Contribute to sharing knowledge

iO technology blog illustration

Ready to share your knowledge? We're always looking for iO colleagues to contribute to the tech_hub!

Quick Start Guide

Want to add a blog post? Here's how:

  1. Set up your author profile → data/authors/firstname-lastname.md with bio and avatar
  2. Write your post → Create .md/.mdx file in data/blog/ with required frontmatter
  3. Submit → Create PR → Get reviewed → Published within a week
  4. Questions? Contact Dave Bitter or Brecht De Ruyte

Why Contribute?

The iO tech_hub showcases our expertise to three key audiences:

  • Developers worldwide who want to learn about the concepts we discuss
  • Future talent looking for insights into what we do at iO
  • Prospects wanting to know if iO has knowledge about specific subjects

Contributing helps you reinforce your own knowledge, gain credibility as an expert, and get recognised for your expertise.

Table of Contents

Topic Ideas We're Always Looking For

Not sure what to write about? Here are some areas we're always excited to feature:

  • AI & Tooling - How AI is changing development workflows, tools you've discovered, practical AI implementations
  • New Web Capabilities - Latest browser APIs, emerging web standards, progressive web app features
  • Code Design Patterns & Approaches - Best practices, architectural decisions, refactoring techniques
  • Reflective Tech Pieces - Thoughtful analysis of technology trends, industry observations, lessons learned
  • Creative Projects - Cool things you've built, innovative solutions to problems, experimental features
  • Practical Tips & Lists - Step-by-step guides, productivity tips, tool comparisons (lists perform well!)
  • Developer Experience - Improving workflows, tooling setup, team processes, debugging techniques
  • Performance & Optimization - Real-world performance improvements, measurement techniques, user experience
  • Accessibility & Inclusive Design - Making the web work for everyone, practical implementation tips
  • Career Development - Technical leadership, mentoring, skill development, interview experiences

Pro tip: Already gave a presentation? You've got your article! Presentations translate perfectly to blog posts - you already have the story, structure, and examples. Plus, articles become shareable resources you can reference during future talks and reach an even wider audience.

Remember: Personal experiences and real-world examples always make the most engaging content!

Getting Started

Technical Setup: For development environment setup, see the main README.

What Can You Contribute?

  • Blogs (most common) - bite-sized, focused content
  • Talks & Workshops - listed for events and networking
  • Videos - we also have an iO technology YouTube channel

Time Tracking: Use the relevant Center of Excellence project in Jira. Contact Dave Bitter for help.

Writing Guidelines

Style Requirements

  • Language: British English (behaviour, centre, organisation)
  • Voice: Write from your perspective ("I find..." not "We find...")
  • Terminology: Use "talents/colleagues/experts" (not employees), "clients" (not customers)
  • Brand: Avoid starting sentences with "iO" due to lowercase formatting
  • Tone: Respectful toward other technologies and approaches

Content Best Practices

  • Structure: Use lists, headings, and visual elements (images, diagrams, screenshots)
  • Code: Keep examples concise, avoid client-specific code
  • Images: Use copyright-free images from Pexels, Unsplash, or Pixabay
  • Length: Concise is better - split long content into series
  • SEO: Include natural keywords, write compelling descriptions, use proper headings
  • Accessibility: Alt text for images, clear language, descriptive links, proper heading hierarchy

Technical Requirements

  • Images: Scale and optimize (WebP preferred), descriptive alt text
  • Frontmatter: Include title, date, authors, tags, summary
  • Testing: Run locally before submission, check grammar with Grammarly or similar

Submission Process

1. Set Up Your Profile

  • Fork the tech_hub repository
  • Create your author file: data/authors/firstname-lastname.md
  • Add your photo: public/authors/firstname-lastname.jpg

2. Create Your Content

  • Blog posts: Add to data/blog/ (filename becomes URL slug)
  • Series: Create under data/series/ and reference in blog frontmatter (series: my-series)
  • Images: Store in public/articles/your-article-slug/
  • Copy frontmatter from existing posts to ensure proper structure

3. Review & Submit

4. Publication & Promotion

  • Review: Expect feedback within 2-3 business days
  • Timeline: Published same week after approval
  • Your content becomes iO property (credited to you)
  • Cross-posting: Feel free to republish on personal blog with canonical URL

Review & Promotion

What We Review:

  • Technical accuracy and relevance
  • Code functionality and clarity
  • Style guide compliance
  • Overall quality

How We Promote:

  • iO tech_hub homepage and category pages
  • iO Technology LinkedIn channel
  • iO company newsletter
  • Conference talks and presentations

Your Role:

  • Share on personal social media
  • Add to your portfolio
  • Notify us if content becomes outdated

Contributing Talks or Workshops

Follow the same process as blogs, but place content in:

  • Talks: data/talks/
  • Workshops: data/workshops/

Don't worry - submitting doesn't commit you to presenting! We use these as an overview of available expertise for events. Event organisers may reach out, and we'll always discuss opportunities with you first.

Troubleshooting

Images not showing?

  • Check folder: public/articles/your-article-slug/
  • Verify exact filenames and lowercase extensions (.jpg, .png, .webp)
  • Ensure images are scaled and optimized for web

Frontmatter errors?

  • Required fields: title, date, authors, tags, summary
  • Date format: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Verify author slugs exist in data/authors/
  • Check for YAML syntax errors

Need more help?