I'm not sure about the first question, but moving the introduction bit sounds good to me.

With regards to this page:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Join_the_package_collection_maintainers
First:
For bonus points, include a link to a successful koji build so that everyone knows you did all of your homework.

does not apply---one cannot use koji if they are not in the packager group, right?

Incorrect. Anyone with a fedora account can use koji. If they are not in the packager group they cannot commit anything to src.fedoraproject.org, but they can do scratch builds in koji, or even real builds (Koji will not let you rebuild the same N-V-R again, so if it's already built those kinds of builds will fail).

It may be worthwhile also here to mention that they can fork existing repos and submit pull requests anytime. (This could show that they know packaging and serve in place of doing reviews of other packages)

Next, the workflow currently waits for a sponsor to manually check NEEDINFO tickets. We rarely get contacted by contributors waiting for sponsorship.
The "introduce yourself" section is written such that it only comes in after the review-ticket has been filed but I don't see why it should be so. People should be encouraged to introduce themselves as early as possible. They can already be part of the community while they learn packaging and prepare their review, and they can also get involved in other parts of the community while they are at it.
So, I propose that the "introduce yourself" section be moved right after "join the mailing lists".

Sure, worth a try...

With regards to this page:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Join_the_package_collection_maintainers
First:
For bonus points, include a link to a successful koji build so that everyone knows you did all of your homework.
does not apply---one cannot use koji if they are not in the packager group, right?

Incorrect. Anyone with a fedora account can use koji. If they are not in the packager group they cannot commit anything to src.fedoraproject.org, but they can do scratch builds in koji, or even real builds (Koji will not let you rebuild the same N-V-R again, so if it's already built those kinds of builds will fail).

AH! Thanks for that---I always thought only packagers had koji access.

It may be worthwhile also here to mention that they can fork existing repos and submit pull requests anytime. (This could show that they know packaging and serve in place of doing reviews of other packages)

+1

Next, the workflow currently waits for a sponsor to manually check NEEDINFO tickets. We rarely get contacted by contributors waiting for sponsorship.
The "introduce yourself" section is written such that it only comes in after the review-ticket has been filed but I don't see why it should be so. People should be encouraged to introduce themselves as early as possible. They can already be part of the community while they learn packaging and prepare their review, and they can also get involved in other parts of the community while they are at it.
So, I propose that the "introduce yourself" section be moved right after "join the mailing lists".

Sure, worth a try...

So, the proposed changes now are:

• move "introduce yourself" right after "join the mailing lists"
• add a bit about PRs on src.fp.o: should this be added as a new section to this page maybe? https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_get_sponsored_into_the_packager_group#Convincing_someone_to_sponsor_you

+1 on changes, it's a wiki... go for it. :)

Both pages updated. Please tweak as required :clap: