The commons gets better when more eyes are on it. If you've spotted a term we're missing, a source we should be reading, a quote that's mis-attributed, or a framing that needs work — there's a way to flag it. You don't need to be a developer to contribute.
Best for concrete suggestions you want tracked:
Best for conversations that don't have a single right answer:
If you're comfortable editing markdown and using git, you can submit a change directly via a pull request. The commons is built with Astro from markdown files in site/src/content/terms/, site/src/content/sources/, and site/src/content/chapters/. Each term page is a single .md file.
For changes that touch editorial voice, please open an issue or discussion first so we can align on framing before you invest time.
If your contribution doesn't fit any of the paths above, or you'd rather not use GitHub — you can send context by email. We read everything, and we'll move appropriate items into GitHub Issues ourselves so they're tracked publicly.
Particularly welcome by email:
If you've never used GitHub before, the suggestions and discussions above might sound like a steeper hill than it is. The short version: GitHub is free, you can use it from a browser without installing anything, and opening an issue takes about thirty seconds once you have an account.
Go to github.com/signup. Personal accounts are free. You need a working email address and a username (which becomes a public name attached to anything you post).
GitHub's own walkthrough is here: Creating an account on GitHub.
The commons lives at github.com/jordankrueger/equity-language-commons. Bookmark that URL — that's the project's home on GitHub. You'll see a list of files, a navigation tab for Issues, a tab for Discussions, and a tab for Pull Requests.
Click the Issues tab on the project page, then click the green New issue button. Pick the template that matches what you want to say (Suggest a term, Suggest a source, Report an error, General feedback), fill in the fields, and submit.
You don't need to know any technical terminology. The title can be plain language ("You should add the term ‘houseless’"), and the description can be a few sentences. Other people can see it and respond.
GitHub's own walkthrough is here: About issues.
GitHub's Hello World tutorial walks you through the basics of how the platform works. It's written for people who aren't developers and doesn't require you to know any code. It takes about 15 minutes.
GitHub's Discussions quickstart covers the discussion side of the platform — useful if your contribution is a conversation, not a concrete suggestion.
The commons is maintained by Jordan Krueger as a side project. Response times to issues and discussions vary. Contributions are appreciated; please don't take a delayed reply as disinterest.
For broader context on what the commons is and isn't, see About the commons.