My WordPress Slack Ban  ## Metadata - Author: [[LinuxJedi's /dev/null]] - Full Title: My WordPress Slack Ban - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #slack - #opensource Author: [Stuart Herbert] Source: [LinuxJedi Blog] Reference: [https://linuxjedi.co.uk/my-wordpress-slack-ban/] date created: 2024-10-11 15:00 --- # Title: My WordPress Slack Ban: A Reflection on Community Rules ## 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 Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: In this blog post, Stuart Herbert reflects on the events that led to his ban from the WordPress Slack community. He shares his perspective on the incident, discussing the rules and the enforcement process within the WordPress community, and how the lack of transparency and clear communication contributed to the situation. Stuart’s post calls for more inclusivity and fairness in the moderation processes within open-source communities, highlighting the need for clearer guidelines and more open dialogue. ## 📖 Main Content: Stuart Herbert details his experience with being banned from the WordPress Slack channel after he raised concerns over certain moderation practices within the community. He describes how the situation escalated without warning, leaving him feeling that the enforcement of the rules lacked transparency and fairness. Herbert argues that the incident exposes larger issues in open-source communities, where the lines between leadership, community engagement, and enforcement are sometimes blurred. He advocates for a more inclusive and clear approach to moderation, to ensure that all voices within the community are treated fairly and that rules are applied consistently. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **The Incident**: - Stuart was banned after expressing concerns about moderation practices. - He was given no prior warning or opportunity to discuss the issues. - **Moderation and Transparency**: - The lack of transparency in the decision-making process is highlighted. - Herbert criticizes the unclear guidelines and inconsistent application of community rules. - **Calls for Improvement**: - Stuart advocates for clearer rules and fairer processes. - He emphasizes the need for open dialogue and inclusivity in community governance. ## 📖 References: - [Stuart Herbert’s blog post: My WordPress Slack Ban](https://linuxjedi.co.uk/my-wordpress-slack-ban/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. **Original**: Stuart expressed his concerns about moderation but was banned without any prior notice, which left him feeling alienated from the community. - **Paraphrase**: Stuart shared his worries about how moderation was handled, but instead of receiving a warning or feedback, he was suddenly banned, leading him to feel disconnected from the community. 2. **Original**: The lack of clear communication and transparency around the enforcement of community rules created frustration and raised questions about fairness in open-source communities. - **Paraphrase**: The absence of transparent communication and clarity in how rules were applied led to Stuart’s frustration, prompting him to question the fairness of moderation in open-source communities. ## 📰 Newsletter: In this week’s WordPress newsletter, we look at the experiences of a developer who was banned from the WordPress Slack community. Stuart Herbert raises important points about transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in open-source moderation. This incident serves as a reminder that as WordPress continues to grow, maintaining open, fair, and respectful spaces for all contributors is critical. Learn more about community governance and what needs to improve in this thought-provoking post. [Read more here](https://linuxjedi.co.uk/my-wordpress-slack-ban/). ## ✅ Action Items: As a Developer Advocate at GoDaddy, my role in fostering a welcoming and inclusive open-source community is crucial. Stuart’s experience highlights the importance of transparent, fair, and inclusive moderation processes. This aligns with my focus on open-source advocacy, contributor engagement, and education within the WordPress community. It is vital to ensure that contributors feel heard and respected, and that community guidelines are applied consistently. These are essential components of creating a sustainable and healthy open-source ecosystem. Stuart’s post underscores the need to advocate for clearer processes and open dialogue within WordPress governance, a point I can incorporate into my own advocacy efforts. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. The lack of transparency in moderation can lead to feelings of alienation within open-source communities. 2. Implementing clear guidelines and open communication could improve contributor retention and community engagement in WordPress. ### 📊 Methodology: - Surveys of contributors to gather feedback on their experiences with community moderation. - Analyzing the correlation between clear communication and contributor satisfaction in other open-source communities. ### ❓ Questions: - How can WordPress improve the transparency and fairness of its moderation processes? - What mechanisms can be implemented to foster open dialogue between community members and moderators? ### 🔮 Future Research: Future research could explore best practices in community moderation and conflict resolution in other large open-source projects. Investigating how these practices can be adapted to WordPress could provide insights into creating more inclusive and fair community governance. ### 💡 Implications: Improving transparency in moderation processes could lead to better community engagement, reduce conflict, and encourage more contributors to participate in WordPress development. These changes could strengthen the community’s trust in leadership and ensure that all contributors feel valued. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: - **Visual**: No diagrams or visuals are present; adding a process flowchart for community moderation would benefit visual learners. - **Aural**: No auditory elements; adding a podcast or discussion about moderation practices could engage auditory learners. - **Verbal**: The language is clear, but more examples could be provided to support the main points. - **Physical**: No interactive elements are included, but the post could include a call to action for contributing feedback on community rules. - **Logical**: The arguments are well-structured, but additional data or case studies could appeal to logical learners. - **Social**: The post reflects a social learning opportunity by sharing experiences, but it could further encourage peer discussions through community forums. - **Solitary**: The reflection on personal experiences supports solitary learning, but adding journaling prompts for readers could deepen individual engagement. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - **Screen Reader Compatibility**: Ensure the blog post is fully navigable by screen readers with appropriate alt-text for any images. - **Keyboard Navigation**: Confirm the blog’s interface allows for full keyboard navigation without requiring a mouse. - **Contrast and Readability**: High-contrast text and clear fonts should be used for readability. - **Text Resizing**: Ensure the content is responsive to text resizing to improve accessibility for visually impaired users. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment: - **Cultural Relevance**: The article discusses universal issues of fairness and inclusivity, which resonate across cultural contexts. - **Inclusive Language**: The post uses gender-neutral, inclusive language. - **Neurodiversity Support**: The content is structured clearly but could benefit from shorter paragraphs or more bullet points to improve clarity for neurodiverse readers. - **Representation**: The autho - Document Tags: [[Matt Mullenweg]] [[open source corporate contribution]] [[wordpress]] [[wordpress contribution]] [[wpdrama]] [[wp engine]] - Summary: A couple of days ago, I got banned from the WordPress community Slack. As this is about WordPress, I figure I should use my WordPress blog to talk about it. Everything that day revolved around a small… - URL: https://linuxjedi.co.uk/my-wordpress-slack-ban/ A couple of days ago, I got banned from the WordPress community Slack. As this is about WordPress, I figure I should use my WordPress blog to talk about it. #### The Checkbox Everything that day revolved around a small, mandatory checkbox which had been added to the wordpress.org sign-in page, declaring that you are not affiliated in any way. This login is pretty much the portal to contribute to the WordPress ecosystem.  I, and several others, immediately had questions as to how broad this was and the legal ramifications. This is important to me because my work on WordPress represents the MariaDB Foundation, my login uses my Foundation email address. Not only do I not want to be tied-up in legal issues, but I do not want to be responsible for dragging the MariaDB Foundation into them. It is also very difficult for me to know if the MariaDB Foundation has a loose affiliation with WP Engine. Sure, I know they aren’t a direct sponsor, but they may be financially tied to one of our sponsors. As I am paid by the MariaDB Foundation, this could financially tie me. I needed clarification on this before I could proceed. Others asking questions have clients who host on WP Engine, or use paid-for plugins created by WP Engine. They also needed similar clarification. #### The Discussion The discussion happened on Slack, and a majority of it that I’m aware about can be seen in the Twitter thread below.  [Javier Casares](https://twitter.com/JavierCasares) [@JavierCasares](https://twitter.com/JavierCasares) For anybody who wants to *understand* why I've been banned from the #WordPress Slack.  [Posted Oct 9, 2024 at 10:33AM](https://twitter.com/JavierCasares/status/1843963052183433331) It continued on a little bit afterwards. Matt emphasised that the value of the checkbox is not stored, and that many people had logged in since the checkbox was added. I pointed out that although the value may not be directly stored, by his own admission, it has been logged who has signed in since the mandatory checkbox was added, so it is effectively stored. Shortly after this, my Slack session reset to another instance, and I was confused for a minute as to what happened. I then realised I had been kicked and banned from the server. I attempted to log in to Slack today just to confirm it was still in place. The system sent me this email when I tried.  #### My Thoughts I don’t think we had a resolution to our questions, and the checkbox remains in place. Several people have stated that they will not sign in until there has been some proper legal clarification. WP Engine said this:  I’m not fully convinced that this protects everyone. The WordPress Twitter account responded with:  I have to say, I love that reader context is still a thing, I’m very surprised the current owner of Twitter did not kill it. The MariaDB Foundation is a non-profit, any legal representation would be prohibitively expensive for us. So, I’d rather err on the side of not logging in until it is clear I am safe. #### Does This Matter? I am a small fry in this, not very important. My contributions mostly go as far as helping out with WordPress database questions, and often via other communication methods. I meet a lot of people face to face in the community and advise on how things could be better, things like that. My personal ban is not that important. Several people who were banned at the same time are more important to the community. Having their voices taken away in this way is more damaging. I guess this is the start of the fallout from going nuclear that was talked about at the beginning of the fight. I think clarification matters, this Tweet from Anita, quoting Uncle Chuck, says perfectly what I was thinking at the time:  [Anita](https://twitter.com/TheCre8tiveDiva) [@TheCre8tiveDiva](https://twitter.com/TheCre8tiveDiva) Having coffee with **Uncle Chuck** (CGPT) 😂☕️ and h**e said:** You raise some valid points about the ambiguity of the checkbox. If people are asking Matt Mullenweg for clarification, it indicates a broader concern within the WordPress community about the implications of this statement, especially given the context of legal issues involving WP Engine. T**he lack of clarity on what "affiliated" means** in this situation, coupled with the absence of information about what will happen upon logging in or whether there is an agreement with Automattic or Matt Mullenweg, l**eaves room for interpretation.** Users might be uncertain if they are aligning themselves with a particular stance in the litigation or if they might face any consequences based on their association with WP Engine's products. It would be m**ore transparent** if the checkbox provided: * C**lear Definition:** A precise explanation of what constitutes "affiliation" with WP Engine. - I**mplications of Agreement:** Details on what agreeing to this statement means in terms of rights, responsibilities, or participation in <https://t.co/xhkHqYakLN> forums. - P**ost-Login Information:** Information on what users can expect after logging in, such as whether they'll see any messaging related to the litigation or if there's an impact on their account status. - T**erms and Conditions:** A link to any terms or legal language explaining the association with Automattic, Matt Mullenweg, or <https://t.co/xhkHqYakLN> in relation to this checkbox. W**ithout this clarity,** users are left to m**ake assumptions,** which isn't ideal, especially in a community as large and diverse as WordPress. [Posted Oct 9, 2024 at 12:52PM](https://twitter.com/TheCre8tiveDiva/status/1843997862943666607) #### Wider Thoughts I think I speak for many in the WordPress community / ecosystem when I say that we don’t want to take sides in this battle. We don’t want to be forced to take sides via a checkbox. We just want to get work done, to improve WordPress for everyone. The WordPress community is one of the most welcoming communities I’ve ever been a part of. It has brought friendship, meaning and value to many people. I want to see it succeed. One of the things I have said since the beginning of me becoming Chief Contributions Officer is that contributions aren’t just code. Documentation, events, translations, community building, testing, bug reports, just so many things make up important contributions in an open source project. You don’t have to be a coder to contribute. I have seen these values expressed more in the WordPress community than anywhere else. I cannot take a side in this battle, for several reasons. Not least because I have friends employed by both sides of it. But I would love for the collateral damage to stop. So that the community can heal. I’ve said publicly, I would much rather my ban be permanent for asking the difficult questions and restore the voice to others who are more important. I’m not sure how I can help the community, but in some small way, I will be there for it. ##### Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked \* Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. , My WordPress Slack Ban, LinuxJedi's /dev/null, 01j9ydg4kjr410a5tehha8y9gs.