Github: A Pathway to building your profile.

Introduction

In the previous article, I spoke about how GitHub and Collaboratory can be integrated to increase data science productivity. Click here to read the same. In this article, I will talk about how one can use Github to build a profile. Yes, apart from working on projects and having a bunch of repositories there are way lot of things that can be done to enhance your Github profile that also acts as an integral part of your productivity workflow.

Features and Functionalities

• Creating a profile ReadMe page description is the least explored aspect of GitHub. Users are not aware that one can provide introductory information about themself before anyone starts looking at their repositories. Here is how you go about it.

1. Create a Repository with the same name as your github username. Make sure you enable Readme and make it public. Type the basic information about who you are, what you aspire to be, and what are your skill sets. You can add images too. Example: https://github.com/csrajath/csrajath. Click here to read the official documentation.

GitHub home page repository

• Customize your home page repository listing. That is — Github provides an option to pin those repositories which you feel are the most important.

Pinning repositories

• Customizing Commits dashboard. Once you scroll down on the user home page, you can view the overview of commits made over a period. Here is an option to enable viewing of commits made to the private repository when a user without access to that private repository views your profile.

Enabling private repo commits and activity overview.

• Last but not least is to update your profile picture. Profile bio and link to any of your contacts. Email, Twitter account, or others. One can also add the organization they are associated with. See below image left panel.
• Bonus: Dark Mode has been my personal favorite update.

Github Light Mode v/s Dark Mode

Conclusion

In a world where Information spreads so widely across various portals, having to locate information at one stop churns out to be the most difficult task. Github eliminates this barrier. Apart from this: there are a whole lot of things one can play around with the GitHub profile settings [1]. Also, Stay tuned to my next blog on building a portfolio page using Github Pages.

References

1. https://docs.github.com/en/github/setting-up-and-managing-your-github-profile