Dear Baremaps Team, When I first explore an open-source project, I follow a series of steps to familiarize myself with it. Based on this experience, I have outlined a few suggestions that could enhance the onboarding experience for new contributors to the Baremaps project.
1. *Issue Labeling* While browsing the issues, I noticed that recent issues in the Baremaps project lack labels. Categorizing or prioritizing issues with labels can help new contributors quickly understand the context and navigate through them. 2. *Standardized Templates* Introducing a detailed and standardized issue template could make the project more approachable for contributors. For reference, JUnit5 provides well-structured issue templates that might serve as a good example: JUnit5 Issue Templates <https://github.com/junit-team/junit5/tree/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE> Similarly, a pull request (PR) template with a checklist could guide contributors before submitting their PRs. This would allow them to verify key requirements before maintainers review their submissions. For reference: JUnit5 Pull Request Template <https://github.com/junit-team/junit5/blob/main/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md> 3. *Ideal Issue Management Practices* Implementing an automated process to tag issues with labels like “waiting-for-triage” upon creation could make the issue-triage workflow smoother. Once maintainers review and categorize the issues, contributors can easily identify the type of issue and engage more effectively. 4. *Improved Documentation* The existing Getting Started guide is well-written. However, adding step-by-step instructions, similar to Apache Kafka’s quickstart guide <https://kafka.apache.org/quickstart>, could further enhance its usability. Alternatively, adopting a dual-track structure like TensorFlow's documentation, which caters separately to beginners and advanced users, might also be worth considering: TensorFlow Tutorials <https://www.tensorflow.org/tutorials> 5. *Comprehensive User Guide* While creating a comprehensive user guide may feel resource-intensive, it can significantly improve the experience for new users. For instance, JUnit provides an excellent User Guide <https://github.com/junit-team/junit5/tree/main/documentation/src/docs/asciidoc/user-guide> that serves as a long-term resource for contributors and users alike. I understand that some of these suggestions may require considerable time and effort to implement. However, they could be considered as part of long-term goals to make Baremaps even more accessible to the community. Finally, I would like to express my admiration for the incredible work behind Baremaps. I am looking forward to contributing consistently to this fantastic project. Best regards, Yongjun Hong
