Cooperation in Free Projects

• Informal
  Roles suited to the project's need rather than a fixed set of roles
  No formal qualification needed
  Self-appointment as a general tendency
  Official appointment as acknowledgment of a existing practice
  No votes on people
• Self-selected
  According to individual liking
  No appointed persons
• No fixed boundaries
  For instance: No clear division between producers and consumers
• Voluntary
• Variable over time
  People come and go
• Variable over intensity
  People start and stop contributing as they like
• Unequal
  Everyone may contribute as s/he likes
  Some have more influence than others
  Different abilities are appreciated

Cooperation is voluntary, variable and unequal