This is the home of the Make Community team for the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project!
Here is where we have policy debates, project announcements, and assist community members in organizing events.
Everyone is welcome to comment on posts and participate in the discussions regardless of skill level or experience.
Get Involved
If you love WordPress and want to help us do these things, join in!
This quarter, @peiraisotta and I will be focusing on two things:
Updating the new Supporter onboarding process to complement the role shifts.
Improving the resources that allow Program Supporters to perform group orientations, vetting, and HelpScout cleanup.
Focus for this Quarter
Updating the Supporter onboarding will empower new Supporters to begin working on a task immediately with no blockers.
Improving the training information and resources will better equip Program Supporters to undertake these three tasks to start:
Group orientations
Vetting
HelpScout cleanup
We’ll also reorganize the Supporters and Managers Handbook (formerly DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook.) so information related to these three tasks is easier to find, and test some processes to maintain the consistency with which these tasks are being performed.
A New Approach to Flagship Coverage
Additionally, we will try out a new process for covering tasks during flagship events. We will be looking for at least four (4) Program Supporters to volunteer to manage vetting and HelpScout clean up during WCUSWCUSWordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event..
Two (2) individuals to help with HelpScout clean up.
Two (2) to manage vetting.
If you’re not attending WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US or the Community Summit and can take on these tasks during that time, please contact us — Cate or Isotta — directly.
Your Feedback is Always Vital
Finally, if you are a Program SupporterProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook., please take this short survey. Your feedback is vital and provides a more complete view of who is currently contributing in this role and insight into what to focus on for the future. Please have your answers in by 4 August.
And as always, leave any thoughts, concerns, or questions in the comments below.
WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe sparked new events and new supporter interest. We celebrated the successful closing of the Meetup Reactivation Project. And Next Generation events are being held while new ideas continue to flow in.
With that, @juliarosia and I continued to work on updating our Community Team contributor roles that help make this all possible.
Q2 Accomplishments
The Q1 Phase largely focused on the structure of our roles. It answered questions like:
Should we add new roles to support our meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook.?
Should we restructure our current roles to support our meetups?
Should we update the role names? If so, what should they be?
How can we unify our contributor system to remove busy work and provide paths for growth?
For Q2, we took those answers and began implementing them.
We changed the tasks of the mentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. role (now called Event SupporterEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues.), allowing it to encompass Next Generation events as well as meetups.
This role restructure provides an opportunity for new contributors to become more active on the team and grow their skills towards becoming a Program SupporterProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. (formerly referred to as ‘DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook.’).
We began using the new names, and started the process of updating documentation.
We invited some MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Reactivators to apply to become Event or Program Supporters. Those who accepted have been able to test the new unified application, orientation, and onboarding process.
Outcomes
So far we have 5 new supporters who have gone through orientation and are in the process of being onboarded. We will continue to onboard new supporters in groups throughout Q3, as we update and test the system. Today, we can welcome these new Community Team contributors.
Additionally, Pooja Derashri (Program Supporter) and Ahmed Kabir Chaion (Event Supporter) are waiting to schedule their orientations. Seven others are being vetted, and new applications continue to come in.
WordCamp Mentoring
As we’ve been discussing, mentoring has moved from a role to a task. This enables the flexibility our contributors need to support the community as the Community Team programs evolve.
Event and Program Supporters will be able to mentor meetups and non-WordCamp Next Generation events, even if they don’t have WordCamp lead organizer experience, opening the door for new contributors to grow their mentorship skills.
Note: for now anyone mentoring a WordCamp is still required to have led a successful WordCamp from application to completion, and demonstrated the necessary communication skills to support these events.
Documentation
The Q2 Phase had two goals:
Implement the new name changes and unified application and orientation system.
As you can imagine, there is a lot of documentation to review and update. I’ve been working with the development team to implement a system for recording name changes so they’ll be able to create the necessary redirects.
To support these efforts, I will be asking for help and providing documentation for those interested. Please consider if that is you!
What’s Next
The Q3 Phase will focus on streamlining the contributor onboarding process, improving our task documentation, and testing ways to make performing our tasks more sustainable and more enjoyable.
Thank you for your support and feedback so far. We look forward to your continued help with these updates.
@juliarosia and I are continuing to work on updating the Team’s mentorship experience.
The purpose of this post is to succinctly recap the decisions made earlier this year and present next steps as we work to update the Community Team contributor roles.
Key Points of this Post
New names have been finalized for the contributor roles:
MentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. → Community Team Event Supporters
Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. → Community Team Program Supporters
Super DeputiesProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. → Community Team Program Managers
The MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Reactivation project is transitioning into ongoing Meetup Check-ins performed by Event Supporters.
The new unified application, orientation, and onboarding will be tested by former meetup reactivators and new applicants.
Program Supporters will have two new quarterly tasks: (1) Conduct check-ins with a small group of Event Supporters, (2) Maintain the Meetup Tracker, using the information their group of Event Supporters provides.
This post ends with a feedback request and an opportunity to give input on when and how to implement approved changes.
Anything implemented will evolve over time and can be reverted if necessary.
Previously in Q1
For those who wish to review, here’s the basis for the information that has been discussed so far.
After great feedback and deliberation, we have settled on these names for our contributor groups.
Mentors become Community Team Event Supporters, and will be generally referred to as Event Supporters.
Community Deputies become Community Team Program Supporters, and will be generally referred to as Program Supporters.
Super Deputies become Community Team Program Managers, and will be generally referred to as Program Managers.
Closing the Reactivation Project
The Meetup Reactivation Project is transitioning into a Meetup Check-In task, which is discussed in more detail below. As part of that, by 9 June we will share a post showcasing the data from the project and thanking the participants.
To help with this new task, we will invite some Meetup Reactivation Supporters to become Event Supporters with responsibilities based on their experience.
These community members will likely continue to be an asset to the Community Team and will be useful in testing the new unified contributor application, orientation, and onboarding process.
New Unified Processes
This process is based on what was created for the Meetup Reactivation Project and will allow all new contributors to join the team through one system. It creates less work for the team and provides opportunities for contributors to move into other roles as they choose.
Community members with less community experience will be able to begin contributing while growing their skills.
Those with advanced experience who qualify to be a Program SupporterProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. can move directly into that role.
Adding the Meetup Check-In Task to the Event SupporterEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. Role
This task allows the Community Team to have more contact with our meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. who are the backbone of our community and provides an introductory contribution opportunity that has been missing.
To complete this task, each Event Supporter (new and existing) will perform three primary steps twice a year.
Look at the Meetup.com page for each meetup to see if they are holding regular meetups.
Email the meetup organizers assigned to them to see how things are going.
Update the spreadsheet with the data for the meetups that have been contacted.
Templates will be available for those who wish to use them.
Two New Program Supporter Tasks
To add the previously discussed mentorship responsibilities to our Program Supporter role, two new quarterly tasks will be needed.
One: Each Program Supporter will be given a group of Event Supporters to check in with and help as needed. This check-in can be via SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/., email, or Zoom, based on individual preference. It’s simply intended to be a way to increase our support of each other.
Two: Each Program Supporter will use their Meetup Tracker access to help update the statuses of the meetups being checked on by their group of Event Supporters. This can be done more than once a quarter, but once a quarter is a good starting point.
Implementation
Julia and I will begin using the unified system to onboard new contributors shortly. There hasn’t really been much of a system before and this gives us something to start with.
Fortunately, like with most things on the Community Team, it is built to be flexible. If at any point we don’t like the unified system or new tasks, they can be changed or removed entirely.
If we do approve them, we will need to decide on the timeline for implementing them, particularly the name change. Remembering that everything is flexible and can be removed, we recommend implementing the name change, unified system, and new tasks as a part of the Community Team standard operating procedure by 1 July.
That gives us the rest of the year to update documentation and resources, and test the processes to see if these changes are a good fit for the Community Team.
Next Steps
The Community Team will discuss the changes and share their feedback.
Julia and I will continue building the necessary resources. This includes:
Issuing invitations to some of the Meetup Reactivators to join the Community Team as Event Supporters.
Using the new unified system to onboard new contributors immediately. This includes invited Meetup Reactivators who accept, and any new applicants who are vetted.
Updates will be made by the Community Team to existing documentation and resources, as well as adding new documentation as needed, based on acceptance of the name changes, unified system, and new tasks.
Feedback
Now it’s your turn. Share your thoughts in the comments below. It would be particularly useful to hear any questions or concerns as relates to:
the new unified system
the new contributor tasks
implementing the name changes, new system, and tasks that are accepted by the Community Team
Additionally, there will be a Community Team discussion, currently planned for 15 June. You are also welcome to open discussions in Slack.
Last fall @adityakane brought us a question about how meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. can share useful events with their communities without posting them as meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. events.
With his continued help, and the help of many other Community team members, a page was created last fall, but then set aside due to other projects. Fortunately, someone else asked a similar question and the Meetup Organizer handbook has now been updated to include the answer.
So, we now have Sharing External Events with Your Meetup in our information arsenal. If you find any problems or see any updates that are needed, let me know and we’ll work together to sort it out!
Based on feedback, @devinmaeztri and I have updated and simplified the previous information into this one post. The goals of these changes are:
change the role names so they are more universally translatable
simplify the number of applications needed to contribute
simplify the overall contributor journey
clarify the tasks and expectations for the various contributor roles
create support for our mentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. so they can be more successful
create a Help Path to help the work flow more smoothly
specify the DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook./Community Admin tasks so their contribution is more evident and the necessary tasks are getting done
To accomplish these goals, we suggest the following changes.
Name Changes
WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more.MentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues./DoActiondo_actiondo_action hackathons are community-organised events that are focussed on using WordPress to give deserving charitable organisations their own online presence. Learn more on doaction.org. Mentor/MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Mentor become Event Mentor. Community DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. becomes Community Admin. Super DeputyProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. becomes Community Advisor.
Updated Role Descriptions
Community Team Member: participate in the Make/Community SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel or attend WordPress events Event Organizer: organize local events that promote WordPress and Open SourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. Event Mentor: help guide and unstick event organizers Community Admin: support mentors and help with the technical side of event organizing Community Advisor: guide all other contributing roles with a particular focus on what’s best for our community now and in the future
Contributor Journey Visuals
This is the current contributor chart. The arrows show the various paths you can take to get from one role to another. As you can see, each area requires the contributor to submit an application to change roles.
The chart below is based on the recommended updates. It allows community team members who want to contribute beyond organizing events to submit one application and be filtered into the supporting role that fits them best or appeals to them most.
It also allows flexibility, so individuals who are ready can move directly into a Community Admin role without being required to first be a mentor.
How We Work
The Community Team is committed to working as publicly as possible for transparency and the education of all. Questions should be asked as publicly as the content allows so that we can learn and grow together. Delicate situations will be managed with caution and respect by more than two people so important information does not become lost while keeping the necessary people informed.
Demonstrate exemplary behavior that aligns with the WordPress community standards, it’s values, and both code of conducts, including no previous incidents or conflicts with the Community Team
Successfully finish the required training courses
Exhibit collaborative, community-minded communication skills
Be organized and reliable
Be able to meet with event organizers and other community members when necessary on Slack, Google Meet, and/or Zoom, your choice
Additional requirements specific to becoming a Community Admin
Consistently supports WordPress communities and organizers with strong understanding of the global program
Participates regularly in Community Team discussions and decision making
Successfully complete ALL organizer-related courses
3 references from event organizers or current Community Admins
Additional requirements specific to becoming a Community Advisor (in process)
Consistent participation beyond the basic requirements
Ability to be consistently available
3 references from fellow Community Admins or current Community Advisors
Tasks by Role
ROLE
TASKS
Event Mentors
Monthly – Check in with your event organizers – How’s the budget? – How’s the timeline? – Are they facing any blockers? – Do they have any issues within the organizing team? – Use the Help Path to answer questions for your event organizers – Attend each monthly Community Team meetings, async is fine – Report about your event’s progress in the monthly Community Team meeting – Report about your event’s progress on the monthly Make/Community Post
Yearly – Check in with your assigned meetup organizers – determine the meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. status – by video, if possible – Assist in finding new meetup organizers as needed – Update the Meetup spreadsheet with the status of your meetups – Report Meetup updates to your Community Admin so Admins can maintain the event trackers
Note: WordCamps will only be mentored by lead organizers who have successfully led a WordCamp.
Community Admins
Monthly – Vet at least 1 event application – Give at least 1 event orientation – Keep the Event Trackers up-to-date based on mentor feedback – Triage HelpScoutAttend each monthly Community Team meetings, async is fine – Help fellow Admins in decision making in #community-Admin – Answer questions in #community-event and #community-team when possible – Update documentation as needed
Quarterly – Perform 1 Budget Review – Send 3 swag shipments – Triage HelpScout – Check in with your assigned Event mentors
Mentor events, as they choose and qualify. If mentoring an event remember to: – Report about the progress of events you are mentoring on the monthly Community Team meeting – Report about the progress of events you are mentoring on the monthly Make/Community Post
Community Advisors
As possible – Perform budget reviews – Perform the tasks of Community Admin and Event Mentors
Continually – Support Community Admin and Event Mentors – Discuss and advise on difficult topics and incidents that impact the community – Create precedent for the global community – Choose solutions that build a long-term, stable community – Final review of Incident Response issues, when needed
While @devinmaeztri and I have been working on ways to make our current mentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. program more flexible and inclusive something interesting came to light: our current contributor journey is more like a maze than a ladder.
The Community Team has multiple areas of contribution, most of which can only be accessed through separate applications. This makes the system difficult to navigate and can result in frustrated contributors, as well as a lot of extra unnecessary questions and tasks to be done.
Beyond the difficulties of moving between the roles, questions arose about overlapping roles and access to tools. We realized we could continue as we have and continue to build on the complex structure we have now, or we could choose as a group to make some small changes that refine the entire contributor experience.
Before we dive into those changes, let’s take a look at our current contributor ladder.
Our Current Ladder
Here you can see what I’m talking about. We require a new application to move from one stage to the next. Each application takes time to vet and then onboard, and each comes with its own separate information and processes. That creates extra work for everyone and a frustrating path for contributors. No one wants that.
New Options
Either of these new contributor ladders would help streamline our process, and each option would be simple to implement alongside the other mentor program updates.
Option 1: We improve just the Mentor Program and leave the DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. Program as is, creating two disconnected contributor opportunities and a new oversight role for mentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues.. (below left)
Option 2: We combine our contributor paths into a single contributor ladder that starts everyone at one of three mentor opportunities and provides advancement to move up. Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. get a name change and move into the new mentor oversight role. Super DeputiesProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. primarily get a name change. (below middle)
Option 3: We create a single ladder with the addition of the Mentor Advocate/Support role between Mentors and Community Advocates (Community Deputies). Mentor Support would help guide the growing group of mentors and interact more closely with Community Advocates, so they have a chance to learn what’s involved in the next stage of contribution.
If we’re already restructuring some of our roles, it’s reasonable to consider an additional change, which in this case, also simplifies things.
Option 1: The New Ladder under the Proposed Updates
This model still has a division between deputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. and mentors, but fewer hoops to jump through. If someone wants to take on multiple mentor roles and qualifies, then they can more simply change or add those responsibilities.
However, it does still require that any mentors who want to become deputies, and vice versa, must submit an additional application. It also brings up the question: What is the difference between Mentor Advocates and Deputies?
Right now, the roles are set up with completely different tasks and responsibilities, and you can see those here. That was done intentionally to create an option that kept the two programs separate similar to how they currently exist. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Option 2: A Unified Contributor Ladder
In a unified ladder, Community Deputies can be renamed and smoothly moved into the mentor oversight role as Community Guides. A reasonable move as their tasks already involve supporting our events and community.
This move would allow Deputies/Community Guides a closer connection to mentors and through them the a wider interaction with more of the community. It also has the potential to create a more satisfying contributor experience as roles can expand into new areas of community support and offers options for dividing up some of the tasks that can become repetitive, like vetting.
Super Deputies, or Community Advocates as is suggested, would maintain their high level support and oversight role, and would largely stay the same for now.
We’ll also need to consider:
Adjusting the Mentor Advocate role to combine in the current Community DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. tasks and expectations.
Adding in requirements for moving into the Super DeputyProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule./Community Advocate role.
Discussing dividing the vetting process into two parts: Public Search and Private Search.
Determining if all Community Deputies will be moved into the Community Guide role; or if those that don’t have mentorship experience will be asked to become a mentor for awhile.
Option 3: A Unified Ladder that Includes the Mentor Support Role
Based on feedback, we’ve added a third option. This one is similar to Option 1, and creates a singular connected path like Option 2.
Like Option 1, the Community Deputy and Super Deputy roles and duties stay as they are. Their name would change. Like Option 2, the contributor roles are all connected into one ladder and we create one unified application for everyone contributing at the Mentor level and above.
The Mentor Support/Advocate role would be added in to create support for the new mentors and to give veteran mentors a path to becoming a Community Guide/Deputy. The Mentor Support role would focus on mentoring events as they choose and Community Guides would continue the tasks they have traditionally done. In the future, we could discuss sharing some of the responsibilities, like vetting, but that is not in the current plan.
What can you do?
In the comments, please share your thoughts on Options 1, 2, and 3, as well as whether you’d prefer to leave the Contributor Ladder as it is. Have your comments in by 28 March 2023.
If you’re interested in reading learning more about the proposed changes to the mentor program, read the separate post creatively titled: Updates to the Mentor Program, and leave your feedback there.
@devinmaeztri and I have been working on ways to make our current mentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. program more flexible and inclusive, and here is our proposal.
The goal is to define the information around existing and new roles so contributors know what to expect when signing up. Then, to have a balanced set of tasks that get the necessary work done without making it overwhelming.
Updated Expectations, Requirements, Etc. for Our Contributor Roles
The information in the blue boxes below applies to all mentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues..
Basic Information for Mentors
The information in this box applies to all mentors.
Expectations
Help other organizers have a great time planning events
Help organizers avoid problems before they become problems
Help make events easier to organize and improve attendee experience
Time Commitment
At least 4 hours a month, depending on your desired level of involvement.
Qualifications
Successful lead or co-organizer of the type of event you want to mentor — both financially and in team management
No previous incidents or conflicts with the Community Team. This includes any incidents and conflicts within the WordPress project sphere and any events you were involved in.
Requirements
Finish the appropriate training courses and pass the quizzes
Exhibit appropriate communication skills
Be organized and reliable
Be able to meet with event organizers and other community members when necessary on SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/., Google Meet, and/or Zoom, your choice
Help Path
Check the handbook
Next, ask your fellow Mentors
Ask the Mentor Advocates/Community Guides
Ask a Community DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. (if position remains)
Ask a Super DeputyProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule./Community Advocates
To better support the community, we are proposing that we add three new roles to our Mentor program. Two would operate similarly to our WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Mentors: MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Mentors and do_actiondo_actiondo_action hackathons are community-organised events that are focussed on using WordPress to give deserving charitable organisations their own online presence. Learn more on doaction.org. Mentors
The third addition would be Mentor Advocates, or Community Guides. This third role would oversee the mentor program as well as take on event mentorship responsibilities if they choose. If Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are moved into this role as Community Guides, then we would also be able to consider dividing up tasks like vetting.
Combining our DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook., Super DeputiesProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule., and Mentors into one program with a single-application Contributor Ladder is being discussed in this post. You are welcome to leave your thoughts. And note, regardless of what’s decided, our suggested updates can flex to fit either contributor option.
Mentor Tasks
Similarly to above, all mentors will perform the common tasks in this blue box:
Answer questions from meetup organizers when you can. If you don’t know the answer, follow the Help Path
Offer advice on procedure
Share knowledge based on past experience organizing
Keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the Community Team
Learn about new tools, developments, and decisions made by the Community Team
Participate in the monthly Community Team meetings
On the third Thursday, attend the monthly asynchronous Slack check ins
Additionally, each role will also have a unique set of tasks, which are listed below. Currently the resource are available for all of the proposed tasks. Many of the future tasks would be simple to add if deputies are moved into the mentor oversight role.
Meetup Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Check in with your list of meetup organizers at least 1x/year to determine the meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. status (possibly at least once over video) – Update the Meetup spreadsheet with the status of your meetups – Assist in finding new meetup organizers as needed
Possibly future tasks: – Do an initial vetting of Meetup applications using a new list/process (without access to HelpScout or the tracker) – Process Venue Support requests (if it can be done outside of the tracker, possibly a first round)
do_action Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Similar to WordCamps (Cate needs to update)
Possibly future tasks: – Do an initial vetting of do_action applications using a new list/process (without access to HelpScout or the tracker)
WordCamp Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Check in with your WordCamp organizers at least 1x/month – Report about your WordCamp’s progress both as part of the monthly Community Team meeting and on the monthly Make/Community Post
Possibly future tasks: – Help check venue agreement including the terms and conditions before signed by WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. – Do an initial vetting of WordCamp applications using a new list/process
Mentor Support or Advocates or Community Guides
Additional requirements: – Successfully held two of the individual mentor roles – Consistently worked toward the good of the community – Participates regularly in Community Team discussions and decision making – Completed ALL organizer-related courses and finished the tests
Proposed tasks: – Answer the questions of other mentors when you can. If you don’t know the answer, follow the Help Path. – Report about the progress of events you are mentoring both as part of the monthly Community Team meeting and on the monthly Make/Community Post
Possibly future tasks: – Assign tasks for vetting – Support other mentors as they vet applications – Vet meetup, do_action, and WordCamp applications as they come in – Process Venue Support requests (if it can be done outside of the tracker, possibly a first round) – Vet new mentors – Onboard new mentors
Now it’s your turn.
We’d appreciate feedback on these ideas. While we hope to begin implementing many of them as soon as possible, it’s good to remember that this is an organic project that will evolve over time. Things can be tried and undone or adjusted as needed down the road.
Please leave your thoughts below by 28 March 2023.
To better serve the community and the Community Team, @devinmaeztri and I are working to improve our current MentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. program. We believe this project will help get rid of gaps in our current roles and create a smoother functioning Community Team with room to grow.
An Overview
End date: 31 March
4 Issues addressed in this post
update or create role information and tasks
add in new Mentor roles to help our growing community and team
retire the “DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook.” title
build for the future
3 Discussion Posts planned starting with this one
The Main Elements
Craft More Accurate Role Information and Task Lists
The project will start by looking at where we are and end with clearer information about new and existing roles.
Evaluate the current roles and their descriptions, qualifications, and expectations.
Evaluate the current assigned tasks and see if they need better descriptions or adjustments to make them more manageable to accomplish.
Create descriptions, qualifications, expectations, and clearly described tasks for any new mentor roles added.
For reference, find the current roles and expectations on the Community Team’s Team Projects page.
Add in MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook.MentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. and Mentor of Mentors
Meetup Mentors: We currently have a group of Meetup Reactivators that we would like to invite into the Community Team to continue their meetup outreach. If our meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. are the heart of what we do, then having a group and system in place that provides regular check-ins should help keep them strong. It also provides a nice first level of activity for new members.
Mentors of Mentors: These would likely be our current Super DeputiesProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. with opportunities to promote other veteran mentors as they qualify.
Mentors of Mentors would continue to support our other mentors and have responsibilities within the Community Team around nurturing growth. They could also mentor WordCamps as they choose.
We would continue to have the existing roles of WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Mentors and Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook./Community Mentors with similar responsibilities to what they have now.
Current Contributor Roles
WordCamp Mentors Community Deputies Super Deputies
Future Contributor Roles
Meetup Mentors WordCamp Mentors Community Mentors Mentors of Mentors
Change the Community DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. Title
The word “deputy” has two significant drawbacks.
It’s difficult to translate in some languages while in others the word doesn’t even exist.
In the US, it’s a term used to describe enforcement which does not represent the nature of the role well.
Our deputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are already mentors who are working to nurture the community, often in more technical ways, but still interacting with the community.
Because of that and the reasons above, we suggest changing:
Community Deputy → Community Mentor
Super DeputyProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. → Mentors of Mentors
The responsibilities would be similar (with some refinement) to current duties, but we’d have names that fit a more global community and better reflect what the Community Team is trying to accomplish.
Build a Foundation for Future Growth
A Single Unified Application: Along with refining the names, descriptions, and tasks, we also plan to create a single unified application and onboarding process as well as a clear contribution ladder. We think this will provide a smoother introduction to the Community Team and give contributors goals to grow towards.
A Removal Process: With onboarding, we’ll also need to create a path for removing inactive contributors as well as people who end up in the wrong roles. Not everyone fits every role. Let’s create other opportunities where contributors can make the best use of the skills they have instead of being stuck in a role that doesn’t fit. Maintaining a healthy community requires attention to this aspect as well.
Overall, we’re hoping all of the changes mentioned in this post create one solid foundation for the future of all of our programs.
The Community Team’s Role
We want to work alongside the group as a whole to refine our Mentor Program to better benefit us all. In order to do that, we need your support and feedback.
Please comment below your thoughts regarding the project, and particularly about some or all of the following:
Changing the name of Community Deputies and Super Deputies.
If it’s too confusing to have all roles under the Mentor heading.
What current tasks function effectively, and which don’t.
New tasks you think it could be useful to add.
Adding in a Meetup Mentor role.
Adding in a Mentors of Mentors, and if the name is a good fit.
With the polyglots we have resumed the weekly update on https://make.wordpress.org/updates/ . I would be great if other teams are willing to add a weekly (or at least regular) update there too. It should be short, but indicate what the teams are busy with. About 5-6 teams are already on it, join us to get a kind of central repository of all what is going on around here on WordPress.
Hi Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook.! 🙂
For better tracking purposes, I’ve retooled the “WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. (and MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook.) Status Doc”, so from now on, please add your name and the current date in the corresponding column of the spreadsheet for that specific WC or Meetup application (as you can see in the screenshot below). Thanks! 🙂
