The program received over 500 technical writer applications, and with them, over 800 technical writing project proposals. The enthusiasm from the technical writing and open source communities has been amazing!
Documentation development begins on September 14, 2020.
During the program, technical writers spend a few months working closely with an open source community. They bring their technical writing expertise to the project's documentation and, at the same time, learn about the open source project and new technologies.
The open source projects work with the technical writers to improve the project's documentation and processes. Together, they may choose to build a new documentation set, redesign the existing docs, or improve and document the project's contribution procedures and onboarding experience.
See the full timeline for details, including the provision for projects that run longer than three months.
By Kassandra Dhillon and Erin McKean, Program Managers, Google Open Source Programs Office
What is next?
During the community bonding period from August 17 to September 13, mentors must work with the technical writers to prepare them for the doc development phase. By the end of community bonding, the technical writer should be familiar with the open source project and community, understand the product as a whole, establish communication channels with the mentoring organization, and set clear goals and expectations for the project. These are critical to the successful completion of the technical writing project.Documentation development begins on September 14, 2020.
What is Season of Docs?
Documentation is essential to the adoption of open source projects as well as to the success of their communities. Season of Docs brings together technical writers and open source projects to foster collaboration and improve documentation in the open source space. You can find out more about the program on the introduction page of the website.During the program, technical writers spend a few months working closely with an open source community. They bring their technical writing expertise to the project's documentation and, at the same time, learn about the open source project and new technologies.
The open source projects work with the technical writers to improve the project's documentation and processes. Together, they may choose to build a new documentation set, redesign the existing docs, or improve and document the project's contribution procedures and onboarding experience.
General timeline
| August 16 | Google announces the accepted technical writer projects |
| August 17 - September 13 | Community bonding: Technical writers get to know mentors and the open source community, and refine their projects in collaboration with their mentors |
| September 14 - December 5 | Technical writers work with open source mentors on the accepted projects, and submit their work at the end of the period |
| January 6, 2021 | Google publishes the list of successfully-completed projects |
Find out more
Explore the Season of Docs website at g.co/seasonofdocs to learn more about the program. Use our logo and other promotional resources to spread the word. Check out the FAQ for further questions!By Kassandra Dhillon and Erin McKean, Program Managers, Google Open Source Programs Office
