WordPress Needs More Dev-Rel  ## Metadata - Author: [[Joost de Valk]] - Full Title: WordPress Needs More Dev-Rel - Category: #articles - Document Note: # Title: Enhancing WordPress Developer Relations - - - tags: #WordPress #DeveloperRelations #OpenSource Author: Joost de Valk Source: Personal Blog Post Reference: N/A date created: 2024-01-02T08:30 - - - ## Table of Contents: 1. 📝 Summary 2. 📖 Main Content - 🗒️ Notes 3. 📖 References 4. 🗣️ Paraphrase 5. 🧪 Hypotheses - 📊 Methodology - 💡 Implications - 🔮 Future Research - ❓ Implications - ✅ Logical validity 6. Conclusion ## 📝 Summary: In this blog post, Joost de Valk highlights the need for improved developer relations (dev-rel) in the WordPress community. He observes that while WordPress developers communicate effectively within their ecosystem, there is a lack of engagement with the broader open-source community, particularly newer startups. Joost argues that fostering better relationships with these startups could benefit both WordPress and the startups themselves. He emphasizes the power of the WordPress community coming together to bridge this gap and encourages developers to engage with open-source projects and suggest WordPress integrations. ## 📖 Main Content: Joost de Valk's article addresses the issue of WordPress developer relations and the missed opportunities to collaborate with new open-source startups. Here are the main points and insights from the article: ### 🗒️ Notes: - WordPress excels in internal communication but lacks engagement with the broader open-source community. - Several promising open-source startups exist, such as Cal.com, OpenStatus, and Formbricks, which have potential synergies with WordPress. - While some startups like Cal.com have created WordPress plugins, they often lack maintenance and support. - The absence of active relations between WordPress and these startups hinders mutual growth. - The solution lies in the WordPress community collectively engaging with open-source projects and advocating for WordPress integrations. - Joost encourages WordPress enthusiasts to check for WordPress compatibility in new open-source projects and contribute by creating GitHub issues for integration suggestions. ## 📖 References: - The article is based on Joost de Valk's personal blog post. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. Original Paragraph: "The WordPress ecosystem is very good at talking to each other." Paraphrased: "WordPress developers excel in internal communication within their ecosystem." 2. Original Paragraph: "The fix to this problem is actually incredibly simple. We don’t need one individual to do this. We need to all do this together." Paraphrased: "The solution to this issue is remarkably straightforward - it requires collective effort rather than relying on a single individual." ## 🧪 Hypotheses: Joost de Valk's article suggests potential areas for future research and hypotheses: ### 📊 Methodology: - Researchers can conduct a comparative analysis of open-source projects' adoption rates when they integrate with WordPress versus when they don't. - Surveys and interviews with open-source startup founders can provide insights into their motivations and challenges in engaging with the WordPress community. ### 💡 Implications: - The research findings could influence WordPress development practices and encourage more active engagement with open-source startups. - Improved developer relations may lead to increased adoption of WordPress-compatible plugins and tools, benefiting the WordPress ecosystem. ### 🔮 Future Research: - Investigate the impact of WordPress integrations on user acquisition and growth for open-source startups. - Explore strategies for promoting WordPress compatibility in the broader open-source community. - Assess the long-term benefits of enhanced developer relations on WordPress's sustainability and relevance. ### ❓ Implications: - Enhanced developer relations could strengthen WordPress's position as a versatile and adaptable platform for various industries. - Collaboration with open-source startups may lead to innovative solutions and increased user satisfaction within the WordPress ecosystem. ### ✅ Logical validity: The article presents a logical argument, highlighting the disconnect between the WordPress community and open-source startups. Joost de Valk's call for collective action to improve developer relations is supported by practical examples and a clear rationale. No logical fallacies are evident. ## Conclusion: Joost de Valk's article emphasizes the importance of strengthening developer relations within the WordPress community. By engaging with open-source startups and advocating for WordPress integrations, WordPress enthusiasts can unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. Collective effort is the key to bridging the gap between WordPress and the wider open-source world, benefiting both parties. - Summary: WordPress is known for its strong internal communication within its ecosystem, but it lacks connections with the broader open-source world. This article argues that WordPress needs more developer relations (dev-rel) to take advantage of opportunities and collaborations with other open-source startups. The author highlights the lack of mention of WordPress by these startups and suggests that the WordPress community should actively engage with them, provide feedback, and encourage integrations with WordPress. By leveraging the power of the WordPress community, the author believes that these connections can be established, benefiting both WordPress and the open-source startups. - URL: https://joost.blog/wordpress-needs-more-dev-rel/ The WordPress ecosystem is very good at talking to each other. We do so on platforms like [the official WordPress Slack, Post Status, Twitter,](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/) and many other places. We are, however, not as good at keeping up with the rest of the open-source world – something [Marieke recently mentioned in her column too](https://poststatus.com/open-source-beyond-wordpress/) – and I think this is where we are missing many opportunities. In this post, I explain why WordPress needs more developer relations (dev-rel) and what we could do to fix it. I’ve recently been diving into a fascinating ecosystem of new open-source startups. I started by looking at the investment portfolio of [OSS Capital](https://oss.capital/portfolio), which [Matt](https://ma.tt/) pointed me to. Automattic is an investor in them / partners with them; I don’t know the exact details. It has many interesting startups: apps like [Cal.com](https://cal.com/), a Calendly alternative, which also allows you to self-host. Or [OpenStatus](https://www.openstatus.dev/), an open-source monitoring & status page system. Or [Formbricks](https://formbricks.com/), an open-source surveying platform. All these companies link to each other, talk about each other, they have “[OSS friends](https://formbricks.com/oss-friends)” pages on those sites telling their users about each other. But what bothers me: none of them talk about WordPress. Some of them *do* WordPress a bit. For instance, [Cal.com made a WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/cal-com/) and then promptly forgot about it and never updated it again. And honestly: that’s a shame. It’s a shame not just for them but also for the WordPress ecosystem. And it happens because we have no one actively maintaining those relations and telling them: “Hey, you could have a ton of users for your platform if you made it a bit more easily accessible to WordPress users.” (While we’re at it, we could also help them set up better blogs. It’s apparently not fancy to use WordPress for those blogs (they mostly use Next.js), but the result is that most of their blogs are horrible.) #### So let’s fix WordPress developer relations! The fix to this problem is actually incredibly simple. We don’t need one individual to do this. We need to *all* do this together. The power of WordPress is in the number of people we have! If you look at new open-source projects (and you should, I think a lot of these have the potential to save you thousands of dollars a year on SaaS fees), check whether they have WordPress integrations. If they don’t, create an issue on their GitHub. These people think and talk like “us” in many ways, and they also spend a lot of time on GitHub like every WordPress contributor does, so use that to your advantage! I’ll do this myself; I’ve already made an issue on Cal.com’s plugin repository to [update their plugin](https://github.com/calcom/wp-plugin/issues/7) and [create a Gutenberg block](https://github.com/calcom/wp-plugin/issues/8). There are many of us; together, we could really reach out to all those new open-source tools and help them *and* WordPress thrive! , WordPress Needs More Dev-Rel, Joost de Valk, 01hk5bgkr5ba9e3g6bcyvt2grv.