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@opencage@en.osm.townAfter a week off to enjoy the summer this week's #geoeducation thread again focuses on OpenStreetMap
The OpenStreetMap community is massive (and growing) 
, global , and very dynamic 
!
The OSM database has millions of edits per day. Lots of things are happening all the time. But ... that can also be a bit overwhelming. How do we stay aware of what's happening?
1/n
2/ First up you read/subscribe to the OSM weekly, a volunteer-run, weekly digest with a broad overview OSM news available in many different languages: @weeklyOSM
Bonus points: you can (should!) also submit OSM news
3/ Second, it’s important to note that there is no single OSM community, there are many. Some are focused on specific geographies (country, region, etc), some are based on shared interests (mapping cycle infrastructure for example) or shared languages.
4/ Different #OpenStreetMap communities (or people within those communities) use different tools and platforms to communicate.
Mailing lists are common https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo, but some prefer IRC, Facebook, Telegram, forums, some are active here in the fediverse, etc. It really varies. The world is a diverse place
5/ Here’s a wonderful world map run by @osm_be to click around on and see the local OpenStreetMap communities for an area:
6/ Some local OpenStreetMap communities are really well organized. Good example: @OpenStreetMapUS has a monthly newsletter and much more. https://openstreetmap.us/community/
7/ Of course there are lots of OpenStreetMap meetings and events. In-person and online. Small and large.
Best place to check for an overview is the OSM Calendar 
https://osmcal.org
8/ There are also regular “State of the Map” conferences, all around the world.
State of the Map Europe is coming up in November (10-12th) in Antwerp 
https://stateofthemap.eu
The site of the next global event was just announced, it will be in Sept 2024 in Nairobi 
(and online) https://stateofthemap.org
9/ A great place to ask OSM questions or discuss with other mappers is https://community.openstreetmap.org/
There are subsections for different topics or in different languages
9/ Lots of social networks or places people hang out online also have OSM subsections. Here’s /r/openstreetmap on Reddit for example with 14k members.
10/ The OpenStreetMap Foundation (we’re proud to say we are corporate members and have been for many years) is the non-profit that keeps core OSM infrastructure running 
If you’re into OSM you should join. For individuals there’s an annual fee of £15, or if you are an active mapper the fee can be waived. https://join.osmfoundation.org
11/ The point of all this is that OpenStreetMap is a massive, thriving, global project.
Lots of people around the world are mapping and building cool things with the resulting open data!
Get involved and start mapping your local area. It's a lot of fun. But be warned - it can be a bit addictive.
12/ We hope you enjoyed this thread about staying informed about OpenStreetMap. Thanks for reading and sharing, and have fun mapping and otherwise celebrating OSM's recent 19th birthday 
We have many more threads about the #geoweirdness of specific countries, border disputes, geocoding, #geoeducation and more linked on our blog.
Final bonus toot:
1. the official OpenStreetMap fediverse account is @openstreetmap make sure you follow
2. another resource you may wish to checkout is the @geomob podcast where we often have interviews with members of the OSM community. Last week's episode (Ep. 194) was a discussion with the new Executive Director of HOT, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team.
@opencage On the fediverse there's @openstreetmap