Announcing git-mentoring@googlegroups.com

Hi all,

Since https://public-inbox.org/git/20191114023100.GD22855@google.com/ is well hidden inside a large thread which diverged into many topics, I'm happy to announce (redundantly) the creation of a git-mentoring mailing list!

You can join the list to view messages and participate at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/git-mentoring.

This list is a great place for those who are new to Git and interested in learning how to contribute to ask questions and expect kind, thorough answers out of the spotlight of the main Git mailing list. Use this list to ask or answer specific questions you have about contributing to the Git project; rather than pairing with a specific mentor who may not share your timezone or vacation schedule, you can ask questions of the mentoring list as a whole to receive answers from any volunteer who is available.

The community expectations for the mailing list are the same as those for the main Git list, but posts are only visible to members (anyone can join) in order to create a more private space for beginner questions.

For now, posting is limited to members only (again, anyone can join) - but if we find a high incidence of needing to forward messages to and from the main list, we can change that permission as needed.

I look forward to us learning from each other on that list!

 - Emily

Emily Shaffer <emilyshaffer@google.com> wrote:

It would be better to promote anonymous or pseudonymous posts if beginners aren't comfortable...

...because anybody can expose the archives, anyways. And right now, messages aren't visible to generic search engines, either; so fewer people can get helped...

On Fri, Nov 22, 2019 at 08:31:27PM +0000, Eric Wong wrote:

Hm, this is a little circular, right? Part of the rationale for keeping viewing limited was "that way it's not visible to generic search engines". And now your rationale for opening it is "it's not visible to generic search engines".

It sounds like based on https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqy2wczliu.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com/ though, that we maybe do want to open posting to all, for the sake of CC back and forth between the main list and the mentoring list.

With all that said.... we have yet to actually see a post on the list. So I feel more inclined to wait and let the right ergonomics for that list present themselves with time and use. :)

 - Emily

Emily Shaffer <emilyshaffer@google.com> wrote:

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  My points were:

1) limiting visibility harmful to helpfulness

2) trusting "members" to keep potentially embarrasing posts
   away from the public eye is unrealistic.  Let posters
   maintain anonymity or pseudonymity for themselves.

On Sat, Nov 23, 2019 at 12:17:49AM +0000, Eric Wong wrote:

I think it's trying to find a tradeoff, though. The point isn't to guard sensitive information. It's to have a less intimidating forum for people to converse in. Even though anybody from the public _could_ join and read them, keeping them out of most web searches may be more comfortable. Likewise, members of the group _could_ exfiltrate all of the posts and show them publicly. But in practice that's unlikely.

Note that I'm guessing at what others would find more comfortable or less intimidating. Obviously I'm quite happy to speak my mind all over public mailing lists. ;) But the point is to give a forum for people who aren't. I think this setup matches the mentoring list in other orgs. E.g. Outreachy itself, though there I think you have to actually be an intern to see the posts. We could moderate membership to the mentor list but it seems like a hassle for little gain.

-Peff