Contributing to WordPress  [[3. Resources/Readwise/Full Document Contents/Articles/Contributing to WordPress-2|Full Document Contents]] ## Document Notes --- tags: #WordPress #OpenSource #Community Author: Andy Fragen Source: Surgical Diversions Blog Reference: [Link](https://thefragens.com/contributing-to-wordpress/) date created: 2024-09-28 10:00 --- # Title: Contributing to WordPress ## Table of Contents: - [[#📝 Summary:]] - [[#📖 Main Content:]] - [[#🗒️ Notes:]] - [[#📖 References:]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase:]] - [[#📰 Newsletter:]] - [[#✅ Action Items:]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses:]] - [[#📊 Methodology:]] - [[#❓ Questions:]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🔍 SEO Evaluation]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### References: - Andy Fragen, "Contributing to WordPress," Surgical Diversions Blog, September 28, 2024. [Link](https://thefragens.com/contributing-to-wordpress/). ## 📝 Summary: The article by Andy Fragen, titled "Contributing to WordPress," explores different dimensions of what constitutes a "contribution" to the WordPress ecosystem. Fragen comments on the ongoing debate regarding contributions from WP Engine and offers suggestions for alternative ways to manage funding for WordPress.org, including incorporating it within the WordPress Foundation for tax advantages. He emphasizes the importance of community, diverse forms of contributions, and suggests a more collaborative approach to fostering trust and inclusivity within the ecosystem. ## 📖 Main Content: The article opens with the author's experience at WordCamp US (WCUS) in Portland, where issues regarding WP Engine's contributions to the WordPress project were discussed. The author shares his belief that how the situation has been handled has been damaging to the community and expresses hope for regaining trust. The author highlights the dual nature of contributions: contributing directly to "the WordPress project" through coding and community hours and other less formally acknowledged contributions, such as sponsorships, content creation, and community support. The tension lies in the official recognition of what counts as a contribution, particularly with "Five for the Future," which doesn't recognize event sponsorship and content creation as core contributions. Fragen proposes that more funding models could be explored to support WordPress.org servers and infrastructure. He specifically suggests contributions from larger hosting companies, distributed proportionally based on the number of users. He believes this approach would reduce the burden on Matt Mullenweg and ensure equitable distribution of costs. The author also proposes that WordPress.org could be moved under the WordPress Foundation's management. This idea stems from the potential benefit of providing tax deductions for donors, thereby making contributions more appealing. He is, however, clear that this is just a suggestion and that legal and financial feasibility should be considered by experts. Throughout the article, Fragen maintains a constructive tone, underscoring his appreciation for the work already being done and suggesting that a broader understanding of contributions could enhance the community's sense of belonging and equity. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **Experience at WCUS**: - Andy Fragen attended WordCamp US in Portland. - The main topic of discussion was WP Engine's contributions. - The way the issue was handled was viewed as damaging to community trust. - **Understanding Contributions**: - There are different ways to contribute: Core contributions (coding, hours) versus sponsorships, content creation, etc. - "Five for the Future" doesn't consider sponsorships, content creation, and community engagement as contributions. - The author disagrees with this narrow view and sees all these activities as beneficial to WordPress. - **Financial Contributions and Hosting Costs**: - Matt Mullenweg currently funds WordPress.org infrastructure costs personally. - Fragen suggests that hosting companies should contribute a proportionate amount to help cover these costs. - This would distribute the financial burden and create shared responsibility. - **Proposal to Incorporate WordPress.org into the Foundation**: - Fragen suggests moving WordPress.org to be under the WordPress Foundation. - Contributions to the Foundation could be used to fund WordPress.org operations. - This model could offer tax deductions, making donations more appealing. - The author stresses that he is not an expert and that this is just an idea to explore. - **Community and Trust**: - The author emphasizes the importance of community trust and collaboration. - He hopes for a more inclusive definition of what contributions are, including any activities that support WordPress or bring in more users. - Acknowledges Matt Mullenweg's contributions and ownership but advocates for transparency and shared efforts. ## 📖 References: - Andy Fragen, "Contributing to WordPress," Surgical Diversions Blog, September 28, 2024. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase:  1. Original: "WordPress is many different things. For background, my understanding is that you, Matt Mullenweg, either owns or controls, Automattic, WooCommerce, WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Audrey Capital, and the WordPress Foundation." - Paraphrase: WordPress encompasses several aspects, with Matt Mullenweg owning or controlling Automattic, WooCommerce, WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Audrey Capital, and the WordPress Foundation. 2. Original: "I believe that anything that helps WordPress users or potentially brings in more users to WordPress is beneficial and should be both acknowledged and lauded as contributions." - Paraphrase: In my view, any action that assists WordPress users or attracts new users to the platform is valuable and should be recognized as a contribution. ## 📰 Newsletter: 🚀 **This Week in WordPress: Contributions, Updates, and New Ideas!** Hey WordPress enthusiasts! 🌟 This week, we're diving into the conversation surrounding contributions to WordPress. Ever wondered what really counts as contributing? Andy Fragen weighs in, suggesting we rethink the way we recognize efforts—whether it's writing code, creating content, or sponsoring events. Let’s redefine how we see community involvement! Plus, we’re bringing you the latest plugins that can help elevate your website and a roundup of upcoming WordPress events you won’t want to miss. Get all the details here: [Full Article](https://thefragens.com/contributing-to-wordpress/). 🔗 ## ✅ Action Items: This article is a strong reference for understanding community dynamics in open source projects like WordPress. It aligns with my focus on advocating for open-source sustainability and inclusivity. The following points align with my objectives: - **Diverse Contributions**: Highlights the importance of recognizing all forms of contributions, not just coding. - **Funding Models**: Suggests equitable funding approaches, which supports the advocacy for sustainable funding in open source. - **Community Trust and Transparency**: Advocates for inclusivity and transparency, resonating with the goal of fostering a collaborative WordPress ecosystem. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. Expanding the definition of contributions may increase participation rates within the WordPress community. 2. Placing WordPress.org under the Foundation could lead to more sustainable funding due to tax advantages. ### 📊 Methodology: - **Survey** WordPress community members on their perception of what constitutes a contribution. - **Financial Analysis** to assess the feasibility of integrating WordPress.org into the Foundation. - **Case Study** of other open-source projects and their funding models for community support. ### ❓ Questions: 1. How does the current definition of contributions affect community morale and participation? 2. What challenges might arise from transitioning WordPress.org into the WordPress Foundation? 3. Would hosting companies be willing to share inf ## Highlights -  Contributing to WordPress September 28, 2024 · [Andy Fragen](https://thefragens.com/author/andy-fragen/) I had the pleasure of attending WCUS in Portland and was present for your presentation. In the broadest sense you believe that WP Engine is not contributing enough back to WordPress. I don’t believe the way it has been handled has been helpful to the community, in fact, I believe it has been harmful. I hope that trust can be regained and the Community can heal. WordPress is many different things. For background, my understanding is that you, Matt Mullenweg, either owns or controls, Automattic, WooCommerce, WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Audrey Capital, and the WordPress Foundation. The Foundation is a 501c(3) and has a board of directors. I assume they heed your advice. You personally own WordPress.org and pay to “keep the lights on”. This includes the personnel and servers required to keep the APIs running. I am extremely grateful for that, as are we all. From all the comments, posts and video I’ve seen in the past week it seems there are 2 primary “contribution” areas. Contributing to “the WordPress project” via Core contributions, hours, and more. I understand that Five for the Future doesn’t consider that sponsorship of events, participation in the forums, making plugins and themes, making tutorials, and other learning materials count as contributions to the project. I strongly disagree. I know we disagree with event sponsorship as a contribution but realistically the ROI is near zero. Personally I have helped sponsor many of my local Southern California WordCamps even before I ever had a product for sale. The other area of expense I see referenced is running the dot org server and services, for which you personally fund the total costs. It seems that large hosting companies should share some of the costs to keep the dot org servers running. I would think it would be a simpler ask to contribute X dollars per Y users towards this. Obviously the costs and numbers would need to be worked out. But this seems like a cleaner path towards funding/cost sharing. I am not a lawyer, accountant, or tax attorney. I’m a trauma surgeon. But consider placing WordPress.org within the Foundation. This way contributions to the Foundation could be used to fund running the WordPress.org and these contributions would be tax deductible. It could potentially provide you and many others a tax deductible method of supporting WordPress monetarily. Again, I don’t have any special knowledge, this was simply an idea that I thought might make getting monetary contributions to running the servers we all depend upon provide an additional incentive to those contributing. I don’t know if you’re amenable to donating WordPress.org to the Foundation, but if you are you might want to speak with your advisors to see if any parts of this are feasible. I believe that anything that helps WordPress users or potentially brings in more users to WordPress is beneficial and should be both acknowledged and lauded as contributions. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8xc1x5dhra6w8y82ybw38md)) - it seems there are 2 primary “contribution” areas. Contributing to “the WordPress project” via Core contributions, hours, and more ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8xc9gccxcgarzjr6vq6hdj7)) - The other area of expense I see referenced is running the dot org server and services, for which you personally fund the total costs. It seems that large hosting companies should share some of the costs to keep the dot org servers running. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8xca6eqqy88g36azsk3ygdd)) - But consider placing WordPress.org within the Foundation. This way contributions to the Foundation could be used to fund running the WordPress.org and these contributions would be tax deductible. It could potentially provide you and many others a tax deductible method of supporting WordPress monetarily. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8xcarw2ks9zbh38952kad8e))