I'm making a guide, any pointers?

Hey all, I'm in the midst of making my first ever dotofire guide (don't worry hamstertamer, it's not going to be another Sniper guide)! I was wondering, is there anything I should do or keep in mind whilst making this guide? Any tips or pointers you guys can give me?

Well, just from guides I've read recently, use BB code, always keeping in mind that you can do this with any item/hero in dota. Also, be try and describe the different phases of the game of which that particular hero is strongest/weakest and what can you do to improve on that. Keep in mind that this is only my mere opinion, I have never written a full guide or published any, so do wait for the more knowledgeable guide writers to put some thought into it.

The best piece of advice I can give you is not to assume any knowledge on the reader's behalf. E.g. don't say "stack camp with HotD" unless you've already mentioned what stacking camps and the HotD actually are previously.

The other is to explain WHY you make certain choices or encourage certain builds - it helps clarify it for both you and the reader.

One thing not many people know is that teaching is actually the most effective way to learn - having to process something so you can explain it to someone else is a fantastic way of understanding it better yourself.

Try to avoid big blocks of text with no formatting - the (icon= size=) and (rule) are both great ways of breaking it up, as is colour.

E.g.

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LEARN TABLES
OK	OK

- Invest in readability and try to work your way around terms which only veteran players know
- Coding and colours are important! While keeping this in mind, remember that using [b][/b], [i][/i], [u][/u] and colours are for highlighting. If you find yourself writing a whole paragraph with one of these ways of coding, you are doing it wrong.
- Try to get in to the position of the reader. There is nothing worse than authors who automatically assume their readers know and understand anything
- Proofread



EDIT: Custom table of content is also really hot stuff

First of all, ask yourself "What is going to make my guide on 'X' better than anyone else's existing guide on 'X'?" Whether it's superior formatting, useful tips and hints that others have failed to provide, being the most up-to-date with the Meta, or even a combination of these as well as other useful information.

Don't try to just write a guide, write the best damn guide this site will ever see! >8{D

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As for content, start by listing all the various things you'll cover, e.g. Which Skill to lvl first, when to pikup a certain Item, how to Farm effectively, interactios with other Heroes etc. and start organising these tidbits into different sections, i.e. any tips on using a certain skill might normally go in the Skills section, but a tip on how to Flash Farm with that Skill might be better placed in a Laning/Farming Section. Don't try writing complete sentences or worrying about where to insert images until you've got the basic structure of the guide down, it will help it flow better in the end. <}3

When writing out your content, don't just say to "do this", instead, teach people why they should be doing it that way. How does a Blink Dagger allow you to Initiate better with your "R" than a Shadow Blade or Force Staff? How would you explain this to a n00b? Explain why every last Item in your Builds are in there and when and why you would buy them, even if it may seem obvious, not everyone who reads your guide may have a solid grasp of the game.

You may also want to consider asking someone to proofread your content and seek out other opinions on your Tips and Items choices. You don't want the first few comments on your guide to be a mish-mash of spelling corrections and 5 different people telling you why "Y" is a bad Item on "X". Make sure your layout is clear, it really sucks to have "Welcome to DOTAFire, here's Dr. D's Guide because you obviously can't format a cheese sandwich properly" in your 1st comment either. 8{3

The 1st 10 comments on your guide are probably the only 10 comments that most users will ever read. If they're a combination of congratulations and questions on certain scenarios, or counter-arguments which you can clearly refute, it will make your guide look even better.

Hehe, das me!