[documentation] Contributors to docs need more public recognition

[Steven Peck]

On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Brian Choc <bchoc at t4tcolorado.org> wrote:
>>> -  How will people know they can contribute?  How can we make it more
>>> visible that they can?  The very first paragraph on the /handbooks
>>> page, please read it.  It has two links on this information.  This is
>>> an issue I have been pondering for quite some time but no matter how
>>> many places we add this information, no matter how many times we tell
>>> people it seems we always have people that don't see the information.
>>
>>Putting it prominently on every documentation page would at least
>>guarantee that anyone who looked at *any* documentation page had the
>>opportunity to see it.  That is hundreds and hundreds of pages rather than
>>just a few.  Constant repetition is often the best way to reinforce a
>>message.  As for exactly why they aren't seeing (or paying attention to or
>>remembering or believing) the current notice, I would not claim to know.
>>I have some theories, but they are just speculation at this point...
>
>
> As a reasonably new person with no claim to any topical authority
> what-so-ever, I'll throw in my two bits.  Shoot 'em down, it's cool; I've
> got next-to-zero Drupalego.
>
> I would say that I *browse* to a manual page perhaps next to never.  Maybe
> less.  I typically land on a page by searching, either the Drupal search or
> a general websearch.  I would anticipate I am not alone in this, and that
> /handbook is not the most common landing-point (of course, the web-stats
> should trace people's paths and give a proper answer ... so maybe I'm way
> off base).
>
> >From my point of view on usability, I think any paragraph on any handbook
> page that is not the one the user is looking at *at that moment* is
> irrelevant.  Whether that means credits or a block or revisions or some
> different form I'm not even going to touch here, but I think there should be
> some draw to get involved.
>
> While I didn't notice it at first, I would add a close read of the page does
> show me a "Join the doc team" link (that as of this moment does not actually
> link) in the "Quick links" menu, but this does not tell me who or what or
> why.
>
> Lively topic, this one,
> Brian
>
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>

Link is fixed.  (typo evidently)