Hello, there! So you just started with Meteor.js or you have been using it for a while, but maybe now you want to find some help, talk to other people who use it or a good OSS developer/user want to get at least knowledgeable about the community. This guide/tutorial will introduce you to the basics of Meteor.js community and where to look for people.
My nickname is Storyteller, also known as StorytellerCZ on GitHub and X. My journey with Meteor.js began back in 2016 as my Master's project (that is still going today), and what started as a coding interest soon blossomed into a deep passion. Over the years, I've transitioned from a mere coder to a core contributor, even having the privilege to work for Meteor Software for a little bit. Today, I'm a community leader maintaining 60+ packages via Meteor Community Packages, co-hosting the Meteor Dispatches podcast every Friday, and I've even had the pleasure of organizing the Meteor.js conference (Meteor Impact). With my experience and love for Meteor, I'm here to give you some initial points on how to immerse yourself in this old, but still vibrant community.
In this quick guide, we'll explore the essentials of getting started with Meteor.js beyond the code. You'll discover the various ways to engage with the community, contribute to the project, and leverage the resources available to enhance your Meteor.js journey. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a curious newcomer, there's a place for you in the Meteor.js community. So, let's dive in and explore how you can become an active and valued member of this dynamic ecosystem!
Before we begin it is important to note that the Meteor community is old and has a lot of history (I'll cover that another time). Some established members can be very direct in voicing their opinion, especially when dealing with corporate communication styles (you could say there is an allergy to that in the community). Loyalty and seniority plays an important part in the community, but that is not at the expense of meritocracy. As everywhere observe and show respects to your seniors and you will be fine.
Many of the names of projects and products around Meteor have space related themes, so have fun with that if you are building something for Meteor!
Meteor account
First of you will need to have a Meteor account to access the official websites. You can get that on the official Meteor website. By clicking on the sign-up button on the top right. You use this account for anything Galaxy related, to publish packages (it is your namespace), so it is a good idea to have even if you won't engage with Galaxy or the community.
Meteor forums
Meteor forums are official place for community to gather and you can find all the major historical events there (if you dig deep enough). All the major announcements also happen there as any important conversations from elsewhere, together with links to anything of note.
Keep tap on the forums to stay up to date on the latest from the community and get help for any of your problems. Heck, once in a while we also get ask to identify meteorites 😁
Anyhow this is where you will need your Meteor account to log in.
Slack & Discord
Community also runs a Slack and two Discord servers.
While we don't like Slack and want to migrate eventually to Rocket.chat (build on Meteor), right now that is not happening, so if you want to reach out to community immediately and have immediate updates (including newly published/updated packages) Slack is a must. So join in on the fun.
For Discord there is the official server, but we also have ended up with two community servers, but they are not much used, but if you like Discord and know how to use it well you might be able to start a Renaissance here. The first server is linked from the official website. The second server is supposedly more community based, but it doesn't get much traffic.
GitHub
As any OSS project the development part is happening on GitHub.
Official
Meteor's long history means that there is quiet a few interesting repositories in the Meteor's organization.
One must not miss the main repository for Meteor, but you should know about Blaze, Reify and for React.js users react-packages repositories as well. There is much more which I covered previously or still will cover. If you are of the curious sort you might find the precursor to Storybook.js and other gems. 😉
The main discussion is happening on the main Meteor repo and is heavily technical. Discussions are mostly to discuss potential features and technical adjustments. Worth to jump in if you have something to add before you jump into the code itself.
Make sure to also check out the official blog once in a while or the dev.to page.
Meteor Community Packages
Over the years many packages got abandoned or their original creators have moved on. To help maintain the most important community packages a community organization has been created to maintain them and ensure that they can get updated when someone fixes something.
Podcasts & streams
Official
Twitch
YouTube
Podcast website
Meteor Dispatches
Social media
Meteor is all over the social media. Certain segments of the community are active on X (I heard this is especially true for the Brazilian community)
Official
Let's start with all the official accounts:
X
X - Galaxy
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Community
Meteor.js community on X
Meteor community bot
Who to follow on X
Fred Maia - Meteor CEO
Jan Küster - community contributor
Alim Gafar - community contributor
Harry Adel - community contributor
Nacho Codoñer - core contributor
CamiKuro.js - Meteor community manger
Gabs Ferreira - Meteor community advocate
Kelly Copley - community contributor
Dr. Dimitru - community contributor
Who to follow on Dev.to?
My links
I do a lot of content around Meteor myself. I try to have at least something new every week, mostly on my streams, but occasionally beyond that as well, like this article.
Missed anything?
And there you have it! A quick intro into the Meteor community and where to find everyone! Did I missed anything? Please let me know and I'll be happy to expand this list.
If you like my work, please support me on GitHub Sponsors ❤️.
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