rough instructioons in the readme on how to work with this workflow

README.md

@@ -1,2 +1,47 @@
 # status.im-partials
-Global parts of the Status web presence which are shared between all sites
+
+Global parts of the Status web presence which are shared between all sites.
+
+It is expected that this repo should be included into other status static websites, using gits **submodule feature**.
+
+### Adding this repo to an existing/new status static website.
+
+First, `cd` down into the partials folder of the theme in use (since the command to add a submodule adds it relative to where the command is running).
+
+Next we can run this command: `git submodule add https://github.com/status-im/status.im-partials shared-partials`
+What this does is add the repo as a submodule, effectively cloning it, in this case into a folder '**shared-partials**'.
+
+Done! Now other partials in that project can reference (with relative paths - at least until hexo version 4) the partials contained in the newly created **shared-partials** folder.
+This would be done usuing hexos partial syntax:
+```
+{{ partial('partial/shared-partials/partials/footer') }}
+```
+
+### Working-on/editing the partials in this repo
+
+First you edit the files and push them up into the repo, then you'll need to update the other static websites which include this repo as a submodule.
+
+#### 1. Editing the files
+
+The partials can be edited by either cloning this repo as it is and pushing it up as per any normal git workflow
+OR
+even better you can just work on them within whatever other repo you have added this one to as a submodule. This makes testing as you go possible and is the recommended workflow.
+
+In that case cd down into the correct place (following on from the above example: the *shared-partials* folder), and git away as usual.
+Note: git submodule repos are added with detached heads by default, so first run `git checkout master` (from within the submodule repo) before commiting :)
+
+#### 2. Updating other sites that makes use of these shared partials
+
+From the root of each other website, run the command `git submodule update --recursive --remote`. It will pull down any changes to the submodule repo.
+
+Note: That will update all and any submodules within the document tree.
+
+It is expected that other static sites add the above command as an .npm script (eg. "update-submodules") to make things simpler & also aid integrating with CI/CD.
+
+### Assumptions
+
+These shared partials were developed to be used in *hexo* projects.
+
+### Notes
+
+We went with submodules over subtrees, so that we could 'clone' this repo into specific folders, that way the contained partials could be referenced relatively.

partials/footer.swig

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<!-- shared - edit once, and update in other static sites -->