Hello everyone, I'm Jacob Boxerman, a sophomore at Columbia University studying Computer Science. I'm so excited to be here right at the end of EmacsConf 2023, an event I look forward to each year. It's the epitome of sharing and learning Emacs. In my closing keynote, titled "Sharing Emacs is Caring Emacs," I want to drive that home, and make every day a day for learning and sharing in our community. I'd like to share my own journey of sharing the joy of Emacs, and convince you that sharing, the ways we share, and how we participate in our Emacs community, is one of the most important things to both grow our community, and increase our own personal joy in Emacs. My journey of sharing begins with my journey of learning, so I'll start by spending a bit of time on that. I use Emacs every day for personal organization and todos --- I manage all of my school work, projects, exams, and readings with Org Mode. I write essays and made presentations. I also write in various programming languages, including Java, C, and Python, both locally and remotely for personal projects, classes, and various other responsibilites. I really started with Emacs during the pandemic. I had tried Emacs before, but at the time all I knew it for was M-x tetris. Its power and configurability especially spoke to me. So from humble beginnings trying different preconfigured distros, I slowly made my way to building my own 2000+ line configuration, which surprisingly has about 70 stars, a few watchers, and a few forks on GitHub. Pretty straightforward. But what exactly was that learning process like? Emacs was such a beast to me at first. I was familiar with languages like Python, C, and Java, and I was no stranger to the shell or configuration or anything like that. But the absolute infinity of possibility with Emacs was a bit overwhelming. I find a sentiment in the community that exploring on ones own is greater than learning from others. I see why people say that, and it's true in a sense, but it might not be fully understood. At a certain point, we all need to create our own paths, and I think that's just one of the ways Emacs is built. The minute possibilities of configurability are so vast, it's like a fingerprint, or a snowflake --- there are so many options to create a totally unique Emacs experience for oneself, and of course that can't be found from somebody else --- it has to come from you. Still, building a strong foundation is much, much better when we have others. Expanding on that foundation is, too, actually. My own process started with a lot of Googling, blog posts, YouTube, and Reddit. I actually first found Emacs /on/ YouTube. Seeing how other people used it was what convinced me to try for myself. When my confidence grew, my trial and error became less error and more success. I was also able to take what I saw other people do, learn from it, and expand, making it my own. I learned Emacs. But I also participated in /Emacs Learning/. What's the difference? We often discuss the former—grappling with keybinds and commands. However, Emacs learning goes beyond these technicalities. It thrives on collaboration. It's not a solo endeavor; it flourishes best when done together. This involves fostering a collaborative mindset, sharing effective strategies, and lifting each other through a collective pool of knowledge. Together, we contribute to the growth of each member within our vibrant community. Emacs learning is much, much harder to do alone. This brings us to the second part of my talk --- my YouTube journey. How I got started, and where I am today. The Emacs Manual is often pushed as the best way to learn Emacs. It's an all-encompassing tome. And as amazing as I think it is, I don't think it's reasonable to push the Emacs manual so hard. The Emacs manual can be really daunting. It's dense, and there's a lot there. It's too much for a beginner, or even someone with a little bit of experience. These qualities I believe apply to many of the Emacs resources we can find out there. The best word for them is /heavy/. They look, feel, and come across as /heavy/ (regardless of what they actually may be). It's not even that people are too lazy, or not capable enough (because that's never true). It's just a mental block that takes some getting over, and that's ok --- so we need other things, too. For me, that was video. I wanted someone to tell and /show/ me what I wanted to know, and things I didn't even know were possible. I realized this and wanted to do my part. I care about Emacs, so I wanted to share about Emacs. I refocused my work with Emacs beyond just myself. I wanted to help others feel the excitement I do. So where did I turn, and why? It's so trite, but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So how much is a video worth? Everyone learns differently, and that's ok. But it's absolutely certain to me that you need to see something to believe it. So I turned to video. And it turns out that yeah, seeing is believing. I made a short video showing off Emacs Org Mode --- no voiceover at all. That video, less than five minutes long --- now has over 55 thousand views and counting. So, something must have been right. Its positive reception made me want to continue. I decided to continue with the videos in a series I titled "Straightforward Emacs." I'm asked: who is the target audience for Straightforward Emacs? Me. They're the videos I wish I had when existed when I was figuring out Emacs' numerous and wonderful features. Video does, however, come with its own set of challenges. Complaints that video is less accessible and more time consuming to consume are valid. It's harder to skim a video than a blog post, and referring back is annoying. To try to solve this, I make video notes available as best I can, though it's not perfect. Despite these valid claims, I believe video offers a sense of personality that written content just can't, and that makes it well worth it. My first two videos in the series recieved a combined 35 thousand views. I still get kind comments today from viewers thanking me and asking questions. So I must have done something right, to outweigh the cons of video. What was it? I covered topics that had been done before. But I wanted to present them in my way, in the way that I knew people would appreciate, because it's what I would have appreciated when I started my Emacs journey. *advance* In writing, I navigated towards /clarity/ --- crystal clear, step-by-step instructions. Fully scripted, recorded in multiple parts and spliced together. *advance* That allows me to acheive my second goal: no wasted time, word, or thought. I meticulously cut my videos to create smooth dialogue. Large blocks of typing, if not explained, are sped up or cut altogether. Though this does vary video to video --- a less scripted, more personal video recieves less editing. This talk itself isn't edited --- though prerecorded, I want to present my unfiltered, raw self. *advance* Another goal of mine is high quality and /accessible/ content. I speak carefully and tune my volume, making it easier to listen to, and improving YouTube's auto-captioning. Something I didn't consider at first, but was mentioned to me in a comment, was color scheme. Now, I try to select a scheme with good contrast and a readable font. *advance* Content-wise, I design my tutorials to ensure they cater to various skill levels and learning preferences. My videos assume basic Emacs knowledge but not too much more. Importantly, they're configuration agnostic. However you feel about Emacs 'distributions' --- Doom, Spacemacs, etc, they're out there, and but beginners often don't distinguish. *advance* I admit it can be a bit frustrating to see a Reddit post asking a question about unexpected behavior, wihtout mention of the fact that they have literally thousands of lines of non-standard configuration in the form of an Emacs distribution. So I do my best to mention different possible keybindings a viewer might be using. There was one thing that turned out to be the most crucial part of my videos and series. And it's one of the reasons for this talk. You may have already picked up on it. *advance* It's the personal aspect. Sharing myself. Incorporating relatable examples and scenarios that resonate with my audience. Seeing personal use cases, examples, demonstrations of real life Emacs use, is what really began to build a community. Because that's the stuff that can jump out of the video and into the comments. The idea for this talk started as a story of my YouTube journey. I wanted to share how I began sharing Emacs and why I like it. And, I think I've done that. Thanks to the EmacsConf organizers (thanks Sascha), though, I started to see a larger vision. Each video took a lot of effort, from research and planning to script writing to filiming and editing. But the comments made it worth it --- people saying that Straightforward Emacs was just what they were looking for, and they appreciated my sharing. That made me want to continue. And what made me want to continue even more was the /community/ I was building. I'd start to see repeat viewers who'd come back for my latest upload. It's hard for me to find time to produce videos. But when I finally got around to uploading, whether two weeks or four months later, the same commenters would be there for me. I found real joy in actively engaging with my audience. It was amazing to see how my videos --- me sharing useful Emacs tips, sharing the way I do things --- sparked broader discussions. On any chat forum out there there's no doubt you'll find some sort of cross discourse --- commenters replying to other commenters, and my videos were no exception. Seeing how my videos sparked conversation, debate, and further interest was incredible. We've had two amazing days of sharing Emacs, putting ourselves out there, and sharing in a community. I want to emphasize how amazing a strong community with the right values is, and to inspire each and every one of us to do our part to strengthen that community. The point of my talk isn't to tell you to pick up your microphone and produce a YouTube video, though that wouldn't hurt. We're not all interested in that, and that's ok. First, I want everbody to pat themselves on the back for the mere fact that we are here, together. Then, let's turn to the potential within our community. I'll briefly note that everyone has their opinions about each individual platform, and I'm not here to make judgements. I will say that freedom, equity, and accessiblity are all really important, and worth lots of consideration. Unfortunately, reach is, too. Regardless of the platform, one thing remains certain: our strength lies in unity. Like any online community, this calls for unique ways to come together and share. How can we achieve this unity? The key is finding avenues where our collective knowledge and support can flourish, while each person can find a place for themselves, creating a more connected and empowered Emacs community. From uplifting others with positive contributions to engaging on platforms like Reddit, both idealistic and concrete approaches are valuable. We can continue lively debate on community forums and discussion boards, encouraging a positive and inclusive atmosphere for asking questions and seeking help. We can leverage social media platforms to share quick tips, tricks, or interesting discoveries related to Emacs. Those who enjoy writing can contribute to blogs and newsletters, sharing personal expertise and experiences with a broader audience. Let's also not underestimate the value of online video and learning platforms. Creating and sharing tutorials on platforms like YouTube or educational websites addresses specific aspects of Emacs and benefits learners, while contributing a personal touch. Participating in or organizing Emacs-related courses fosters a structured learning environment. There's so much room for mentorship and support, valuable for everyone involved. We can also call on our open source values and focus on collaborative projects, from coding projects where we can contribute and learn to building shared documentation and guides that compile collective knowledge on specific topics --- the Emacs wiki is a great place to continue that work, for example. Especially for those who might be less willing to put themselves out there, it's essential to recognize that every contribution, regardless of its scale, adds value to our community. Documentation contributions, however small, can go a long way. So do translations, for those who are able, to increase accessbility, and testing and bug reporting. Reporting issues to package maintainers in their desired format --- speaking as one myself, I appreciate when users give helpful feedback. There are options for everybody, big and small. Remember, the strength of our community lies in its ability to share, collaborate, and learn together. Whether through collaborative projects, sharing insights on forums, or leveraging social media, by embracing these ideas, we can build a more connected and empowered Emacs community. Emacs is so very personal. Those of us who have our own carefully manicured configurations understand --- Emacs molds to our own liking and person. Our configurations and use-cases are a reflection of our individuality. Nonetheless, the richness of our community lies in collaboration, sharing, and learning together. There's a lot of talk in the Community about how to ensure Emacs' longevity. I agree it's important. We care because of passion, excitement, utility. We want to share and have others love what we love. We also want a stronger community that fosters new innovation --- packages, being one. I used to buy into complaints I'd read online that Emacs' defaults are too unapproachable. The default color scheme and font is unappealing. Fix that and people will flock. Sounds fair, I'd think. Turns out, it's not what we need. Emacs is bigger than that. What we need is like what we've done here this weekend. Like EmacsConf. It's the absolute epitome of sharing about and caring about Emacs. We are here both working to grow our community, and to strengthen what we already have. We are here because we find joy in Emacs, and that joy is amplified by sharing it with and among others. So, let's continue this journey together, navigating Emacs with a spirit of collaboration, because, in unity, we find not just strength but the enduring legacy of a tool we hold dear. Thank you to everybody for being part of this shared adventure. Let's go forth and share, together.