As a lone hobbyist programmer, I will say that engaging with someone and their projects is one of the most wonderful things you can do for them. It really is so

As a lone hobbyist programmer, I will say that engaging with someone and their projects is one of the most wonderful things you can do for them. It really is something that can save them from some rather dark thoughts. I have this tendency to start projects whose entire purpose is to prove to myself that something is possible and that I'm not crazy for thinking it. Even when I see it working right in front of me, I feel like I'm insane and that my projects make no sense. When another mind shows up and the idea resonates with them, it changes everything for me. Suddenly it's not insane anymore. Someone else understood it. I think advertising is unethical so I try really hard not to advertise my stuff. Against all odds, people have managed to find my work despite that. It's incredibly motivating when it happens. It feels like I finally reached out to someone. I've received email about things I've written and published and it really made my day. It's motivated me to participate in more and more open source projects, and it's motivated me to email blog authors too. It turns out people respond when you email them. I used to think they were too busy to reply to me or something.