engineer, and chatted about her career journey, Ham radios, being left-handed, taking notes, and the importance of consistency. About Rebecca Rebecca Key is a Software Engineer based out of Atlanta, GA. She is a first-generation college graduate that went on to obtain a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Geor...