Hi,

this is a summary of a conversation that developed between Stefan and
me, and it grew to a point where it's interesting enough to be shared
here.

This idea::

http://wiki.apache.org/subversion/Walkthrough%20directory%20Concept%20page
(which is discussed in the dev@ thread 'Walk-through Directory Idea'

led to that idea: 

>Stefan wrote:
>> On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 12:41:33PM +0000, Gabriela Gibson wrote:
>> As an idea, do you think we could attract more contributers if we had an
>> 'apprentice positions offered' page with (say) 3 projects earmarked for
>> beginners of various skill sets?
>
>Possibly. The closest equivalent we've got are issues marked 'bite-sized'.
>

My, what big teeth you have Grandmother! ;-)

>
>Those were highlighted on the old tigris.org website on this page:
>http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/subversion/branches/1.6.x/www/tasks.html
>If the tasks page really got lost in the move to apache, perhaps we should
>revive it and link there from
>http://subversion.apache.org/contributing.html#code ?

I grepped but could not find a link to it anywhere.

I think that the project descriptions should have more information and
list the experience level and skills people would need (and can learn
at the [link] here), what is expected from them in the project (ie
role, goals) and what skills they will gain from, or, refine by
joining us.  

Example:

Old Version
----------------------------------------------------------------------
" FAQ Management

We need a FAQ manager. A FAQ manager is someone who stays subscribed
to the users@subversion.tigris.org and dev@subversion.tigris.org
mailing lists, watches for common questions or addenda to existing
questions, and slowly adjusts the Subversion FAQ in response to the
problems users are having "in the wild". This is also a great way to
get familiar with Subversion usage patterns and common problems. If
you use or administrate Subversion anyway, helping to manage the FAQ
is a great way to expand your troubleshooting skills.

Again, creative ideas are most welcome. Please post to the
dev@subversion.tigris.org mailing list if you're interested in this.
"

New Version:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Name:    FAQ Management
Role Name:       FAQ Manager
Nature of Role:  Documentation 
Language:        English

Description: 

  Monitor the 2 mailing lists users@subversion.apache.org and
  dev@subversion.apache.org for common questions or addenda to
  existing questions, and update the FAQ to add solutions to user
  problems.  You will also co-ordinate updates with the FAQ
  translators of other languages.

Previous Experience: None.

Skills required: good English skills and communication ability, basic
                 HTML

Skills desired: User or Admin experience of Subversion, but would also
                suit enthusiastic svn beginner who has read (link to
                red book)

Skills you'll learn: web page management(link to how to here),
                     general troubleshooting, documentation,
                     advanced SVN support knowledge.

Time investement:  Regular attendance, about 2 hours per week.

Mentoring: You will be assisted by the entire dev group,  but also be
           assigned a specific mentor who will help with any issues
           you may have.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The latter, I'd have a go at because I know can grow into the role(if
I read the book); the former, I'd not bother with because I would not
be qualified.

(I'm sure this template can do with improving btw, it's just a sketch)

If we make the effort of designing a good, unversally useful template
for the project description, it could be shared with other FOSS
projects and maybe even aggregated in a site that helps newbies find a
project and so we have more chance to be seen in a 'good fishing spot'
and newbies are presented with a mix of potential projects that is
bound to offer something for everyone.

if we link the projects from the code page, it is still quite a
journey to get to there.  So, I'd also put a project page ad link
right under the word 'particpate' in the top part of the Overview in
the Community Guide, so it's the very first thing people see, and
probably at a few other prominent places we can find that are
suitable.