The X’s and O’s of Open Source with ShotGeek

Abstract
We often hear about using coding skills to create passion projects, but what does that journey really look like? In this talk, I’ll share how debates about NBA players in a group text thread evolved into ShotGeek (https://www.shotgeek.com/) - an open-source Django web application for tracking and comparing the statistics of current and retired NBA players. I’ll discuss the technical challenges, lessons from community contributions, and the ups and downs of managing an open-source project fueled by personal passion. This talk will highlight how shared interests can drive meaningful and joyful tech projects and why yours could too.

Description
What happens when your coding skills and your passions collide? Sometimes, you get a project like ShotGeek and a whole lot of lessons along the way.
In this talk, I’ll walk through the real story behind ShotGeek: how casual group text arguments about NBA stats turned into an open-source Django application for tracking and comparing the performances of both current and retired NBA players. I’ll share:

• How the project got started and how I translated a playful idea into a real Django application


• Technical challenges I faced (like designing flexible models for constantly evolving data)


• Lessons learned from encouraging community contributions


• Insights into what went well and what I wish I had done differently as the project grew


• How shared passions (in my case, basketball) can create opportunities for real community and learning in open-source

Who is this for and what are the goals of this talk?

• This talk is for anyone curious about starting a project outside of work or school or anyone wondering "Is my idea really worth building?" (Hint: it probably is.)


• One of the goals is to have attendees thinking about how to scope a passion project realistically


• Have attendees thinking about strategies for inviting and managing community contributions


• Thinking about how to navigate the inevitable technical and emotional challenges along the way


• Highlight why joy and authenticity can be powerful fuel for long-term open-source success