There are so many projects out there competing for developer interest and time, you need something unique to hook them in. IME, the hands down absolute best hook is working code, followed closely by easy installation, solves a common problem, documentation with examples and then a little farther back by demonstrated developer commitment and spreading the word. The smartly designed hook is IMO somewhat overrated -- it's important, but once the other hooks sink in, developers feel like they've invested sufficient time to either overcome it or help do it better.

So the first thing: state what you want to do, then create a really simple working version of it and make it painless for someone to download, install and get running. ("Painless" defined in less than 15 minutes.) Then keep building on what you've got running, always ensuring that there's a miniscule barrier to entry.

This initial version may be thrown away later, but the central idea is that you need to show rather than tell people your vision.

Chris
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