Contributor Meetup – December 20th

The South Sound WP MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area.’s next monthly WordPress Contributor Meetup is tomorrow, Saturday, December 20th from 9AM to 12PM PST (17:00 UTC).

We need all experience levels – this isn’t just for coders. We need writers, screenshot-takers, editors, readers, and of course, developers.  If you show up, we’ll find a way you can help.

Questions

How do I join in person?

Venue and directions are on the Meetup listing.

What if you’re not in the Seattle/Tacoma area?

We’ll use SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. for team communication while we’re at the meetup, so if you’re joining from another state, country, or stratosphere you can participate as long as you’ve got a good internet connection.

If you don’t already have a Slack account, go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and signup for an account. Once you log in, join us in the #docs channel.

How long is this Contributor Meetup?

From 9am – 12pm PST (17:00 – 20:00 UTC).

How do I join you?

  1. Show up in person or on Slack in #docs
  2. You can join the South Sound WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com (optional)
  3. RSVP for meetups that interest you and ask any questions you have
  4. We’ll help you get started contributing to Docs.

I hope to see you there.

#contributor-meetup, #sprint

@kpdesign has been working day and night to…

@kpdesign has been working day and night to get the 4.1 version article filled up leading up to this week’s release. She could really use some help getting it into shape.

In particular, the Under the Hood section could use a bit of work by folks who have more intimate knowledge of coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. These would be people like @ipstenu, @sewmyheadon, @dh-shredder, @boonebgorges and others who have helped out in the past.

If you think you know someone from the core team who could lend a hand, please please point them this way.

Some items may also need to simply be reorganized from section to section. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

We’re primarily working off of two checklists:

Anything checked off has already been added to the version page in some form, or skipped for brevity.

#codex, #core, #release, #sprint

Docs Sprint – Saturday, December 6th

The Seattle WP MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area.’s next monthly WordPress Docs Sprint is coming up this Saturday, December 6th.

We need all experience levels – this isn’t just for coders. We need writers, screenshot-takers, editors, readers, and of course, developers.  If you show up, we’ll find a way you can help.

Questions

What if you’re not in the Seattle/Tacoma area?

We’ll use SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. for team communication while we’re at the meetup, so if you’re joining from another state, country, or planet, you can participate as long as you’ve got a good internet connection.

If you don’t already have a Slack account, go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and signup for an account. Once you log in, join us in the #docs channel.

How long are the Contributor Meetups?

From 10am – 2pm (18:00 – 22:00 UTC).

How do I join you?

  1. Show up in person or on Slack in the #docs channel
  2. You can join the Seattle WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com (optional)
  3. RSVP for meetups that interest you and ask any questions you have
  4. We’ll help you get started contributing to Docs.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

#contributor-meetup, #sprint

Contributor Meetup – November 15th

The South Sound WP MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area.’s next monthly WordPress Contributor Meetup is coming up this Saturday, November 15th.

We need all experience levels – this isn’t just for coders. We need writers, screenshot-takers, editors, readers, and of course, developers.  If you show up, we’ll find a way you can help.

Questions

How do I join in person?

Venue and directions are on the Meetup listing.

What if you’re not in the Seattle/Tacoma area?

We’ll use SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. for team communication while we’re at the meetup, so if you’re joining from another state, country, or planet, you can participate as long as you’ve got a good internet connection.

If you don’t already have a Slack account, go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and signup for an account. Once you log in, join us in the #docs channel.

How long is this Contributor Meetup?

From 9am – 12pm PST (17:00 – 20:00 UTC).

How do I join you?

  1. Show up in person or on Slack in #docs
  2. You can join the South Sound WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com (optional)
  3. RSVP for meetups that interest you and ask any questions you have
  4. We’ll help you get started contributing to Docs.

I hope to see you there.

#contributor-meetup, #sprint

Docs Sprint – November 1st

The Seattle WP MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area.’s next monthly WordPress Docs Sprint is coming up on Saturday, November 1st.

We need all experience levels – this isn’t just for coders. We need writers, screenshot-takers, editors, readers, and of course, developers.  If you show up, we’ll find a way you can help.

Questions

What if you’re not in the Seattle/Tacoma area?

We’ll use SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. for team communication while we’re at the meetup, so if you’re joining from another state, country, or planet, you can participate as long as you’ve got a good internet connection.

If you don’t already have a Slack account, go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and signup for an account. Once you log in, join us in the #docs channel.

How long are the Contributor Meetups?

From 10am – 2pm (18:00 – 22:00 UTC).

How do I join you?

  1. Show up in person or on Slack in #docs
  2. You can join the Seattle WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com (optional)
  3. RSVP for meetups that interest you and ask any questions you have
  4. We’ll help you get started contributing to Docs.

#sprint

This weekend @sewmyheadon is hosting a Documentation Sprint…

This weekend @sewmyheadon is hosting a Documentation Sprint in Seattle. If you are in the area and would like to join in person join us at Uptown Espresso on Westlake. If you are remote please join us in #wordpress-sfd on Freenode.

For full details see the Meetup post at http://www.meetup.com/SeattleWordPressMeetup/events/196326602/

#handbooks, #plugin, #sprint, #theme

Docs Sprint Recap

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Docs Sprint last Saturday, March 1st both in-person in Seattle and over IRC including:

We’re making good progress and that’s because of volunteers like you showing up to give time to create better documentation for the WordPress community.  Hats off to you – cheers!

Next Docs Sprint

Join us at the next Docs Sprint on Saturday, April 5th at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern. We’ll be on IRC in #wordpress-sfd and also in person in Seattle.

We need all kinds of help – not just from developers and writers.  So, if you’ve got time, a computer, and are willing, we’ll help you get started contributing.

More details

#sprint

Hook Docs sprint today

For anyone interested in helping out, @kpdesign and I are doing a Hook Docs sprint today starting at 19:00 UTC in #wordpress-sfd. Any tickets marked “needs patch” can be worked on, and the number of hooksHooks In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same. to document is now marked in the title of each ticket.

This would be a great opportunity to get coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. credit in the soon-to-start 3.9 cycle.

To see a full list of Hook Docs tickets to work on, see here: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=accepted&status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&status=reviewing&keywords=~needs-patch&component=Inline+Docs&summary=~Hook&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=type&col=milestone&col=reporter&col=keywords&order=priority

#inline-docs, #sprint

Virtual WordPress Documentation Sprints

We now have two monthly WordPress Documentation Sprints that everyone in the community can take part in.

Documentation Sprint Dates

Locations

In person: If you’re in the Seattle area, you can join us and nerd out on docs in public at a local coffee shop. Check the meetup site or dates listed above for location details.

Online: If you’re bashful, or simply outside of the Seattle area, you can simply logon to the IRC channel at #wordpress-sfd and participate from anywhere.  A few of these dates are currently virtual-only.

How You Can Participate

What We’re Working On

We’re working hard to make progress on both the Theme Developer Handbook and Plugin Developer Handbook, but there are other projects that can also use help.

If you’d like to help out with writing or editing the Handbooks, please review the following resources first:

  • WordPress Style Guide – easy guide to help you to create very usable, consistent documentation.
  • Handbook Tutorial Template – a starter template with typical sections in a good tutorial document.
  • Tutorial Example – Where possible (and relevant) please write things as a tutorial, as opposed to just explanation. This Child Themes page is a good example because it opens by explaining child themes and then gives a tutorial about how to create one. This helps users understand and gives them practical steps to follow.

It’s Not Just Writing

So what if you don’t like writing? We need plenty of help with other things like:

  • Copy editing
  • Screenshots
  • Code examples

You volunteer the time and we’ll find something you can do to help.

Getting Started

Once you show up, or login to IRC, pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” @sewmyheadon (Eric Amundson), @awoods (Andrew Woods), or another member of the Docs Team if you need something to work on, help getting started, need document reviews, or have any questions.

We’ll have an updated list of things people can work on and will be providing direction and help getting started.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at the next Docs Sprint!

P.S. If these days and times aren’t convenient, consider organizing your own local Docs Sprint.

#meetup, #sprint

Plans for the Documentation Sprint

We have ten people coming to the documentation sprint next week, which is awesome! Thanks to everyone who could make it; particular thanks to WooThemes, Automattic, and 10up for sending their employees, and to those of you who are paying your own way. I and the rest of the docs team really appreciate your support.

Just some practical information, including the agenda and schedule.

What you will need

  • your laptop
  • a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or other test site
  • an IRC client (we’ll all be logged in to #wordpress-sfd)
  • please familiarise yourself with the style and formatting guide
  • your brain

Food & Social Activities

We’re having our docs dinner together on Monday night at a restaurant near the hotel.

Tuesday night we can figure out what to do while we’re there.

Lunch isn’t provided by the venue but I’m told that there are lots of places around that we can get food. I’ll buy some munchies ahead of time.

Workshop

It’s the first time we’ve gotten together in person so I think doing a workshop will be a good idea. We’ll look at the frustrations around WordPress documentation and review the results of the recent Codex survey and Codex audit. After discussion we should have a list of tasks for improving WordPress documentation and a roadmap for ongoing improvements. We will also define our goals for the following 2.5 days and create teams to work on specific tasks.

Note: one of the summit action items was to create a Codex Roadmap – it would be great if we could produce this at the sprint.

Here’s the agenda. Note that it’s fairly fluid – I just wanted some sort of structure for the three days. I’ve added a few presentations which I will give on the first day on doc writing. I’ve also contact a few of the other attendees about doing short presentations. If anyone else would like to do one please feel free to – just keep it to 10-15 minutes.

Agenda

17th June 2013

9:00 – 12:00 Documentation Workshop

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 – presentation from Siobhan about planning docs

1:15 – 2:30 Planning

In the teams, work on planning out the documentation that you’re going to create.

2:30 – 3:00 Break

3:20 – 3:30 presentation from Siobhan about writing docs

3:30 – 5:30 Writing!

5:30 – 5:45 Stand-up to review what we’ve done for the day

7pm – Dinner at Nada

18th June

9:30 – 9:45 Morning standup

9:45 – 1:00 Writing

1:00 – 2:00 Lunch

2:00 – 6:00

6:00 – 6:15pm Evening standup

19th June

9:30 – 9:45 Morning standup

9:45 – 1:00 Writing

1:00 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 Writing

3:30 – 16:30 Wrap up and task list for future

17:00 – I’m off to the airport!

#sprint