G. Roderick Singleton wrote:
From a *contributor's* point of view, it makes sense to present
documentation split up by presentation channels, like Guides,
Howtos, FAQs, Setup Guides, Online Help and whatnot.
As a *user* looking for help, I don't care *where* my information is,
I just want to find it. Thus, a consolidated approach guiding the
user to the information seems to make more sense to me.
In the first step, we should ask the visitor whether he/she
a) is looking for help on using OOo
b) wants to contribute to the doc.oo.o project
In case of a), let them
1) search the complete documentation for their problem
Search mechanisms that are currently in use are not very good. This is
issue http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=52046
Yeah, it's a pity. That should be fixed really.
2) browse documentation type by type
Not certain what you mean, Please explain in more detail. What I mean is
we provide guides, how-tos et cetera as starting points and these, in
turn, are broken down.
Pretty much as it is presented now, maybe with some cleaning up.
The search functionality would serve the impatient that want
quick answers, the browsing is for users who want to get a more
throrough insight.
The stuff is all there, I think we could do a little better
in leading the users to the bits.
In case of b), let them
1) easily join the project and give instructions on how
to contribute, what needs to be done etc. Pretty much what
we already have on the front page
2) get to a "workspace" where they can start contributing.
This is the sort of structure I was thinking of.
...
Gosh we redid the webpage to do just that. Now you are saying that it is
not enough. Pictures and words outline each of the categories. Even the
It's never enough, isn't it ;-)
most naive user should be able to navigate the front page. As to
workspaces, individuals who have content to contribute have multiple
ways to offer their work to the project:
1. Announce on the dev list that it is available and provide a
location where it can be reviewed.
2. open an issue and attach the document or use one that is
appropriate from the task list.
These are the current methods. I, for one, would like to see a wiki
added. However, there is a problem with this with licencing and
maintenance. For example, I have no time to setup or maintain this
feature so someone else must come to the plate and do the work. You
maybe?
Wiki is an excellent idea. Should we build on
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Category:Documentation
Frank
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