If a programmer contacts you and asks to contribute to your project, how do you handle it?You don't know if this guy is any good. Perhaps he'll be more trouble than he's worth.He might be trying to attach his name to a successful project just for the kudos.He might be trying to take the project in a direction you don't really want, adding features you think aren't worth the extra complexity.Or, he might be a very useful contributor. You just don't know.How do you handle such requests from people you don't know (On GitHub, specifically, if that makes any difference)? What's the etiquette here?
How to deal with well-meaning open-source contributors?
open source;github
Membership in an OSS project is not the same as a funded, corporate team where people are interviewed and chosen. The source is already out there (it isn't open source otherwise). Tell them to send in some patches. If they are good patches (and you must review them first), commit them. Once the prospect builds up trust and a  a history of making valuable contributions, give him write access.OSS teams grow organically. Make yourself available to ask for questions and let them build up some street cred over time. 