Writing Day¶
Each year we run an event called the Writing Day during the conference. This event is modeled after the concept of sprints, which are common in open-source conferences. The main premise is to get a bunch of interesting people in a room together and have them work towards shared goals.
To make the most out of the Writing Day, we recommend that you either come with a project, or be ready and willing to contribute to someone else’s project.
Here are some examples of projects that you might want to work on:
- Open source software documentation
- General documentation writing
- Best practices manual (For your company, or the world)
- Blog posts
- Tips and tricks
- Great works of fiction
- Love letters
- The Documentarian Manifesto
You get the idea.
All this adds up to a room full of smart people sharing your problems, your passion, and your goals. So be ready to learn some new things and to teach others what you know.
Even if you feel as though you don’t know that much, we know you have a lot to offer. Come surprise yourself with how much you can share.
Documenting a new project?¶
Check out our beginners guide to writing documentation. This should help you get started, and give you some ideas for how you can contribute to a project that you love.
Logistics¶
Please bring a computer or some other mechanism with which to create written words. We’ll be creating and editing content, so make sure that you have the tools you need to contribute.
Schedule¶
- Date & Time: Sunday, August 9, 9:30am-5pm.
- Location: Online, https://hopin.to/ . Your login will be emailed to you before the event..
Your Project Here¶
The Good Docs Project¶
The Good Docs Project is collating best practices for creating great docs. At Write the Docs Portland we’ll be focusing on four key topics:
Templates
You’ve just been asked by your team to create documentation for your project. But what kind of document should you create? (An FAQ? A README?) What is supposed to be in it? How do you begin?
The Good Docs Project’s templates can help.
We’re working on a set of templates to make it easier to write documentation by suggesting the content needed to create the minimum viable set of documentation for your project. Drop by if you have new documentation to create, or if you want to try your existing docs against our checklists, or if you just want to talk about templates.
Reach out to @ccromwell on WTD Slack if interested.
How would you customize a style guide?
We have a draft Style guide template and would love feedback from tech writers. (Please use comments rather than track changes in the doc - it is easier to maintain.)
Reach out to @alyssa on WTD Slack if interested.
Transform templates to your wiki format
We want to be able to convert our markdown templates to your format? What tools, configuration settings, and how-tos should we have for this?
Reach out to @ScriptAutomate on WTD Slack if interested.
What should a glossary or word list look like?
We are kicking off a pilot to define best practices for cross-domain management of glossaries. We want help defining what an ideal glossary entry or preferred word list entry should look like. Work will happen in this glossary entry page.
Reach out to @alyssa and @cameronshorter on WTD Slack if interested. (@cameronshorter is in the Australian timezone.)
General chit-chat
We hang out in [The Good Docs Slack workspace](https://join.slack.com/t/thegooddocs/shared_invite/enQtODkyNjI5MDc0NjE0LTUyNGFiZmU1MjIzNDMwN2E3NmQwODQwZmRkYWI5MDhlMzdjYzg4Nzg4YjM3ODA0NGE4MTgyYzdkMGViMTI2MDM).
Write the Docs Meetups¶
Organizing local Write the Docs meetup communities is a rewarding way to participate. During Writing Day, we’ll have a table where we can share tips and best practices, especially in this time where all of our meetups are virtual.
GitLab - Meet the Docs Team and Contribute to the Docs¶
GitLab is an open core single application for the entire software development lifecycle. It covers everything from project planning and source code management to CI/CD, monitoring, and security.
Our documentation is open source and everybody can contribute to it. All the content is hosted on GitLab.com, so you will need a GitLab.com account.
For more information, see our GitLab issue.
Once you find the issue you want to work on:
- Add a comment mentioning @gl-docsteam to inform us that you’re working on this for Writing Day (and tell us in person!).
- Create a merge request with your proposed changes.
Once your merge request is reviewed and merged, it will appear on the docs site shortly!
If you have any questions, you can reach to us in person or in Slack: @amyq, @arty-chan, @mikejang, @miketechnically, @selhorn, @Ray Paik.
MDN Web Docs¶
MDN Web Docs is a source of references, guides, and tutorials on standards-based web technologies, much loved by web developers. It was chosen as #1 for Documentation in the Developer’s Choice Awards for 2018, conducted by SlashData.
Yet, MDN Web Docs needs help from documentarians—whether you are a programmer, web designer, or someone else who cares about web technology. MDN is a wiki, so anyone can contribute to content. You can use your Google or GitHub credentials to create a wiki account.
We have tasks for you to help with content issues and editorial reviews.
Look for @jmswisher in the WTD Slack for help and questions.
