Utopian.io is the only platform rewarding contributions to Open Source projects via Steem. On Utopian.io we have strict rules to evaluate each single contribution written on the platform. This is to maximise quality but also uniqueness and value, since we have a bot powered by 800K SP that may vote up to almost $80 per vote, we don't want to waste its power.

We have worked hard to enhance the rules based on the many contributions we are receiving these days, therefore we decided to write an official documentation about the updated rules and to explain them in great details here.

Before contributing to Open Source projects on Utopian.io you must know these rules and if you don't know what Utopian.io or Open Source is you can watch this good video tutorial by Hive account@flauwy https://steemit.com/steem-help/@flauwy/steemy-ep-33-utopian-io-develop-open-source-tools-and-earn-steem

Features in Utopian

We have two main features in Utopian.io:

Contributions: These are posts made via the platform that are about contributions you made for an Open Source project. Each contribution must be submitted to a specific Utopian category. Read below the rules that apply to each Utopian category. Contributions can be spontaneous or based on the requests made by the project owners using the Announcements.
Announcements: These are tasks requests project owners post for their Open Source projects and are directly visible under the project homepage. Contributors can submit contributions based on what the project owner requires. This is equal to CrowdSourcing.

Either the contributors submit their contributions spontaneously or by request of the project owner, they will get rewarded by the project owner, the Utopian community and the Utopian Bot.

General Rules:

https://utopian.io/rules

IMPORTANT UPDATE: From this exact moment, we are not accepting any longer Steemit posts translations. We experienced many people translating my Steemit posts and posts written by other project maintainers. This is not what the Translation category in Utopian is meant to be. The Translation category is meant only for translating Open Source projects using platforms like Crowdin or similar tools. Posts translations are now forbidden on Utopian.

Check the Github Repository
The linked Github repository must be the correct one and must actually contain code on Github. If this rule is not met, the contribution won't be accepted. A moderator can request for a change. The repository can be updated by editing the contribution.

Github is the platform where most of the Open Source projects are hosted. You must link the contributions submitted on Utopian with the right Github repository for the project you are writing the contribution for.

Check the Category
The contribution must be actually related to the category where it has been submitted. A moderator can request to change the category. The category can be updated by editing the contribution. See the available categories below.

Make sure you use the right category. When writing a contribution here https://utopian.io/write you will have to accept the rules of the category before being able to submit your contribution.

Contributions MUST BE Informative and Narrative
The contribution must contain as much details as possible and have some graphical contents into it (videos, images, etc.) where applicable. The length of the body of the contribution must be enough to give every possible detail about the submitted contribution. If this rule is not met, the contribution won't be submitted in Utopian. A moderator can request for changes before the contribution will be accepted.

We have received many small ideas and contributions sometimes not that informative. Make sure to post only if your contribution brings value.

Contributions should be in English
Contributions should be in plain english and fully understandable. The only accepted exceptions are: 1. The effort to document an Open Source project in a specific language. 2. Contributions under the Translations category. 3. Open Source projects that are meant to be only for specific languages. If they wish to do so contributors can translate their contributions in their local language at the bottom of the post.

An intro in english is always welcome and sometimes required to let english people understand what you are writing about and to help the moderators review your contribution.

Never Submitted Before
Contributions must be unique. A moderator will check if the contribution has been reported before and won't accept it in the Utopian feed again if so.

You must use the search function at the top of the site to make sure you or anyone else before you has not already posted the same contribution.

Provides Proof Of Work
The contribution must provide every possible detail to verify the actual work. For example: links to pull requests, forks, branches etc. if a code contribution. Read all the rules for the specific Utopian categories below.

You must provide any possible detail for the work to be verified, as links to external tools or usernames that you use on external platforms if different from the one used on Utopian, plus a proof that you own the accounts.

Contributions Must Not Contain Spam
The contribution should not contain any clear attempt to profit from a commercial perspective and should not be written in a way that suggests the contributor is looking to maximise the returns. Moderators will require to edit the contributions that use unrelated tags or unnecessary/spammy information in the post. Contributors are allowed to use their signature at the bottom of the post and link to their social profiles, in a way that does not disturb the reader. Moderators will flag and hide forever spam posts that bring no real value.

We check tags, links and whatever you put on your contribution. If we catch a spammy approach the contribution will be either rejected or left pending review. No useless info should be submitted in the contributions, like big unrelated banners and similar.

Contributions Categories Specific Rules

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Ideas/Feature requests Category
Contributions submitted under this category are the most important ones, therefore they must provide as much details as possible. Ideas and feature requests must be well explained and in great details. They must include images or videos and include any necessary information for the idea/feature to be created.

Ideas are meant to be sub-projects of a project. Do you know Kickstarter for example? That's how we want ideas to be. Well detailed, well presented, technically feasible sub-projects of existing Open Source projects or very detailed features requests, that contain any possible information for developers to actually code them.

Code Development Category
Contributions under this category must include links to pull requests, branches, forks etc. where the code has been submitted.

This category is meant only for developers pushing code updates to Open Source projects. Mini updates must be avoided. Only push consistent updates.

Bug Hunting Category
Contributions under this category must include all the possible information for reproducing the bug. Devices, Internet connection speed, Browser version and similar info are necessary to reproduce the submitted bugs.

Check that the bug you have found has not been reported before.

Translation Category
Translations can be either submitted directly on the Utopian post or there must be a link to the translated files, in order to verify the work done.

Only translations of Open Source projects via Crowdin or similar tools. No posts translations.

Graphics Category
Graphics can be either submitted directly on the Utopian post or there must be a link to the layouts, logos and creativity in general, in order to verify the work done.

It is a bit tricky to make graphics that the project owner did not request. Always better to check with the project owner what may be useful. Still you are free to design and provide your creations without asking for any permission.

Documentation Category
Documentation can be either submitted directly on the Utopian post or there must be a link to the newly created or updated documentation, in order to verify the work done.

This is only when you are updating or creating a new documentation for a project. The documentation should be about the entire project or at least cover in great details one of its functions.

Analysis Category
Analyses realised for an Open Source project have to written directly on the Utopian post or there must be links, charts, etc. to very what has been done. The contribution must also explain in great details why the analyses have been conducted and how.

We need data here and great explanations on how to read and interpret the data.

Visibility Category
These contributions serve as a way to bring more visibility to an Open Source project. They must include links to social network posts, adv and similar, plus the results of the visibility effort.

Only use this category if you actually brought numbers. Contributions like "I shared these with my friends" or "I brought ten people to the project" will never be accepted. Proof of work is fundamental in this category.

Announcements Rules

https://utopian.io/rules

Announcements
Announcements are meant to be tasks requests made by the project owner when looking for contributions. A task must be explained in great details and provide all the necessary details for the task to be actually completed. In one announcement there should not be more than one task and if more they must be related to the category where the announcement is being submitted. Generic announcements, like "We are looking for contributors" won't be accepted. Moderators may request to change an announcement if it does not meet the rules.

Announcements are for project owners to find new contributors. This is a very powerful feature and has to be used properly. When writing a new announcement you will have to accept the rules of the specific category you are submitting the announcement for.

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