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Add interacting w/ new contribs guide (#50)
* add interacting w/ new contribs guide * Update content/maintainers/interacting-with-new-contributors.md Co-authored-by: Madicken Munk <[email protected]> * address feedback * delete spacing * very useful commit message * Fix CI --------- Co-authored-by: Madicken Munk <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Jarrod Millman <[email protected]>
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content/maintainers/_index.md

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The scientific Python ecosystem welcomes your expertise and enthusiasm!
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- [Interacting With New Contributors]({{< relref "/maintainers/interacting-with-new-contributors" >}})
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- [Project Meetings Guide]({{< relref "/maintainers/meeting_types" >}})
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---
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title: "How to interact with new community
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members"
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---
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{{< notice warning >}}
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This is a draft document.
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{{< /notice >}}
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As a maintainer, you will be the first point of
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contact for new community members. It is important
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to embody a positive and helpful force for the
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health of your community.
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### Be welcoming
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Always behave in a manner that is polite, patient, and understanding.
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Many contributors are acting on their own time so
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try to create an environment that is energizing,
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not draining. Don't forget that on public forums,
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potential new contributors will be monitoring
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the community dynamic before getting involved!
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Use language to show that you are excited and
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grateful about their contributions to the project.
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Avoid saying things that could be construed as
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meaning otherwise or being too short.
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Many first-time contributors are intimidated and
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nervous about making mistakes, so keep in mind for
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both you and them that mistakes are natural and
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part of the learning process. Assure and empower
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them with your help and mentorship so that they
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feel supported and comfortable contributing to the
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project.
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### Provide resources, not solutions
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While some level of shepherding is needed, be
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careful not to micro-manage contributors, as it
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hinders the learning process and can be
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frustrating for both parties. First offer guidance
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before using more hands-on approaches, for example,
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try talking a contributor through the changes
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they need to make instead of typing the solution
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for them.
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For tasks that may be too advanced or daunting for
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a first-time contributor, such as comprehensive
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testing, benchmarking, or doc-building, offer to
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handle that part or to lend your support while
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they try it themselves.
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Avoid excessive nitpicking as requesting constant
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small changes can be discouraging to a new
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contributor. Instead, you can make a follow-up PR
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after the merge to fix these or use an opinionated
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formatter, such as
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[`black`](https://github.com/psf/black), to handle
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most style-related nitpicks.
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### Recognize contributions
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Remember that contributions are a good thing that
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should be celebrated and encouraged. Communicate
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your appreciation for the work your community
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members are doing and connect the impact their
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contributions have to your project's goals and how
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it will help many others.
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By providing a positive contributing experience,
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you can create a positive feedback loop where
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community members enjoy and want to continue their
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amazing contributions to your project!

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