3 open source projects anyone (that means you :D ) can contribute to

Usually "open source" is a reference to software, and particularly to coding. If you aren't a coder, the task of  learning how to contribute can really seem daunting! However, you don't have to be a coder to help move the open source revolution forward - here are a few non-coding examples of things you can do, right now:

Upload Public Domain or Creative Commons artwork

If you are good with photography, then take some of your better pictures and video, and upload them to Public Domain Pictures, Pixabay, or a similar site where you can release the images under an open-source license. Developers need images in software, and bloggers and videographers need images and video content in their work. If you want to make sure you get credit, be sure to release under a Creative Commons license that requires attribution.

Publish your knowledge on Minds

Are you an expert at something, and were looking to teach about it? In addition to being a publishing platform, Minds also allows you to release knowledge under a variety of licenses, and with good tagging you can build up a set of courses that can be shared easily.

Also, Minds is one of several websites that offer the ability to create groups, and to make some or all of the group discussion public. I am using this feature to get some discussion going on xeriscaping and organic landscaping, and if someone asked me about the topic I can point to the group and to key discussions. If you search you can find a number of interesting groups like this, though Minds is by no means the only site with this capability. The main thing is, you want to be able to share your content.

Print and distribute public-domain books

This one costs a bit, but if you put up a little capital you can print simple books, and distribute them. In addition to digital copies of content, physical copies under a "share" license can be distributed the old-fashioned way, and cannot be scrubbed on the whim of a tech CEO.

If you go this route, look at homeschool networks, book clubs, or the various "open library" initiatives in which people get together and share books. In addition to physically spreading knowledge, meeting people is fun! If you license the book under the right kind of license, you also give someone permission to copy and share the book as well, thus enabling more sharing.

Why share?

I'm a pretty hardcore capitalist, so why would I suggest sharing content in an open-source fashion? My main reason is the benefits of fusion: If you are making a video, having access to some nice background music makes the cost-of-entry lower, and thus increases the amount of quality content that is available to everybody, free *or* paid. It also reduces the number of times a novice has to "re-invent the wheel."

In addition, you in fact benefit by developing a reputation as someone who makes entry into a field easier, thus making you an "expert" for people wanting to learn what you do. It might even be the seed toward finding a new line of work, if that's something you are looking for.

As always, this is a fun social media site, and I hope to keep finding cool content and projects!