Editor's Note: Check out the more recent article, 3 reasons why you should write an article for the SAS Communities Library, for the best way to add your expertise.
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Have you checked out the SAS Communities Library? It’s a knowledgebase packed with tips, how-to’s and guide articles to help you navigate various aspects of SAS products. Think of the articles as edited, more official versions of the plethora of information found within “topics,” Q&A discussion threads at the individual board/community level, e.g., see the list of topics found on the SAS Data Mining community.
Articles come to life in two ways:
- You see a topic/discussion as a useful piece of information that should be converted into an article. You can then nominate this topic to be an article.
- You know of a useful tip or process and would like to add it to the community. You can start a topic/discussion on this subject and get feedback on the approach and value as an article. If fellow community members agree on its importance, you can nominate your own topic to be an article.
Regardless of how articles come to be, each one signifies an important piece of the SAS usage puzzle that warrants documenting outside of everyday forum conversations. How do you nominate a topic to become an article? Well, let’s start with what makes a good article.
Topics with accepted solutions make great articles
Ideally, articles originate from topics that have been resolved or have received an “accepted solution” by the original poster. Consider that all topics (usually) begin with a question and the community provides the answer. Now think of articles beginning with that answer and an added stamp of approval by SAS that “this is the best answer on a given subject.” If the topic has several comments with varying perspectives – great! – all or most of those can be included in the final article, with one being the “most correct.”
Want to give this a try? Here’s how.
Start by scanning topics on boards for solid articles, regardless of whether you’ve participated in the discussion. Remember, these are your communities and this is your Library. What’s important to your work, and what you think may be important for others to learn, makes the site even more useful.
Nominate a topic that resonates with you by:
- Selecting the Topic Options dropdown menu next to Reply on a given topic.
- Clicking Nominate to Library.
- The nominated topic goes into a queue that the community managers review and approve regularly.
- If the topic is approved, a community manager will be in touch with you on next steps. For example, we’ll agree on who will edit, who gets first byline, etc.
- Article is published by community manager or appointed publisher (depends on how the “next steps” shake out in #4). Typically the first byline author is the member who responded with the accepted solution. AND, drum roll please, the coolest part about this process:
Comment contributors from the original topic that are included in the final article are credited as contributors/coauthors of the article! That means their usernames will appear on the right column next to the article under Contributors:
Ready to get started? Scour the communities for article candidates now! We can’t wait to see your entries that will beef up the Library and give you credit for all your work. Let the nominations begin.
