PHAIDRA Community: Working Together to Preserve and Share…

We heard the calls at last year’s PHAIDRAcon for more community engagement. We were delighted that our users and partners were actively encouraging us to extend the conference experience into a more year-round interaction.  

So, starting with a rapid run through some of the practical essentials of open source community theory and practice, this session will move on to look at what the PHAIDRA team have developed to support our users, partners and contributors.  

Alongside major technical updates to PHAIDRA and moves to a more open development process, we are launching community calls and forum discussions, as well as extending our podcast series: Epistemicast.

But we want you to help lead the direction of our community - so in true academic style, be prepared for some homework!!

Ben van 't Ende

Ben is an experienced community manager, consultant, and open-source strategist with over two decades dedicated to fostering collaborative ecosystems within the tech industry. Currently, as a Partner and Community Manager at Age of Peers, he advises a wide range of open-source projects and startups on building robust, collaborative frameworks.

Currently, Ben serves as a Community Manager for the TYPO3gem Association and previously held a similar position at Alliander, guiding open-source software projects under the LF Energy initiative.

Ben advocates a focus on the human side of technology, often sharing insights on leadership and managing burnout in the tech sphere.

Rory MacDonald

Currently supporting community development for PHAIDRA, Rory MacDonald is the founder of specialist open source technology consultancy Age of Peers.

Primarily a passionate technology writer, Rory is an expert in communications strategy and content production: with experience spanning journalism, media relations and brand messaging; alongside creating almost every conceivable form of content for marketing and community development.  

Since the late 1990’s Rory has focused his career on open source technology and has worked with many of the most influential organisations in the space: from the major foundations (Linux, Apache, Mozilla); across corporate giants (including Red Hat, IBM and Intel); to supporting tech startups through acquisitions and even a multi-billion dollar IPO.