Why would an Open Source project need to enlist the help of someone other than a programmer or IT expert to advance it’s project? It’s simple. End-users provide the most important feedback and input that any open source project will ever get. Without feedback from the users of these open source applications, there is no growth in that project and it can become stale. I wanted to point out 3 specific ways you can help an Open Source project without being a programmer and without donating your money.

1. Use the Application Yourself

I recently found myself in a similar situation. I already was using a system to track and log my time for freelance work, but when I noticed that Kimai.org was making a move towards advancing it’s open source platform I jumped in, downloaded it and started using it. It excited me to be able to jump into a newer open source project and begin documenting my findings along the way.

2.  Submit All Bugs You Find

This one is very important. I have talked to many people who have complained to me about certain open source apps, but have not returned any particular bugs or user stories to the people who are actually developing the app. Make a commitment to report any bugs you find in the system to the developers creating it so that they can be notified and fix them. This only takes a quick minute of your time and will do wonders for an open source project.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Give Suggestions

As the end user, your opinion of the software or application is just as important as the developer. It’s people like you who are going to be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of downloads anyways. So give your opinion in forums or blog comments to the developers of what improvements or new features you think they should include.

How do I contribute this information?

Nearly every open source project has a blog, forum, and/or bug tracking system that allows you to create a free account and start communicating to the open source community for that particular project. Get in these communication avenues and start talking. Doing so will help liven up that open source project and start creating some momentum.