Goals

• Wants to contribute, but doesn't know how to program
• Uses the project software and wants to "give back."
• Wants to learn a new skill

Attitudes

• Knowledge of the Project
  • Has only actually used the project software for a few months, but enjoys using it very much.
  • Has a detailed knowledge about a few select areas of the project software.
• Experience with Writing
  • They have given some assistance in the project's forums, and have seen some wiki pages, but may not be familiar with wiki syntax.
  • They are not familiar with docbook or any xml-based markup language
  • They do not know any text-relevant scripting languages (sed, awk, grep, etc.)
  • They do not have do not have development, project management, or product management experience.
    • Some Enthusiasts may wish to pursue any one of these these skillsets (i.e. learn python, learn packaging, learn scripting) at a later time, but are using documentation to get familiar with the community.
• Baggage
  • They have ideas about what they want from the help system, but they don't have any background in user assistance or technical writing concepts to direct them in a structured manner.
  • They do not have knowledge about a project's history, so does not know what topics or issues may have come up and been discussed previously.
  • Oftentimes requires a lot of hand-holding, and confirmation that they are doing it right and won't screw things up.
  • Need a highly-structured task list with tasks that are appropriate for a beginning person's needs. The tasks also need to engage their interests.
  • Need to demonstrate the value of the experience that they will gain with contributing to the project. Clearly show them what they will learn and gain as part of the being a part of the process.

Behaviors

• What makes this person stick around?
• What are the levels of participation?
• How much is enough, and how much is not enough.

Look at quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys, web analytics. Mailing list info.