first draft

Signed-off-by: Lee Calcote <[email protected]>

src/collections/blog/2024/09-07-ways-to-contribute/post.mdx

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+---
+title: Ways to Contribute at Layer5
+subtitle: it's not all about the code
+date: 2024-09-07
+author: Lee Calcote
+thumbnail: ../../../../assets/images/layer5/layer5-only/svg/layer5-black.svg
+darkthumbnail: ../../../../assets/images/layer5/layer5-only/svg/layer5-light-bg.svg
+description: The State of Open Source
+type: Blog
+category: Open Source
+tags:
+  - Open Source
+featured: false
+published: true
+---
+
+import { BlogWrapper } from "../../Blog.style.js";
+import { Link } from "gatsby";
+import popularProject from "./number-one-most-popular-project.png";
+
+<BlogWrapper>
+
+<Link to="/community/members">Community members</Link> often inquired about how they can be a part of and contribute to Layer5 and its open source projects. Good news. There are many ways. The following is a list of ways depending upon the manner in which you would like to participate (any and all of these ways are encouraged).
+
+### Through Community Engagement & Management
+
+**As a <Link to="/community/community-managers">Community Manager</Link>**
+* Foster discussions and interactions on community platforms (Slack, forums, social media).
+* Onboard new members, answer queries, and organize community events.
+* Curate and share community-generated content, news, and project updates. Help draft and send newsletters, announcements, and other community updates.
+* **Organize online events:** Host webinars, AMA sessions, or virtual meetups to engage the community.
+* **Moderate social media:** Monitor and respond to comments and messages on Layer5's social media channels.
+* **Curate content:** Share relevant news, articles, and project updates on social media.
+
+**As a [Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) Moderator:**
+* Ensure that discussions remain constructive, respectful, and on-topic.
+* Moderate comments and posts, addressing any inappropriate or offensive content.
+* Encourage participation and create a welcoming environment for all users.
+* Guide discussions and help resolve conflicts if they arise.
+
+**<Link to="/community/calendar">Meeting Host</Link> or <Link to="/communiity/events">Event Organizer</Link>:**
+* Plan, schedule, and facilitate community meetings, workshops, or webinars.
+* Prepare agendas, moderate discussions, and ensure smooth execution.
+* Record and share meeting notes or summaries for those unable to attend.
+* Help organize and coordinate Layer5 events, whether online or in-person.
+
+**As a [MeshMate](https://layer5.io/community/meshmates) (a mentor):**
+* **Mentor new contributors:**  Guide newcomers through the contribution process, answer their questions, and help them get started.
+* **Review code contributions:**  Provide constructive feedback on pull requests, ensuring code quality and adherence to project guidelines.
+* **Triage issues:**  Help identify and prioritize issues in the project's issue tracker.
+
+### Through Technical Contributions
+
+**As a Maintainer:**
+* Take ownership of specific projects or components.
+* Review and merge code contributions, ensuring quality and adherence to standards.
+* Triage and address issues promptly.
+* Guide and mentor other contributors.
+
+**As a <Link to="/community/handbook/repository-overview">Code Contributor</Link>:**
+* **Fix bugs:** Address reported issues and bugs in the codebase.
+* **Implement new features:**  Contribute code to add new functionalities or enhancements.
+* **Triage Issues**: Ensure timely validation of new issues, ongoing assignment, and removal of incidental issue squatters.
+* **Offer Peer Review**: Review and comment on pull requests. Collaborate with other contributors to improve the project.
+
+**As a Performance or [Test Engineer](https://docs.meshery.io/project/contributing/contributing-ui-tests):**
+**Optimize performance:** Identify and implement optimizations to improve the performance of the projects, like [layer5.io performance issues](https://github.com/layer5io/layer5/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3Atype%2Fperformance).
+* **End-to-End Testing: Write, review, and test code contributions, following project guidelines and best practices.
+
+**As a [Build and Release Lead](https://docs.meshery.io/project/contributing/build-and-release):**
+  * Manage the build and release processes, including versioning, packaging, and deployment.
+  * Ensure smooth and timely releases, addressing any build or dependency issues.
+
+**As a [Bug Hunter](https://github.com/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+archived%3Afalse+org%3Alayer5io+org%3Ameshery+org%3Aservice-mesh-performance+org%3Aservice-mesh-patterns+org%3Alayer5labs):**
+* Actively identify and report bugs or issues in the software.
+* Provide detailed information to help developers reproduce and fix the problems.
+
+**As a Technical Writer:**
+* Create clear and comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and guides.
+* **[Improve documentation](https://docs.layer5.io):** Update and enhance project documentation to make it easier for others to understand and use.
+* **Translate** project documentation or user interfaces into different languages, broadening the project's reach.
+
+### Through Project Engagement and Advocacy
+
+**As a User Ambassador:**
+
+* [Showcase your achievements](https://badges.layer5.io): As a user, this is how you demonstrate your prowess, milestones, and meaningful engagement.
+* **Share your enthusiasm:** Share your Layer5 project experiences on social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, or relevant forums. Highlight your favorite features, use cases, or success stories.
+* **Create content:** Write blog posts, record videos, or create tutorials about Layer5 projects.  Share them on your personal channels and within the Layer5 community.
+* **<Link to="/community/events">Attend and present</Link>** Participate in conferences, meetups, or webinars related to cloud-native technologies. Represent Layer5 and share your knowledge.
+* **Engage in online communities:**  Answer questions on Stack Overflow, participate in discussions on GitHub, or contribute to relevant online forums.
+
+**As a <Link to="/community/handbook/writing-program">Writer</Link>:**
+* **<Link to="/community/adventures-of-five-and-friends">Craft Five's Adventures</Link>:** Contribute to the ongoing story of Five, the Layer5 mascot, by writing engaging short stories.
+* **<a href="https://docs.meshery.io/guides/tutorials">Develop tutorials</a> and <Link to="/learn/learning-paths">Learning Paths</Link>:** Create clear and concise written tutorials or guides to help users understand and use Layer5 projects.
+* **<Link to="/blog">Write blog posts</Link>:**  Share your insights, experiences, and knowledge about Layer5 projects through informative blog posts. Have an idea? Pitch it by opening [a writing issue](https://github.com/layer5io/layer5/issues/new?assignees=&labels=area%2Fwriting%2C+help+wanted%2C+language%2Fenglish&projects=&template=writing.md&title=%5BWriting%5D). 
+
+**As a Designer:**
+* **<Link to="/company/brand">Design brand materials</Link>:**  Contribute to the design of project logos, website layouts, social media graphics, or presentation slides.
+* Create wireframes and mockups for any of our <Link to="/community/handbook/repository-overview">frontend projects</Link>.
+* **Improve user interfaces:** Leave your UX mark and help refine the user interfaces of Layer5 projects to make them more intuitive and user-friendly [(open Figma invite)](https://www.figma.com/team_invite/redeem/qJy1c95qirjgWQODApilR9).
+* **<Link to="/community/adventures-of-five-and-friends">Illustrate Five's World</Link>:** Create captivating visuals for the Five's Adventures stories.
+
+**As an <Link to="/careers/programs">Intern</Link> or <Link to="/careers">Employee</Link>:**
+* Meshery is the #1 most popular Linux Foundation internship, offering invaluable hands-on experience in the cloud native space.
+* Layer5 is continuously offering internships, providing opportunities to learn and grow alongside a passionate community.
+
+<img src={popularProject} alt="Meshery is the most popular LFX project" className="image-center-shadow" />
+
+**Remember:**
+
+All contributions are valuable and every skill set has a place in open source.  Don't hesitate to ask questions or reach out for help.  Most importantly, have fun and enjoy being part of the community!
+
+*Every contribution, big or small, is valuable and helps strengthen the Layer5 community and its projects.*
+
+</BlogWrapper>

src/collections/blog/Blog.style.js

@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ export const BlogWrapper = styled.div`
       margin-right: 0rem;
     }
   }
+  h3 {
+      margin-bottom: .75rem;
+    }
   .to-uppercase {
     text-transform: uppercase;
   }