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From Behind the Contact Form: Tips from GitHub ...

From Behind the Contact Form: Tips from GitHub Support on Helping Your Community

In the last seven years, GitHub Support has gotten over 23,000 questions about your open source projects. Rachel Berry, one of the humans behind the contact form, discusses the questions GitHub Support sees most often and the small changes you can implement to remove confusion and make all the difference for your users and community.

Rachel Berry

May 19, 2016
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  1. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

    ! ! ! (TOTALLY ACCURATE PHOTOGRAPHS)
  2. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

    """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
  3. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

    """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1,076,923 : 1
  4. 300

  5. 57%

  6. YOU GET SOME CONTACT INFO! AND YOU GET SOME CONTACT

    INFO! YOU ALL GET CONTACT INFO!
  7. YOU GET SOME CONTACT INFO! AND YOU GET SOME CONTACT

    INFO! YOU ALL GET CONTACT INFO!
  8. YOU GET SOME CONTACT INFO! AND YOU GET SOME CONTACT

    INFO! YOU ALL GET CONTACT INFO!
  9. “…this is frustrating because it looks like I died not

    once, but several times, due to having many starter spears in my inventory…” WHAT THEY SAID:
  10. “…this is frustrating because it looks like I died not

    once, but several times, due to having many starter spears in my inventory…” WHAT THEY SAID: via freepik.com
  11. “… is it possible to hire a hacker? I am

    a student in ###, and I would like to know if there is the possibility of changing university academic grades? I'll pay for the service…” WHAT THEY SAID:
  12. “Do you know how to make a space and time

    travel app (where you can actually travel through time to fix a regret, even if you wasted your only chance of dating someone who even asked for a kiss)?” WHAT THEY SAID:
  13. “…it says module not found. Command prompt window says to

    report error to github.com. The file to be included is…” WHAT THEY SAID:
  14. 1. Have a real contact page 2. Have an alternative

    to issues 3. Have that info in your readme
  15. 1. Have a real contact page 2. Have an alternative

    to issues 3. Have that info in your readme NOT HELPFUL
  16. 1. Have a real contact page 2. Have an alternative

    to issues 3. Have all of that in your readme
  17. GRAPH WITH AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON A REPO BEFORE CONTACTING

    US FOR NOT GITHUB TIME SPENT ON LAST REPO BEFORE CONTACTING SUPPORT
  18. GRAPH WITH AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON A REPO BEFORE CONTACTING

    US FOR NOT GITHUB TIME SPENT ON LAST REPO BEFORE CONTACTING SUPPORT
  19. “How do I create an issue for XYZ? … I

    thought that there might be a way to log the issue directly on their GitHub project site.” WHAT THEY SAID:
  20. “I already raised an issue in the above mentioned url

    but no response. So I mailed you regarding my issues. Kindly help…” WHAT THEY SAID:
  21. Support Driven Development “If I’m going to build this,
 how

    does it affect me later when I have to support the user?” - KEVIN HALE
 WUFOO COFOUNDER
  22. Support Driven Development “If I’m going to build this,
 how

    does it affect me later when I have to support the user?” - KEVIN HALE
 WUFOO COFOUNDER
  23. TEACH THEM ABOUT YOUR PROJECT SHOW THEM HOW TO TRIAGE

    COMMON ISSUES HELP THEM BECOME A CORE PART OF YOUR TEAM
  24. “I'm new on GitHub and I'm trying to make my

    first contribution… User ABC checked the code and added a commit, and is asking me to merge his sample code, which is what I don't understand.” WHAT THEY SAID:
  25. “I want to contribute to XYZ, however I can't find

    the process to follow. Is it the same as ABC? Like fork the repo and then pull request?” WHAT THEY SAID:
  26. 1. Use (at least) a Contributing file 2. Use labels

    like ‘first-timers only’ 
 and ‘up-for-grabs’
  27. 1. Use (at least) a Contributing file 2. Use labels

    like ‘first-timers only’ 
 and ‘up-for-grabs’ 3. Give detailed feedback for those
 who really want it
  28. 1. Use (at least) a Contributing file 2. Use labels

    like ‘first-timers only’ 
 and ‘up-for-grabs’ 3. Give detailed feedback for those
 who really want it
  29. 1. Use (at least) a Contributing file 2. Use labels

    like ‘first-timers only’ 
 and ‘up-for-grabs’ 3. Give detailed feedback for those
 who really want it 4. Keep them coming back for more