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Added blog post on sunsetting Gitter

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squidfunk 2023-10-02 15:07:36 +02:00
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@ -3,3 +3,7 @@ authors:
name: Martin Donath
description: Creator
avatar: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/932156
alexvoss:
name: Alex Voss
description: Community support
avatar: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/4134224

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