Have you been working in the technology industry for a bit, and feel you’re comfortable passing your knowledge forward to others? Commonlounge is a community of learners that depends on generous contributions from people like you to make the content better for everyone. We try to make it as easy as possible for you to get started: all you need to do is put on your writing hat, and get going!

There are a few ways to contribute to Commonlounge:

1. Make an existing list better by writing an article: All our lists are ever evolving, and we are always seeking contributions to make them better. If you’re following a list, make sure to check out “How to improve this” section at the bottom.
2. Edit existing articles to make them better: Most articles are looking for improvements, and you can pitch in by adding what’s missing. There’s a “How to Improve this” section at the bottom of each article as well.
3. Answer questions: Help support the community by answering others questions by going to the Ask channel within the community. In many cases, our editors pick the best answers and make them a part of the official lists when they are well written.
4. Make Quizzes: Yes, anyone can make quizzes on Commonlounge. If you can make a quiz that you think would help learners track their progress while going through a list, go ahead and make one here and we will add it to the appropriate list.

What is an effective list?

An effective list is…

• Short. Good lists have 25-30 articles that take not more than 10 minutes each to read. This ensures that the person coming into the field is not overwhelmed — learning should feel easy!
• Comprehensive. While it is not possible to cover everything in a short list, it’s good to mention most of the key ideas that a beginner needs to know. They should have a way to know what to search for, or links to good resources to topics that are advanced and are not being covered.
• Follows "The Least you must know" principle: It's easy to make a long list with everything you could know about a topic. It's much harder to condense a topic down into the least one must know it. Think of it this way: if you were getting started in the field today, and only had a weekend to get familiarized at least with what the field looks like, what would you like to read? Write that.

What is an effective article?

An effective article is…

• Short. Should not take more than 10 minutes to read.
• Succinct. Verbose enough to cover the main concept, but absolutely no fluff or fillers. It’s okay to give extra attention to parts that are confusing.
• To the point. Focus on the core concept, and don’t get carried away by the details
• Has diagrams, if they improve the explanation.
• Intuitive and Easy to Understand. Don't use jargon that the reader will not understand without defining it first.
• Writing Style:
• Involve the reader. Write from their perspective. They should be able to feel the urge to go ahead and implement something once they are reading your tutorial. Use “you”, “your” etc. as much as you can.
• Simplify your sentences. Try to cut out anything that shouldn’t be there.
• Concrete, real-life examples. Not fictitious or made-up examples.
• If you're writing on a mathematical topic, we have a separate guide

If you want to start a new community or a list, and need our help, please reach out to us at hello@commonlounge.com. We want to do as much as possible to help you get started.