AsyncAPI Inspire & Aspire with AsyncAPI, 3 Nov 2022

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From YouTube: My Onboarding Experience as a New Docs Contributor to AsyncAPI - Anisat Akinbani,AsyncAPI Initiative

Description

AsyncAPI Conference 2022 - Day 1
3rd November 2022

AsyncAPI is an open-source specification tool helpful for describing asynchronous APIs and event-driven architectures. In this talk, I will share my onboarding experience as a first-time contributor to the AsyncAPI documentation. By the end of this talk, my audience will learn what kind of onboarding help new AsyncAPI contributors receive, how new contributors can find answers to their questions, and how AsyncAPI mentors supported me through my learning curve of contributing to our documentation.

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Hello and welcome to asyn kpi conference 2022, my name is Anisa akimbani and I will be talking about my homebodying experience as a new docs contributor to async API.

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So who is an inside anissat is a front-end engineer, a technical writer and that open source contributor, um I, basically transitioned into the world of technology, about yeah two years ago, like right after my a year after my graduation, so um I picked interest in the aspect of front-end development and I. You know develop my skill along that line.

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um Picking up new technologies learning you know studying industrial chemistry in school and then then something entirely different from what you studied in school. So um the learning curve was was very steep at the beginning, like it was really slow at the beginning, but yeah yeah. We are um along the line.

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I also picked a technical writing and as well as open source contribution, um if I'm, not coding or writing technical articles or probably contributing to open source I, basically take walks to the beach or just walks in general, be by myself or with my family or friends. Yeah. That's that's I'm! A bit fun fact about myself is I love, fries I'm, a big fan of fries potato fries, Irish fries whatever, so that's just a bit about Anisa.

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um Now, before I go right into the Talk itself. I just want to give a quick backstory about my open source. Journey um I felt I first learned about the word open source from a very popular open source, Community um event, which is Oscar and yeah. The full. The full meaning is open.

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Source Community Africa is a very popular open source conference that holds in Lagos Nigeria, and that was like I attended that conference and about the time I I kick-started my Tech Career, so I attended with a lot of enthusiasm because as a techie, you know when you're, especially when you're, just even even when you're, not just starting your career, like as a techie in general.

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This there's this old excitement about you know going to conferences, because you see people most people see it as an opportunity to like learn, grow Network, meet new people, and all of that so, yes, like I, said I attended this conference with great enthusiasm and um I learned a lot of things, I jotted out so many things and gathered a whole lot of tips on open source and um what that view, because the conference was basically a conference to like bring open source enthusiasts together and open source organizations together as well to preach the gospel of Open Source.

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You know to let people know more about Open Source, so the conference did well in achieving that because, like I said earlier, this was like that was the first place, I learned about what football, but right after the doors of the conference, I felt overwhelmed because I I just couldn't like put it into practice, because at that time I had this notion that for you to be able to contribute to open source, you have to like contribute to code base. I did not know that there were other like um means of contributions.

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So all my mind, all my thoughts was just to like contribute to the code base so um passport to August 2020. While reading an article on ash note, um the article was basically for beginners and the authorities were in like breaking down concepts of Open Source and also going ahead like Bliss and mentioned opposite organizations. You can contribute to without even contributing to the code base and and um Portugal you can contribute as a technical writer through technical documentation.

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I was really excited because I felt oh wow, so and at that time, a month to that time, I read the article I just started. Writing like that was when I started. Picking up um technical writing. So I felt it was an opportunity for me to like you know um finally contribute to open source, but this time through technical documentation, I reached out to the author on Twitter via DM, and then they also being nice and friendly scheduled a one-on-one um call with me to practically and she practically handheld me. You know I.

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That was where I made my first quality open source contribution. She practically can help me and did the do as I do approach, and that I must say really helped me in growing my interest more in wanting to contribute to a process, especially through technical documentation. So, yes, that's a quick backstory about my open source journey, and now we go to the interning with async API how it started.

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It's not a true, um my chew it Suites yeah, while I was going to introduced with her at that time. um My awesome Mentor Alejandra. She posted on Twitter that she was looking for about six mentors who would love to contribute to async API that meditation under the Google season of dogs program. So I was super interested because um I've always wanted to like contribute to open source projects more through the technical documentation and get into the Google season of dogs program.

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So upon making my research about async API, I loved what smkpa was all about and what it stood for, and the concept of event-driven architecture, and all of that so I felt it was. It was a great opportunity for me to learn something entirely new from what I've been used to, which is front-end development.

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You know moving from um I'm not really moving like not really moving entirely from what you're doing, but you know learning something new in many New Concept, that applicable in the world of technology like yes, so I saw it as a great opportunity um learning about event-driven architecture and wanting to improve the documentation of the organization, so I did put in my application forward and then yeah.

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um The application process was all about applicants each applicants, you know scheduling of one or one-on-one I, think yeah. It was a zoom call. A one-on-one Zoom call with my awesome, Mentor Alejandra with Alejandra and then um at your own, flexible time, but she really made the process very, very flexible for everyone.

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So um after the application, I I I really did not want to put my mind to oh, if I would be selected or not because most times, if I really want something and I I, don't I and I'm not seeing myself either getting it or not getting like I. Just don't want.

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To put my mind to it, so I don't end up being sad or you know, like ah I didn't get it so, but during this election, like I saw my name like I was I was super excited and you know being able to like get into a very competitive program of of such nature and also be selected. It's it was. It was really. um It was a great um opportunity for me and which I did not want to take for granted.

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So I was super excited because I saw my name on the slack community and then I was among those that were selected. So I turned the Twitter page of the organization and other platforms. So it was a very, very exciting and several moment for me and yeah. That's how it started so um what onboarding help did I receive as a new docs contributor, so um the old body, the only like I, was just categorize the on body, help into three sections like I. Have it in my slide here the onboarding help were awesome.

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The first one I would love to talk about. Is the one-on-ones room calls we had with um Alejandra and not just Alejandra um yeah I? Think um Lucas at some point Lucas by the way is another also Mentor that works with us.

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Mentees um during the program um Alejandra actually scheduled a one-on-one zip code with the six of us so actually to onboard us properly into the program and um what to expect and how um the workflow will go, and all of that so Alejandro basically broke down um like basic concepts of event-driven architectures in eastern kpi. Like this helped me like someone like myself, who is just coming from front-end engineering. You know something entirely different from what Adas are all about, so she helps break down those Concepts ex.

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You know like explain things like producers, consumers, Publishers subscribers or other Concepts in Eda, so it was. It was a very, very interesting one-on-ones record with Alejandra. She also helped um explain the tools that would be useful for workflow, like I, said, and then collaboration and communication and tools that we'll be using to contribute to the technical documentation.

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Another onboarding help I received from um from the community and Eastern Cape in general, as a new dos contributor. Where articles like the mentors literally took their time to share helpful resources, that will put you up to speed with learning the concepts on a Sync API, and you know like eventually in architecture in general, because those articles actually helped me in improving my writing flow and helping and explaining the concepts on technical writing tasks. That I was asked that I was assigned as a contributor- or, let me say, mentee so yeah those resources.

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Those articles were really helpful, and that is that is another onboarding help I received. um Next is the onboarding workshop. This Workshop was conducted by Lucas. He did a great job. The workshop was fitted into four parts and I must say even up to this moment. The the um Workshop helps me in writing, um like because in literally did um showed us use cases of where async API can be. You know can be used. Explain a lot of Concepts explain tools that um the other tools that is built by the community.

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You know like um I, think API CLI, for example, and she showed us how a Sync, API Studio works and a couple of other things, and this were the wonderful resources um onboarding help I received as a new docs contributor. That has helped me during the program um as it talks contributor yeah. So how do contributors get answers to their questions?

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Contribute as as a contributor um as a mentee most times whenever I feel blocked, I get answers from for my questions through the community, like the community is a very welcoming one, and this is the first place I always go to whenever I like a few blocks about something I'm, writing on or I do not understand. So, for example, let's say I'm working on the tools or or specification concepts, for example and I, don't understand, um for example, let me say consumer or what a consumer is or what a broker is I.

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It's the community is so accessible that you know you can get answer like in in next few hours right, because there are people who are always willing to help. You, like you, can just go on to one of the trends and type in your questions, and then you get answers to them. The um the community is a really awesome. One also quick calls like there are times where I was literally blocked and then um I didn't I did not go through it, but I did not type.

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My question in the thread at this time, I wanted like and immediate help and I reached out to Alejandra, and she helped me another case. There was a case of a technical issue. I I had with one of the tools we work with when contributing like when writing our documentation, so at first it was running and then it was not running but I had to like reach out to Lucas.

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Oh, my God I need to make a pull request and then it helped me, you know, get unblocked with um what issue could have been and why my tool was not working properly. So yes, this. These are ways contributors get answers to their questions. For me, I'm speaking for my perspective, um I, don't know um about my fellow mentees, but I know that the mentors are always willing to help you get overblocked immediately.

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um They there's this um bi-weekly meeting. We also do with uh women's and Alejandra. She helps us get unblocked on the call like and also like help us to get this thing, so everyone can be like in sync with what we're working on um help us to communicate like okay. So what what's? What were you working on this week? What this this is just a great way to like help. You not feel stuck about anything so yeah.

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What do I love most about contributors um to async API, um the first one for me is mentorship. I love the fact that we have experienced mentors who could easily roll to whenever we Face any issue or challenges they are always willing to help like they are always willing to answer your questions. Oh hey I! Need that. What are you like working on right now? Do you have any issues? Do you have any problem? Oh, no, it's fine! And if it's not fine, you can easily tell them. Oh, yes, I!

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Actually, don't know how this is going on, but like it's, it's really awesome, because whenever you're going through a journey- and you have someone who can hand hold you through the Journey, it literally makes things easy like very easy. Through that channel, there's no feeling of being overwhelmed and, like you know, having to like figure everything out on your own, you know for sure that you are definitely not alone.

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So having mentorship is one big thing in the world of technology, and this is one thing that is in kpi has been able to bless me and I'm sure, my fellow with and um yeah mentorship, that's one for me, then two, the community is API. Community is really welcoming. If you're a new contributor or you don't even know um anything about business or you've, never contributed to open source. Before you can come come, let let um Community show you how it's done.

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um You can literally reach out to um the community and then there's definitely someone who would like help you and answer your questions. You know you know, help you through your possible request or multiple requests and other things like the community is really friendly and welcoming that's one thing: I love about the community and everyone are so passionate about contributing so yeah another opportunity.

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um Another thing: I love about contributing to the to async apis because of conference participation, um I'm, someone who ordinarily like um do not do not take out time to like participate in conferences.

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um I do I just drink once in a while and but because async API is something I, love, I, love the organization and I love what it stands for and I love the fact that they gave us all to like you know, participate in the conference and it's it's such a beautiful opportunity that I I decided to like take and share my story about what it felt like. You know, contributing to listen kpis, so yeah I am participating in an International, Conference, uh um I think API organization conference.

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So yes, um another thing: I love about continuous, um about contributing to async API is due to the continuous learning like there's so many Concepts to learn about, and I I'm super excited about the things I've learned so far and the things I'm still learning it's. So it's so fun um as a techie. You know, learning new things is, um can be fun so being able to like learn continuously is what I love about um contributing to async API.

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um uh As someone who who is more into coding front end and then now having knowledge about what asynchronous apis are all about, how you can document it, how you can generate your code from them? You know Concepts, um like what providers, um what uh producers are consumers- and you know other concepts- are so interesting.

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Another thing I love about contributing to async API is the fact that this has given me the opportunity to like give my quota to the community. Like you know, by sharing my knowledge and then you know, help improve the technical documentation of the organization. That's another beautiful thing.

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I I definitely did not had in my slide, but I just wanted to mention and share like it's, so it's so amazing and I I I love the fact that um instant kpi has given me this opportunity to be able to like help to improve the documentation alongside my fellow mentees, so yeah. These are the things I love most about contributions is in kpi. So why can't you join us like async kpi is a very, very friendly, Community big, but beginner friendly, and even if you're, an experienced contribution, you can come join the initiative.

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um Yes, the website, you can visit the website to learn more about async kpi and how you can use it in your invert dripping architecture platform. We also have the digital page.

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Here you can see a couple of tools and technologies that async API has developed to be able to like help. You know that actually hopeful source that that can help you. You know, like improve your um organization team. You know company best practices like defining um company-based practices as well through the async, API validation and a couple of other things. So we also have this slack Channel. That's my favorite part like come come: ask your questions. um You can follow snqpi and Twitter, LinkedIn and I. Think apis also has a YouTube channel where they like.

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For me, it's a Resource Bank for so many things about async, API and even architecture. You can learn. um Learn about this join the community calls and yeah. That's it! um Thank you. Thanks for listening to my talk, um you can send me a DM on Twitter at Anisa. Akinbani I'll be willing to accept your questions. Thank you for listening, bye.