[wp-docs] A Note on WordPress Lessons

[Lorelle VanFossen]

I've started cleaning up the WordPress Codex Table of Contents in 
preparation for changing their structure. This involves removing the 
"NEW" on old articles and just making sure everything is included. It's 
a very tedious process, so this is slow going. Once I have figured out 
what is missing (and please point out any articles not listed in the TOC 
pages in case I miss them) and added them to the appropriate place, then 
I'll have a better offering of how to structure the TOC better. I'll be 
sending out a list of the order and such for your recommendation before 
I do anything. Stay tuned for that.

I also wanted to clear up some confusion that the WordPress Lessons 
section may have for you.

WordPress Lessons is a separate but inclusive part of the WordPress 
Codex. I think of the WordPress Codex divided up into two parts. There 
is the technical user manual for all of the specific tech how to and 
explanations. This includes beginning, get started, and all the stuff to 
the highest techie levels.

The other part is a group of tutorials called WordPress Lessons. The 
Lessons rely heavily upon the technical manual articles but offer a 
unique writing style. Instead of 1, 2, 3 tech talk, these are the 
tutorial guides which slowly lead a new user through a process 
step-by-step. In presenting these a few years ago, I described them as 
written so the reader feels like a WordPress support volunteer is 
sitting by their side saying "now do this, now that, that's good, that's 
right, you're on the right- oh, no, go back, now fix this - that's 
better" tone of voice. Not patronizing but helpful and guiding.

The WordPress Lessons were never intended to become replacements for the 
technical manual information. Due to the lack of articles on some of 
these subjects, WordPress Lessons are now filtered into the technical 
side of the Codex.

I would like to see the holes in the technical documentation on some of 
these subjects get more technical articles filling them. There is a list 
on the http://codex.wordpress.org/Codex:Tasks Task List which may help 
if you are interested in writing these technical articles.

In starting my "cleaning" process on the TOC, I found two whole sections 
of WordPress Lesson links removed with a link to two other table of 
contents pages. It should be the other way around. We need to keep 
WordPress Lessons with Lessons so people will have one place featuring 
these guides and tutorials, so please keep them with the Lessons and 
refer to them from the other Tables of Contents in the future.  If a 
technical article on the subject is needed, do it or add it to the to do 
task list, please.

I'd love to have no repetition to the same links from multiple TOC 
pages. But sometimes that can't be helped. Let's use this as a clue to a 
"technical article needed here". ;-)

Thanks,

Lorelle