Implement a membership scheme #28
Description
Disclaimer: I don't know exactly where to put this idea, but this seems at least adjacent to the issues in this repo. Anyone with a better idea of where to put this is free to move it.
A recent conversation about Haskell (https://discourse.haskell.org/t/i-feel-like-haskell-is-dying/4180/78) mentioned the idea of HF "membership"; a participant said they felt there was a "high bar of entry".
There are at least two problems already: the HF does not have a well-defined notion of membership (beyond, say, being part of an official committee), and we are perceived to have a high bar of entry. Of course, if the only avenue toward membership is committee work, then that is a high bar: there needs to be a committee of interest with an opening, and the selection process can be seen as competitive. (For board membership, for example, it truly is competitive.) But what if someone just wants to be part of the group promoting Haskell and its interests? That person should have a way of declaring their own affiliation with the HF. I don't yet have a concrete idea for what this affiliation would entail -- that's why this is an Issue, not a PR -- but I do see such a thing as useful. In a sense, this could create "card-carrying Haskellers". Maybe we let anyone declare themselves a "member" and give out cards to people who, say, contribute at least $5/month? And then call on members for volunteer opportunities? Not sure.
My bottom line here: I think there are a decent number of people who care about Haskell and its future out there. Let them declare this (publicly) and be counted, and that can only be good for the language and the HF.