FOSS DOCS 101 (keep it simple, present!)

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FopnpwK6ALw

Does your open source project need better documentation? Do you wish that new users could get started with your software more easily? Do you feel that your code contribution workflow isn’t documented well enough, or that contributors are discouraged from documenting their code? How can you give your project docs the love they deserve?

This high-level talk aims to introduce the main principles of technical communication in the context of FOSS projects. It is intended for anyone who interacts with documentation, whether your project is fresh off the dev environment or has been around since the dawn of Git. Topics include content strategy and planning, infrastructure and information management, and community contribution and engagement.

Presented at EuroPython 2015: https://ep2015.europython.eu/conference/talks/foss-docs-101-keep-it-simple-present

Transcript

1. FOSS DOCS 101 Mikey Ariel Senior technical writer, Red Hat EuroPython, July 2015
2. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL who am I?
3. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL why am I here?
4. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL documentation matters! (to me, to you, and you, and you...)
5. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL times are a' changing... Documentation is a key component of successful software Documentation is an afterthought of software delivery
6. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL how documentation helps Unified and intuitive user experience Portable and adoptable workflow Scalable and adaptable project
7. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL join the docs club Content Strategy DevOps for Docs Community Engagement
8. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL asking the right questions (even if the answer is as simple as 42)
9. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL WHO are my readers?
10. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL WHAT do my readers want to know?
11. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL WHEN do my readers need this content?
12. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL WHERE do my readers consume this content?
13. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL WHY do my readers even need this content?
14. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL GNOME help
15. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL GNOME help
16. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL GNOME help
17. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL GNOME help
18. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL GNOME help
19. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL archlinux wiki
20. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL archlinux wiki
21. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL RHEL OpenStack
22. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL RHEL OpenStack ???
23. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL DevOps for Docs (not just for developers anymore!)
24. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL DevOps for Docs continuous integration automation content curation iterative authoring unified toolchain
25. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL docs or it didn't happen (even when nobody got time for that)
26. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL
27. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL contribution guidelines
28. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL NixOS
29. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL templates
30. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL Read the Docs
31. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL collaboration and training
32. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL sprints and hackfests
33. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL conferences and communities
34. EuroPython 2015 | MIKEY ARIEL welcome to the club!
35. THANK YOU! mariel@redhat.com @thatdocslady