Tech Writing Patterns and Anti-patterns

This presentation summarizes a larger essay of Patterns and Anti-patterns and suggests ways to help solve the associated challenges. It is mostly based on experiences learned within volunteer open source communities. [Slides updated 2021-04] [Original slides].

Awards for open source tech writers Jo and Jared

Jo Cook and Jared Morgan have been presented with awards for Google's Open Source Peer Bonus Program. The award is a recognition and thank you to people who go above and beyond in their contributions to open source. It also includes a token financial contribution - enough to take the family out for dinner at a nice restaurant.

Well done Jo and Jared, you really deserve it:

Jared Morgan, Write the Docs podcast host

Jared Morgan

Jared is a core contributor and community builder within The Good Docs Project. As an experienced technical writer, he has contributed to many of our initial set of writing templates and then helped absorb feedback from our community. He is well respected and well connected within the technical writing community, helping to inspire other thought leading technical writers to come and join us.

This year, 2020, he has signed up as a Season of Docs mentor for The Good Docs Project.

In a related activity, he has also helped spread knowledge within the technical writing community, by co-hosting the Write the Docs podcast.

Jo Cook, explaining docs at DevRel conference

Jo Cook

Jo is an enabler of open source communities. She commits large chunks of her volunteer time to working on the hard problems that others don't tackle. She is someone you can rely upon when needed, and she steps back when her skill-sets are more valuable elsewhere.

A few highlights of her volunteer activities over the last couple of decades include:

• Help set up The Good Docs Project, doing much of the grunt work in setting up open source processes.
• Mentoring a Season of Docs tech writer and other community contributors for the GeoNetwork project.
• Presenting at numerous conferences on topics of open source, documentation, and geospatial.
• Playing lead roles in setting up conferences for the Open Source Geospatial foundation.
• Building the Portable GIS distribution of Open Source Geospatial software.
• Serving on the board of the international Open Source Geospatial foundation (OSGeo).
• and more ...