There are multiple ways to enhance your guide and make it clearer, easier to understand, and better.
Organization
Steps
3…
Using steps can help people leave where they left off, and it tends to be easier overall. I would recommend doing this in order to allow the guide to be easier to read. You can use this to make a clear hierarchical approach in your guides.
Bullet Points
Bullet points are an alternative way of listing. These can be used to make the guide well-formatted as well. It also represents hierarchy.
Headings & Subheadings
Headings are useful for chaptering your guide. By doing this, you can help divert the section into multiple parts much more easily. It helps divide your guide into multiple parts whilst staying clear.
Spacing
Discourse already does this for you. Whenever you create a heading, Discourse will automatically make the guide easier to read by providing spacing. If you do not wish to use headings, just leave a small gap. This makes the guide easier to read.
Simple and Clear Language
Doing this makes the guide even easier to read. Here are some examples on how you can maintain this:
Avoid using complicated words since some people don’t know what those words are, since this can remove jargon and complex terminology.
Remove clutter - Unnecessary information should not be provided, it just waste’s peoples time and makes it harder to follow.
Visuals
Images and visuals should be added to a guide in order to give a clear demonstration of what the guide looks like. You should try and provide some images because images help give an overview of what is happening in the guide.
Also read:
Proofreading
Proofread your guide and check for mistakes. This further helps readiness for publishing your guide and overall makes the guide easier to read and free of grammatical mistakes.
Sending Feedback
When somebody replies to you in a guide, provide constructive feedback and be sure to follow the publications that they give you. This will help with further improving the guide.
Checklist
Simplify language
Organize content
Add visuals
Eliminate clutter
Use white space
Test readability
Proofread
Get feedback
Nah. A regular has been here for a long time, which means they are probably good at things, but if you’re good at stuff, it doesn’t mean you’re a regular. Some non-regulars are better than regulars.
I feel like ‘credit similar guides’ would be a good point to add as well!
In about every other guide’s replies, I see a “Be sure to credit ____ for their guide!”
and then the creator responds with “I didn’t know they made one”.
Always make sure to check and see if someone has already made something similar to yours, otherwise people will tell you themselves!
Again, I feel that the only case where it’s acceptable to credit a guide is if yours builds off of the original [and adds more features]. If it’s just a copy, it doesn’t matter if you credit it, you just shouldn’t have posted it in the first place.