After WordPress  🔗 **Source:** [After WordPress](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/after-wordpress-morten-rand-hendriksen-mkvgc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: > - #OpenSource > - #WordPress > - #CommunityGovernance > - #Leadership > - #CorporateInfluence > - #WordPressFuture > Author: Morten Rand-Hendriksen > Source: [Morten Rand-Hendriksen's Blog](https://mortenrand-hendriksen.com) > Reference: N/A > date created: {{date:2024-12-28}} {{time:14:00}} > > # Title: The Future of WordPress: Time for Change > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#summary) - [📖 Main Content](#main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#notes) - [📖 References](#references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#methodology) - [❓ Questions](#questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#future-research) - [💡 Implications](#implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Assessment](#deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#conclusion) ### References: [Morten Rand-Hendriksen](https://mortenrand-hendriksen.com) ## 📝 Summary: Morten Rand-Hendriksen critiques the current state of WordPress, highlighting the control exerted by its leader, Matt Mullenweg, and the resulting challenges for the community. The article discusses the systemic issues, such as governance and the growing commercialization of the platform, and proposes two potential futures for the WordPress ecosystem. Rand-Hendriksen advocates for a shift in leadership and a reevaluation of the project’s governance to prevent further decline. ## 📖 Main Content: Rand-Hendriksen addresses the central issue in WordPress: its leadership, particularly the control held by Mullenweg, which prevents equitable governance. He suggests that WordPress, once a community-driven open-source project, has become more focused on corporate interests and profitability. Rand-Hendriksen proposes two potential paths: one where Mullenweg releases control and the community takes charge, or a new platform is built, separate from the current WordPress project. The article stresses the need for sustainable governance and community-driven change. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **Central Issue**: Matt Mullenweg holds absolute control over WordPress, stifling community governance. - **Historical Context**: Rand-Hendriksen's departure from WordPress in 2019 due to ethical and governance disagreements. - **Community and Commercialization**: The commercialization of WordPress has created inequities, with some contributors being paid while others remain unpaid volunteers. - **Governance Proposal**: A new system for governance, with elected representatives and an advisory role for Mullenweg, to foster transparency and equitable decision-making. - **Future Directions**: Either Mullenweg loosens control for a more community-driven future, or a new platform is developed based on lessons learned from WordPress. ## 📖 References: [Morten Rand-Hendriksen](https://mortenrand-hendriksen.com) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. *Original*: "The community must take active steps to change the status quo if they want to see a different future for WordPress." *Paraphrase*: "The future of WordPress depends on the community's active involvement to drive change and reshape its direction." 2. *Original*: "WordPress could have evolved into a modular system, but the project’s core philosophy of being everything to everyone prevented that." *Paraphrase*: "Instead of being a one-size-fits-all platform, WordPress could have thrived as a flexible, modular system, but its all-encompassing approach hindered this." ## 📰 Newsletter: **WordPress Community Update** Is WordPress at a crossroads? Morten Rand-Hendriksen’s latest article delves into the central issue facing the platform: leadership and governance. The project, once a beacon of open-source collaboration, has seen its core values erode due to corporate interests. Rand-Hendriksen proposes two futures: one where Matt Mullenweg loosens his grip on the project and embraces a more inclusive governance model, or a bold new platform is built. It’s time to rethink WordPress’s future—join the conversation and explore what’s next for the web. [Read the full article here.](https://mortenrand-hendriksen.com) ## ✅ Action Items: - **Aligning with Career Focus**: The issues raised align with my focus on open-source sustainability and governance. As a Developer Advocate, I can use this as a case study to promote better governance structures in the open-source community. - **Engagement**: Engage with the community through webinars or meetups to discuss governance models and how to improve inclusivity within WordPress. - **Visibility**: Share Rand-Hendriksen’s proposal and research through WordPress educational channels to foster awareness and discussion on the topic. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. Open-source projects with centralized control face increasing challenges in community participation and sustainability. 2. Shifting to a modular system within an open-source project would increase its adaptability and longevity, responding better to evolving user needs. ### 📊 Methodology: - Survey WordPress contributors to gauge opinions on governance and the direction of the project. - Conduct case studies of other successful open-source projects with decentralized governance to compare structures. ### ❓ Questions: - How can community-driven governance prevent the monopolization of power within open-source projects? - What would a modular WordPress look like, and how could it compete with modern platforms? ### 🔮 Future Research: - Explore how the commercialization of open-source projects impacts their governance and long-term viability. - Study the effectiveness of new governance models in large-scale open-source communities like WordPress. ### 💡 Implications: - The findings could reshape how open-source projects are structured, potentially moving away from centralized leadership to more distributed and equitable models. This could influence policy decisions within other open-source communities. ## 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: **Readability**: The article is moderately complex but written in a clear and direct style. 1. **Visual Learners (Spatial)**: - **Present**: The article’s structure is clean and easy to follow, but lacks diagrams or visual aids. - **Improve**: Adding flowcharts or infographics to explain the governance structure and proposed changes could improve engagement. 2. **Aural Learners (Auditory-Musical)**: - **Present**: There is no audio content provided. - **Improve**: Consider providing an audio version or podcast summary of the article to reach auditory learners. 3. **Verbal Learners (Linguistic)**: - **Present**: The article is rich in examples and detailed explanations. - **Improve**: Adding more real-life case studies or personal stories could enhance understanding for verbal learners. 4. **Physical Learners (Kinesthetic)**: - **Present**: The article provides actionable suggestions but lacks interactive elements. - **Improve**: Include actionable tasks or workshops for readers to engage with and apply the ideas presented. 5. **Logical Learners (Mathematical)**: - **Present**: The article provides clear logical reasoning and proposes solutions. - **Improve**: More data-driven examples or problem-solving exercises would appeal to logical learners. 6. **Social Learners (Interpersonal)**: - **Present**: The article encourages community involvement and discussion. - **Improve**: Incorporate links to forums or discussions for social learners to engage with others. 7. **Solitary Learners (Intrapersonal)**: - **Present**: The article encourages personal reflection on WordPress’s future. - **Improve**: Include journaling prompts or self-assessments to help solitary learners process the content individually. 8. **Naturalistic Learners**: - **Present**: The content touches on broader societal impacts but does not specifically reference nature or the environment. - **Improve**: Introducing nature-based analogies or sustainability-focused examples could appeal to naturalistic learners. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - **Screen Reader Compatibility**: The article uses proper formatting and is readable by screen readers. - **Improve**: Ensure all images (if any) include alt-text descriptions. - **Keyboard Navigation**: The content is fully accessible via keyboard navigation. - **Improve**: None needed. - **Contrast and Readability**: The article is written with good contrast and readability. - **Improve**: Use larger text for mobile devices to improve legibility. ### 🌍 DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Assessment: - **Cultural Relevance**: The article discusses governance from a global perspective but could use more examples from non-Western open-source communities. - **Improve**: Add diverse case studies from global open-source projects. - **Inclusive Language**: The language is neutral and inclusive. - **Improve**: Ensure that all terms are defined for non-native English speakers. - **Neurodiversity Support**: The article is clear and concise, but it could benefit from breaking up larger blocks of text for neurodiverse individuals. - **Improve**: Use more bullet points and shorter paragraphs. - **Representation**: The article primarily focuses on Western governance models. - **Improve**: Include examples from other regions and ensure broad representation. ### ✅ Logical Validity: - **Sound Reasoning**: The article presents well-reasoned arguments, especially in discussing the need for governance reform in WordPress. - **Fallacies**: No significant fallacies are identified. - **Suggestions for Improvement**: Further support the claims with quantitative data about community involvement and project outcomes. ### 🔍 DARVO Analysis: - **Deny**: Rand-Hendriksen denies the possibility of Mullenweg relinquishing control, stating it is highly unlikely. - **Attack**: The criticism of Mullenweg's leadership can be seen as an attack on his authority, especially with the statement about him deleting everything rather than giving up control. - **Reverse Victim and Offender**: No clear reversal of victim and offender dynamics in this context. ### 🔍 SEO Evaluation: - **Keywords**: Effective use of keywords such as “WordPress,” “governance,” “community,” and “leadership.” - **Meta Description**: The article could benefit from a concise meta description to enhance discoverability. - **Title Tag**: Title is engaging but could be optimized with keywords for SEO. - **Headers**: The article uses headers well to structure the content. - **Content Length**: The article is sufficiently long and provides value without fluff. - **Internal Links**: The article lacks internal links to related content on the site. - **External Links**: The article references external sources, but more authoritative external links could boost credibility. - **URL Structure**: The URL is simple and descriptive. - **Image Optimization**: No images to evaluate. - **Mobile Optimization**: The content is responsive and loads well on mobile devices. ## 🎯 Conclusion: Morten Rand-Hendriksen’s article provides a deep and critical examination of WordPress’s future, challenging its current governance model and offering pathways for improvement. The article is thought-provoking, providing clarity for readers to consider the community's role in shaping the future of WordPress, and possibly moving toward a new platform. The need for more equitable governance and sustainable practices is clear, and the conversation initiated here could shape the open-source landscape in significant ways. <!-- deep-read:sections end --> 📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/After WordPress-2|After WordPress, Morten Rand-Hendriksen]] ## Highlights - Many people are thinking out loud and sharing their ideas of the on-the-ground work that needs to be done ([WPCC](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ethewpcommunitycollective%2Ecom%2F2023%2F11%2F15%2Fpress-release-wp-community-collective-launches-inaugural-accessibility-fellowship-with-alex-stine%2F&urlhash=z1-X&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), [Mario](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx%2Ecom%2Fno_fear_inc%2Fstatus%2F1845204887795270134&urlhash=TmxY&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), [Joost](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjoost%2Eblog%2Fwordpress-leadership%2F&urlhash=qHxN&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), [Hendrik](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkraut%2Epress%2F2024%2Fwordpress-isnt-wordpress-anymore%2F&urlhash=7yVK&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), [Karim](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarucchi%2Ecom%2Fwordpress-leadership-continued%2F&urlhash=jTP-&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), the list is endless) so what I'll provide is a broader framework for governance and coordination. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jg70b7grbnn9jf4sqmq7cxx8))