Contributing to the jQuery Community
In a sense, each of the different ways of getting involved that we detail on this site are all ways of contributing to the jQuery community, which we define quite liberally: helping to make any aspect of using jQuery Foundation projects better for other people. This, of course, includes things like filing and fixing bugs, but the discussion on this page focuses on just some of the ways you can help have an impact on the people part of that definition!
link Support
Working on Q&A is awesome for a number of reasons, one of which is the simple act of helping others, and sharing in the camaraderie that comes with being part of an open source project. Over time, the nicknames and handles of strangers may come to be familiar mentors, mentees, and friends.
link Attend Conferences and Meetups
Whether at our own jQuery Conferences, other JavaScript and web events, or local meetups, getting out from behind your monitor and into the same room with other community members can be a great way to expand your horizons and refine your skills. At the same time, these events are also an opportunity to have conversations that breed inspiration, and forge relationships that foster collaboration.
link Speak At Conferences and Meetups
It's hard for all that other magic to happen at events if there's no one to present any material. Demonstrating new techniques and technologies, expounding on ideas big or small, or simply telling a good story are all ways you can share your experience with the community. Even if you think you have "nothing to talk about," or you haven't given a talk before, coming up with an idea may be easier than you think. If you don't think you're ready to speak at a big conference, try a local meetup or user group first!
link Write and Share Plugins
If writing code and giving it away for free is still more your speed, then publishing your jQuery plugins for use by others is an excellent way to make a big impact. jQuery's plugin system is a major part of why it's become so popular, and plugins are the ideal way to add new functionality to jQuery. (Even if you think something belongs in jQuery Core, we recommend building it in a plugin first, to test the implementation and show the demand for the feature.) So if you've built something useful, don't keep it to yourself! With the new jQuery Plugin Registry, it's easier than ever to publish your plugin and get it in front of users.
link Write and Share Documentation
All of the jQuery projects have open source documentation, so it's just as easy to contribute to documentation as it is to contribute to code. Fixing small mistakes such as typos and grammatical errors can be a great way to introduce yourself to the workflow for contributing to open source projects. There are plenty of ways to improve documentation for jQuery projects, ranging from editing API documentation to writing tutorials to improving the contribution site itself! Read more about how to contribute to documentation.