[OSGeo-Conf] FOSS4G Cookbook writing guide

[Cameron Shorter]

I have written suggestions for our "Update Process" [1] and a "Template 
Section" [2], and would like to hear suggestions on whether I'm on the 
right track:

Editing this document

Draft, awaiting review

This FOSS4G Cookbook aims to be concise, so that it is easy to read and 
follow. We also aim to collaboratively edit and continuously build this 
document based upon our collective experience running conferences. As 
such, we will need to continuously update and delete old text as new 
ideas come to hand.

The process to follow in updating this wiki is:

     Feel free to make trivial tweaks to grammar and syntax.
     If you would like to introduce a new idea, maybe add a new section, 
or improve an old section:
         Raise your suggestion on the OSGeo Conference email list.
         Once a rough consensus has been reached on the list, you may 
then update the Cookbook with the collective wisdom of the list.
         If writing a new section, consider starting the section with: 
Draft, awaiting review
         After updating your text, notify the list again to give others 
the opportunity to review and tweak.

Section Writing Guide

The first sentence(s) of a section should describe the meaning of the 
heading. Eg, if this section is on "Birds of a Feather", then the first 
sentence should start with: Birds of a Feather sessions refer to 
semi-formal gatherings of like minded delegates to discuss a topic of 
interest.

Following paragraphs provide specific details. They might hyperlink to 
more details from an external Lessons Learned type doc. It will likely 
cover some of the following topics:

     Key success factors
     Things that can go wrong, with optional brief examples
     List of considerations and why choose one consideration over another
     List of steps to follow
     Organisations or people to contact to coordinate with
     Links to external documents, such as a Google Docs spreadsheet

See Also

         Where relevant, finish with a list of links to web pages for 
further reading. E.g.
         FOSS4G 2009 Birds of Feather Lessons Learned


[1] http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Cookbook#Section_Writing_Guide
[2] http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Cookbook#Section_Writing_Guide

-- 
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Solutions Manager
Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254

Think Globally, Fix Locally
Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
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