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Want to Join the MediaGoblin Community?

We’re really glad that you want to join the MediaGoblin community!

There are a variety of ways to help and support MediaGoblin and to join the team. If you want to code, great, if not, even better! MediaGoblin interested contributors in many different roles: users, system administrators, technical writers, testers, evangelists, UI/UX and graphics designers, cheerleaders, and dreamers.

This wiki covers a variety of ways that you can get involved with MediaGoblin as well as instructions on how to get started.

Hang out with the MediaGoblin folk

MediaGoblin has a mailing list and an IRC channel where we hang out. See our join page for links.

Please drop by and say “Hi!” And, if you’re looking for something to do, just ask---there’s always work to be done.

Take Part in the Monthly Meetings

Each month is a Meeting. You can take part and help decide on the future of MediaGoblin. Or just be around and see what's happening live!

File Bugs / Triage Bugs

Issue reports are critical for all projects. Identified bugs give developers a basis for beginning work, and providing an idea of what features and issues are most important to users and the overall usability of the software. If you identify errors, flaws, unexpected behaviors, or deficits that impede use, file a bug.

• File Bugs -- notes on filing new bugs/issues/feature requests
• Feature Ideas -- notes on possible features
• Triage Bugs -- notes on triaging
• BugTriageDay -- every other Thursday is bug triage day where anyone can help out triaging bugs

Write Code / Fix Code

If you are a coder and you would like to write code, the repository is hosted on gitorious. Clone or fork the repository and start poking around. Become familiar with this manual for an overview of how the software works and is used. Consider the contributor wiki for more information about the project, our preferred methods, and guides for developing MediaGoblin. We even have tips on becoming a coder and we’re willing to help!

• Hacking - notes on making and sending in code contributions
  • Beginner's Corner - resources for those who are new to Python or Git.
  • Started from an older version of the Hacking Howto? We switched from buildout->virtualenv, so look at Moving from buildout to virtualenv for information on how to move over.
• Git workflow - How to go about submitting patches via git.
• Templating - How our templating structure is set up
• Code overview - Overview of the structure of the codebase

Send Encouragement / Spread the Word

Sometimes, a nice word, simple encouragement, and interest in the work we’re doing is enough to inspire a tizzy of productive work. Just a bit more interest and encouragement can even make the difference between a complete feature and limited functionality; between a completed milestone and lost momentum.

Similarly, MediaGoblin, and the movement for free network services, is always in need of encouragement. Use free network services, understand the principals behind the movement, be able to articulate the benefits of free network services and the problems with psudo-free applications that don’t respect the users’ freedom.

Write a blog post, post a status update, drop by the listserv or join #mediagoblin on freenode.net and let us know. See our join page for links.

Write Documentation / Edit Documentation

• Documentation quick start - How to contribute to the documentation effort.
• ManualStandards - covers the standards for writing the user manual (forthcoming.)

Test MediaGoblin

Do you have access to the web? Do you like sharing your opinions? If so, we need your help to test MediaGoblin! Testers play around with the current test instance, note what operating system and browser they use (notes on multiple set-ups are also helpful) and take some notes. That's it! It's a very important task that doesn't require any special knowledge and you're done in under an hour. Ready to help?

• User Experience - user experience testing. Includes link to an instance you can try!
• Unit Tests - all about the unit tests

Translate MediaGoblin

If you know English and another language and feel comfortable translating elements of the interface or even the documentation, we’d love to have help translating the software and resources.

• Translations - How to translate stuff or update the translations

Become a User

Coming soon!

We’re building MediaGoblin for us and for you but really you’re one of us and I am you and we are we and MediaGoblin is the walrus.

We're planning to launch our own public instance of MediaGoblin in the near future--probably in the September/October 2011 time frame. When we do, sign up for an account, use the service and relish in the thought that this service comes with a heaping side of Freedom and you can salt and pepper it to your liking.

Help Others

Have you spent time with MediaGoblin? If so, your experience and wisdom are invaluable and you’re the best person we can think of to help other users with their questions.

Hang out on the IRC channel and help answer new peoples' questions. See our join page for links.

Run your own MediaGoblin Instance

Are there things about our instance you want to change? Are there things about other instances you wish were different? Want to test upcoming changes? Want to create patches to implement things you need? That’s great—you can run your own instance!

• Configuration - Learn about MediaGoblin configuration files and file options.
• Deployment - General deployment advice
• Scaling Down - Minimizing MediaGoblin's resource requirements
• Virtual Machine Hosting - Deploy your own publicly available MediaGoblin server using Amazon's free EC2 tier.

Create a Theme

Coming soon!

MedaGoblin development is premised on the idea that the entire interface for the platform be completely theme-able. If you have a design or theming background, consider developing themes for MediaGoblin. New themes help test the theming system, provide attractive and appealing interfaces for prospective users. If you want to start a new theme but don’t know where to start, touch base with the development community on the list or in the IRC channel for more information.

Technical project documentation

• DesignDecisions - covers design decisions (FIXME - this needs to be split up)
• Storage - How MediaGoblin's internal storage system works.
• Processing - What happens after you submit your image/video/etc? Processing! More about that.
• External Library Policy - covers use of external libraries
• User:Cwebber/braindumps - Chris Webber's braindumps (you can help refactoring these into real sections of the site!)
• Multiple media support - Design plan for multiple media support

Inner workings of the secret sanctum

• IRCBot - covers our irc bot
• Release Process - covers the release process
• Update the website - Learn how to update mediagoblin.org!