New Telegram Group for Flowgrammers

Hi, great initiative! Perhaps a hackathon would be a good idea. You could select a real problem statement or a fun challenge and tackle it collaboratively.

I completely agree.
Community is the core of callin.io

Do you have any ideas?

I've had a few thoughts, why don't we make our first hackathon focused on this (to simplify our thinking and make it a challenge):

Create a workflow that generates 3 to 5 workflow automation ideas. Focus on a specific technology or domain (this can change monthly). For each idea, generate a brief, plausible use case with a clear starting point and desired end result.

Following that, generate a poll based on these ideas and collect the results along with potential comments.

Best regards,
J.

Looking for a sponsor: callin.io?

(You can never have enough t-shirts)

That sounds awesome.

Totally — I’ve got my own callin.io T-shirt already, so no conflict of interest!

Clearly, there's a need to publish solution requirements and define the criteria against which solutions will be evaluated. This includes aspects like cost, performance, and novelty, with an impartial (AI) jury assessing each submission.

I fully support fairness and ensuring that recognition goes to the deserving individuals.

Regards,
J.

Certainly.

Here are a few initial thoughts that come to mind:

• Quarterly hackathons (occurring every three months)
• A single, distinct theme for each hackathon (with rotating subjects such as AI, eCommerce, APIs, etc.)
• Participation will be individual only (no teams at this time)

I believe this approach will allow us to maintain simplicity, focus, and ensure each hackathon feels unique.

I'm eager to hear your feedback!

Sounds good. The only issue with "individual" participation is that a potential divide among participants already exists.

• Knowledge divide: Someone with 4 years of experience on callin.io obviously has an advantage.
• Resource divide: If you've created templates over 4 years, you surely already have something that matches 50% of the requirements.
• Many other points... If there are more, chances are they would adhere to the rules better. Hoping there's at least one with a conscience

Anyway, nothing is perfect. I would suggest something similar to Kaggle competitions: individual or teaming up with others (up to 3 people). This gives newbies a chance and also allows them to learn. Essentially, this team aspect is invisible to the organizer; it's their own risk/schedule/etc. Hackathons are also typically built on this team idea.

That's my two cents.

BTW, the clear upfront themes are a good thing, so people can easily plan and opt-out. For example, social media stuff doesn't interest me at all.

reg,
J.

Great points — I completely agree!

The disparity in knowledge and resources is a significant challenge, and forming teams could certainly help to level the playing field.

I like the concept of maintaining flexibility, similar to Kaggle competitions, where individuals can participate solo or form teams (with a maximum of 3 members).

We don't need to micromanage the team formation process either — allowing participants to self-organize and submit under a single team name if they choose.

This approach seems like a fair method to enhance inclusivity and provide newcomers with a genuine opportunity.

Your insights are valuable, and I concur. Let's incorporate this into our strategy.

Revised Hackathon Structure:

• Hackathons held quarterly (every 3 months)
• Each hackathon will focus on a distinct theme (rotating through various domains/technologies)
• Participation: Individuals or teams of up to 3 members (self-organized)
• Judging: A hybrid approach with both human and AI judges

Let’s begin with a full human jury (3 individuals without a vested interest) and explore if we can incorporate AI as an assistant (similar to soccer's VAR).

I question whether AI can effectively distill the core of workflow solutions into a quantifiable score. It's often beneficial to temper our expectations...

Reg
J.

The ultimate decision should naturally be made by a human.

AI could potentially assess basic data concerning flows, such as their complexity, scalability, adherence to best practices, and similar aspects.

Here's a small illustration of the best practices we follow when documenting a workflow at callin.io:

Screenshot_20250426_1244381080×2388 242 KB