For a long time open-source contributions were only preserved for people with coding skills, but as time has evolved that has changed. Open source now not only accepts no-code contributions but has also opened opportunities for people in different fields to showcase their expertise and make contributions.
Perhaps as a beginner, you might wonder, what exactly is hacktoberfest and what its relation to open-source, well on our first session for #Hacktoberfest2023 titled Preparing for Hacktoberfest as a Technical Writer we were joined by Benny Ifeanyi Iheagwara for a dive into this topic. Read along for detailed info on how you can get started.
What is Hacktoberfest?
Hacktoberfest can simply be described as a month of celebrating open source. On the other hand, open-source software/code can be described as something that can be modified and shared because its design is publicly accessible.
The open-source initiative was initiated by Digital Ocean and Appwrite and is open to anyone who would like to make their contributions. IT's validity requires the participants to submit and get at least four quality pull requests merged either on GitHub or GitLab during October.
How to participate in Hacktoberfest
For you to be eligible for Hacktoberfest participation you will need to first make sure that you have registered as a participant. The registration time usually runs between September 26 and October 31.
Before you proceed to the next step, which is searching for projects and making your contribution, it's important to highlight some of the methods you as a technical writer can get involved. As we all know, a writer might not be directly involved with writing code hence their type of contribution is often referred to as a low-code or no-code type of contribution.
Some of the NO-CODE contributions include:
Writing blog posts/articles
Translation/Localization
Design
Podcast
Social media
Event organizing etc....
LOW CODE contributions include:
Technical Documentation
User experience testing
Technical blog post tutorials
Case studies etc....
With the understanding of the different types of contributions you can make, you can now proceed to search for projects across GitHub or GitLab. There different ways you can search for projects that resonate well with your skills or what you intend to contribute to. Some of these methods include:
search using the
HacktoberfestlabelMake use of GitHub search and filter methods:
Use third-party platforms like:
Some of the projects you can get started working on are:
NOTE: Before you get started to work on any project, always make sure that you read the contribution guidelines to get a better understanding of what is required.
Importance of contributing to open-source
So, now that you have figured out the kind of project you want to work on, another question that you might have is, How exactly does my contribution make an impact?
Well, the truth is, there is much more than what you can imagine of. For status take it as a way of giving back to the community. Other include:
You get to improve your skills and build your portfolio. For ways on how you can build your portfolio as a technical writer check out this guide here.
You get to meet like-minded individuals and build your network.
You get to improve the quality of different products.
It may lead to job opportunities as many employers value open-source contributors.
And lastly, it's a fun experience. But remember for everyone quantity is fun, but quality is key and your actions might seem small, but the impact is long-term.
With that said here are some things you might want to avoid while making your contributions:
Avoid submitting low-quality PR
Taking credit for someone else's commits
If your PR was marked as spam by the project maintainer
Duplicating PRs
Submitting multiple PRs for the same issue
Conclusion
Open-source through Hacktoberfest presents an opportunity to not learn but to collaborate and grow as a community. This is just a portion of what Hacktoberfest is all about. Feel free to check out other sources including:
Digital Ocean: Hacktoberfest contributor's guide: How to find and contribute to open source projects
Digital Ocean: How to submit your first pull request on GitHub
Digital Ocean: Hacktoberfest workshop kit: How to submit your first pull request on GitHub
Opensource.com: How to contribute to Hacktoberfest and find projects
And as always remember to share your story with the community via:
#hacktoberfest, #hacktoberfest10, or #hacktoberfest2023
Interested in the session's slides, check them out here.