[SeasonOfDocs] Getting prepped to be a newbie QGIS tech writing volunteer

[Andrew Jeffrey]

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback Harrissou.

I agree that the current step by step contribution guide on the QGIS
website is great, I don't think I would have been able to complete my first
contribution without it. The notes that I made were just for me so that I
didn't forget the process, but I did share them with the Australian user
group. The reason why I created the document was that the GitHub process
for a non-coder like me was new and I had to record the steps as they
weren't obvious in the current guide. So to your point about being "at the
wrong place to see the subtle differences in the two docs (what we propose
now is a bit like what you wrote, minus GH screenshots)" - I would agree
with you that the differences is only the GitHub screenshots (and my own
words for personal familiarity). I think if the process uses GitHub and the
document is intended for first timers, then it may benefit from some
screenshots and assuming no GitHub experience.

As for your label suggestion, yes please! Anything that makes it easier to
find the correct page to edit is a huge help the first time. I admit you do
get familiar with the structure the more you use it, but on my first effort
I spent a fair while looking for the page.

And i'd like to add that the first ever contribution was intimidating but
you and others I encountered in the QGIS docs were a great help and very
welcoming. For that thank you very much!

Thanks

Andrew



On Sat, May 4, 2019 at 5:36 PM DelazJ <delazj at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> First of all Congratulations to Cameron and all those who helped OSGeo
> submission. Thanks.
>
> Andrew, I went through your interesting notes (great idea to have written
> your experience). I think our projects suffer from the lack of feedbacks
> from newbies. Things that became obvious to advanced users can be a barrier
> for beginners and such writings help to fill the gap. This was the idea
> behind the step by step chapter and your notes are the kind of initiatives
> that may help to improve its quality. I'm unfortunately at the wrong place
> to see the subtle differences in the two docs (what we propose now is a bit
> like what you wrote, minus GH screenshots). Maybe another "newbie" (but not
> only) can give a try and find the gap so that we pick from your
> experiences...?
>
> I also notice the trickiest part of the process: find the file to modify.
> Do you think that when we tag an issue as easy, we should also add the
> place to put the changes in the report? Kind of
> https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Documentation/issues/3278#issuecomment-451726082
> ? I thought about this in the past and finally decided that letting the
> user browse the repo (or the online doc and use the "fix me" link) to find
> the appropriate file could be a good learning but maybe it was a bad idea
> and the curve is a bit high. Should not be hard for us to fix anyway.
>
> Regards,
> Harrissou
> Regards,
> Harrissou
>
> Le ven. 3 mai 2019 à 14:25, matteo <matteo.ghetta at gmail.com> a écrit :
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I can obviously help with QGIS.
>>
>> We already have a dedicated chapter where we described all the steps to
>> contribute:
>>
>> https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/docs/documentation_guidelines/index.html
>>
>> I'd really like to know if the steps are clear for new tech writers and
>> what can we do to enhance the process.
>>
>> Thanks to all
>>
>> Matteo
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