Sahil Mandi - Statement of Interest
Season of Docs 2024 - Wikimedia Foundation
Personal Information
- Name: Sahil Mandi
- Email: sahiltgs@gmail.com, bt21ece098@iiitn.ac.in
- LinkedIn: Sahil's Profile
- X: @SahilTGS
Professional Information
About Me
I am a pre-final year student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Nagpur , pursuing a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. My passion for technical writing, combined with my strong interest in research, computer science, open-source collaboration, has driven me to pursue a career in this field. I first learned about Google Season of Docs (GSoD) in 2023, and since then, I have been dedicating myself to acquiring the necessary skills and experience to excel as a technical writer. This journey has led me to explore various technologies, engage with different communities, and contribute to projects that have honed my technical writing abilities.
Experience
- Bitcoin Transcripts (Freelance Transcript Reviewer/Editor)
- Reviewed and edited transcripts for accuracy and clarity:
- Utilized VS code and GitHub to streamline the review process
- Personal Repository Documentation (Technical Writer)
- Created comprehensive READMEs for various projects:
- Ensured clear and well-structured. These repository shows my documenting skills.
- Abhivyakti'24 Team Management (Coordinator)
- Documented and managed team tasks and progress using Notion
- Created and maintained a comprehensive TeamSpace for effective collaboration and project management
- Ensured clear communication and documentation of tasks and responsibilities
- Reddit (Tutorial/Blog Writer)
- Authored comprehensive Linux tutorials and blog posts:
- Provided step-by-step guidance to the community
Skills
- Technical:
- Linux (I use arch btw :) )
- Git and Version Control (GitHub)
- Markdown, LaTeX
- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Jupyter Notebook and Google Colab for interactive documentation and tutorials
- Proficiency in using documentation tools such as Sphinx, MkDocs, and Doxygen
- Experience with static site generators like Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby
- Familiarity with API documentation tools like Swagger and Postman
- Knowledge of data visualization libraries like Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Pandas
- Advanced generative AI prompting for more productive workflow.
- Research and Information Gathering:
- Proficient in utilizing academic databases and search engines:
- Skilled in extracting relevant information and synthesizing findings
- Project Planning and Organization:
- Collaborative Writing and Editing:
- Proficient in using collaborative writing platforms:
- Soft Skills:
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Ability to break down complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
- Strong command of English language and technical writing conventions
- Continuous learning and adaptability to new technologies and tools
- Strong editing skills and attention to detail
Project Proposal
Title
Consolidating and Organizing MediaWiki Documentation
Approach
To streamline and enhance the MediaWiki documentation, my plan of action includes a systematic audit of Meta-Wiki's current documentation compared to MediaWiki.org, ensuring identification and elimination of redundancy. Where Meta documentation has no counterpart on MediaWiki.org, new pages will be established, thoughtfully crafted to match the cohesive style and structure of the existing pages.
Special attention will be paid to Wikimedia-specific content on Meta, optimizing it for better usability and maintainability. The project will necessitate rewriting to comply with licensing requirements and will be conducted in collaboration with the Wikimedia Foundation's Technical Documentation team and the wider community. The process will be guided by user engagement analytics to prioritize the documentation updates most beneficial to the community.
Solution
To streamline the documentation process between Meta and MediaWiki.org, I'll be aligning the content using automated scripts to ensure consistency and accuracy. For any Meta content without a counterpart on MediaWiki.org, I'll be crafting new documentation that's well-structured and easy to navigate. Additionally, I'll enhance the usability of WMF-specific content by incorporating user feedback and analytics, aiming to make the documentation intuitive and engaging. This approach will simplify the documentation usage for all users.
Discussions and Communication
I'm a big believer in open and transparent communication. Throughout the project, I'll be having regular check-ins with my mentors to ensure we're always on the same wavelength. I'll also be actively participating in community forums, sharing updates, and gathering valuable feedback. My goal is to foster a collaborative environment where everyone's voice is heard, and we can adapt and improve as we go along.
Timeline and Budget
| Phase | Duration | Dates | Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Kickoff and Onboarding | 2 weeks | May 20 - June 1 | Set up accounts and tools, review the project plan, and establish communication channels and frequency. |
| Phase 1: De-duplication | 4 weeks | June 2 - June 29 | Audit Meta pages, identify MediaWiki.org equivalents, add necessary information to MediaWiki.org, and publish. |
| Phase 2: New Content | 9 weeks | June 30 - August 31 | Review and group pages, write new content for MediaWiki.org where needed, and publish updates. |
| Phase 3: Organize | 5 weeks | September 1 - October 5 | Review Wikimedia-specific content on Meta, update information architecture, and implement changes. |
| Project Wrap-Up | 3 weeks | October 6 - October 26 | Complete cleanup tasks, identify any follow-up work, and write a final project report. |
- Duration: We're looking at a 23-week adventure, kicking off with an audit to get a lay of the land. From there, we'll move into phases of content migration, optimization, and review. It's going to be an exciting journey of transforming the documentation into a shining beacon of knowledge!
- Availability: I am available to dedicate 25-30 hours per week to work on this project. However, I'm flexible and can work beyond this threshold depending upon the situation and urgency of the task. Rest assured, I'll ensure that deadlines are upheld, and the majority of the tasks are completed well before the deadline.
- Proposed Budget $ 10,000
I'm thrilled at the prospect of being a part of Wikimedia's mission and contributing my technical writing expertise to make a real impact. With my passion for open-source principles and a commitment to excellence, I'm ready to dive in and create documentation that empowers and delights the MediaWiki community.
Thank you so much for considering my application.
Best regards,
Sahil Mandi (sahil-tgs)