Codetopia
How-tos

contributing

Help out

5 min read

You do not need a role or a team to help. When you have some time, pick one of these.

1. Jump in when a team asks

Teams post what they need in channel get-involved on Discord. A flyer for the next meetup, a hand testing the website, someone to take notes at a session. No coding needed. Each post says what is needed, by when, and how long it takes.

  1. Open channel get-involved. It is a forum: each request is its own post with a title.
  2. Find something you can do, and click or tap its title to open it.
  3. Reply inside that post to say you will do it. You will see: the person who posted it replies that it is yours. Wait for that, so two people don't do the same thing.
  4. Do it, and share it in the same post. To send a file or picture, use the + button next to the message box.

New to forums? The Using Discord shows how, step by step.

The person who asked takes it from there.

One ask at a time, please. Life gets busy: if you can't finish, say so in the post. If a post goes quiet for a week, the person who asked checks in, and after two quiet weeks they offer it to someone else.

TIP

Nothing there for you right now? Check back later. New asks come up every month, and more of them before events.

2. Volunteer at an event

When an event is coming up, the Events team posts a volunteer call in channel get-involved with the Volunteer call tag. It is shared on our socials too.

  1. Open the volunteer call and click the form link in it.
  2. Fill in the short form: your name, your portal username (the name after the @ in your portal profile's address), the role you would like (check-in, setup, photos, timekeeping) and when you are free.
  3. The Events lead picks volunteers and posts the plan in the volunteer call's thread a few days before.
  4. Show up and do your part.

NOTE

First time volunteering? You will be paired with someone who has done it before. You will not be left on your own.

3. Help someone who is stuck

Questions come into channel ask-for-help every day. If you know the answer, or even part of it, open the question's post and reply inside it.

You do not need to be an expert. Someone a few steps behind you is exactly who you can help. "I had the same error, this fixed it for me" counts.

4. Fix something in our code

For people who code. Our projects keep their code tasks on GitHub as issues (a task written up on the project's page). New ones appear in channel github-help-wanted on Discord.

Never made a pull request (a proposed change)? Warm up first with Your first pull request, in your browser. It takes about fifteen minutes.

  1. Open channel github-help-wanted and click the link of a task that fits you. It opens on GitHub.
  2. Read the whole task. It says what needs doing, where to look, when it is done, and the skills you need.
  3. Look for Assignees (on the right, on a computer). No one assigned means the task is free. If a name is there, it is taken: pick another one.
  4. Want it? Write a comment: I'd like to take this up.
  5. Wait until a maintainer assigns you. You will see: your picture under Assignees. Now it is yours.
  6. Not sure about something? Ask in the issue, as a comment. The answer then helps the next person too.
  7. Do the work and open a pull request. In its description, write Fixes # and the issue's number, like Fixes #12.

A few things to know:

  • Labels. good first issue is for your first real pull request. It runs without any secret keys. After that, pick help wanted tasks.
  • One task at a time, until your pull request is merged (accepted).
  • Gone quiet? After a week with no update, a maintainer checks in. After two quiet weeks, the task is freed for someone else. You can pick it up again later.
  • Nobody assigned you after a few days? Ask in channel ask-for-help and paste the link to the issue.
  • Nothing free right now? Open the project's Pull requests tab, read someone's change, and comment if something is unclear or you spot a problem. Or answer code questions in channel ask-for-help. Both help a lot.

How you get recognised

You do not need to report anything. The leads keep track.

  • The monthly recap. At the end of every month, everyone who helped is named, with what they did. It goes out in channel announcements on Discord and on our social media.
  • The Wall of Impact. Standout work can get you a permanent spot on the Wall of Impact, with your photo and what you did. A lead nominates you. Don't want to be on it? Tell a lead and we will take it down.
  • Your portal profile. If you like, you can add the work to your profile yourself, with a link to it. Log your work on the portal shows how. Merged pull requests are added for you, once your GitHub username is on your profile.

What's next?

Enjoying it? You can do more, and even join a team.

Ways to contribute

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