GitLab 9.3 release post

Review Apps link: https://release-9-3.about.gitlab.com/2017/06/22/gitlab-9-3-released/

Release Post

• Blog handbook: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/
• Release post handbook: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/

General Contributions

General contributions from the team.

Due date: 06/14 (6th working day before the 22nd)

• Label MR: blog post release
• Add milestone
• Intro
• MVP
• Add cover image image_title (compressed)
• Upgrade barometer
• Top features
• Primary features
• Secondary features (improvements)
• Performance improvements
• Omnibus improvements
• Deprecations
• Documentation links
• Authorship (author's data)

Review

Content review (PMs)

Due date: 06/19 (2nd working day before the 22nd)

• Label MR: blog post release review-in-progress
• General review (PM)
  • Check Features' names
  • Check Features' availability (CE, EES, EEP)
  • Check Documentation links
  • Update data/promo.yml
  • Check all images' size - compress whenever > 300KB
  • Meaningful links (SEO)
  • Check links to product/feature webpages
• Copyedit (Sean P, Rebecca, or Marcia)
  • Title
  • Description
  • Grammar, spelling, clearness (body)
• Final review (Job)

Structural Check

Due date: 06/19 (2nd working day before the 22nd)

• Label MR: blog post release review-structure
• Check frontmatter (entries, syntax)
• Check image_title and twitter_image
• Check image shadow {:.shadow}
• Check images' ALT text
• Videos/iframes wrapped in <figure> tags (responsiveness)
• Add/check <!-- more --> separator
• Add/check cover img reference (at the end of the post)
• Columns (content balance between the columns)
• Badges consistency (applied to all headings)
• Remove any remaining instructions
• Remove HTML comments
• Run deadlink checker
• Update release template with any changes (if necessary)

.gitlab/merge_request_templates/Release-Post.md

-Release Post :tada:
+**Review Apps** link:  https://release-x-y.about.gitlab.com/YYYY/MM/22/gitlab-x-y-released/
+
+Release post :rocket:
 - Blog handbook: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/
 - Release post handbook: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/
@@ -26,6 +28,10 @@ Due date: MM/DD (6th working day before the 22nd)
 ### Review
+Ideally, complete the review until the 4th working day before the 22nd,
+so that the 3rd and the 2nd working day before the release
+could be left for fixes and small improvements.
+
 #### Content review (PMs)
 Due date: MM/DD (2nd working day before the 22nd)