How to Contribute

Fast Path

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1. Fork the repo to your GitHub account.
2. Create a feature branch from dev.
3. Run locally: hugo server -D.
4. Edit content under content/… (and put images in assets/img/…).
5. Commit & push, then open a Pull Request (PR) back to dev.
6. A maintainer will review, request changes if needed, and merge.

1) Repository Setup

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A. Fork and clone

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# Replace <your-username> with your GitHub handle
git clone https://github.com/qom-network/website.git
cd qom-website

# Add the upstream (original) repository for syncing
git remote add upstream https://github.com/qom-network/website.git

# Make sure you're on the dev branch
git fetch --all
git checkout dev
git pull upstream dev

# Create a working branch
# branch naming: feature/<topic>  or  docs/<topic>  or  fix/<topic>
git checkout -b docs/new-document

2) Run the Site Locally

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# Development server (drafts enabled, better live reload)
hugo server -D --disableFastRender

Open the URL shown in your terminal (usually http://localhost:1313/).

3) Where to Edit (Content Layout)

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• Pages (Markdown): content/

  • Home: content/_index.md

  • About: content/about/_index.md

  • Get Involved: content/get-involved/_index.md

  • Docs: content/docs/_index.md

  • This page: content/get-involved/how-to-contribute.md

• Images assets/

  • Put images in assets/img/...

  • Refer to them as /img/<file> in Markdown.

• Navigation (if needed): config/_default/menus.toml

• Site params / theme tweaks: config/_default/params.toml

Blowfish automatically serves files from assets/ at the site root.
Example image path in Markdown:

![Alt text for accessibility](/img/example.png)

4) Writing & Style Guidelines

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Content style

• Keep paragraphs short and readable.

• Prefer plain English; define acronyms on first use.

• Use sentence-case headings (capitalize the first word only).

Headings

• One # per page for the title (Front Matter title will become H1 in some layouts).

• Then ## (H2) and ### (H3) for sections.

Front Matter (example)

---
title: "My New Page"
description: "Short, searchable summary (≤ 160 chars)."
draft: false
---

File naming

• Use kebab-case for filenames and directories, (e.g., run-a-node.md.)

Internal links

• Use absolute paths from the site root:

See the [About page](/about/) and the [Docs](/docs/).

Images

-　Use descriptive alt text.

-　Optimize large images (prefer ≤ 200 KB where possible).

-　PNG or WebP recommended for UI assets; JPEG or WebP for photos.

5) Add or Edit Content

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A. Create a new page

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# Example: create a new doc page
mkdir -p content/docs/run-a-node
$EDITOR content/docs/run-a-node/_index.md

Starter template:

---
title: "Run a Node"
description: "Set up a QOM/QL1 node and join the network."
draft: false
---

## Overview
Brief summary…

## Prerequisites
- Docker …
- Disk space …

## Steps
1. …
2. …

B. Update navigation (optional)

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If your new page should appear in the top menu or a section menu:

# config/_default/menus.toml
[[main]]
  name = "Docs"
  pageRef = "/docs/"
  weight = 4

Many lists/sidebars are generated automatically by Blowfish; explicit menu entries are optional.

6) Internationalization (i18n)

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We keep English as the source of truth and add translations as separate content trees:

content/
  en/...
  ja/...
  es/...

Example:

• Source page: content/en/get-involved/how-to-contribute.md

• Japanese translation: content/ja/get-involved/how-to-contribute.md

Front Matter should contain the same slug so Hugo links the translations. Keep structure and headings aligned between languages.

7) Commit, Push, and Open a PR

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# Stage and commit your changes
git add .
git commit -m "docs: add how-to-contribute guide (Get Involved)"

# Push to your fork
git push origin docs/how-to-contribute

Now go to your fork on GitHub and click “Compare & pull request”. Target branch: dev (not main).

PR checklist

• Clear title and description of changes.

• Screenshots for visual updates.

• Mention related issues (e.g., “Closes #123”).

• Keep the PR focused and small if possible.

Reviews

• Expect feedback; maintainers may request minor edits.

• After approval, a maintainer will merge your PR into dev.

8) Common Tasks & Shortcodes (Blowfish)

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Exact shortcode names and availability depend on the current Blowfish configuration in this repository. If a shortcode errors, check layouts/shortcodes/ or theme docs and remove/adjust accordingly.

9) Good First Issues

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Not sure where to start? Look for:

• Typos, clarity edits, broken links.

• Add alt text to images.

• Translate existing pages (EN → JA/ES).

• Small docs like “Run a Node” stubs, glossary entries, FAQs.

10) Next Steps

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• Propose a new doc page under content/docs/

• Improve the About or Get Involved pages

• Add translations to reach more contributors