Add guide for creating blog posts in the Community Blog

Author: ramgopalsiddh

_posts/community/2026-04-20-welcome-to-the-community-blog.md

@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title:  "How to Create a Blog Post for the Community Blog"
+date: 2026-04-20
+authors: 
+  - ramgopalsiddh
+categories: [ community ]
+description: "A comprehensive guide on how to create and contribute blog posts to the BangPypers Community Blog."
+featured: false
+---
+
+## How to Create a Blog Post for the Community Blog
+
+Welcome to the BangPypers Community Blog! This guide will walk you through the process of creating and publishing your own blog post.
+
+### Getting Started
+
+The Community Blog uses GitHub and Jekyll to publish content. All blog posts are written in Markdown format and stored in the `_posts/community/` directory of our repository. This is separate from the main blog posts in `_posts/`, which are typically written by core organizers.
+
+### Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Blog Post
+
+#### 1. **Fork the Repository**
+
+First, fork the BangPypers repository from our GitHub page to your own account. This allows you to make changes without affecting the main content.
+
+#### 2. **Create a New File**
+
+Create a new Markdown file in the `_posts/community/` directory with the following naming convention:
+
+```
+YYYY-MM-DD-post-title.md
+```
+
+Example: `2025-02-21-my-first-post.md`
+
+#### 3. **Add Front Matter**
+
+Every blog post must start with YAML front matter that looks like this:
+
+```yaml
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Your Blog Post Title"
+date: YYYY-MM-DD
+authors: 
+  - your-username
+categories: [ community, python, tutorial ]
+description: "A brief description of your blog post (appears in previews)."
+featured: false
+---
+```
+
+- **title**: The title of your blog post
+- **date**: Publication date in YYYY-MM-DD format
+- **authors**: List your author handle (add yourself in `_authors/` directory if new)
+- **categories**: Relevant tags for your post (available: community, python, tutorial, workshop etc.)
+- **description**: A short summary for social sharing 
+- **featured**: Set to `true` to highlight your post on the homepage
+- **image**: Optional URL to a featured image for social sharing
+
+#### Author Registration
+
+If you're a new author, create a profile in the `_authors/` directory. Create a file named `your-username.md` with YAML front matter like:
+
+```yaml
+---
+username: your-username
+name: "Your Full Name"
+logo: https://example.com/avatar.jpg
+email: your-email@example.com
+twitter: https://twitter.com/yourhandle
+web: https://yourwebsite.com
+description: "A short bio about yourself."
+---
+```
+
+This profile will appear with your posts.
+```
+
+
+#### 4. **Write Your Content**
+
+Use Markdown formatting to write your blog post. Here are some useful formatting tips:
+
+
+#### 5. **Preview Your Post Locally**
+
+Before submitting, preview your post to ensure it renders correctly:
+
+1. Install Jekyll and dependencies: `bundle install`
+2. Run the site locally: `bundle exec jekyll serve`
+3. Open http://localhost:4000 to view your post
+4. Check formatting, links, and images
+
+#### 6. **Submit Your Post**
+
+Once your post is ready:
+
+1. Commit your changes to your fork
+2. Create a pull request to the main repository with a clear title.
+3. Our team will review your post.
+4. Reviewers check for: adherence to guidelines, quality, relevance, and technical accuracy
+5. If changes are requested, update your PR accordingly
+6. Once approved, it will be published to the community blog
+
+
+### Content Guidelines
+
+- Posts should be Python or community-related
+- Be respectful and follow our [Code of Conduct](/coc.html)
+- Avoid promotional or overly commercial content
+- Attribution is important—cite your sources
+- Posts should be original or properly attributed if previously published elsewhere
+
+### Need Help?
+
+If you have questions about creating a blog post, feel free to:
+- Ask on our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/Tnhbqh33zd)
+- Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/bangpypers/bangalore.python.org.in)
+- Join our [mailing list](http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/bangpypers)
+
+### Troubleshooting
+
+- **Jekyll won't build?** Ensure you have Ruby and Bundler installed. Run `bundle install` to install dependencies.
+- **Images not appearing?** Check the URL is correct and accessible. For local images, ensure they're in the right path.
+- **Front matter errors?** Validate your YAML syntax—use a YAML validator online.
+- **Post not showing?** Check the date is not in the future and `hidden` is `false`.
+
+We look forward to your contributions!