wcorl talk 2014- be a user the pros love and why you should care

KIMBERLY LIPARI

TALK

FOR PRESENTERWCORL 2014

BE A USER PROS LOVEAND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE THAT THEY LOVE YOU AT ALL

WordPress is Open Source

Open source software is software that can be freely used, changed, and shared (in modified or unmodified form) by anyone. Open source software is made by many people, and distributed under licenses that comply with the Open Source Definition.

THERE ARE 34,771 PLUGINS AVAILABLE ON THE WORDPRESS.ORG REPOSITORY

Let’s say a third of those have original developers (only one plugin created)

That means 11,590 people have contributed free code

You can’t spell Freemium without ‘Free’. Just because they have upgrades available doesn’t mean they make money

Supplying plugins for the repository is not a job

So, why do they do it? This is why the WordPress Community so great…

the product of collaboration is more valuable than the money to be made from going it alone

they get to use the collaborative product, which is more than they could have made on their own

outlook that they are giving something of value to a larger project

respect among peers, work satisfaction

YOU ARE BENEFITING FROM CONTRIBUTIONS

Business Model for OSS!

OSS Network = Volunteer Programers

customers pay for features or fund directed development since software is free

contribute a brick, build a building

!

Yeah but I’m not a Developer….

com·mu·ni·ty : kəˈmyoo͞nədē/

def: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

This means YOU

LIFECYCLE OF A COMMUNITY

“When forces favoring change are greater than those resisting it, firms move from one state in (in

the cycle) to another”

–Study on Community Life Cycle csulb.edu

So why do you care?developers make stuff we all use

the happier the developers are they more stuff they make

the nicer you are to them the more they will help you specifically

if we are not supportive of those who willingly contribute their time then the community will fail to support the software

OK I get it. !

Now how do I make the folks in our community happy happy happy?

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same

consideration you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

ConsiderationTreat others how you’d like to be treated.

Dear Developer,

Your stuff sucks. I turned it on and something broke. What’s up with that. I bet you still live with your mother.

I’m trying to start a serious business here and you’re undermining me!

You need to fix this now!

Dear Developer,

I’m new to your plugin and hoping you can help me work something out. I seem to have a conflict with x.

I’ve done the following tests…

Would you be able to offer some guidance?

Many Thanks!

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same

consideration you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

Be responsibleTake Backups often and before you change anything

Work on local site (i.e. ServerPress, VVV) for large development or testing

Understand your hosting and what you’re paying for (or NOT paying for)

Value the work of others, GOOD work WILL cost money, probably more than you expected

Take Backups often and before you change anything

Don’t get plugin happy, use what you NEED

Don’t confuse quantity with quality of work/advice, you know what they say about opinions…same saying applies here

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same

consideration you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

Be Clear

You don’t have to know all the right terms to say, but you must be clear when communicating

“I need help with this theme I bought on a site that won’t work right” is nowhere near as helpful as “Can someone tell me how I can install the theme I purchased from Themeforest? I’m getting an error on upload”

GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND FOR LINGO

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same consideration

you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

Troubleshoot before reporting…

log in/out

disable/re-enable

disable all

default theme

browser

cache

updates

third party connections

permissions

default theme

error log

Include info on above & images when reporting or asking for help

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same

consideration you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

Tools of the tradeGit or chosen repository

text editor (NOT WORD)

support forums

ASK - Developers are happy to help you learn and understand, they appreciate those that are willing to contribute. *

*note: if you need training get it, don’t lean on goodwill to teach you code

Steps to happy happy happy…1. Give folks the same

consideration you would want

2. Be a responsible user

3. Learn the lingo/be CLEAR

4. When you ask for help provide as much information as possible

5. For Free resources: Use the tools of the trade

6. For Paid resources: Respect and Expectations

Respect and ExpectationUnderstand how updates work and talk to your developer about how and when to update.

Work with a developer who is open to answering quick one off questions from time to time without billing you for every minute.

Conversely, be willing to pay for work or advice that takes real time.

If you hired them for their expertise, listen to their advice

Be clear on what you are getting, if you want something specific be sure to ASK first if you will be getting that

KIMBERLY LIPARI@KIMBERLYLIPARI !WP VALET BLOG FOR WP ELEVATION