Community Guide

Ozzu is a community of many different types of developers who may participate in one or more areas of the website. Different parts of the website have different purposes and expectations, and this guide covers these as well as how to utilize the different areas.

Questions & Answers

Q/A Forum

The Question & Answer area on our website are for members that are trying to solve a problem that they need help with. Questions in this area should not be about how to use Ozzu, those should be located in the Meta section. Additionally questions seeking the recommendations or opinions of others generally do not belong in this section and instead the Discussion Forum instead.

  • This type is structured to help bring the best answers to the top.
  • You are welcome to answer your own questions now or in the future.
  • You can mark the answer that solved your problem.
  • Your question should be looking for factual based answers.
  • This type is not suitable for opinion based topics.

The diagrams below outline some of the different elements that make up the question / answer format.

Q/A Thread Question Diagram

Q/A Thread Question Diagram

Q/A Thread Answer Diagram

Q/A Thread Answer Diagram

The title of these threads should be formatted in the form of a question which would include a question mark at the end. Here are a few examples of what good titles might look like:

  • How do I append or concat strings in JavaScript?
  • How can I store objects in HTML5 localStorage?
  • What is the difference between a <section> and <div>?
  • How to check whether a checkbox is checked in jQuery?
  • What is the difference between String and string in C#?
  • When should you use a struct vs a class in C#?

The question / answer format is our most strict and/or rigid format which will require effort by our members to comply with the rules. This format is useful in that it will allow the best answers by members to appear first so that other users won't have to look through all of the potential answers and instead read the answer that others felt were the most helpful first.

Tutorials

Wiki / Tutorials

The Wiki / Tutorial section on our website is for an authoritative resource on a subject with a defined scope; that is the subject matter should be specific enough so that the article can focus on teaching about a specific area to keep the content at a reasonable length. If the subject matter gets to be too broad it would be much more difficult to cover everything. This format encourages others to work with you to help improve the content and keeping it up-to-date as time goes by.

  • This type is structured to create an extensive and up-to-date resource on a subject.
  • Collaboration is strongly encouraged to help keep the resource current.
  • If you initially start the topic, you will be mentioned as the creator of the wiki / tutorial.
  • Anybody can make changes to your article and will be mentioned as collaborators as long as a certain threshold is met regarding changes.
  • Spam or articles primarily intended to promote another service, product, or website is not allowed.

The diagrams below outline some of the different elements that make up the wiki / tutorial format.

Wiki Article Diagram

Wiki Article Diagram

Wiki Article Comment Diagram

Wiki Comments Diagram

Here are some examples of what would make a good topic for the Wiki / Tutorial area:

  • Documentation outlining a specific procedure, for example How to setup a LAMP server or How to permanently remove a file from Git.
  • A tutorial on a specific design pattern, for example The Factory Method Pattern.
  • A guide to increase your e-mail deliverability, for example How to Improve Domain Reputation for Better E-mail Deliverability.
  • A how-to on diagnosing a problem, for example Using Strace on Apache to Diagnose a Slow Website.

The wiki / tutorial format is an ideal format where users can put together extensive knowledge on a topic which encourages the community to continuously improve it and keep it up-to-date. It is the perfect area for putting together documentation on a subject, a tutorial or how-to on how to accomplish something, or a guide which walks users through on how to achieve something.

Code Snippets

Code Snippets

Want to share or store a great piece of code that you can find later? The Code Snippets type is a dedicated format for exactly this. You will provide the code and then describe what the code will do. Others can collaborate to possibly improve your code snippet as well!

  • A good format for sharing / storing a reusable piece of code with a specific purpose that can be incorporated in larger pieces of code.
  • Avoid sharing large portions of code that handle numerous responsibilities.
  • Code snippet should focus on handling a specific problem or functionality.
  • Your code snippet should use a specific language and not pseudo code.

The diagrams below outline some of the different elements that make up code snippet format.

Code Snippet Diagram

Code Snippet Diagram

Code Snippet Comment Diagram

Code Snippet Comments Diagram

Here are some examples of what would potentially be some good code snippets:

  • A small code function which takes in a full URL and returns just the domain name.
  • Code which returns the full US State name from an abbreviation.
  • A function which can calculate the distance between two GPS coordinates.
  • A piece of code which converts an array into CSV format.
  • A Laravel class rule which requires a second level domain present.
  • A function, class, or small extension to a framework to perform an operation.
Discussion Forum

Discussion Forum

This is the least formal format, and is a good choice for discussion type threads that encourage opinions which may not have any real correct answers. Choose this format if you are looking for something that doesn't quite fit into the other formats.

  • This is a good format for opinion based threads.
  • By default threads are sorted by date to help continuity of discussions.
  • Respect others' right to hold opinions that differ from your own.
  • Use correct spelling and grammar. Avoid profanity.
  • It is okay to provide constructive well-meaning and well-articulated criticism.
  • Do not flame. Be polite and courteous of others.

The diagrams below outline some of the different elements that make up the discussion format.

Discussion Diagram

Discussion Diagram

Discussion Comment Diagram

Discussion Comments Diagram

With this more relaxed format, here are some examples of what might be some good topics in this area that would not be suitable for other areas:

  • What is your your favorite IDE for XYZ programming language and why? — Suitable for Discussion Forum because it asks for opinions.
  • What is the best programming language for running a website? — Suitable for Discussion Forum because it asks for opinions.
  • Adobe Photoshop Tips and Tricks — Suitable for Discussion Forum because it is not a good fit for other types.
  • How long does it take to get traffic from Google? — Suitable for Discussion Forum because it is looking for observations, opinions, and likely nobody knows.
  • Cell phone photography versus traditional camera photography — May include many facts, likely includes opinions, no other type fits, other than Discussion Forum.

What you will notice above is that if the topic has or implies any sort of opinions, speculation, what people think they are observing in the real world, or no way to really prove your answer is right or wrong, then these sort of topics should fall in this type.

Meta / Admin

Meta / Admin

The Meta format is intended for bugs, features, questions, or discussions specific to Ozzu. Users can discuss the workings and policies of Ozzu, reporting bugs or suggesting improvements, or proposing new features that the could benefit the Ozzu community.

  • If it is specific to Ozzu, then this is the correct area for your thread.
  • You can report bugs, suggest improvements, or propose new features for Ozzu.
  • You can discuss how to utilize Ozzu, or parts of the website.
  • Any discussion or questions around Ozzu's policies can be discussed here.

The diagrams below outline some of the different elements that make up the meta format.

Meta Diagram

Meta Diagram

Meta Comment Diagram

Meta Comments Diagram

While this format isn't that strict compared to some of the others, topics here in one way or another should be about Ozzu itself. If it is not about Ozzu, then it belongs as a different type. Here are some example topics that would be fitting for this area:

  • Unable to upload my avatar due to an error
  • How can I see posts I have participated in?
  • What happens if I report a post as spam?
  • What are the best ways to increase my reputation at Ozzu?
  • Feature XYZ would be a great addition for Ozzu's users
  • I believe I found a bug when trying to create a new tag

Search Tags

The main purpose of having tags is to help categorize similar questions, discussions, tutorials, and snippets together for different types of interests. This will make it easier for members of Ozzu to find other topics that they might be interested in, and can allow favorite and/or to ignore topics.

Tags are sorted by the most to least number of topics tagged. However you can search tags which essentially filters tags down to contain your search query. The diagram below explains what the elements of the tags page is:

Tags Diagram

Tags Diagram

Tags Threads Diagram

Tags Threads Diagram

For each tag that shows up you also have the option of hitting the star symbol to favorite and or watch that tag. Depending on your settings you may then get notifications around that tag, and or they may just show up under different tabs in parts of Ozzu.

Additionally, for each tag there is also the option of hitting an ignore symbol which will filter results that have this tag. If there is a particular tag you have no interest in, by filtering out those types of tags from your results you will see more of what you want to see then.