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---
slug: /contributing/table-lead-guide
title: Table Lead Guide for Contributor Day
description: How to lead a WordPress Playground table at Contributor Day of a WordCamp.
---

# Table Lead Guide for Contributor Day

This guide helps table leads prepare for and manage a WordPress Playground contributor table at WordCamp events.

## Before Contributor Day

### Pre-Work Checklist

- **Curate "Good First Issues"**: Review and update the [good first issues list](https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground/labels/good%20first%20issue) on GitHub. These should be straightforward tasks that new contributors can complete independently. If you find a bug that is not on the list but could be part of it, contact the playground team at the Slack channel.
- **Coordinate with the Playground Team**: Confirm if Playground team members are available online to provide remote support during the event, especially for flagship WordCamps. Due to timezone differences, align in advance at the #playground channel to check their availability.
- **Connect with Local Contributors**: Identify regular contributors in the region attending the event. Check on the #playground Slack Channel if an active community member is participating in the contributor day. This is an opportunity to gather feedback and strengthen community connections.
- **Check the Playground Repository**: If you never contribute with the WordPress Playground Repository, you should get familiar with this a good section at the documentation that can guide you to understand the project is [Developers > Architecture](/developers/architecture) it will contain information how the project is organized. If you have any questions, please get in touch with the team at the Playground Slack channel.

## Starting the Day

### Setup and Onboarding

1. **Create Your Agenda**: Prepare a flexible checklist of key activities while allowing for organic collaboration. Share it in the project documentation if helpful.
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I would appreciate an example here.


2. **Guide Contributors to Slack**: Direct everyone to the [`#playground` channel on WordPress Slack](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C04EWKGDJ0K). This centralizes communication and enables asynchronous collaboration with late arrivals.

3. **Post a Welcome Message**: Share an initial message in the Slack channel announcing your presence (in-person or online) and welcoming contributions from everyone.

4. **Share Essential Links**: Post these resources in the `#playground` channel:

- [WordPress Playground Web Instance](https://playground.wordpress.net/)
- [Playground Documentation](https://wordpress.github.io/wordpress-playground/)
- [Playground Step Library](https://akirk.github.io/playground-step-library/)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground)
- [Contributor Day guide](/contributing/contributor-day/)

5. **Introduce the GitHub Repository**: Provide a brief walkthrough of the repository structure, highlighting different packages and their purposes for first-time contributors.

## During the Day

### Managing Contributions

**Encourage Different Contribution Types**:

Check the contributors' levels, try to understand based on their level how they can contribute to the project in the short window of a contributor day. Ask if the participants need help and redirect them to the related documentation page. Also, encourage them to ask questions at the [#playground Slack channel](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C04EWKGDJ0K). Here are some suggestions for ways of contributing:

- Documentation improvements and translations.
- Carefully crafted issues describing problems with actionable solutions.
- Blueprint creation and plugin demos at the WordPress plugin repository.
- Testing and product feedback.

**Foster Collaboration**: Look for cross-table opportunities. For example, contributors at the [Polyglots/Translation table](https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/) might translate Playground documentation, or the [Core Test team](https://make.wordpress.org/test/) could provide valuable Playground feedback.

**Collect Feedback**: Ask contributors about their experience and note improvement suggestions. Report this in the [#playground Slack Channel](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C04EWKGDJ0K) if possible.

## After the Event

### Follow-Up and Support

1. **Review Pull Requests**: List PRs created during the day and assess their completion likelihood. Most contributions have a short momentum window—engagement within the first two weeks is critical.

2. **Set Clear Expectations**: For incomplete PRs, follow this approach:

- After one month of inactivity, leave a comment asking if the author plans to complete the work.
- If no response after two more weeks, inform them that the PR may be taken over by another contributor or closed.

3. **Stay Active on Slack**: Continue supporting new contributors through the `#playground` channel, answering questions and helping them become regular contributors.

4. **Reflect and Improve**: Review collected feedback and your experience to refine this guide for future events. Feel free to submit a Pull Request to this guide!

## Getting Help

- **During the Event**: Connect with contributors at the Playground table.
- **Ongoing Support**: Use the [`#playground` Slack channel](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C04EWKGDJ0K).
- **Report Issues**: Submit to the [WordPress Playground GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground/issues/new).

For more information on contributing to WordPress Playground, see the [Contributor Day guide](/contributing/contributor-day).