This program area is dedicated to supporting Public Lab's unique combination of local organizing and distributed peer production. <br />
Related website tags: [community](http://publiclab.org/tag/community) <br />
Related program areas of the Public Lab non-profit: Web Working Group, Advocacy

###Timeline

Here's a brief history of community infrastructure (online and off), and some notable milestones. <br />

####2015

* Public Lab's 5th Anniversary (read about it in [GrassrootsMappingForum #7](/wiki/forum#Issue+#7+The+5+Year+Anniversary+Issue+(May+2015)))
* [Second Regional Barnraising](/wiki/2015-regional-barnraising): Midwest, held in Chicago, Illinois
* first ever Organizers Survey. Key topics: decision-making among organizers, active/inactive status. 
* Organizers Welcome pack becomes a physical mailing, including printed Handbook and [Event Packs](http://store.publiclab.org/collections/publications/products/events-pack) (also new for 2015)
* [Public Lab Fellows Program](/wiki/fellows) created in program areas Open Air, Open Land, Open Water 
* [MapKnitter2.0 launches](http://publiclab.org/notes/warren/02-13-2015/announcing-mapknitter-2-0) 
* [WhereWeBreathe](/wiki/indoor-air-quality-monitoring) project on indoor formaldehyde monitoring and mitigation
* The [blog](/blog) is rebooted, reviving a type of narrative writing that had been somewhat lost since the shift from [grassrootsmapping.org](http://grassrootsmapping.org/) to publiclab.org
* Early versions of "[Lending Library](/wiki/lending-library)" based out of Portland leverages the shipping experience of our kits program and our non-profit access to discount USPS Library Mail rates for moving more expensive tools or calibration equipment around the community. Existing chapter-based tool exchanges continue as usual. Two Open Hours dedicated to this topic. 
* the Public Lab non-profit organizes its programs into [initiative areas](/wiki/nonprofit-initiatives) -- Open Air, Open Water, Open Land and Civic Kits -- in order to enable cohesive community collaboration across hardware, software, expertise, and locale.
* plots-nyc (also NJ!) becomes first local mailing list to top 200 members. 

####2014

* by end of 2014, there are 62 organizers from 8 countries
* PublicLabTV launched at Barnraising 2014
* [First Regional Barnraising](/wiki/barnraising-northeast-2014): Northeast, held in Plymouth, Massachusetts
* organizers handbook (including undersigning of statements, and nomination of new organizers by sending one's own filled-in profile)
* "New organizer welcome & orientation" email is standardized
* Organizers Summit (event type piloted in June during regional barnraising, full event held in November at Annual Barnraising)
* paper research notes, notepads
* community cards: "welcome to Public Lab" messaging printed on brown cardstock 
* "Ask a Question / Answer a Question" tagging system [see all questions](http://publiclab.org/tag/question:*)
* new, simplified front page on publiclab.org
* ability to award a barnstar & have it displayed on awardee's profile page via dropdown menu on research notes
* subscribe to tag (RSS)
* http://publiclab.org/tags lists popular tags on the site
* http://publiclab.org/stats shows a year of activity at a glance
* select the language of a research note or wiki page with power tag
* co-authorship of research notes via powertag
* images supported in research note comments
* in-line wiki editing 
* callouts on publiclab.org via @username send email notifications
* [OpenHour](/wiki/openhour) / live call events is first community wide audio/visual channel
* [barnstar brainstorming](http://publiclab.org/wiki/barnstar-brainstorm)
* Event template and RSVP feature on research notes
* international edition of Grassroots Mapping Forum features XXX countries/regions
* chat room (IRC) integrated into all publiclab.org pages
* regional "umbrella" mailing lists created for northeast, midwest
* third top-level language specific list is created, Public Lab Portugues
* plots-spectroscopy list reaches 1000 members, surpassing grassrootsmapping as the largest tool-specific list
* publiclaboratory list reaches 3000 members

####2013

* ability to comment on research notes
* ability to write one research note in response to another
* ability to "like" research notes, and "follow" them to receive email updates
* tabbed wiki pages
* "toolshed raising" event type
* lists created for software developers, education, and writing
* [Mapknitter Club / Cartography Collective](http://publiclab.org/wiki/public-lab-cartography-collective)
* [Start a chapter](http://publiclab.org/wiki/start-a-chapter) page created
* [Guide to starting new projects](http://publiclab.org/wiki/new-projects)
* PDF print stylesheets for wiki and research note pages
* research note templates
* Sign-up page integrated anti-spam questionnaire "Turing Test"
* publiclab.org [launched](http://publiclab.org/notes/warren/04-18-2013/introducing-a-new-public-lab-website), replicating all publiclaboratory.org features + adding user dashboard, profile pages, and supporting international characters (UTF-8)
* OpenID used across all sites to authenticate against one's PublicLab.org account
* plots-infrared list launches, along with plots-airquality and plots-waterquality
* publiclaboratory list reaches 1500 members
* creation of github.com/publiclab community repo

####2012

* creation of [organizers](/wiki/organizers) group
* creation of /lists overview page and tracking of [list growth](http://publiclab.org/wiki/mailing-lists#Graphs)
* [barnstars](http://publiclab.org/notes/liz/4-13-2012/barnstars) & publiclab.org/barnstars
* user dashboard when logged in on website
* kit boxes include "Welcome to the community!" messaging
* first sticker printed (CONFIRM THIS)
* [illustrated guides translated into 10 new languages](http://publiclab.org/wiki/guides#Translations) 
* publiclaboratory list reaches 500 members, surpassing grassrootsmapping list

####2011

* barnraising event type
* Grassroots Mapping Forum (print publication for offline data distribution)
* publiclaboratory.org launches, pioneering the "research note" and creating the wiki knowledge base (January 2011) 
* publiclaboratory list
* laboratoriopublico list (Spanish)

####2010

* grassrootsmapping list