To make a specific proposal, I've attached a mockup of what a streamlined home page would look like.
Commentary: - Introduction and Quickstart will follow Kafka’s model ( http://kafka.apache.org/intro, http://kafka.apache.org/quickstart) - Use cases will be a blog of use cases (Docusaurus supports multiple blogs) - Announcements is the current blog renamed - REST APIs and Admin CLI have sub-dropdowns in the current site. We can either move these into a simple list in a new page, or we can just move the sub-dropdowns into the menu (“Admin REST API, Functions REST API, Sources REST API,” etc) - Apache menu is removed. If we want, we can add the most important parts (security issues?) to the page footer for visibility. - Clients link is also removed, we can add those to Downloads page (“client guides” are already referenced there) We can do more but I don’t want to boil the ocean, I think this is a good step that we can take without adding extra dependencies. On Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 5:28 PM Joshua Odmark <joshua.odm...@gmail.com> wrote: > Sijie, > > What is the next best step here? How should we present this so that it can > get a vote if it makes sense to proceed on? > > I’d be happy to contribute as a technical writer as well. > > I think we have all the contributors we need listed here in this thread to > make this happen quickly once it is approved. > > Thanks! > > > On Feb 10, 2021, at 9:24 AM, Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > I'd also like to figure out how we can get the TGI Pulsar videos featured > > more prominently. Those are really well done. > > > > On Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 3:58 AM Sijie Guo <guosi...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> Thanks, everyone for the input! > >> > >> I think there are two different things mixing together here. One is the > >> improvement on the documentation which provides more information about > use > >> cases and makes the Pulsar documentation site more searchable; the other > >> one is what content to be hosted on the project side. > >> > >> I would suggest separating these two things in the discussion. > >> > >> For the first part of the improvement, I think it is a great idea to > have a > >> better "Get Started" section to include "Use Cases". Jennifer, Huanli, > and > >> Yu are the main committers driving the development of the documentation. > >> They can provide some of the insights from a technical writing > perspective. > >> > >>> Clean up the header by folding Clients, REST APIs, and Cli into Docs > >> > >> One of the reasons that why "Clients, REST APIs, and CLI" are added to > the > >> menu, not the sidebar is due to the limitation of the documentation > >> framework we are using. If there is a way to improve this, that would be > >> great. > >> > >> - Sijie > >> > >> > >> On Tue, Feb 9, 2021 at 3:02 PM Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> > >>> You're right, Kafka does a really good job here. Here's a proposal > along > >>> those lines: > >>> > >>> 1. Add a Get Started section to the site modeled on Kafka's > >>> a. Introduction > >>> b. Quickstart > >>> c. Use cases -- this would be a blog-like section > >>> > >>> Not included: > >>> d. books&papers and podcasts we can ignore for now > >>> e. videos we could do but I feel like it's hard to create an > objective > >>> measure for what should be included, Kafka uses ratings from Kafka > Summit > >>> and I don't think we have something similar. As an alternative we > could > >>> just link the most recent full Pulsar Summit archive. > >>> > >>> 2. Clean up the header by folding Clients, REST APIs, and Cli into Docs > >>> (Clients is already just a deep link to a docs page) > >>> > >>> 3. Rename Blog to Announcements > >>> > >>> 4. Remove Community -> Resources as obsoleted by the new Get Started > >>> > >>> I'm happy to volunteer to draft content for the new Get Started > sections. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> On Tue, Feb 9, 2021 at 3:45 PM Joshua Odmark <joshua.odm...@gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>> > >>>> For me this gets into a bigger issue. That issue for me is that right > >>> now, > >>>> I need to visit half a dozen sites to get the full picture of Pulsar. > >>>> > >>>> Putting content like this on a separate site and linking to it from > >>> Pulsar > >>>> doesn’t create the proper journey in my mind. > >>>> > >>>> I don’t know if it should be necessarily in the blog or not, but I > >> think > >>>> it makes sense to create an entirely new section of the Pulsar > website, > >>>> similar to how Kafka’s does it. Take the concept of Resources, but > turn > >>> it > >>>> into a journey and put the content right on the Pulsar website. > >> Possibly > >>>> get rid of the blog and name it something more precise if the wish was > >> to > >>>> focus on specific project releases and milestones. > >>>> > >>>> Part of what is missing is just words on a page for SEO value at the > >> end > >>>> of the day. > >>>> > >>>> My two cents would be to build out the Resources section to have > unique > >>>> content on pulsar.apache.org <http://pulsar.apache.org/> and have it > >>> take > >>>> a 'Getting Started' approach. > >>>> > >>>>> On Feb 9, 2021, at 1:13 PM, Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> > >> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> I agree that SEO is an important aspect here. > >>>>> > >>>>> When I google [apache pulsar use cases], here are the top ten, with > >>>> actual > >>>>> case studies marked with *. (If I leave out Apache, the results are > >>>>> similar but a Confluent article creeps into the top 5.) > >>>>> > >>>>> 1. kesque.com 7 Reasons We Chose Apache Pulsar > >>>>> 2. *InfoQ article on Iterable > >>>>> 3. DataBricks Spark Summit session on Pulsar > >>>>> 4. *StreamNative blog post on Yahoo! Japan > >>>>> 5. StreamNative blog post on Pulsar vs Kafka > >>>>> 6. pulsar.apache.org/blog > >>>>> 7. pulsar.apache.org/resources > >>>>> 8. manning.com introduction to Apache Pulsar in Action > >>>>> 9. xenonstack.com The Ultimate Guide to Apache Pulsar > >>>>> 10. *medium.com Why Nutanix Beam went ahead with Apache Pulsar > >>>>> > >>>>> So 3 of the top 10 are actual case studies. That's not great. We > >> want > >>>>> people looking for proof that Pulsar is ready for mainstream use to > >> be > >>>> able > >>>>> to easily find relevant use cases. > >>>>> > >>>>> Fortunately, Google already recognizes that the Apache Pulsar web > >> site > >>>>> should rank highly here, so the easiest way (the only realistic way?) > >>> for > >>>>> us to fix this is to post them ourselves. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> On Mon, Feb 8, 2021 at 1:02 PM Devin Bost <devin.b...@gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>> Hi Jonathan, > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Thanks for giving thought to this subject. I think we can all agree > >>> that > >>>>>> increasing public awareness of the momentum and community strength > >>>> behind > >>>>>> Pulsar is a common goal among members of the Pulsar community. I'm > >>> sure > >>>>>> many of us have run into similar challenges with increasing adoption > >>> of > >>>>>> Pulsar. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I personally have had success with my videos on Pulsar, but I found > >>> that > >>>>>> broadcasting my videos to a wide list of channels was critical to > >>>> getting > >>>>>> good visibility. (My video where I put the most effort into > >>>> broadcasting on > >>>>>> numerous channels by leveraging Pulsar’s integration capabilities > >> with > >>>>>> other technologies was by far my most viewed Pulsar video.) > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I think at this point the question is more a matter of how to best > >>>>>> accomplish increasing visibility of Pulsar in the market. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I wonder if we can get some input from an SEO / web marketing expert > >>> on > >>>>>> this subject. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> -- > >>>>>> Devin G. Bost > >>>>>> > >>>>>> On Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 10:17 AM Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>>>>> > >>>>>>> I checked the ASF mail archives to make sure this went through and > >>>>>> realized > >>>>>>> that somehow gmail stripped all paragraphing from my reply. Trying > >>>>>> again: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> I thank Sijie for the comment on my pull request [1]. I’m > >> following > >>> up > >>>>>>> here because I think this is the kind of discussion best suited for > >>> the > >>>>>>> mailing list. As I understand it, Sijie's core objection is, > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> “Currently, the community is trying to make the project blog focus > >> on > >>>>>>> project updates such as releases, milestones, and etc, to keep it > >>> stay > >>>>>>> focused on the project itself.” > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> I’m relatively new to Apache Pulsar, so I’m not sure if this > >>>> represents a > >>>>>>> formal decision by the PMC, or just “the way we’ve done things.” > >>>> Either > >>>>>>> way, I hope it's okay to revisit it. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> In my conversations so far with users and potential users of > >> Pulsar, > >>> I > >>>>>> have > >>>>>>> found that our biggest weakness is a perceived lack of maturity. > >> The > >>>>>> best > >>>>>>> way to fix this is to get more visibility on the people who are > >>> already > >>>>>> out > >>>>>>> there, successfully using Pulsar to solve interesting problems. > >>>> “Heavy” > >>>>>>> articles written up at outlets like InfoQ have their place, but so > >> do > >>>>>>> smaller posts like this one that can be produced quickly for a > >> large > >>>>>>> variety of use cases. We need depth *and* breadth. This will let > >> us > >>>>>>> establish the perception that Pulsar is for everyone, not just > >>>> “experts.” > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> Incorporating use cases on Pulsar’s own blog lets us take advantage > >>> of > >>>>>> one > >>>>>>> of our biggest marketing assets. We want newcomers to get the > >>>> impression > >>>>>>> as soon as possible that *obviously*, lots of people use Pulsar > >>>>>>> successfully. This is also important for attracting new > >> contributors > >>> as > >>>>>>> they see this is something growing and relevant to their interests. > >>> If > >>>>>>> they have to go digging for that information elsewhere, we’ve > >> already > >>>>>> lost > >>>>>>> the attention span of a significant number of potential users and > >>>>>>> contributors. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> What does the rest of the community think about this? > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> [1] https://github.com/apache/pulsar/pull/9463 > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 1:06 PM Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> > >>>> wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> *I thank Sijie for the comment on my pull request [1]. I’m > >>> following > >>>>>> up > >>>>>>>> here because I think this is the kind of discussion best suited > >> for > >>>> the > >>>>>>>> mailing list. As I understand it, Sijie's core objection > >>>>>> is,“Currently, > >>>>>>>> the community is trying to make the project blog focus on project > >>>>>> updates > >>>>>>>> such as releases, milestones, and etc, to keep it stay focused on > >>> the > >>>>>>>> project itself.”I’m relatively new to Apache Pulsar, so I’m not > >> sure > >>>> if > >>>>>>>> this represents a formal decision by the PMC, or just “the way > >> we’ve > >>>>>> done > >>>>>>>> things.” Either way, I hope it's okay to revisit it.In my > >>>>>> conversations > >>>>>>> so > >>>>>>>> far with users and potential users of Pulsar, I have found that > >> our > >>>>>>> biggest > >>>>>>>> weakness is a perceived lack of maturity. The best way to fix this > >>> is > >>>>>> to > >>>>>>>> get more visibility on the people who are already out there, > >>>>>> successfully > >>>>>>>> using Pulsar to solve interesting problems. “Heavy” articles > >>> written > >>>>>> up > >>>>>>> at > >>>>>>>> outlets like InfoQ have their place, but so do smaller posts like > >>> this > >>>>>>> one > >>>>>>>> that can be produced quickly for a large variety of use cases. We > >>>> need > >>>>>>>> depth *and* breadth. This will let us establish the perception > >> that > >>>>>>> Pulsar > >>>>>>>> is for everyone, not just “experts.”Incorporating use cases on > >>>> Pulsar’s > >>>>>>> own > >>>>>>>> blog lets us take advantage of one of our biggest marketing > >> assets. > >>>> We > >>>>>>>> want newcomers to get the impression as soon as possible that > >>>>>>> *obviously*, > >>>>>>>> lots of people use Pulsar successfully. This is also important for > >>>>>>>> attracting new contributors as they see this is something growing > >>> and > >>>>>>>> relevant to their interests. If they have to go digging for that > >>>>>>>> information elsewhere, we’ve already lost the attention span of a > >>>>>>>> significant number of potential users and contributors.What does > >> the > >>>>>> rest > >>>>>>>> of the community think about this?[1] > >>>>>>>> https://github.com/apache/pulsar/pull/9463 > >>>>>>>> <https://github.com/apache/pulsar/pull/9463>* > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> On Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 5:18 PM Jonathan Ellis <jbel...@gmail.com> > >>>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> Hi all, > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> I'd love to see more content on the Apache Pulsar blog showing > >> how > >>>>>> much > >>>>>>>>> traction this project and community have gotten recently. To > >> that > >>>>>> end, > >>>>>>>>> I've started collecting quick "five minute interview" use cases > >> and > >>>>>> I've > >>>>>>>>> submitted a PR for the first. Looking forward to getting more > >>>>>> finished > >>>>>>> up! > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>>>> Jonathan Ellis > >>>>>>>>> co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > >>>>>>>>> @spyced > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>>> Jonathan Ellis > >>>>>>>> co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > >>>>>>>> @spyced > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>> Jonathan Ellis > >>>>>>> co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > >>>>>>> @spyced > >>>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> -- > >>>>> Jonathan Ellis > >>>>> co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > >>>>> @spyced > >>>> > >>>> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> Jonathan Ellis > >>> co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > >>> @spyced > >>> > >> > > > > > > -- > > Jonathan Ellis > > co-founder, http://www.datastax.com > > @spyced > > -- Jonathan Ellis co-founder, http://www.datastax.com @spyced
