looks matter

well, actually, excitement matters.

in particular, how do you motivate people to contribute; to write that dreaded documentation, for instance?

perhaps one thing worth trying is appealing to the geeky side and giving them(us) toys tools that tap into intrinsic motivations.

in my experience it turns out that if output looks pretty and is immediately available (and especially instantly viewable by others) – people are motivated to tinker and create. in fact, this is precisely the stuff that made internet happen.

to reiterate – instant turn-around and aesthetically pleasing results will take you a long way. probably somewhat related, but better worded – optimize for happiness.

this post is brought to you by the scars and bruises acquired by yours truly as i crawl away from a slow and beaten up twiki instance (that looks like something designed by that stoic mosaic folk back in the day; man, i can hear the sound of knuckles scraping the floor).