The Zeek Project has run surveys before, but we don’t often share what happens after the feedback comes in. Last year, over 90 people responded and that data has been driving decisions ever since.
Before we share what’s next (hint: it’s in the title!), here’s what changed about The Zeek Project as a result of last year’s community survey.
Contribution Got a New Definition
The most common barrier to contributing to Zeek isn’t time, it’s confidence. Last year, 33% of respondents said they didn’t feel qualified to contribute, and 20% said they didn’t know where to start.
That finding launched the Contributor Framework, a structured pathway that expands the definition of contribution beyond code to include answering questions, reporting bugs, writing about your experience, and giving feedback on releases. We updated CONTRIBUTING.md on GitHub and made #contribute a default Slack channel so new members see it from day one.
Next month we’ll publish a unified contribution guide on the wiki that brings all of this together in one place and the 2026 survey will help us track whether last year’s blockers are improving. The goal is to make contributing feel like something anyone in the community can do, not just experienced developers.
Detection Techniques and Real-World Examples Came First
When we asked what content you want to see more of, two answers dominated: detection techniques and real-world examples of how others use Zeek in production.
That feedback directly inspired Topic of the Month, which launched in October 2025. Each month we pose a question to learn how people are actually using Zeek. Topics have included working with logs, hidden features people rely on, and how teams keep Zeek running day to day. Several of those conversations have turned into blog posts covering topics like customization, sensor placement, and keeping Zeek healthy in production.
We’ve also been collaborating with community members and the Zeek team on deployment stories, scripting walkthroughs, and technical deep dives. The more practitioners share how they use Zeek, the more useful the community becomes for everyone. We want to keep building that loop.
Lowering the Bar for Participation
Some respondents described holding back from engaging because they were worried about asking basic questions, or that they felt like they needed to have all their ducks in a row before posting. The responses on this theme were some of the most specific, and they pointed to a real barrier: if someone feels like they need to be “ready” before they can participate, they’ll often never get there.
So we’re helping them get there. Now, every new Slack member gets a welcome message from a real human (me) that starts with a direct question: “What brings you to Zeek?” It’s a low-stakes way to start participating, and from there we can point people in the right direction and make sure they’re not figuring things out alone.
Topic of the Month also includes an anonymous submission form, which gives people a way to share their experience or ask a question and participate in the community without ever having to put their name on a public post.
We want people to feel like they can show up with questions, stories, or ideas, regardless of their experience level.
You Wanted More In-Person Events
Training, workshops, and hands-on collaboration were among the most requested community activities. That feedback shaped our approach to the CERN Workshop in March 2026 and the upcoming Berkeley Workshop in September.
When our community gets together, great things happen. You find out that the person answering your questions in Slack works at a university with the same constraints you have, or that the maintainer whose code you rely on is approachable and genuinely curious about your use case. That kind of trust is what turns a passive consumer into someone who answers another person’s question six months later.
We’re looking at what in-person community-building should look like beyond Berkeley and CERN. If you have ideas, the survey is a good place to tell us!
We’re Still Building
None of this work pauses while we run the 2026 survey. We want to know what’s working and what could be better. It takes about ten minutes and responses are anonymous. Your answers will directly shape what we prioritize for the rest of the year.
If you just discovered Zeek this week or have been on board for decades, we want to hear from you when the survey opens on June 23. We’ll share the link in Slack, on our forum, the newsletter, and across social media when it’s live.
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