Features:
Tell Us Who You’re Grateful For, and Thank a Peer Who Made the Year Better
Send some gratitude and appreciation to the colleagues and peers who’ve supported you in 2019.
The ceiling of the McNamara Alumni Center, which lets the light in. (Photo: Lindsay Muscato)
This year, we’ve thought a lot about the value of learning from peers. As the year winds down, we want to help you celebrate and champion the unsung heroes who’ve shared their time and energy with you, in ways big and small, with a series of shoutouts on Source.
It could be for something as simple as reviewing a few lines of your code, helping you think through a quirky dataset, or giving feedback on a map. Or maybe someone supported you over time or in something broader, like navigating tough workplace culture issues. Peer mentoring and coaching is largely invisible work—and it doesn’t have to be.
What these shoutouts will look like on Source
We’ll run a big batch of thank-yous on Source at the end of November. It’ll look like a list of names, each followed by a short paragraph describing their greatness. Think of it as an award without an awards ceremony, where anyone can nominate their peers for their generosity and time, and there aren’t any judges. (Also, sadly, no trophies. But buckets of goodwill.)
It’s a small way to reflect on the people who’ve made your work possible, and give a public shoutout.
How you can share your thank-you on Source
We’re taking your thank-you shoutouts through this form until November 8.
FAQ
Q: Who should I thank on Source?
A: Who would you like to celebrate? It could be a colleague, a peer who’s helped you remotely, someone who collaborated with you, or someone you learned from in some other way.
Q: Should I notify the person that I’m thanking?
A: If you’re naming someone, you should go ahead and give them a heads-up. We’ll also confirm with them that they’ll be appearing.
Q: What if I don’t know the person IRL, but simply learned from them on Twitter, in a class or in another large setting?
A: Feel free to thank them anyway! We will give them a heads-up that they’re in the list.
Q: Should I send a photo or anything like that?
A: Feel free to send images or screenshots of work you’ve completed together to source@opennews.org. But it’s super optional.
Q: How can I contribute a thank-you to your big list, again?
A: Right here, with this form.
Credits
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Lindsay Muscato
Editor of Source from 2015-2020
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Ryan Pitts
Ryan Pitts is a developer and journalist in Spokane, WA. He’s the director of network development for OpenNews, a nonprofit organization that helps newsroom developers, designers, and data analysts collaborate on technology and support each other as a community. (OpenNews also publishes this website.) Ryan is a board member and developer at Census Reporter, and was the senior editor for digital media at The Spokesman-Review.
