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!
The WordPress Event Attendee Feedback form, to be used for WordCamps and WP Events (former Next-Gen), is already available in English (US) and Spanish (Spain).
If anybody else wants to translate the form into their languages, they can use this file:
1. Add a new tab (rename the tab indicating the language) 2. Paste the original EN strings (Column A) in the first column of the new tab 3. Add the translation in the second column 4. Let us know once you’re done by commenting this post 5. 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. will upload the translation
Event organizers: if you don’t see your event in the event list on the form, please reach out in the #community-events channel 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/.
Thank you all for your help!
We are retiring CrowdSignal for post-event attendee surveys and transitioning to Jotform. We decided to move away from CrowdSignal primarily to address the need for a multilingual solution, ensuring that all attendees worldwide can choose the language in which they complete the survey. This shift allows us to overcome an inclusion barrier that has been a challenge until now. After testing various tools, Jotform seems to be the best to fulfill our needs—it’s user-friendly, allows easy addition of collaborators, facilitates sharing results while maintaining confidentiality, and includes built-in accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) checks. This move is a significant step towards more inclusive and effective feedback collection.
We will begin with the English Attendee survey for local WordCamps and Events and coordinate the implementation of translations between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. This transition will also include the Organizer post-event Debrief survey and Sponsor surveys, if needed.
We encourage Flagship WordCamps to adopt this tool so that both organizers and the community team can collect and access responses efficiently.
We understand that Flagship events may have more complex requirements compared to smaller events. Let’s discuss whether it’s better to create separate surveys with standard and custom questions or if we can develop a unified survey for all Flagships.
For upcoming local event organizers:
Please invite your attendees to fill out the new WordPress Event Attendee Feedback. The organizer reminder you receive after the event has been updated to include this new link.
If you’re interested in volunteering to translate the survey into your language before we officially launch the translation initiative, please leave a comment so we can coordinate the next steps.
For Flagship organizers:
Would you be open to trying this tool for your next event?
What are your thoughts on standardizing the surveys across different Flagships to gather consistent feedback from attendees, sponsors, and organizers?
What challenges, if any, do you foresee?
With Jotform, we can grant access as collaborators to people on the organizing teams, allowing them to customize the survey as needed and receive submissions. You can read the newly published documentation page for more details.
Please comment and leave feedback by September 30, 2024.
Historically, our Camera Kit program has been essential to recording videos for WordPress.tv at minimal cost. Eight camera kits have been allocated in North America and eight in Europe.
North America: The camera kits in North America are listed as per the details available in the WordCamp Organizer Handbook.
Europe: The European camera kits were refurbished in late 2022, also detailed in this announcement.
Usage Statistics
The community’s interest in camera kits reflects their usage over the years. We can identify how frequently these kits have been utilized by examining the request data. As our in-person events resumed in 2022, we analyzed the requests from 2022 to the present.
North America
From 2022 to 2024, the request data shows limited utilization of the camera kits:
2022: 1 request
2023: 2 requests
2024: 0 request
This represents a low number of requests, indicating a limited interest from the community.
Europe
The European kits, despite being newer and refurbished in late 2022, also reflect a limited number of requests:
2022: 1 request
2023: 5 requests
2024: 1 request
While there was a slight increase in interest in 2023, the overall number of requests remains low, also suggesting a limited interest from the community.
Financial Expenditures
Maintaining, replacing, and shipping camera kits involves considerable expenditure annually. Here’s an overview of the financial details for both regions.
North America
The details regarding the initial purchase, ongoing maintenance, and shipping costs for North American kits are difficult to obtain due to the age and outdated nature of the equipment. However, the following points are worth noting:
The current state of the North American kits indicates a need for refurbishment if we want to continue the program.
Shipping and maintenance records are sparse, making it challenging to quantify the exact financial outlay over the years.
Europe
For European camera kits, more detailed financial records are available:
Refurbishment Costs (2022): €11,866
Shipping Costs (Nov 2022 — Present): $1,690.87
These figures clarify the ongoing investment required to keep the European kits operational and available for community events.
Current Locations and Management
The camera kits are located and managed to facilitate easy access and deployment:
North America:
Five camera kits are in America.
One kit was transferred to Europe in 2022.
Two kits are currently unaccounted for.
Europe:
All eight camera kits remain within Europe.
The exact current locations and the tracking record are managed by our Program ManagerProgram 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., Timi Wahalahti (@sippis).
Additionally, there is one kit that was received from North America, although its exact status, and whether it is the same kit sent in 2022 are unclear.
Analysis and Consideration for the Future
Given the current state of usage and financial investment in these camera kits, it is essential to consider the efficiency and impact of the program:
Decreased Demand: The data from 2022 to 2024 highlights a notable decline in requests for camera kits. This trend suggests reduced needs or interests from the community, raising questions about the continued viability of maintaining these kits.
Financial Burden: The ongoing costs for maintenance, refurbishment, and shipping are substantial, especially when weighed against the limited usage observed recently.
Outdated Equipment: Particularly in North America, the kits are outdated and likely in need of replacement or significant upgrades to meet current standards and expectations.
Storage Resources: Especially in North America, we are facing challenges in finding storage that can be easily accessed by event organizers.
Conclusion
The camera kits in North America and Europe have historically played a vital role in the WordPress event ecosystem. However, the declining usage and significant financial outlays necessitate reevaluating the program. The lack of efficiency and diminishing impact indicate that it may be time to consider closing the camera kit program or exploring alternative solutions to meet the community’s needs in a more cost-effective and impactful manner.
Moving forward, we announce the end of the North American Camera Kit program, we will update the relevant documentation, and continue the EU Camera Kit program and involve more contributors to manage the program.
Hello friends! It is time to host the next Monthly chat of the WordPress Contributor Working Group. We’re meeting this August (tomorrow – August 15th) to continue our work on improving the contribution experience of WordPress and to continue our work on mentorship programs. For more information on the working group and its plans, check out our launch post and past chats.
Meeting times
We will hold these chats in multiple time zones to accommodate as many participants all over the world as possible. These chats will continue to be held on the Third Thursday of every month.
The chat will be held on the #community-team channel of the Make/WordPress Slack. Here’s the link to a handy `.ics` file containing calendar entries for our upcoming chat so you won’t miss it. These chats have also been added to the Make/Meetings calendar. Everyone interested in improving the contributor experience in WordPress and building future mentorship programs is welcome to attend!
1. Welcome, introductions, and check-ins How is everyone doing? New members joining the group can also introduce themselves.
2. Mentorship Program Updates We’ll be discussing our formal call for mentees, and steps towards finalizing the next cohort.
3. Mentorship Program Cohort #3 (Q4 2024)Implementation Steps With our cohort formally starting in less than two months, let’s start working on setting things up! Since this is a big topic, let’s use most of our time towards this.
4. Working Closely with the Sustainability Team Social Sustainability is a big part of what the Sustainability team does, which aligns with our group’s work. In fact, many of our group members actively participate in the Sustainability team too. Let’s discuss further on how we can work closely with that team going forward.
5. Questions, thoughts, and open floor! If we still have time after all that intense discussion, we’ll open up the floor to discuss mentorship broadly and our program!
Looking forward to seeing many of you in the chat!
Please share your feedback on a proposed update to our current WordPress Events/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. budget guidelines:
“Some things that WordCamps very, very, *very* rarely include in their budgets: Most WordCamps are highly successful without spending money on the items below. While sometimes exceptions are made for unusual circumstances, you should plan not to include the following expenses in your budget, unless an experienced 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. approves the expense […]Advertising“
Proposed Change We propose updating the guideline to allow a variable or fixed amount of money in the WordPress event budget to be used specifically for marketing and advertising. Here’s a proposal:
“A portion of the WordCamp budget may be allocated for marketing and advertising, subject to the approval of a Program Manager during your budget review and funded by the Global Sponsorship grant. To ensure mindful use of program funds, we suggest a minimum amount of $50 and a maximum amount of $400, based on factors like experience of the organizers, cost of living, size of the local community, etc. The budget should be used mindfully and efficiently to maximize the event’s reach and impact.”
Remember that the best marketing strategy is word of mouth. How can you and other organizers spread the word? Attend other events in the area, email your contact lists, post on your social media channels, and share details at your places of work. NETWORK!
How to use the advertising funds Advertising funds should be used strategically to attract new attendees and raise awareness. Here are some suggestions in order of expected return on your effort and investment:
Event Directories: List on online calendars and tech forums.
Newsletter Listings: Feature in relevant newsletters and publications.
Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers of the targeted audience to promote the event.
Collaborations: Partner with local businesses for mutual promotion.
Physical Marketing: Distribute posters, flyers, and banners in strategic locations.
Social Media Ads*: Targeted campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
Traditional Media*: Use local TV, radio ads, and newspaper placements.
Notes * The last two channels can be quite costly and should be considered when the prior five options have been explored because they can deplete a budget very quickly.
We recommend focusing on going to where potential WP users might be – such as existing associations/clubs/groups. For example, a small business association or a professional networking event for entrepreneurs.
Family-friendly content: Ensure marketing content is family-friendly and reviewed by your 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..
Code of ConductCode of Conduct“A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” - Wikipedia: Ensure all advertising respects the WordPress Community Code of Conduct, promoting inclusivity and respect.
Seeking Community Input We’d love to hear your thoughts on this proposal. Please share:
Would this change benefit the WordPress Events Program?
Any suggestions for “how to” and “how not to” use the funds?
Any suggestions to help ensure we use our annual budget as efficiently as possible?
Please join the discussion before August 19, 2024, and help us ensure that WordPress Events reach even more people!! I’ll close the comments of the post and share a summary of them after that date.
The Community Team needs your help to reactivate inactive WordPress 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. groups. Last month, we shared a list of groups marked for removal from the WordPress Chapter Meetup program and requested responses by August 5 to keep these groups active.
Due to the summer holiday season in some regions, we’ve extended the deadline to September 16. If your group is on the pending closure list, please email us at support@wordcamp.org to express your interest in reactivating. Groups that do not respond by the deadline will be removed from the chapter program. Please refer to the last reactivation update for the removal process.
We encourage all community members to reach out and support these groups. If you know WordPress users in the areas of inactive groups, please encourage them to get involved or contact us. Your support is crucial in keeping our community vibrant and active.
Thank you for your continued dedication to the WordPress community!
The Community Team chat takes place the first Thursday of every month in the #community-team channel 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/.
This meeting is meant for all contributors on the team and everyone who is interested in taking part in some of the things our team does. Feel free to join us, even if you are not currently active in the team!
You will find a preliminary agenda for the meeting below.
If you wish to add points to discuss, comment on this post or reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta, @Shusei, @leo, or @nukaga. It does not need to be a blog post yet, the topic can be discussed during the meeting nevertheless. We use the same agenda for both meetings.
Call for meeting host and notetaker If anyone is available to host this month’s or next month’s Community Team meetings and/or write the recap notes , please reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta, @Shusei, @leo, or @nukaga.
Check-ins: Program and Event Supporters / Contributors
Please share your WP.org username (to easily include you in the recap post)
What have you been doing and how is it going?
What did you accomplish after the last meeting?
Are there any blockers?
Can other team members help you in some way?
Highlights to Note
Here are a few things everyone should be aware of.
For a global overview on our 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, check the WordPress Meetup Trends post. Following this analysis, a working group has been formed to analyze regional trends.
Open Posts
Check out these new and ongoing discussions needing review, feedback, thoughts and comments.
Last days to share feedback about WordCamp & WordPress Events Debrief Analysis – an overview of the post-event organizer debrief surveys. If you have ever been lead organizer, we need your feedback on this post!
The GatherPress pilot project needs feedback! Check it out and provide feedback on the dedicated issue. Reach out to @patriciabt or @mauteri if you have any doubt.
Announcements / Newsletters
For all Meetup and Event organizers: Please carefully read this Venue Policy Update.
This is your chance to discuss things that weren’t on the meeting agenda.
We invite you to use this opportunity to share anything that you want with the team. If you currently have a topic you’d like to discuss, add it to the comments of this post and we will try to update the agenda accordingly.
Hope to see you on Thursday, either in the Asia-Pacific / EMEA (12:00 UTC) or Americas-friendly version (21:00 UTC) of the meeting!
Note: On getting feedback from the community that the AMER timing of our chat was a bit off, we did an experiment where AMER folks could join the chat asynchronously, but it did not work out as planned, unfortunately. We will be resuming regular EMEA and AMER chats going forward from next week.
Notes
Program Updates
Call for Mentees Closes
The early call for mentees for the Q4 2024 WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program concluded on July 15, 2024. The program received 54 mentee applications from 35 cities and 20 countries, along with 30 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. applications from 10 countries and 19 cities. Significant interest was noted in the CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team and Plugins team, with 17 and 21 mentee applications respectively. Full application details were shared with the working group for evaluation.
In our chat, we took a detailed look at the applications. There was clearly a higher interest in the Community, Polyglots, and Photos teams from 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. compared to mentees. We also discussed the higher number of mentee applicants for the Plugins team, questioning whether applicants were more interested in creating plugins rather than contributing to the Plugins team’s work. A suggestion was made to separate the Core Team into distinct options: Core, Core Test, and Editor (GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/).
Based on discussions from the past chats, we put together an initial plan for the first cohort, including documentation. The goal of creating this document at an early stage is to create a clear, cohesive, and transparent plan for our initial cohort of the mentorship program helping us to create a more structured and systematic mentoring experience. Here’s a draft of the plan that was shared: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uatuObmi0iZyAC_bBSiGvAMoXV7UFZosPJyqRCySi38/edit
A draft project plan for the next cohort was shared, outlining phases from planning and cohort selection to The plan includes structured onboarding and training sessions, with a goal of establishing a replicable mentorship program format. The plan is based on the current WordPress 6.7 release plan.
Program Duration and Phases
Phase 1: Planning (June-July 2024)
Close Early Mentee Applications by July 15
Create a detailed project plan and white paper
Develop mentor and mentee documentation and guidelines
Define cohort selection criteria
Finalize facilitators and create vetting groups for mentors/mentees
Outreach for the mentorship program
Phase 2: Cohort Selection & Program Building (August–September 2024)
Open call for mentors/mentees
Finalize mentor/mentee selection and inform them
Provide pre-event orientations and training
Create the mentorship Slack channel
Phase 3: Mentorship Program (October 7 – November 15 2024)
Week 1: Welcome and introductions
Week 2: Onboarding and release process familiarization
Ensure at least 25% of mentees contribute to big picture goals-related projects
Major Changes from Previous Cohorts
Use GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ Project for centralized management
Pre-scheduled live onboarding and training sessions as much as possible
Discussion
We had a discussion on the Mentorship Program and some excellent feedback was shared highlighting the importance of documentation and outreach to local communities.
Broad Suggestions
The team discussed several key points for improving the mentorship program. They emphasized the importance of documentation and suggested setting a 25% contribution goal. The need for outreach to local communities and the inclusion of local cohorts was highlighted. An introductory session before the final team selection was proposed, along with the flexibility for mentees to switch teams if needed. The conversation also covered the importance of planning for translations and setting an application deadline to accommodate vacations in Europe. The overall focus was on structured introductory sessions, local outreach, and careful planning for the mentorship program’s success.
Program Dates
The team discussed potential dates for the mentorship program, suggesting October 7 – November 15, 2024, to align with the release week and avoid overlapping with WCUSWCUSWordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event.. Concerns were raised about this timeline starting too late for optimal contributions to the 6.7 release. An earlier start, like September 30, was proposed for better alignment with the release cycle. Additionally, the idea of bringing a few early applicants as mentees to follow the entire release was considered, which could increase their chances of contributing effectively. The team agreed to finalize the best dates to balance program needs and core involvement.
Opening the Formal Call for Mentees
The team discussed how to combine early and later mentee applications for the mentorship program. One suggestion was to pair mentors and mentees initially, and if any mentees are left without mentors, issue a specific call for the required mentors closer to the start date. The challenge is balancing the early interest sparked by 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 with the promise of a later call. Another idea proposed was to double-check early applicants’ interest before opening the standard invitation. Additionally, the importance of a longer, more structured program to build strong mentor-mentee bonds was emphasized, highlighting that ongoing support and camaraderie are crucial for effective mentorship.
Mini Cohort Starting Early?
A suggestion was made to pre-select up to five early applicants as mentees to follow the entire 6.7 release, starting with the Alpha phase, allowing them to make more significant contributions. This idea was well-received, especially if the mentees seem ready and mentors are available. Another suggestion was to include these mentees in the mentorship planning and documentation process. It was proposed that a “bridge mentor” could be appointed to explain the various aspects of the release as they happen, helping to navigate the complex release operations and enriching the overall experience for everyone involved.
Discussing Program Next Steps
We took some time to discuss next steps in the mentorship program:
Cohort Selection Criteria
Suggestions included prioritizing motivation, desire to learn, and ensuring mentees do not already have connections within the community. It was agreed that previous criteria used should be maintained, but adding a multilingual aspect would be beneficial to address language barriers. It was also noted that mentees should have some prior contribution experience, and mentors should be well-connected within the community. Emphasizing a safe and supportive environment for non-native English speakers was highlighted as essential for effective mentorship. The goal is to offer a more multilingual and globalized version of the mentorship program to better support diverse contributors.
Cohort Size
Participants debated whether to expand the cohort size to 100 or keep it smaller. It was agreed that the number of mentors available would determine the cohort size. A 1:2 mentor-to-mentee ratio was suggested as ideal, with a potential adjustment to 1:3 if needed. Additionally, the idea of creating a mini French cohort was proposed and received positive feedback, acknowledging the presence of Francophone members in the group. The overall consensus was to scale the cohort size based on mentor availability while ensuring effective mentorship.
Working with Projects
One participant suggested organizing an online Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ for bbPressbbPressFree, open source software built on top of WordPress for easily creating forums on sites. https://bbpress.org, potentially expanding it to include BuddyPress. The idea received support, and plans were made to coordinate and organize the event. Another participant highlighted the involvement of various teams such as Polyglots, plugins, themes, and learning in parallel operations with the release. The tech leads expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with the mentorship program during the 6.7 release, emphasizing the potential for cross-team projects and enhanced coordination.
