Be a Part of Something Bigger: Get Involved with WordPress

Editor's Notes

• #2: You Have A Story That You Can Share
• #3: Early 2008, Helen was helping a friend with a Collaborative Piano Blog. They were using Blogger. But then she heard about WordPress. And after a one-click install, she took it for a test drive. Liked it. In fact liked it so much she was using WordPress on projects at work, and she was building sites that depending on features what weren’t officially released and polished yet.
• #4: Everything was good. But in 2011 she noticed something. A tiny UI bug. You know how it can bother some people that pictures hanging on the wall aren’t completely level or if bottles on a supermarket shelve aren’t equally spaced apart? Small thing right? That’s what Helen saw and she wanted to fix it. So she wanted to submit a patch (or a fix) for that in WordPress. But naturally she was afraid of doing something wrong, wary of making a decision that come back to haunt her or WordPress later, worried that she might conflict with others, and so on.
• #5: But she didn’t let those doubts stop her - after some support her patch made it into WordPress core. Not only was that fixed in WordPress but she got great feedback which gave her a wider understanding of how code works within WordPress.
• #6: That contribution was small but it started exposing Helen to the advantages of contributing to WordPress. She went from being a user to someone actively getting involved.
• #7: There Are Two Types Of People In The WordPress Community…. at least for the purposes of this talk… and i like to label them in a similar fashion that WordPress labels it’s user roles if you know anything about that.
• #8: These are the subscribers - these are the default user types in WordPress and often are how people start their association with the WordPress community. They user WordPress themselves, read blog posts, and even attend meetups and conferences. But basically just consuming information - kind of like joining Facebook but just reading every else’s posts and not commenting or interacting. And notice how i put it in my slides that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS TYPE OF PERSON. I used to be this person - for years I would simply be a sole freelancer using WordPress and basically trying to get as much out of WordPress without interacting with anyone else. At first i didn’t know even if was going to stay w/ WordPress but even after years using it i had some fears - and we’ll talk about those later. But in contrast to subscribers there are….
• #9: But in contrast to subscribers there are…. CONTRIBUTORS. And if we want to try to continue the analogy to WordPress user roles you could also calls these authors and editors too. Even admins. This is the group that actively gives back to the WordPress Community. When i spent years just keeping to myself on the outskirts of the WordPress Community, i kept seeing more and more people benefiting from contrubing to WordPress. Not just financially or by becoming well known, but from that smile or the way they did it you could tell they liked giving back. So eventually I became part of this group of those that give back in some way to the community. So i’m here today to tell you how you can join that this group - why you would want to - and how it can benefit you greatly.
• #10: In order to do that we need to deny some myths. Here’s the first one:
• #11: So let’s cover our first myth. And I think it’s probably the most popular one i’ve heard. This is understandable because … well… WordPress is software. Human beings need to code it. So when there’s a new version of WordPress get released, there’s contributors. Easily over 200 contributors on every major release. Because WordPress is open source, one of it’s greatest strengths is that practically anyone can join and help improve upon it’s code base. And that’s where many people who aren’t developers, who aren’t coders - stop. I’m not a developer.
• #12: Each of you have a flyer. It’s yours, you can take it home, etc. But right now I want you to take a good look at it. Notice 12 different teams where people like you and me can get involved with WordPress. Out of these 12, only 3…maybe 4…deal with coding primarily. That would be themes, plugins, and core. So we won’t be touching on those, but leaves us about 9 other categories right? We’ll touch on a few of these in a second, but make sure to note the link at the bottom of the flyer - make.wordpress.org.
• #13: make.WordPress.Org is the central hub for people that actively contribute to WordPress. There are teams on this site that match those on your flyer. These teams communicate and meet virtually online on a regular basis just like a group in a company.
• #14: How many here know a language other than English? You can help translate parts of WordPress, plugins, or themes to that language. Over 50% of new WordPress installs are not english, so help is needed. Get in touch with the team and you might be able to help manage and validation translations.
• #15: In case you don’t already know, wordpress.tv has all the videos of WordCamp sessions. There’s a group that approves and publish all videos and help WordCamps with video post-production and captioning and subtitling. If video is a thing for you, this would be a great way to help out.
• #16: WordPress should be accessible to everyone. That includes people with disabilities. WordPress has been making huge strides in this area but there’s alot more to be done. If helping to audit and test various items sounds interesting to you, this is an area you can reach out.
• #17: Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a coder - and many times when people say that, they’re wrong on some level anyway - your feedback can still be valuable. Here’s an example: in WordPress Core a contributor named Robert Chapin proposed a roadmap on overhauling WordPress shortcodes. Even it involved WordPress Core code there wasn’t a need to know code to participate in this discussion - only a minimum of a broad understanding of WordPress shortcodes…which happens to be something many regular users know. And if you didn’t know, you would be educated.
• #18: The point is that you can actively participate in discussions that will shape the features and structure of WordPress for years in advance.
• #19: Each of these teams have a channel on a chat program called Slack, which you can install on your phones and computer. This is where online chat meetings take place between the teams. So for example if you are helping with buddypress or have a question about it - there’s a channel you can access. If you haven’t used Slack, check out this url in my slides.
• #20: Now when you start getting involved with a new community, especially in areas where you’re not sure how much you know relative to the others - you might be afraid of this.
• #21: “Ok, but if i say something i’ll look stupid. I don’t know anything” - This is so common of a thought that my six year olds think this and 40 year olds think this exact same thing. I’ll give you three words: TAKE THE LEAP. Nobody in this forums is an einstein and helping people is what they do. Nobody knows everything and everyone is just helping everyone else. If there is a prerequisite is that once you know something, share it.
• #22: TAKE THE LEAP. Nobody in on these teams is an Einstein - but everyone is genuinely has similar goals. Nobody knows everything and everyone is just helping everyone else. If there is a prerequisite it’s this:
• #23: Once you know something, share it. And this is a perfect transition to showcase one of the best ways that anyone with a computer can contribute to WordPress….
• #24: .. the WordPress Support Forums. This the most popular and best place people come to when they have questions about WordPress online is the WordPress forums. https://wordpress.org/support/ (how many people have asked a question or read a response?) Share your knowledge. We all have something to share, something we know. I’ve heard someone say this..
• #25: “If you can log into the WordPress dashboard, you already know enough to share and help people”. And this is literally true. I’ve seen people helping others with logging in or even before that step - with installation or hosting.
• #26: Many times users have used this one plugin that someone else is having a problem with. Even if you aren’t a coder, you might have solved the issue before or could at least confirm that issue? Believe me you don’t know how much plugin authors appreciate that kind of help from the community. The point is - don’t underestimate yourself - everyone has something to share.
• #27: All that it takes to get starting using the chat and participating in the make.wordpress.org site is to have a wordpress.org account. If you don’t have one, it’s easy to create one. Go to this url and in a few minutes you’ll have an account.
• #28: Another great way of contributing without coding but greatly helping those who do code is by helping beta test. If you have a site (not a client site, but perhaps a personal site or a test site) you can install the latest WordPress betas and report on any issues you encounter. There is no such things as too many beta testers.
• #29: Extroverts enjoy social situations and even seek them out and most of us might not be these people. i’m a forced extrovert. I never was really a social person, I still can’t be those cool hip social guys you see in those after parties (i’m serious, come tonight and i’ll demonstrate this perfectly for you). I mainly forced myself to be more social because i wanted to make sure I could put food on my table for my family, which means making sure my business is stable and grows, which means basically networking and being around people.
• #30: But why focus on this myth? Because some of the best ways to contribute is to your LOCAL community. And that many times requires walking out your front door or at least interacting with others. And many times this is overlooked as a way to contribute and give back, but i personally think that it’s pretty darn important.
• #31: In fact I firmly believe that without meetups, WordCamps, and the passionate people that teach others about WordPress in classrooms, etc. - we wouldn’t be at 24% of the web today.
• #32: So the first step to getting more involved locally would be attending a meetup. There’s a saying that if there isn’t a meetup in your area or one that meets at a convenient time, start one. Fortunately there are a few in the general area if you live in or around Tampa and here they are. Some meetups might live stream, most don’t - so showing up in person is typically the norm.
• #33: Show up at one. But after a while… perhaps offer to help out. Help maybe with the food or setting up. And the best thing way to contribute is sharing. Everyone has a story. Your meetup organizers would DIE to have someone talk about something even if it’s for a few minutes. Trust me!!!! The same can apply to WordCamps…
• #34: Now obviously you’re already attending a WordCamp, except for people on the livestream. So if you’re listening to me now and physically here, you can help at WordCamps.
• #35: Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp: Registration Happiness Bar Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
• #36: Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp: Registration Happiness Bar Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
• #37: Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp: Registration Happiness Bar Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
• #38: Here’s how you can volunteer for the next WordCamp Tampa.
• #39: There are also other WordCamps in the area that are coming up that will need your help. Remember that WordCamps can never have enough volunteers. More volunteers mean less stress for the organizers and allows other volunteers to catch more of the program.
• #40: Another way to contribute to WordPress is applying to speak. If you speak at a WordCamp, you’re giving your time and usually some money to being able to share your knowledge to others.
• #41: It’s natural to think “what’s in it for me”. And you know what? I’ll touch on that briefly. But it can benefit you a great deal.
• #42: This second point is so valuable because many would agree that the tech conference scene isn’t diverse enough. The more people that can be encouraged to apply and share their knowledge, their stories - that’s a step in the right direction in terms of having an enjoyable and diverse program at WordCamps that a wider variety of people can enjoy.
• #43: 1. this is probably the most understandable myth. many of us don’t have much if any free time. we have to make time. But what’s great about contributing is that you can usually do it when and how you want. how long does it take to answer a question on the forums? a few minutes? helping to translate WordPress? an hour a week or month? and the time you invest in will actually benefit you as well as we’ve talked about.
• #44: if you don’t have time to help, help someone else help. maybe there’s something you can do or help with that can give your local meetup organizer a break. help spread the word about your meetups and events in other local meetups.
• #45: money - there’s always money. Sponsoring WordCamps and meetups primarily. I know some people buy just that lowest “individual or small business”sponsorship at WordCamp Miami - which is I can’t remember maybe $100 or less - just because they want to give back because they make money off of WordPress. I know some people that just by paper plates to a meetup.
• #46: Newsflash: You don’t need to know how to code. Take this flyer with you and see if anything here seems interesting to you. And remember that giving feedback or testing new WordPress betas also helps a great deal.
• #47: Helping out at the wordpress.org forums is one of the best ways to share your knowledge. It’s something you can do for a few minutes at practically any time you want. The same logic goes for happiness bars at WordCamps as well.
• #48: By reaching out to speak at meetup and WordCamps you are helping the organizers and giving back knowledge to your community.
• #49: Consider helping your local meetup and WordCamps by attending, volunteering, and truly make an effort to speak at them as well.
• #50: So while’s there nothing wrong with being a subscriber, if you want to strengthen your bond with the WordPress community… consider being a contributor.
• #51: Remember Helen? She went from simply being a user to being a contributor. In fact she was made a lead developer for the WordPress project as a whole in February 2015. She told me: “Being able to work from anywhere, with a huge amount of flexibility, mostly reporting to myself, on something I really truly believe in - and get paid well for it! - is incredibly satisfying and almost impossible to believe sometimes. I've also made incredible friendships and been challenged intellectually.” Her path isn’t that much different from that path others have taken.
• #52: These are some people that are at WordCamp Tampa this weekend that are contributors. Most are at the after party and will be here tomorrow. These people all contribute to WordPress in different ways. Some of these are code contributors, some organizers of events, and some are organizing their own unique projects. If you want to learn more about the different ways you can contribute… talk to them and they’ll tell you why they contribute. They don’t bite, good people and you have now something to talk about it’s up there on the slides.
• #53: If you live in the Tampa area please look at this slide for specific ways to get involved.
• #54: My Name is David Bisset. I’m a full-time WordPress freelancer. I write code but majority of my time contributing to WordPress is helping with meetups and events. My website is davidbisset.com, you can follow me on twitter at dimensionmedia, and if you have questions i’ll be at the after party these evening and here tomorrow. Thank you.