[SeasonOfDocs] TheGoodDocsProject: Attracting non-techie contributors

[Jo Cook]

My personal preference would be to guide people towards using the github
interface itself rather than asking them to install github desktop and an
IDE.  I think those requirements alone will bar people in corporate
environments from being able to help contribute as they won't be able to
install software on their machines. I admit also that would be enough to
put me off, if I was just looking to correct a typo, and I've had similar
feedback from people I've asked about this in the past.

Furthermore, it might be seamless to pull/fetch/commit using github
desktop, but those are new terms to a lot of people, and again it's
off-putting if all you want to do is change once sentence in a text file.

Jo

On Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 12:41 AM Sanket Totewar <sanket at totewar.com> wrote:

> Thanks for creating a separate thread. It's a great question.
>
> Just a thought - I reckon most writers are familiar with Google Docs or
> Microsoft Word so we might vote and look into creating a 2-way integration
> between GitHub and Google Docs/Office 365.
>
> Alternatively, we could create a document on how to use GitHub Desktop for
> our project. With Atom or another supported IDE installed (to edit the
> files in markdown), it's seamless to pull, fetch, commit, etc.
>
> I'll be happy to own the latter if enough people vote on this.
>
> On Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 8:51 AM Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 29/7/19 7:21 am, Jennifer Rondeau wrote:
>> > Related but not quite on topic: how do we want to solicit and
>> > encourage contributions? Are we assuming only contributors who are
>> > already familiar with a Git workflow? That would definitely keep some
>> > good work away, based on my experience with writing day sessions for
>> > the Write the Docs guide at WtD conferences.
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> I've changed the title of this email in order to create a different
>> thread. In email lists we've found it reduces confusion when we stick to
>> one topic per thread.
>>
>> Jennifer, good question, and one I touched on in
>>
>> http://cameronshorter.blogspot.com/2019/02/inspiring-techies-to-become-great.html
>>
>> I wish there were tools that allow a writer to add track changes and
>> comments as easily as Google Docs or Word, but also have the rigour and
>> accountability provided by git. I don't think tools are there yet, so we
>> need to compromise.
>>
>> I think that rigour is important for the long term, and so I feel we
>> need to make use of git from the start, and we can encourage tool
>> builders to improve usability in the long term.
>>
>> I'm starting to form the opinion that in the interim, we should
>> encourage use of track changes in Google Docs for first round
>> brain-storming, then we should switch across to git.
>>
>> --
>> Cameron Shorter
>> Technology Demystifier
>> Open Technologies and Geospatial Consultant
>>
>> M +61 (0) 419 142 254
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> SeasonOfDocs mailing list
>> SeasonOfDocs at lists.osgeo.org
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/seasonofdocs
>>
> _______________________________________________
> SeasonOfDocs mailing list
> SeasonOfDocs at lists.osgeo.org
> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/seasonofdocs
>


-- 
------------------------
http://about.me/jocook
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/seasonofdocs/attachments/20190729/ab441990/attachment.html>