2023-10-02 15:07:36 +02:00
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---
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date: 2023-10-02
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authors: [squidfunk, alexvoss]
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categories:
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- General
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---
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# Sunsetting Gitter: Towards Efficient Community Engagement
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__As we're starting to build a team around Material for MkDocs, we've decided to
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sunset and archive our [Gitter] channel on October 13, 2023 in favor of
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[GitHub Discussions].__
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As part of our efforts to improve the processes for maintaining Material for
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MkDocs and for supporting the community, we have reviewed the use of different
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communication channels. At the moment, both [Gitter] and [GitHub Discussions]
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allow to ask the community for support and to discuss ideas and issues. In the
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past weeks, we have begun to question whether this duplication is in the best
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interest of our project. This post explains the rationale behind our decision.
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[Gitter]: https://gitter.im/squidfunk/mkdocs-material
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[GitHub discussions]: https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/discussions
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<!-- more -->
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## The Constraints of Gitter
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In the first years of Material for MkDocs, [Gitter] served as a helpful platform
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for quick community interactions and questions. However, there are some inherent
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constraints that necessitated a shift. Here's a breakdown of the challenges we
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encountered:
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1. __Thread utilization__ –
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Even with the introduction of threads, many Gitter users were reticent to
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use them, leading to cluttered and disconnected conversations, making it
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difficult to follow.
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2. __Search and discovery__ –
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Gitter's structure and interface makes it cumbersome to search for and
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retrieve past messages, resulting in lost insights and repeated conversations.
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1. __User interface__ –
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After the acquisition by [Element], the user interface of Gitter has
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2023-10-02 15:07:36 +02:00
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experienced a severe decline, becoming more complicated, less intuitive and
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user-friendly.
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1. __Access mandate__ –
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The necessity for users to grant access to their GitHub accounts to use
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Gitter posed an unnecessary access barrier and potential security concerns.
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2023-10-02 23:16:31 +02:00
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[Element]: https://element.io/blog/gitter-is-joining-element/
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2023-10-02 15:07:36 +02:00
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## GitHub Discussions
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Thankfully, [GitHub Discussions] emerged and continues to evolve to be a much
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better alternative, eliminating many of Gitter's constraints and offering
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enhanced functionality:
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1. __Threaded conversations__ –
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GitHub Discussions supports structured, threaded conversations, ensuring
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discussions are coherent, contextual, and easy to follow for everyone.
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2. __Integration and linking__ –
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the platform facilitates seamless linking to other discussions, issues, code,
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and much more, enriching conversations and providing comprehensive context.
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3. __A unified platform__ –
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GitHub acts as a one-stop shop for support, allowing users to access varied
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resources and support channels in one place, greatly improving user
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experience.
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4. __Discoverability__ –
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GitHub Discussions are easily searchable and allow for categorization,
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preventing loss of valuable insights and fostering knowledge sharing.
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## Conclusion
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Sunsetting [Gitter] is a leap towards creating more efficient, user-friendly,
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and enriched community interactions. By consolidating communication to
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[GitHub Discussions], we seek to mitigate the fragmentation of information,
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ease the user journey, and fortify the bonds within our community.
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This concentrated approach enables us to provide consistent, fast and quality
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support to our users. In the past, the nature of queries raised on Gitter
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typically necessitated supplementary information or reproductions, prompting us
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to advise users to initiate a discussion subsequently. The shift to a
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centralized discussion forum is designed to simplify and accelerate this
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procedure, ensuring swift and efficient resolutions for our community. It is a
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testament to our ongoing commitment to support the community that helps Material
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for MkDocs flourish.
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We are confident that this streamlined approach will spur more
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fruitful discussions, innovative ideas, and collective growth, and we are
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excited to continue our journey with the unwavering support and active
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participation of our community.
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