Triage Squad 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/ triage: Biweekly on Thursdays 07:00 UTC
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
Meet Muhibul!
Today’s featured contributor is Muhibul Haque. Newly-appointed Training Team RepTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts., Muhibul sees contribution not just as an opportunity to teach, but as part of the continuous learning journey.
Let’s get to know him.
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Muhibul has been fascinated by technology from a young age, leading him to a career in web development. “I first discovered WordPress during my early career in 2011, when I was working in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While optimizing websites, I realized how important web development skills were, which sparked my interest in exploring this field further. Since then, coding has become my full-time focus and passion, and I’ve been using WordPress for various projects.”
Muhibul lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and likes to spend quality time with his friends and family, especially his energetic three-year-old son.
His developer background led him to consider contributing code: “It wasn’t easy, and I faced a lot of errors along the way. But I overcame those obstacles with the help and guidance of the community. Their support and encouragement were invaluable.”
What drew you to the Training Team, and how did you feel seeing your work reach so many people? “The Training Team caught my attention because it offered a unique opportunity to learn and contribute equally. My first contribution was as a translation contributor. When my work was approved by the editor, I felt incredibly happy and proud. Seeing my work help make WordPress more accessible to a wider audience was a rewarding experience, and it motivated me to continue.”
Were there any specific resources that helped you along your journey as a contributor? “Yes, the Training Team’s GitHub repository was a valuable resource for me. It contains videos that explain how to contribute to code-based projects, which really helped me get started. The Training Team’s 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 (#training) provided various onboarding documents that were incredibly useful, and guided me through the process.”
Muhibul was recently selected as a Training Team Rep, which he describes as “an incredible moment.” Before that, he filled several other roles, including administrator, guide, and editor, and contributed to the Mentorship Program.
“Being able to take on these different responsibilities was a great learning experience that has helped me grow, and being selected as a rep feels like the culmination of all that hard work and dedication.”
What advice would you give to someone interested in contributing to WordPress? “Start small and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Begin by exploring the resources available, such as the WordPress contributor documentation, community channels, and 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/ repositories. Focus on areas that interest you, whether it’s coding, documentation, translation, or support. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek guidance from the community—everyone is there to help you grow. Most importantly, be patient and persistent; contribution is a learning journey, and every small step counts!”
Everyone is there to help you grow
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(In)Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the one thing you would like people to know about you? I’m deeply passionate about learning and sharing knowledge. Whether it’s through contributing to WordPress, mentoring others, or working on creative projects, I always strive to grow while helping others do the same. I believe in the power of community and collaboration to make a meaningful impact.
Which of the skills that you possess was the most valuable when contributing to the Training Team and WordPress? One of the most valuable skills I bring is my ability to stay organized and focused. Whether working on documentation, managing tasks, or mentoring others, this skill has helped me contribute effectively and meet deadlines.
Thank you, Muhibul, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
Meet Jonathan!
This month’s featured contributor is Jonathan Bossenger from South Africa. As a developer educator sponsored by Automattic, he creates many super helpful videos on WordPress.tv, ensuring everybody from various ranges of expertise can learn WordPress easily.
Join us as we chat with Jonathan about his experience in the WordPress community!
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Hi Jonathan! Can you briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your background?
Sure, so as you know, my name is Jonathan. I live in Cape Town, which is in South Africa, a country right at the tip of Africa. For most of my youth, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life until I found my way to programming/software development. 2024 marks my 20th year writing code.
Outside of WordPress–professionally or in your spare time–what do you usually like to do?
I’m a husband and father of two growing boys, aged 9 and 12, so much of my spare time involves family activities.
When I do have time to myself, I spend it either staying fit and moderately healthy at the gym or working through my Steam gaming backlog, which built up over the years when the boys were very little, and I had no free time 😀
One of my other interests is martial arts, and I’ve been actively involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the better part of the last 17 years.
How did you first discover WordPress, and when did you decide to use it for your projects?
When I first started web development in 2009, I was teaching myself PHPPHPPHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/preface.php. from a book (you know, the way we learned before online learning was a thing!), and I wanted somewhere to document what I had learned. So I bought a domain and, after a Google search, installed Drupal on that domain. I went looking for alternative content management systems, and found WordPress.
Here’s the original blog post I published about the PHP script I wrote to migrate all my blog posts over to WordPress.
What motivated you to start contributing to the open-source project?
In 2015, I went to my first 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. in Cape Town. One of the talks, by Jenny Wong, was about how and why to contribute. This was something I’d been thinking about for a while, and so I was lucky to be able to chat with Jenny afterward, and she guided me further. After that WordCamp, I went home, found the Make WordPress site, and started looking for my first contributions.
I’m a volunteer by nature, and I’m a big believer that if I get something for free from an open-source project, I need to give something back. So, contributing to one of the Make teams made sense.
What drew you to the Training Team?
My journey to the Training team is a bit of a long story, so I’ll try to keep it short.
In 2020, when Learn WordPress launched in the format we know it today, I was learning to build WordPress blocks. One of my WordPress friends, Hugh Lashbrooke, was part of the team working on launching Learn WordPress with the newer tutorial videos (we called them workshops back then).
Hugh and I had spoken at a few local WordCamps together, so he knew that I liked presenting WordPress development topics. He asked me if I could create a developer tutorial, and so I did, on building your first block. I enjoyed creating that tutorial, but I never got another chance to create more.
About a year later, I moved to another company as a developer educator, creating online content for WordPress developers. However, that content was very specific to our WordPress products. I wanted to make more general WordPress development videos, so I joined the Training team channel, and the rest is history.
What was your first contribution? How did you feel seeing your work reach so many people?
My first contribution was helping to copy pages from the Codex to the new user documentation pages that now exist at Documentation team’s website (also known as HelpHub). I’ll be honest: I never really thought about the impact, it was just very cool to be contributing in this way.
Could you share any challenges or obstacles you faced when starting to contribute to the open-source project and how you overcame them?
My biggest challenge when I first started contributing was finding information. I hope the folks in the Docs team didn’t find all my questions annoying, but if I’m lost, I ask questions.😊
Were there any specific resources that helped you along your journey as a contributor?
That’s also my biggest piece of advice to new contributors: if you’re stuck, or you’re not sure, ask. Someone will reach out and help. Each of the WordPress Make teams has a team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. or two, and they’re usually the right folks to reach out to.
Can you share any memorable moments or achievements while contributing to WordPress?
There have certainly been a few.
Speaking at my first WordCamps, first in Cape Town and then in Johannesburg.
Getting to present a workshop at WCEU is also a pretty big highlight.
Oh, and recently someone shared with me that I have the highest number of contributions on WordPress.tv videos, at 179.
What advice would you give to someone interested in contributing to WordPress?
I’ll share the same advice Jenny shared with me: Go to the Make WordPress website, read about all the different teams there, such as the Training team, and pick a few that interest you.Then join the Make WordPress’s Slack, and poke around in a few of those teams’ channels. Ask questions, and you’ll soon find the right place for you.
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(In)Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the one thing you would like people to know about you?
While I love talking to people, I also need to recharge my batteries quite regularly. So, at large events, I often won’t stay in one conversation long. Please don’t think I’m being rude, it’s a defense mechanism.
What’s your favorite WordPress feature (can also be a 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. or 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)?
I really like the Site Editor. I recently had the opportunity to use it to make some changes to a WordCamp site, and it’s come so far in such a short space of time.
Name three things you must pack for WordCamp.
Lip balm, headache tablets, power bank.
Thank you, Jonathan, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
A pillar of the Italian WordPress community, Margherita is a great example of the magical things that can happen when you dare to say, “Why not?”.
Let’s get to know her.
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Can you briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your background?
Hi! I’m Margherita, born and raised in a small town in Italy, where the landscape is made up of hills dotted with wheat fields, sunflowers, vineyards, and olive groves. There is no traffic noise and that is good, but the downside is that I often struggle with a bad internet signal.
A freelance web designer since 2013, Margherita is active across the community, contributing to several teams:
A Translation Coordinator for the Training Team.
A Project Translation Editor (PTE) of 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. Learn WordPress Project in Italian.
An editor of the Italian Rosetta website and a manager of the Italian Community’s social channels.
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. co-organizer and speaker.
What do you do outside of WordPress (professionally or in your spare time)?
I share my life with Lorenzo, my husband since 1996. I have two sons, Filippo (28) and Pietro (17), and a cat named Dori.
I enjoy traveling and learning about places, people, foods, cultures, and traditions. I have also been singing in a choir since 1991.
I collect lipsticks (or other make-up) and stationary—pens, colored pencils, and notebooks (can you see why I love going to WordCamps?!). And I’m always up for pizza night.
How did you first discover WordPress, and when did you decide to use it for your projects?
I started to work as a web designer in 2012, after taking a professional course. In that course, they taught us how to use Joomla, so for a year I worked in a small agency churning out, on average, a classic 5-page site a week. One day, a client showed up with a very specific list of requests for her site. Searching the various marketplaces, I managed to find a WordPress theme that matched all those requests; I didn’t even know WordPress existed before then. And so, with a good dose of audacity, I said “Why not?” and launched into installing WordPress.
I was surprised to find that there were already plenty of resources and tutorials in Italian on various tech blogs.
The second thing I was amazed at was how fast the installation was. At that time, we used to upload the files via FTPFTPFTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol which is a way of moving computer files from one computer to another via the Internet. You can use software, known as a FTP client, to upload files to a server for a WordPress website. https://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients.. We did this manually for each client. With WordPress, I uploaded half (or maybe less) of the files compared to Joomla, so I was already saving time. And then, once the files were uploaded, it took only three clicks to complete the installation.
Since that day, I have never gone back.
What was your first contribution?
I started contributing in 2016, organizing the meetup in the small capital city of my province, Ancona. I toyed with the idea in my head for a long time. It seemed strange that no one had done it before, and it took me a year to convince myself to do it.
With time, I realized that organizing a meetupMeetupAll local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. was a way of contributing, as much as writing code.
What motivated you to start contributing to the open-source project?
One reason was to avoid feeling lonely when working at home, which is typical among freelancers living in remote areas. In my neck of the woods, going to work in a coworking space with other people, just to not be alone, means driving 30 kilometers (~19 miles) of curves to get to “civilization.” This would not be sustainable in either ecological or economic terms. But once a month, for the meetup, it can be done 😃
How did you feel seeing your work reach so many people?
I wrote to various local online news outlets to publish the first meeting, and about 40 people showed up, mostly out of curiosity. I had never attended any WordCamps or Contributor Days, nor had I spoken in public, but now I had to—I was the “hostess.” I am, and always will be, grateful to WordPress and the community for enabling me to evolve, grow, and empower myself as a person and as a professional.
Perhaps only recently, after so many years of contributing, do I really get the sense that those extra hours I spend at the PC translating strings, writing posts, or posting on social media reach many people. Now and then, I am filled with giddiness, thinking about both the “responsibility” and the collective usefulness of what I do. And I am deeply grateful for that.
What drew you to the Training Team?
On this, too, we could write a book. Heavens, I do not have the gift of brevity! In 2022, I participated, without any expectation about the outcome, in the selection for the WordPress Foundation’s Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship. I ended up being one of three recipients.
It was a dream come true: Me, embarking on a 16-hour intercontinental flight almost solo at 46 years old, with very poor English-speaking skills, to attend WordCamp US in San Diego. I felt like I was in a fairytale.
I may have already seen something online about Learn WordPress, but I didn’t really know what the team was doing. The only certainty I had was that no one else in Italy was working with them. And since I was living my “American dream,” I once again thought, “Why not?”. Why not try to get other people in Italy involved in translating existing training material and producing tutorials in Italian?
Finding training content in your own language is one of the best ways to democratize publishing: Language is a great tool for bringing people together, and not knowing English well is an insurmountable obstacle. With this in mind, I came home from WCUS 2022 set on doing something—even just a first step—to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy Learn WordPress.
Could you share any challenges or obstacles you faced when starting to contribute and how you overcame them?
I don’t think I faced any particular obstacles in the beginning. These came later. First, during the pandemic. Carrying on with the meetup was difficult. While everyone was connected online, giving webinars and workshops, I felt overwhelmed by too much content being offered online. It was difficult to resume meeting in person, just getting out of the house and meeting in groups with people.
The other obstacle I face now is just a lack of resources—both in terms of people involved and time. There are so many things I would like to do, but the Italian community, as active as it is, is very small and almost 100% volunteers; there are very few people sponsored. So I often find myself doing boring, repetitive yet paid activities, when I would much rather be working on WordPress projects.
Were there any specific resources that helped you along your journey as a contributor?
More than tools or documentation, it was the people I met who made a difference in my contribution journey. Without them, who have been a source of stimulation, inspiration, and empowerment for me, I would not still be here. I would like to name names, but the list would be very long, and I would risk forgetting someone. To them, I often dedicate thoughts of love.
Can you share any memorable moments or achievements while contributing to WordPress?
Well, receiving the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship was one of the unforgettable moments of my life. Another was being able to start a small “chapter” of the Training Team in Italy. We are slowly beginning to get organized to produce content in Italian.
What advice would you give to someone interested in contributing to WordPress?
Get started: no matter which team you pick, the important thing is to get started. And if you have any doubts, always ask because you can always find someone willing to sit, even virtually, and explain how things work. A good way to do this is to participate in the Contributor Mentorship Program.
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(In)Frequently Asked Questions
Which tutorial changed the way you work with WordPress?
I don’t know if this can still be found on the site, but learning how to work with WebP images in WordPress has helped me to optimize image management on the websites I build, and teach my clients, as well.
Thank you, Margherita, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
Meet Wes!
Wessel Theron, or Wes, is an Instructional Designer for the WordPress open-source project sponsored by Automattic. Born and raised in the vibrant city of Cape Town, South Africa, Wes and his family moved to New Zealand around 2018.
His rich background in teaching and content creation has equipped him with a deep understanding of learning processes. “I enjoy teaching and helping other people succeed,” Wes shares. This foundation inspired him to pursue a new path in instructional design, which is essentially the art of designing and developing impactful learning experiences and resources.
Wes outside the WWW
Beyond the digital world, Wes is happiest when he’s in nature, being active or traveling to places. A people person through and through, he highly values respect and kindness in his everyday life.
“I am a family man and love the outdoors. I have been married for 14 years, and we have three wonderful boys,” he happily says. He finds joy in spending quality time with his loved ones. Whether discovering new coffee shops, embarking on family outings, or simply soaking in nature’s beauty, anywhere is nice as long as they’re together.
Wes and WordPress
Wes started his WordPress journey in 2021 when he applied for the job as an Instructional Designer to create learning experiences and materials to teach WordPress users. He got the gig, and with that, the world of WordPress opened up.
“Since then, I have learned a lot and have tried to transfer knowledge through various mediums, such as video lessons, online workshops, and courses,” he says.
It also proved that the WordPress ecosystem is not only exclusive to those from tech backgrounds – because there are many aspects involved in running the technology.
His first contribution to the WordPress community was a video tutorial on regenerating thumbnails for image attachments. “It was exciting to have it published, but also daunting to realize that anyone in the world could view it,” he reminisces.
One of the most significant challenges Wes faces in his work is the dynamic nature of WordPress. While exciting, the platform’s constant evolution demands continuous updates and adaptations to the content that Wes creates. Balancing the creation of new materials with maintaining existing resources is an ongoing process.
When asked about the resources that help him navigate this evolving landscape, Wes relies on WordPress’ own documentation and on reaching out to subject-matter experts within the WordPress community. Additionally, many YouTube tutorials have inspired him along the way.
Milestones and Reflections
One of Wes’ proudest accomplishments within the WordPress community is the publication of the Beginner and Intermediate WordPress User Learning Pathways. This milestone represents countless hours of collaboration and dedication, and he is immensely grateful for the support of his fellow contributors.
Wes and Jamie Madden, a fellow Training team contributor
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. Europe 2022 and WordCamp Asia 2024 were the moments Wes always cherished. These events allowed him to connect with fellow WordPressers, share knowledge, and immerse himself in the vibrant WordPress community.
For those considering contributing to WordPress, Wes offers this advice: “Reach out and start small. There will always be someone to help you get the ball rolling. Once you complete your first contribution and gain confidence while better managing your time, committing to new tasks will become easier.”
Wes also emphasizes that even a contribution that seems tiny to you is always appreciated. “It’s important to remember that every form of contribution is valued and appreciated,” he concludes.
(In)Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the one thing you would like people to know about you?
I love burgers!
Which of the skills that you possess was the most valuable when contributing to the Training Team/WordPress?
Teaching various skill levels.
What have you learned from being a contributor? It can be a personal or professional takeaway.
Embracing transparency.
Release early, release often, and iterate regularly.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Avoid getting entangled in the numerous opinions and perspectives out there.
What’s your favorite WordPress feature (can also be a 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. or 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)?
I love patterns as well as the new Grid block.
Thank you, Wes, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
Meet Jamie!
Jamie Madden had been involved in open-source long before WordPress’ first release. He made his first contribution to the Red Hat kernel in 1999. Since then, he’s been contributing to the WordPress documentation, testing, and, of course, Training Team.
“I discovered WordPress when Matt (Mullenweg, WordPress co-founder -R.S.) started posting about it on the B2 Evolution forums. I have been around since the beginning. First, it was for personal projects. By 2006, I was using it professionally with my friend in our small agency, building websites and plugins for niche sites.”
An Australian living in Vietnam with his wife, Jamie has over 25 years of experience in IT in software development, infrastructure, backend server admin, customer support, and more. He also founded a multivendor marketplace 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 for WooCommerce and is now working in the emerging field of AI.
This is not a screensaver (photo: Jamie Madden)
Besides software, Jamie is also a passionate scuba diver with technical certifications who is looking to add dive master to the list soon. “If I’m not in the ocean, I’m on a mountain snowboarding,” he says. “I enjoy learning new things, and my current area of interest is languages. I’m studying Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish and dabbling in a couple more.”
What motivated you to start contributing to the open-source project? What drew you to the Training Team? “I’m passionate about open-source and open standards and have been interested in this since I got involved in IT in the mid-to-late 90s. I have been a tutor, teacher, and trainer on and off over the years, and I find that training is essential when learning to use new open-source tools. It was an opportunity to contribute to the Training Team as a subject expert.”
When asked about a memorable moment in his journey as a Training Team contributor, he picks a recent one: “I got to co-lead the Training Team Table at this year’s WordCamp Asia with Wes Theron. Meeting so many faces in person and onboarding new contributors has been a highlight.”
Could you share any challenges or obstacles you faced when starting to contribute and how you overcame them? “The biggest challenge for entry when contributing to any open-source projects—no matter if it’s development, marketing, documentation, or other areas—is documentation. The Training Team Handbook, the Developer Resources, and SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. have been staples in my contributions.”
Soon to be Dive Master. Jamie underwater
What advice would you give to someone interested in contributing to WordPress? “Everyone learns differently, so ask questions, be curious, and start building. That’s how you learn WordPress and find where you could contribute most.”
(In)Frequently Asked Questions
Which tutorial changed the way you work with WordPress? “All the 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. Editor tutorials that Wes produces.”
Name three things you must pack for 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..
My name badge from the last one
A spare bag for swag
Comfortable shoes
If you had all the time in the world, which other open-source project would you contribute to? “I would go back to contributing to the PostgreSQL team. I used to contribute to the docs team 20 years ago.”
Thank you, Jamie, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, the Training Team introduces you to one of our many valued contributors, and you can learn more about their contribution journey.
Introducing Cynthia!
Today’s featured contributor is Cynthia Norman from Canada! Cynthia is one of the Training team’s Content Creators with expertise in theme development, and she’s also a Faculty team member. Let’s get to know more about her WordPress journey.
All About Cynthia
Cynthia is a family woman–she’s a proud nana of six grandchildren who lives near the beautiful Ontario landscape, where the wilderness is just a little beyond her backyard. She grew up in Quebec and comes from French-Canadian heritage, so no wonder that she’s eloquent in French.
With a background in Civil Engineering and French language proficiency, Cynthia has taught computer science, math, and French for many years. That was until 2010, when she decided to switch gears from teaching at high school to web development. She obtained a diploma in Applied Web Development, and now it’s been five years that she has worked as a freelance web developer.
Outside of WordPress, Cynthia enjoys spending time in nature. “As a self-proclaimed introvert, I am most happy spending time fishing, kayaking, vegetable gardening, and walking with my golden retriever, Mya,” she says.
She also cherishes the time when she’s with her own family and her church family. “As grandparents, my husband and I are never short on family gatherings around birthday celebrations and holidays!” The great outdoors, a nice dose of solitude, and fun times with loved ones–now that’s what you call ‘joie de vivre’!
Cynthia’s WordPress Journey
When she was still studying web development, Cynthia did volunteer work for her church–she helped create a website for them. It was the first time she developed a website, and she used HTMLHTMLHTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites. and CSSCSSCSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site. to build it. Soon after, she built her first WordPress website professionally, and she’s been hooked to this CMS ever since.
Over the years, she has built and maintained hundreds of WordPress sites as a freelancer for her own clients and as a contractor with WordPress agencies.
As time went by, Cynthia’s eagerness to stay current led her to start contributing to WordPress’s open-source project. “I felt contributing to the WordPress project would tick all the boxes for my desire to grow professionally,” she explains. “I was a WordPress Contributor Mentorship program mentee in July 2023. I chose to join the Training Team as this is where I felt most comfortable, given my background and experience in education.”
Her first significant contribution was updating the 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. Theme developer course created by Jonathan Bossenger on Learn WordPress. “Working collaboratively with WordPress educators has been so rewarding, and exactly what I needed to complement my freelance work,” Cynthia affirms.
Powered by her experience in creating many WordPress sites and hundreds of WordPress tutorials, Cynthia also decided to extend her passion for knowledge-sharing by launching a WordPress Tutorials YouTube channel, WP SOS Hub, in 2023. There, she created videos about her experience with WordPress-related topics such as themes, plugins, and full-site editing, aiming to inspire people to have a beautiful and SEO-optimized website that will convert visitors into customers.
Overcoming Challenges
For Cynthia, the most challenging part of contributing has been figuring out how much time to set aside on a consistent basis. She shares her trick: “My efforts to contribute at least 2 hours daily have helped me grow into my current role as a Faculty Member of the Training Team.”Moreover, Cynthia acknowledges that the Training team’s onboarding process and handbook are excellent resources to guide contributors along their journey. In the Training team, there are multiple onboarding paths for multiple contributing roles, so new contributors can choose any path they like.
Memorable WordPress Moments
Cynthia joined the pilot program of WordPress Contributor Mentorship in 2023, and completing it has been the highlight of her WordPress journey. “The mentorship program was what I needed to gain insights into what contributing to the WordPress project meant to begin with. My mentor, Jenni McKinnon, made me feel supported throughout the program. We had a little one-on-one time which was so appreciated,” she reminisces.
The Contributor Mentorship Program itself is a cohort-based and 1:1 mentorship to new and aspiring contributors. The program is intended as a pathway to help new contributors find their way into WordPress contributions. The second cohort of the program is currently running, starting from February 19, 2024.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started with contributing to WordPress?
“Choose to work on one thing you feel drawn towards, and try hard to avoid getting distracted by all the different directions your contributions can take you. You may get discouraged and give up if you don’t feel a connection with anyone. From my experience so far, I have found it best to slowly build things so that I can gain confidence in one area before moving on to the next thing.”
Thank you, Cynthia, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and to 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!
If you are interested in getting started with contributing to the Training Team, please check out our Getting Started guide and/or join the Guide Program to be mentored by an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
In what is quickly becoming a tradition, in recent months, Oneal has been busy helping organize WordCamp Asia 2024, just like he did in the 2023 edition.
When not contributing to the community, Oneal works as a Project Manager, Agile Coach, and IT Instructor. He also manages WordPress sites for family members, non-profit groups, and charity organizations.
May the Force be with you
Oneal is a big Star Wars fan. Actually, that’s what led him to WordPress in 2007: he volunteered to build a website for a global fan club.
How did you discover WordPress, and why did you start using it for your projects? “I used Drupal to build a website for my costuming group but found WordPress easier for non-technical users, with more community support. It was also better supported by developers in the community.”
After migrating the first site, Oneal continued using WordPress to build websites, blogs, and community membership sites for family members, small businesses, and other charity and community organizations.
His passion for George Lucas’ epic series still burns: Oneal spends his weekends building and wearing Star Wars-themed costumes for charity events, fundraisers, and children’s hospital visits.
Training for the Training Team
Oneal’s online journey has often involved training. In the 1990s, he ran an internet cafe, teaching people how to use the internet, join chatrooms, and play and run LAN games. Then, he trained co-workers on doing customer support over the phone, Skype, and IRC.
Eventually, he joined one of the biggest logistics companies in the Philippines as an IT Learning and Development Specialist, training thousands of people each year.
What motivated you to go beyond using WordPress and start contributing to the open-source project? What drew you to the Training Team? “I discovered the global WordPress community during the pandemic. I had been using WordPress since 2007, but my work hours prevented me from getting involved in the local WordPress community. The lockdowns in 2020 left me with free time to join the Training Team meetings. Then, Courtney Robertson asked me to run one of the Team’s online meetings.”
Oneal also helped Jill Binder organize the #WPDiversity workshops. He’s run events in the Philippines, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Switzerland, and helped Jill run workshops in South America.
In July 2022, Oneal was invited to join the Training Team faculty as an Administrator, where he currently helps vetting Training Team online workshop facilitator and training presenter applications.
He is also on the WordPress Community Program Support Team, helping vet 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 MeetupMeetupAll local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. applications.
What was your first contribution, and how did seeing your work reach so many people feel? “I helped run online meetings, edited meeting notes, and supported team members running online workshops. It made me feel like I’m part of the community of contributors. The WordPress community is not only made up of developers or coders—there are many avenues of contribution where anyone could make a difference.”
Could you share any challenges or obstacles you faced when starting to contribute and how you overcame them? “Time zones are a big challenge. I’m based in the Philippines (APAC timezone), and many meetings I helped run were usually in the US or UK timezone. l had to be awake at 1 am to join; eventually, the Training Team shifted to a two-meeting arrangement, accommodating contributors across the globe.
Another challenge is the cost of attending WordCamps and Meetups. “In the US and Europe, you can drive to an event. If you want to attend a WordCamp in Asia, you have to fly, which not only costs money but also means taking time off from work.”
Nonetheless, when Oneal heard about WordCamp Asia 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, he decided that this had to be the first WordCamp he would attend in person. “I applied as an organizer, and for almost a year, 50 of us took time out of our week for meetings and prepared a flagship WordCamp in another country.”
Were there any specific resources that helped you along your journey as a contributor? “A great resource in WordPress is the vast amount of content created by the Training Team. There are workshops and videos on every aspect of WordPress, and many are translated into multiple languages for broader reach.
But the best resource is the people in the community. There are people who will guide you and those who will bend over backward to help you, and there are those who will sit and listen to you. They are the greatest assets, and why many of us still contribute.”
Can you share any memorable moments or achievements while contributing to WordPress? “One of the most satisfying times was when I was asked to contribute to an online workshop, discussing how the Training Team Faculty admin performs the vetting process for content contributors and how to ensure they comply with the GPLGPLGPL is an acronym for GNU Public License. It is the standard license WordPress uses for Open Source licensing https://wordpress.org/about/license/. The GPL is a ‘copyleft’ license https://www.gnu.org/licenses/copyleft.en.html. This means that derivative work can only be distributed under the same license terms. This is in distinction to permissive free software licenses, of which the BSD license and the MIT License are widely used examples..”
What advice would you give someone who wants to start contributing to WordPress? “Jump in! Just join any team you feel you can contribute. Everyone is friendly and willing to help. There is always something to do, and there are many areas where you can make a difference. The community is dynamic and always moving, and people are welcoming and encouraging.
WordPress is not just software, code, ones, and zeros. WordPress is people. WordPress is a community. That is what makes WordPress stronger and keeps people coming back.”
Thank you, Oneal, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and 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!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, the Training Team introduces you to one of our many valued contributors, and you can learn more about their contribution journey.
Introducing Tracy!
Today’s featured contributor is Tracy Rhodes! Tracy is a Faculty Member with the Training Team, contributing as an Administrator, Content Creator, Editor, and Subject Matter Expert.
Tracy’s Background
Tracy brings a unique perspective to the WordPress Training Team! He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and served 20 years in the USAF as a pilot and Aeronautical Engineer. After retiring from the Air Force, Tracy was a pilot for Northwest Airlines (and Delta Airlines after the merger) for a total of 22 years.
Tracy has always enjoyed technical subjects. He earned a BS degree in Engineering Sciences and an MS in Aeronautical Engineering. His early programming experiences were using Fortran (and punch cards), then around 1985 he bought his first computer—a Zenith 100 desktop—and taught himself Basic/Visual Basic.
When not in the WordPress world, Tracy is immersed in the world of aviation. He owns a small 2-seat airplane that he flies and maintains. He is also the president of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association and volunteers as a FAA Safety Team Lead Representative with the Reno FAA Flight Standards District Office. He and his wife also take care of their two dogs, a Border Collie and an Australian Shepherd.
WordPress Origin Story
Tracy’s journey with WordPress began during a challenging period in the aviation industry around 2005. As major airlines declared bankruptcy and renegotiated employee contracts, Tracy experienced a significant reduction in salary and potential retirement income. In an effort to regenerate some of that loss, he and his wife decided to start a business focused on selling homemade dog toys at events and through an ecommerce store.
This new venture required Tracy to acquire skills in ecommerce development, and SEO/marketing. He started out studying PHPPHPPHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/preface.php., HTMLHTMLHTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites., CSSCSSCSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site., and MySQLMySQLMySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. databases. He pursued online courses, consumed programming manuals, and attended programming and marketing conferences.
It wasn’t long before Tracy discovered WordPress as a CMS that simplified website creation. This discovery marked a turning point in his trajectory. Upon retiring from airline flying, Tracy established his own single-member LLC and began creating WordPress websites for clients.
First Contributions
Tracy’s enjoyment of teaching played a big role in his decision to contribute to the Training Team. With his background as a flight instructor, Tracy has been giving civilian flight instruction since 1972, making teaching a natural inclination for him.
Inspired by his experience at the Reno-Tahoe WordCamps in 2011 and 2012, Tracy, along with a few others, started up the Reno WordPress meetup. Soon after, he started leading discussions within the group then became a co-organizer for the 2013 Reno-Tahoe WordCamp.
For Tracy, joining the Training Team was a logical continuation of his participation in promoting and teaching WordPress to new users. His first contribution was part of the Training Team’s onboarding process, engaging in a content review for a Tutorial. Tracy found the process to be very rewarding, as his comments and suggestions were received well and appreciated by the Tutorial creator.
“It felt great to be a contributing part of the team and to be able to help out, even a little bit.”
Overcoming Challenges
When he began contributing, Tracy struggled to find a clear path to becoming a better contributor. Having come from regulated industries with clear paths to success, he found it frustrating to not have clearly outlined steps on how to progress with the Training Team. However, this challenge was greatly mitigated by the efforts of the team in the past year.
“This first challenge has been largely taken care of with the tremendous changes this year that can be found in the Training Team Handbook. Thank you to all who have contributed to that effort.”
Tracy also encountered challenges in determining his level of participation. As a self-taught programmer in WordPress languages and without prior experience working in a website agency, he wasn’t familiar with aspects such as pull requests and code development as part of a team. Due to this, Tracy had to dedicate lots of time and effort to research and catch up in this area. Yet, even when he became a training team faculty member with the ability to carry out significant tasks within the Training Team systems, he initially hesitated.
“At first I was very reluctant to participate because even though I had the ability to do things I wasn’t sure if I really should. Discussions with and questions to @courtneypk, my self-designated ‘faculty mentor’ have helped me through this challenge. Many thanks for the guidance, Courtney.”
The Rewards of Contribution
Conducting WordPress Meetups, where Tracy had the opportunity to assist new users in solving the problems they have been facing has been rewarding for him.
Additionally, witnessing the success of WordCamps has also been rewarding. Seeing the tickets sell out and the event come together is satisfying, as it shows the valuable impact and interest that the WordPress community generates.
Tracy also enjoys helping presenters and developers with Online Workshops. The appreciation expressed by attendees through their comments and words of thanks is a great feeling, and serves as a reminder of the positive impact that the team’s contributions make within the WordPress community.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started with contributing to WordPress?
“The WordPress Training Team is an international volunteer organization and as with any volunteer organization, what you get out of the organization is directly related to what you put into the organization.
If you really want to know what WordPress and the WordPress project is all about then become part of the project by participating in one of the many teams that make up the project.
Are you new to WordPress and don’t feel you have anything that you can contribute? You are wrong. There are many things just on the training team that you can accomplish as a new user. Take a look at the Training Team Handbook and get started with your training team onboarding process today.”
Thank you Tracy, for sharing about yourself, your contribution journey, and advice with us! The Training Team appreciates all your contributions and your dedication to 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.
If you are interested in getting started with contributing to the Training Team, please check out our Getting Started guide and/or join the Guide Program to be mentored by an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, the Training Team introduces you to one of our many valued contributors, and you can learn more about their contribution journey.
Introducing Maya!
Today’s featured contributor is Nadia Maya Ardiani from Indonesia! Maya is a Content Translator for the Indonesian locale, an Indonesian Translation Coordinator, a Faculty team member, and is also currently trying out being a Content Creator!
All about Maya
Maya’s educational background is in English literature, and she began her career as a journalist. Starting from radio, Maya explored many mediums, including magazines and websites. She specialized in music, culture, and regional news, as well as feature writings on people and places. Maya’s fascination for media and communication brought her to various related avenues: media relations specialist, publicist, and public diplomacy officer for a foreign government representative.
However, everything changed when the pandemic hit — Maya had to find another arena that was more flexible in regards to place and time, and that was when she became a content writer in the tech industry. This was the time when Maya learned in-depth about WordPress because she had to write about it. It was quite a pivot, but a step that she is grateful she took.
Maya is currently a content specialist with Hostinger, and interviews people — from Hostinger’s clients to WordPress community members — and writes articles about their expertise and inspiring stories. She also works on social media to boost the performance of their website content.
Outside of WordPress, Maya loves going to live music. She also loves spending time with her friends, reading, experimenting with recipes, watching movies, and exploring the internet for her daily dose of memes.
Maya’s WordPress Journey
Maya has always been drawn to the Internet and its culture, as well as the people who create and use it. She first discovered WordPress during her school years and was struck by its sophistication, even though it didn’t visually captivate her at the time.
Years later, Maya’s job as a tech content writer required her to have a deep understanding of WordPress. She was surprised to find that WordPress had grown significantly, offering exciting customizations and becoming easier to understand. She started exploring WordPress more, attending her first 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 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/.. It was during these experiences that Maya fell in love with the WordPress community, where everyone learns and supports each other.
Maya’s commitment to the WordPress community solidified when she volunteered as an interviewer at WordCamp Asia 2023. Being a part of something that makes the internet more accessible to everyone motivated her even further.
“It’s just so lovely to be involved in something that makes the internet more accessible for everyone.”
First Contributions
Maya’s journey as a contributor to WordPress began with her first contribution to the Polyglots teamPolyglots TeamPolyglots Team is a group of multilingual translators who work on translating plugins, themes, documentation, and front-facing marketing copy. https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/.. While she doesn’t recall the specifics, she remembers working on some strings related to the current release towards the end of 2022.
With the Training team, Maya made her initial contribution by creating a lesson plan and translating a tutorial. To her surprise and delight, she received news that the tutorial she translated was the first-ever Indonesian translation within the Training team—something she found truly awesome!
Overcoming Challenges
When Maya first began contributing to WordPress, she faced a common challenge—the feeling of knowing very little and wondering if she truly belonged on the Training team. There were moments when she questioned if she deserved to be a part of a team dedicated to helping others learn about the platform. However, Maya discovered a supportive and helpful community within the Training team.
“Everyone is a work in progress, and we’re never alone in the process, so as long as we’re willing to learn, we can learn together with everyone.”
Memorable WordPress Moments
Being welcomed into such a diverse community, even in places where Maya may not see many people who looked like her, has been a great source of joy. One significant moment was when she interviewed Michelle Frechette, who told Maya that it’s important to show up and start doing something even when you feel like you’re one of the minorities, because you might open the door for others who relate to your experience. This conversation inspired Maya and served as a reminder that her participation could create opportunities for others like her. Seeing fellow POC hijabi women participating at WordCamp US 2023 reaffirmed the idea that there is a place for her at the table. This heartwarming encounter boosted her confidence and conviction more than any inclusivity campaign had.
Maya also had incredible experiences at her first local WordCamp and her flagship WordCamp. The local event allowed her to dive into the intricacies of the project, while the flagship event provided her with a whole new scale of WordPress contributor experiences. These experiences fostered a sense of camaraderie with her fellow contributors, and Maya will always cherish those moments.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started with contributing to WordPress?
“You don’t have to be an expert to begin contributing. Start with what you have and improve at your own pace can always be a good idea. In the WordPress community, everyone has each other’s back, so don’t be afraid to ask, even though it might feel like a stupid question (it’s totally fine, everyone’s a newbie at some point in life).”
Thank you, Maya, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and to 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!
If you are interested in getting started with contributing to the Training Team, please check out our Getting Started guide and/or join the Guide Program to be mentored by an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
Welcome to a new series, called the Contributor Spotlight! In this series, the Training Team introduces you to one of our many valued contributors, and you can learn more about their contribution journey.
Introducing Laura!
Our first featured contributor is Laura Adamonis! Laura is a Content Creator with the Training Team, a volunteer working with the Faculty program, and our newest Team Rep for 2024! She is also part of the start-up DEIB team and has contributed to the Photo and CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. teams.
Laura’s Background
Before finding WordPress, Laura’s background took several different turns. She has a degree in set & lighting design, worked in a department store, and a visual merchandiser setting up displays and Christmas. “I thought about being an interior designer or architect because when I was little I always loved rearranging my room,” she adds.
Laura started her journey as an educator when she became a Montessori teacher for 6-9 year olds and taught for several years. She did several years of volunteer work from coaching, to library helper, to mentoring. She then went back to teaching at the local science center and became the robotics coordinator in charge of LEGO classes, engineering, robotics, and coding for kids.
Outside of WordPress, Laura loves spending time with her family, scrapbooking, baking, gardening, and exploring new places.
Laura’s WordPress Journey
“I like using WordPress for the ease and that 40% if not more of the world’s websites use it.”
When Laura discovered WordPress, her job at the time required her to work weekends and she was at a point where she wanted to have the flexibility to pick up and do things, so she quit her job. She was just taking time to do some projects around the house when she was scrolling through social media and found a woman-owned website coding course that focused on WordPress.
Discovering Contribution
Laura’s motivation to go beyond using WordPress was a two-fold decision:
“I had impostor syndrome and felt I didn’t know enough to call myself a designer. I was taking all the workshops and watching tutorials to learn more to build my confidence. The second part is as an educator I want to help others learn and understand. We all learn in different ways and I have a good sense of the different learning styles to help others. That is what drew me to the training team.”
Laura’s first contribution was as a co-host for an Online Workshop:
“After co-hosting I felt amazing. The fact that I was co-hosting for someone on the other side of the world and that people from all over were attending.”
Overcoming Challenges
“Last year when I decided to contribute I also decided to not contribute. Finding information about how to do things was impossible for me to find or I would find it then spend hours trying to find it again. I overcame this by setting a goal and started bugging people, asking questions. I wrote out the steps I needed to do, I created folders in my browser so I could find pages more easily. The Training team has done a great job in the past year to update the handbook and document the steps to take in order to do different things. You might even see my name or face within those documents. I love that I am able to contribute as I navigate through the different processes.
The Training team has been focused more on improving the handbook and creating tutorials and workshops to show the steps on how to contribute. This has been very beneficial.”
Memorable WordPress Moments
Publishing my first tutorial has been very exciting.
Going to my first 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..
Most of all, being a part of a special community where we learn together and help each other..
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started with contributing to WordPress?
DO ask questions. There is this awesome community called WordPress just waiting to answer your question.
Be alright with not getting it right. A great way to learn is from our mistakes. Own them. Let them make you confident.
Thank you Laura, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and to 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!
If you are interested in getting started with contributing to the Training Team, please check out our Getting Started guide and/or join the Guide Program to be mentored by an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
