Welcome to the MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. Team!
The Meta team is responsible for maintaining and managing WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ websites. Our work is mostly done on the meta trac. If you see a bug, file a ticket!
This week’s meeting will be held at 21UTC on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, and @courane01 will be hosting.
👋🏻 Intro/Welcome
🆕 News
MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. news
Projects
Are there any new projects in Meta currently being worked on?
PluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party Repo
#7259newenhancement Add a “Report a vulnerability” button/link to plugin repo pages
#7255newenhancement Add a one-off “I have read the guidelines” checkbox before posting for the first time
CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. / 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/
Many WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ teams have been migrating over to 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 be the repository owner. https://github.com/ for repositories and Issue tracking, but with that has come some limitations of GitHub – namely, that in order for users to be able to alter issues/prs or push changes to a repo, they first need to be a member of the GitHub organisation.
So far we’ve resolved that by having some trusted team reps have GitHub Admin status, allowing them to invite members to the organisation as needed, but other teams have had to make a request in #meta 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/. for a GitHub admin to new members of teams to the organisation.
Through #7082-meta I’ve added a new tool to make.wordpress.org, allowing administrators of the make site with /wp-admin/ access to invite members to the GitHub organisation and their respective teams.
This is available under Tools -> Invite GitHub Member.
In the below video, you’ll see the workflow to invite a member to the organisation, and also how to cancel that invitation if it was accidentally sent to the wrong person. After the invitation is accepted by the invitee, they’ll be automatically added to the selected team(s).
The tool has been configured for any make teams that have existing GitHub teams. If you don’t see a team you expected to see listed, pingPingThe act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” in #meta and we’ll be able to enable it for you.
This meeting was essentially an open floor to discuss or answer anything Matrix related.
Main points that were brought up were:
Timeline on switching to Matrix
We don’t have a defined timeline, but the accessibility team recently tested Matrix and we would be working with them to define what 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) standards Matrix must meet before we can consider a full switch to Matrix.
Migrating messages in private Slack channels
We discussed the browser extensions we presented earlier as means of obtaining a copy of private messages. We couldn’t process private messages since they are not included in Slack export and there are privacy concerns in handling them. We talked about it being theoretically possible for one of the participating members of a private channel to export messages using the browser extension and an import tool capable of processing that data to import messages in a room to which other members can be invited afterwards. Messages would be posted as ghost user and not actual authors since private rooms require encrypting messages with keys only the account holders possess.
Migrating Slack integrations/bots
All Slack integrations/bots’ messages make it to Matrix today, thanks to the bridge. We would be rewriting these integrations on Matrix side, before turning them off from Slack side.
Any issues related to Matrix can be reported on Meta’s Trac under Communication (Matrix, Slack, IRC) component. Next meeting would be conducted on August 31st, 10 AM UTC.
To better tell the story of blocks, both within WordPress and as a broader framework for folks to consider with their next project, a new page has been created on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ that attempts to pull together the ease and power of blocks into a single source:
This is intended to be a starting point and not a final destination. Your feedback is welcomed and needed to get to the next iteration. Please leave a comment below and consider the following questions
What would make this page more compelling?
What points of confusion remain?
What visuals would you like to see to better communicate the story of blocks?
What additional resources need to be created to guide folks?
Where else should this page be linked from to improve discoverability?
Going forward, the intention is to update this page semi-regularly as it makes sense, with progressive features in WordPress releases and increasing resources.
There are a number of independent organizations that aren’t “official” WordPress things but still exist to support WP’s mission of democratizing publishing, like WPCC, and I’ve heard of things around 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), inclusion, enterprise, etc. What’s a good place we can link to all of these and say they’re not official but still a good place to get involved if that’s a better fit for someone’s interests.
@matt
🌟 Forming a Collaborative Working Group for Community Inclusion 🌟
To address the task of creating and maintaining the dedicated page for independent organizations on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/, let’s simplify the roles and responsibilities to ensure an effective and manageable working group. This group will bring together dedicated individuals passionate about fostering inclusion and diversity within the community.
🙌 Working Group Name: Organizations Supporting WordPress
🗓️ Meeting Schedule:
Frequency: Bi-weekly meetings for consistent progress. These can be async in the #meta channel.
Day and Time: To be determined based on interested group members. This working group will commence meetings in September and aim to move into maintenance mode by November, pending meetings.
🌐 Roles and Responsibilities:
Coordinator: Oversee the initiative, set agendas, and manage communication channels.
Team Members: various teams may be impacted. Aligning with Design, Polyglots, and Marketing teams seems wise here. Others as well may be interested.
Content Creators: Draft and update content for the dedicated page.
Reviewers: Ensure accuracy and adherence to guidelines before publication.
Metrics and Evaluation: Develop a simple framework to assess organization alignment and impact.
Communications Lead: Manage community engagement, updates, and announcements.
📋 Application Form:
Comment below expressing your interest in:
Role Preference (Select one or more): Coordinator, Content Creator, Reviewer, Metrics and Evaluation, Communications Lead
Relevant Experience:
Why are you interested in joining this working group?:
Availability for Bi-weekly Meetings (Days and Times you’re generally available):
🌈 Guiding Principles:
Inclusivity: Welcome diverse perspectives and experiences to ensure a well-rounded team.
Collaboration: Thrive on openness, mutual respect, and shared decision-making.
Transparency: Share decisions, discussions, and updates openly within the group.
Adaptability: Be open to learning and adapting for the best outcomes.
🌟 Joining Forces for Inclusion and Diversity 🌟
By forming this simplified working group, we’re creating a hub that showcases organizations aligned with the WordPress mission. This dedicated page will inspire contributors and celebrate the diverse community that enriches our open-source world.
We mainly announced that all public channels have been migrated with their entire history. There are some minor issues that we are tackling such as Slack message being posted back to Slack after being posted to Matrix. Any issues related to Matrix can be reported on Meta’s Trac under Communication (Matrix, Slack, IRC) component.
While we hope that all login problems have been resolved, we continue to investigate some reported cases to ascertain whether users are still experiencing difficulties with logging in. Please do let us know of any troubles.
The Slack bridge is active in all public channels so you can join conversations from either side.
For some rooms the history is already imported (for example, the metaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. room or a number of archived Slack channels), for others we’ll continue to import them over the coming week.
In the meeting itself, we first summarized important points from the previous meetings:
Login to the community.wordpress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ Matrix server has been implemented using Single Sign On (SSO) with WordPress.org using OpenID Connect (OIDC). The plugin we created is open source and can also be found in the WordPress.org pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party directory as OpenID Connect Server.
Compared to Slack this means a vastly simplified onboarding process. Instead of waiting for an e-mail arriving at a special e-mail address, you set the server in your Matrix client to community.wordpress.org and click “Login with WordPress.org” (the name of that button might vary by client).
As another way to access Matrix, we’ve created a 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/blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. that hosts an in-page Matrix client, called Chatrix. It can be added to P2P2P2 or O2 is the term people use to refer to the Make WordPress blog. It can be found at https://make.wordpress.org/. pages or posts to add a Matrix chat there and when you’re logged in to WordPress.org, joining the chat is a matter of going to that page and proceeding with SSO inside the block (which, the first time, will redirect you to authorize the login). An example of this can be found at https://make.wordpress.org/meta/chat/.
Slack Bridge
We’ve enabled the Slack bridge on all public channels, and we’re gradually importing Slack history to Matrix. For some channels, like #meta, this has already completed.
As part of the history migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies., you’ll be automatically invited to rooms on Matrix when you have joined the channel on the Slack side. You’ll also be autmatically invited to the respective Matrix rooms if you said something on Slack in the channel since we started the bridge earlier this week.
DMs are not part of the bridge, so on Matrix you can DM people but you’ll only get a response if they also use Matrix.
Private channels are not bridged at this point either but it will likely be possible to bridge them. In one of the next meetings we’ll discuss that.
You Can Try It Today
So, please go and start trying to use Matrix today and give us feedback!
We’re planning to do some more wide-scale announcements after this has been running stable for a while. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments!
During WCEU’s Q&A session, Matt mentioned an idea – a dashboard that would track team metrics across the 22 Make teams to motivate and quickly identify impactful work for incoming contributors, reference below.
This post aims to prompt thinking and co-creation of how we might best implement such a dashboard. What features would be essential, and what dependencies should be considered? How might we start, perhaps small and lean, with infrastructure in place to scale as needed? During this ideation phase, all thoughts and questions are welcome, so please contribute with your comment below.
I have a quick answer here, which is an idea I’ve been thinking about. And we’ll try to keep this short.
So I think in organizations, where I see this work well is you change what you measure. And one thing I’d love to get more on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ is some sort of like dashboard, essentially. Like we have the download counter, we have some stats for plugins and other things, but what if you could look across the 22 teams, and each of those 22 teams had some metrics attached and like a health metric. And this was how many work camps there were last year, this year, whatever.
Each team can define its metrics, but then there was a red, yellow, and green for how things were going. I think that would be really powerful. And then, you know, that’d be fun and motivating, I think, for everyone working on it. And then also if you’re coming in and you’re like, okay, what needs help? Look at the red stuff. So just want to plant that seed of an idea
