I created an issue on one of my repos. It's a really simple set of scripts that manipulate some muni data. I asked for an update from stale data sources/scripts to more recent stuff. Exactly the sort of thing that's great for a first-time contributor -- zero dependencies, small code base, well-scoped issue. I could do it myself in ~10 minutes of work, but figured it'd be a nice chance for someone else to get a first experience working with GH and maybe get a free shirt.
I got one PR that did exactly what I asked. Great, merged! Good experience all around -- exactly what I expected!
Then I marked a PR "invalid" because they made changes to a README that weren't helpful (in fact, actively misleading!). Clearly low-effort PR spam. BTW, the same low-effort PR spam I'm also getting on a bunch of other repos where I didn't solicit help.
And now, because I marked unsolicited incorrect changes to a README file as "invalid", I'm getting new pull requests calling me an asshole.
So... that's my experience with Hacktoberfest. I guess it's my fault for assuming the outcome would be anything else in the month after the Eternal September. Especially with free t-shirts on the line.
That's what I thought. Now I'm getting spammed with PRs containing personal insults.
Take care.