Tomorrow, June 25th, the team at WDS will contribute to 5FTF by spending the day building free plugins, working on WordFest Live talks, taking support tickets from the WordPress Support Forum, and contributing to the Core. You can keep up with our participation by following the hashtag #5FTF on Twitter. That’s the hashtag we use when we tweet our contributions.

Look over our tweets from last month to see how we gave back to WordPress, and don’t hesitate to join in the fun by participating in Five for the Future, too. This movement is open to everyone. Read this blog post for some ideas to help you get started.

It’s another #5FTF at @webdevstudios! I think I will try a @tumblr import today; their new block format should match to @WordPress pretty well… pic.twitter.com/1mXQ9WLKX5

— Evan Hildreth (@oddevan) May 28, 2021

#5FTF here @webdevstudios when we’re giving the day to just give back to #OpenSource. I just had a crazy idea which im really excited to show to the world!! For #WordPress Core Contributors!!!

— Michael Joseph Panaga (@_micmico) May 28, 2021

feeling a little impostery about creating a workshop on overcoming imposter syndrome this #5FTF @webdevstudios

— Lauren Pittenger (@laurenpittenger) May 28, 2021

Specials thanks to @webdevstudios for sponsoring todays #5ftf allowing us to get back to the community that gives so much to us.

— Scott Anderson (@thriftydev) May 28, 2021

Major thanks to @thriftydev and the @LocalWP + Github community, (for #5FTF) I have an update to TablePlus for Local that should fix some things I broke in v1.0.3 and v1.0.4… I hope to get it on the addons page soon!https://t.co/lAJAG98Lur

— Aubrey (@aubreypwd) May 28, 2021

Some of my #5FTF time today is having javascript talks by @malchata playing.

— Captain Macho Pirate Mick Rackam (@tw2113) May 28, 2021

#5FTF at @WebDevStudios so i’m spending some time finally working on a backlog of posts that I’ve had sitting in draft for *far* too long and trying to squeeze in time to work on Backcast, as well.https://t.co/1uFUQwfnrr pic.twitter.com/RK7DDDDj70

— Tom McFarlin (@tommcfarlin) May 28, 2021

Managed to sneak out just a bugfix release today, but any release is still a release – plus I added a unit test thanks for the #5FTF time @webdevstudios https://t.co/W9zFaHXJDY

— Justin Fœll (@justinfoell) May 28, 2021

Codee is helping me figure out #WordPress #Gutenberg Block Variations for my late #5FTF @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/QSmhmEYV3B

— JC Palmes (@jpalmes) May 31, 2021

Today is my #5ftf day @webdevstudios and I’m switching things up, contributing to Core. I just submitting my first Trac ticket! https://t.co/JwloqwNUxs
and now I’m going to set up a local and see about working on a good first bug. pic.twitter.com/SoddnuVm54

— Christina Workman – WP Contributor (@AmethystAnswers) May 31, 2021

The post Five for the Future: This Is How We Do It appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Because WordPress is open-source software, it relies on community members like you and me to maintain and improve it. There are lots of different roles that need to be filled, and everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate if they can, regardless of their skill set or experience level.

In a previous article, we shared 5 Ways to Contribute to WordPress Five for the Future. There are one or two that are no longer available, but most are still relevant. We felt compelled to update the options available for you to contribute to Five for the Future; so, here are five more ways you can give back to WordPress, even if you aren’t a developer (but also if you are!).

Polyglots

Do you speak another language, other than American English? WordPress is used all over the world, and users can set the language for their admin side to be one of hundreds of languages available.

With every new core release, there are new strings that need translations. Themes and plugins also need translations. Which means, WordPress needs translators.

You’ll notice, earlier, I specified American English. That’s because there are several versions of English that have their own translations for WordPress including Canadian, Australian, and Pirate! So whether you are fluent in an actual other language, or just speak a different dialect like me (I’m Canadian, eh), there’s a need for your multilingualism. Being a translator is a great way to contribute to Five for the Future.

Docs

WordPress now powers over 40% of the web. That’s a lot of people using this software, in lots of different ways.

Some are new users, some are learning new ways to use it. Either way, many of them are going to have questions and they’ll be looking for information about how to do different things with WordPress.

Good documentation is critical, for both developers who need to know how the code works and end-users who need to know how to build, design, and populate their sites. This is a great way to contribute if you like to write. Every part of WordPress, including the other areas I mention in this post, needs documentation.

Training

WordPress usage has seen rapid growth in recent years, particularly this last year, as many businesses have had to move online. Those of us who work with WordPress every day think it’s very simple to work with, but we forget the initial learning curve that everyone has to go through. And depending on just how deep you want to get into things, there can be a lot to know.

Enter the Training team. Training puts together various lessons and courses to help users on their WordPress journey. Recently they launched Learn WordPress, a repository of community-submitted workshops and lesson plans. They are actively seeking contributors to create workshops and lesson plans, facilitate discussion groups, and join the Learn WordPress Working Group.

Accessibility

Most of the time, when we think about accessibility on the web, we consider how people interact with websites they are visiting. But it’s equally important to ensure the tools we use online are accessible, and that includes WordPress.

The Accessibility team works towards improving the accessibility of the core code and resources, including tagging themes that are accessibility-ready. If you know how to use assistive technology, you might consider testing new or updated code. If you are looking for a different way to flex your developer skills, check out the open accessibility tickets. Other ways to contribute to the Accessibility team include reviewing themes and helping write documentation.

Marketing

You know those feature summaries you see when you update to the latest version of WordPress? Guess who writes them. Marketing! The Marketing team provides content and marketing strategy to the other teams and helps with the promotion and perception of WordPress in a variety of other ways.

They have lots of great first tasks for beginners, ranging from collecting data in a spreadsheet to creating screen recordings to coordinating with other teams on various projects. Last year, the team created videos explaining how to get set up with WordPress.org and Slack accounts, and they are working on getting people to record them in as many languages a possible. The list of ways to contribute to Marketing is long and varied, but you’ll be glad you did.

As you can see, there is no shortage of ways to contribute to WordPress, and there are opportunities for everyone. If you’ve been struggling to find your perfect place, I hope I’ve given you some new ideas. And if you can always see what we’re up to at WebDevStudios by following #5FTF on Twitter. We always appreciate re-tweets and shout-outs of support, and share with us how you’re contributing too! Don’t forget to check back on our blog for updates on our contributions.

The post More Ways to Contribute to Five for the Future in 2021 appeared first on WebDevStudios.

I’m willing to bet you picture a developer, whether it’s you or someone else. Or, perhaps you aren’t familiar with the concept of contributing to WordPress at all. If either of these ring true, you are not alone, and this is something I have thought about a lot over the last few years.

As I have met and talked to many people in the WordPress community, I have discovered that a surprising amount of people don’t realize that there is an opportunity for everybody to contribute to the WordPress project, no matter their skillset or experience level. And there are many potential reasons for this: lack of awareness, difficult or inaccessible onboarding processes, or Contributor events being fairly rare outside of big WordCamps, to name a few.

I knew some WordPress Teams had been working on some of these items in general, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed we needed to have one go-to place for all things Contributor-related, where someone could not just start contributing or get some info about a team but also:

• Create a Contributor Day website
• Find a Contributor Day mentor
• Ask questions about contributing in general
• And more!

Luckily, I knew just who I could talk to. Over the last couple years, I have been involved in organizing the WordCamp US Contributor Days and had my own mentor, Angela Jin, who is also a Deputy on the Community Team. I shared my thoughts with Angela, and we discussed the idea of creating a Contributor Working Group as a sub-section of the Community Team. She brought the idea to the other deputies and it was generally agreed that it was an idea worth pursuing. The next thing I know, I’m posting a Call for Volunteers and holding our first meeting!

That was a few months ago and we are starting to find our rhythm as a group. There are currently about a dozen of us, with varying backgrounds, experiences, and skill levels. That’s one of the great things I love about this group: we truly benefit from a variety of people. People with more experience in the WordPress world are able to make sure we touch on all the things that need to be considered, and people newer to WordPress have a fresher view and remind the more experienced folks of those things we have forgotten or take for granted.

Fun Fact:  Contributing to the Contributor Working Group is one way to contribute! Say that five times fast!

Our main goals can be grouped into three main categories:

• Compiling and expanding onboarding resources (for contributors and event organizers)
• Providing guidance with contributor events
• Enhancing new contributor experiences

This is all the while collaborating and coordinating with the other Make teams!

We are always happy to have new volunteers join our group, whether you just heard about contributing to WordPress for the first time today, or you’ve been contributing since the very beginning. No coding skills are needed!

We meet in the community-team Slack channel on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 3:00 p.m. ET. Agendas and meeting recaps are always posted on the Community blog. If you are interested in joining the WordPress Contributor Working Group, attend one of our meetings and say hi! Or, if you want to talk to someone first, you can ping me on Twitter or the WordPress Slack at @amethystanswers.

Hopefully, as we progress through the year, more people will know about contributing and recognize that they DO have something of value to contribute to WordPress. New contributors will find it easier to get started, and there will be even better resources for contributors and organizers alike.

The post Volunteer for the WordPress Contributor Working Group appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Mr. Rogers is often quoted during hard times:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’

This couldn’t be truer in the WordPress community, in general, and it’s increasingly evident as more and more people self-isolate. For example, as office employees are starting to work from home for the first time, remote workers are offering tips and support. By staying connected with the WordPress community, you can help lift spirits (including your own), reduce feelings of isolation, and find strength to help make it through this rough patch. Here are some ways you can do that.

Virtual WordCamps

Most WordCamps that were scheduled between now and June 1 have been cancelled or postponed. For many, WordCamps are the only time we get to connect with other WordPress community members in person all year. We look forward to them and all the excitement they bring.

It can be devastating watching WordCamps being cancelled left and right, but there is some good news. A handful of WordCamps are choosing to keep their original dates and become virtual WordCamps! You can attend sessions streamed online and soak up the lessons from the comfort of your couch. And even though you won’t get to see the other attendees, you can bet there will be a hashtag to follow on Twitter, just as if it were an in-person event. You have to provide your own lunch, though.

Virtual WordPress Meetups

Depending on the restrictions in your area, Meetups may be cancelled, as well. But with the variety of video options available, a lot of WordPress Meetup groups are also going virtual for the next few months. If you are a member of a local WordPress Meetup, you are able to suggest and organize events for your group. So if you have an idea for a virtual option, you don’t need to wait for someone else to plan it. Take initiative and use technology to connect with your local WordPress community.

If you want to organize a virtual meetup, but aren’t sure what to do, here are a few suggestions:

• Organize a speaker (local or otherwise). Take advantage of the opportunity to have someone present over Zoom or Facebook Live, who wouldn’t be able to attend your regular meetups in person. That means, you can have a guest speaker from a different town, even a different country!
• Run a virtual help desk. Lots of video conferencing tools allow you to share your screen, so you can help each other troubleshoot issues as easily as if you were sitting next to each other.
• Offer a virtual co-working session. Fire up your favorite video conference tool and hang out together while you work.

This is also a great time for people who don’t have a local meetup group nearby. Virtual meetup events mean you can attend from anywhere! MyCamp.Rocks has started compiling a list of WordPress Meetups that are happening online.

Twitter

Of all the social media platforms, Twitter seems to be the main space for the WordPress community to keep in touch. So it’s not surprising that there is a lot of activity happening on Twitter from community members to check in with each other, lighten the mood, offer all kinds of help, and more.

We’re all experiencing similar emotions and struggles right now, and you’re bound to find someone you can support you or be supported by you. If you haven’t been active in the Twitter WordPress community and don’t know who to follow, I’ve curated a list of WordPress-related Twitter accounts.

I have also seen some fun and creative activities being organized on Twitter:

• Online karaoke
• Requests for silly memes to help lighten the mood
• Game shows
• Various video hangouts

WP&UP

Don’t forget to take care of yourself, and your mental health in particular. If you find yourself struggling, I encourage you to seek help, sooner rather than later. There are lots of options available, and wouldn’t you know it. The WordPress community has started a great initiative. WPandUP is a registered charity based in the UK offering a ton of resources, including the option to chat with a trained expert about your mental or physical health. Our very own Alex Juchniewicz, Technical Project Manager, is part of the team, so you know it’s a good group of people!

WordPress Slack

You may be familiar with Slack as a workplace communication tool, particularly if you were already working remotely. There are also a lot of community work spaces for the WordPress community. While WordPress Slack is mostly for communication about the project, signing up does give you access to a bunch of regional groups that are built more around community, like WordPress Canada.

Here are some other Slack work spaces supporting the WordPress community:

• PressTribe
• WordPress Developers’ Club
• Ladies of WP (Send a DM to Michele or Stephanie to request an invite.)

Five for the Future

A great way to feel connected with any community is to give back to it. Contributing to the WordPress project is rewarding and you will meet amazing new people. At WebDevStudios, we participate in Five for the Future. Once a month, we spend an entire day contributing to WordPress. It’s often the last Friday of the month, but we always announce it on our blog and social media. Join us on Twitter using the hashtag #5ftf.

This may be a crazy time filled with lots of uncertainty, but you can always count on the WordPress community. I hope to see you around!

The post Staying Connected to the WordPress Community appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Take a look at what we accomplished last month during our final Five for the Future (#5ftf) of 2019. Keep up with our contributions tomorrow by following us and the hashtag on Twitter. We invite you to join us and tweet us your #5ftf contributions.

Its satisfying to see all #WordPress core unit tests passed after including a new patch. #5ftf @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/scxV9VGefE

— Michael Joseph Panaga (@_micmico) December 27, 2019

It’s #5ftf at @webdevstudios today and I am again diving into spreadsheets and crunching numbers for #WCAsia. Let’s see if we can get more tickets to sell, shall we? pic.twitter.com/NnmKVcbw8X

— JC Mae Palmes (@jpalmes) December 27, 2019

Today is #5ftf at @webdevstudios a day allowing us to give back to the WordPress community! I’ll be spending my day working on multi site blog content for churches.

— Scott Anderson (@thriftydev) December 27, 2019

First up on my #5ftf list today: planning for KidsCamp and WordCamp YYC. Thanks @webdevstudios for this awesome day!

— Christina Workman – WP Contributor (@AmethystAnswers) December 27, 2019

Spending my #5FTF time today helping the WordPress IndieWeb plugins and their documentation.

— Macho Pirate Mick Rackam (@tw2113) December 27, 2019

Working on the first Gutenberg block (one of many!) for WP-Strava today for Five for the Future #5FTF – all care of @webdevstudios

— Justin Fœll (@justinfoell) December 27, 2019

Today I went out to help those in need in the WordPress Support Forums for #5ftf and was able to help a few people overcome their struggles and continue enjoying WordPress! @webdevstudios thank you for empowering and encouraging us all to give back!

— Allen McNichols (@Allen_McNichols) December 28, 2019

Yesterday was #5ftf @ @webdevstudios , I have the chance to work on my talk/post about a cool JS library that you should use when developing Gutenberg blocks. Stay tuned

— el.puas() (@3LPU4S) December 28, 2019

The post Our First Five for the Future in 2020 appeared first on WebDevStudios.

What Is a WordPress Meetup?

A WordPress Meetup event can take on a variety of forms, from casual coffee to a formal presentation and everything in between. At its heart, though, a WordPress meetup is a gathering of people interested in WordPress who want to meet others in their local community. There is no experience required and members include developers, designers, marketers, content creators, end-users, professionals, hobbyists, etc.

Like WordPress, meetups are open-source, too, in that anyone can organize an event. You don’t have to be listed as the official meetup organizer.

My Story

I have been organizing my local WordPress Meetup Group in Calgary (YYCWPMUG) for a few years now. I had become one of the regular attendees at our monthly events. At the time, there was only one organizer, and he was doing everything. When he asked if I would be interested in helping, I didn’t think twice. It was an opportunity to become more involved in the local community, help keep the community growing, and develop as a leader. I didn’t know it then, but it was one step in a long path that eventually led me to where I am now: working at WebDevStudios, organizing WordCamps and Contributor days, and even hosting my own podcast. As you can imagine, I highly recommend being part of your local organizing team.

How You Can Start Organizing

Assisting a Current Organizer

If you are lucky enough to live in an area that already has an established WordPress Meetup group, you’re all set. Head over to Meetup.com, search for WordPress, and your local group should appear. You can see who the current organizers are and send them a message. Since we are all volunteers, it’s always nice to have new people join the team. Fresh blood helps promote new ideas and prevent burnout.

Establishing a New Meetup Group

Don’t have a WordPress Meetup group in your area? Then start one!

First things first, to become part of the official WordPress Chapter program, you’ll need to apply. There is a lot of information in the handbook that will help you make some important decisions, and once you are approved, you will be onboarded by someone with experience. Take the opportunity to ask any and all questions you can think of.

Let’s Get This Party Started

Now that you’re part of the organizing team, it’s time to start planning. You can have different types of events every month, or find what works best in your community and stick with that. Whatever you decide, there are three main points you need to consider:

1. What type of event will you have
2. Where will you hold your event
3. Who will present or lead the event

What to Do

Before you can tackle the where and who, you need to know the what. Knowing the type of event you want to have will help shape your other decisions. YYCWPMUG events tend to be mostly presentations, but every now and then we like to mix it up with something special like Contributor Day or with a more casual evening like a coffee social. Here is a sampling of ideas:

• Have an educational presentation
• Host a mixer/social
• Organize a hackathon
• Have Q&A
• Video conference with an expert
• Run a site clinic
• Plan a stand-alone contributor day
• Explore a theme or plugin together

Location, Location, Location

A meetup can’t exist without a place to hold your event. Once you know what type of event you are having, you can start looking for a venue. Some criteria to consider when choosing a location:

• Cost: free or donated is ideal
• Accessibility: make it easy for all people to get to and access
• Size: how many people to expect
• Diversity: everyone should feel welcome

Our main venue for YYCWPMUG is a co-working space that has been generously donated to us, but every now and then we try somewhere new. See if any of these common venues are available:

• Co-working spaces
• Libraries
• Coffee shops
• Educational institutions
• Community centres
• Local small businesses

Now Presenting…

One of the quickest ways to burn out is to try to do everything yourself. If you are organizing the events, try not to be the one presenting all of them, too. Recruit others to speak on a topic they enjoy. They don’t have to be professional speakers. We’re all friends here, and meetups can be a great place for people to practice speaking in front of a group. Don’t wait for people to offer; many often don’t realize they would be a good fit until you ask them. If you are looking for speakers:

• Ask your members if they are interested, or if they have recommendations.
• Reach out to local companies using WordPress.
• Create a speaker submission form.
• Don’t be afraid to ask some people who aren’t local every now and then… you can always do a video conference.

A Few Final Tips

• Follow and enforce the Code of Conduct. TL;DR Don’t be a jerk.
• Be creative! Try out new ideas and venues, different days, and times.
• Don’t do it alone. More is merrier, and you’ll burn out quicker if you don’t have help.
• Consider getting a local restaurant to sponsor some grub.
• Take lots of pictures!
• Use social media and other platforms to your advantage. YYCWPMUG has a Facebook group and soon a website and Slack work space.

Most importantly, have fun!

The post Tips for Organizing a WordPress Meetup appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Last month, in the spirit of gratitude and giving, we invited you to join our #5ftf day and tweet us your contribution. By doing so, you would be entered to win an official WDS hat. Congratulations to our winner!

Create a patch for #WordPress Core [https://t.co/PV2FIYYib1] #5ftf @webdevstudios

— Debabrata Karfa (@imdkarfa) November 29, 2019

Five for the Future is so important to WordPress, there is now a dedicated landing page that features individuals and organizations who have made a pledge to the cause. WordPress wouldn’t be what it is today without the generous contributions of developers, designers, and users. If you haven’t contributed to #5ftf before, we hope you will add this goal to your 2020 resolutions.

Take a look at WDS’ contributions last month, and please keep up with our efforts tomorrow. You can follow us on Twitter, as well as the hashtag #5ftf. We appreciate your support and encouragement. Have a happy new year!

At the moment. We're not only giving back to #OpenSource, we give back to future generation. #5FTF pic.twitter.com/StHwJw9Whi

— Michael Joseph Panaga (@_micmico) November 30, 2019

Today is #5ftf at @webdevstudios , I dedicate part of the day to help a coworker with his plugin, now is time for some Gatsby/WordPress!

— el.puas() (@3LPU4S) November 29, 2019

Prepping for our Diversity Speaker Training with my new taco-friend! #5ftf @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/lzysiVHLDz

— Christina Workman – WP Contributor (@AmethystAnswers) November 29, 2019

finalizing the first round of a #wordpress plugin for easily removing shortcodes from the front-end for inactive plugins (and still remaining user and search engine friendly). #5ftf

still need to draft a blog post and open the repo pic.twitter.com/uNcmjIXe9A

— Tom McFarlin (@tommcfarlin) November 29, 2019

Another month, another #5FTF at @webdevstudios . Once again, I'm dedicating some of my time to helping the #indieweb WordPress plugins. They'll help you take back control over your online content.

— Macho Pirate Mick Rackam (@tw2113) November 29, 2019

#5FTF @webdevstudios again and I need to use The Force to help me spreadsheet all the things. May the force be with our budget shoutout to all my fellow #WCAsia organizers, you are all AWESOME!!! pic.twitter.com/tbhUlltDCE

— JC Mae Palmes (@jpalmes) November 29, 2019

This #5FTF thanks to @webdevstudios I'll be continuing porting blogging content from Laravel to WordPress to support small churches.

— Scott Anderson (@thriftydev) November 29, 2019

Today is #5FTF here at @webdevstudios / @maintainn. I'll be doing some continuing education in OOP and working on my WorldBuilder plugin for Roleplayers, Storytellers & Writers! Don't forget you can win a cool WDS hat if you participate. See my previous tweet. #wordpress

— Chrispian H. Burks (@chrispian) November 29, 2019

It's been a great day so far, and yet another thing to be thankful for here at @WebDevStudios. This month, #5ftf fell between Thanksgiving and the weekend, which puts a really nice cap on the week. Today I'm beginning a plugin to generate a project pre-launch checklist.

— Marty O’Connor (@martinjdolan) November 29, 2019

#5FTF @webdevstudios EoD Update: I worked on a huge refactor and created a new bug. I also got some additional help from @3LPU4S and @bezierer. Really excited to get the refactoring ready and integrate the new design UI.

— Mike England (@mikelikethebike) November 29, 2019

The post Final Five for the Future of the Year! appeared first on WebDevStudios.

“I think it’s awesome that WDS allows its employees an entire day to give back,” says Jessica Lujan, WDS Project Manager, who recently experienced her very first #5ftf Day on October 4th. “It really goes to show that they’re invested in WordPress and want to see it continue to succeed.”

Like many WordPress site owners or users, Jessica doesn’t code. However, she doesn’t let that stop her from participating in this pay-it-forward event. When given the opportunity to join in, she was hesitant, but then she heard that she could help out the WordPress community by captioning a video.

“I have so much appreciation for the folks that create the captioning content. It was cool to learn the tools and systems in order to create that, and I feel like I learned a lot!” exclaims Jessica. She also adds, “I will be honest; it was a little harder than I thought it would be. You have to be really focused on it, otherwise you’ll realize you missed an entire sentence or two and have to rewind. The tools they suggest to use are super easy to use, so that was a relief. It was definitely rewarding to watch it back and see all the content I helped contribute.” [Editor’s note: it was my own WordCamp talk that Jessica captioned, so I can’t help but be biased. See Jessica’s captioning work here.]

Jessica’s enthusiasm and effort just goes to prove that you don’t have to code to contribute. Are you interested in learning about other ways you can participate in #5ftf alongside with us? Read this blog post.

Below, take a look at a sample of WDS’ contributions from our last Five for the Future. From tweets to likes to shout-outs, we get lots of support from the community. We can’t thank you enough for noticing our motivation and work. As always, keep up with our #5ftf efforts by following the hashtag on Twitter.

My workspace is begging to be an I Spy game Today is very special because not only do I get to give back to the community #5FTF but I also get to do it on my birthday. #WCAsia2020 is in 4months! See you all there! @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/dkEqyjQNVB

— JC Mae Palmes (@jpalmes) October 4, 2019

Today is #5FTF at @webdevstudios and I’m playing the role of Accountant in doing paperwork for WordCamp Ottawa!

Curious about the mundane process of submitting invoices and expense reports for a #WordCamp?

Ask away!

— meagan hanes @ WCUS (@mhanes) October 4, 2019

It’s #5ftf day at @webdevstudios! I’m continuing work on my Board Game Collector plugin, adding in a React-based settings page to run game collection imports inside the dashboard!

— Jeremy Ward is corrigible. (@_jmichaelward) October 4, 2019

To quote TOTO “Time passes quickly and chances are few”. It’s been a month! It’s time for #5ftf at @WebDevStudios AGAIN which means helping out the WordPress community in some meaningful way. I’ll be helping improve our Gatsby based theme, and helping folks in the WP forum.

— Marty O’Connor (@martinjdolan) October 4, 2019

Day 35 of #100DaysOfCode, I’m working on #5ftf @webdevstudios. Today’s focus will be on getting these color swatches to compare and contrast values for contrast improvement tips. I’ve never done this before so it will be a learning experience. pic.twitter.com/MgdoN2zdWM

— Mike England (@mikelikethebike) October 4, 2019

Today is #5FTF @ @webdevstudios allowing me the opportunity to provide automatic contact to existing church websites!

— Scott Anderson (@thriftydev) October 4, 2019

Today is #5ftf day @webdevstudios. I am contributing to the “WP Search with Algolia” plugin. https://t.co/yv0h3Ta8dy

— Richard Ⓐber (@richaber) October 4, 2019

Getting WP-Strava 2.0 ready to release today. It has support for refresh auth tokens which are mandatory after 10/15/2019 – *Justin* Time Big thanks to @webdevstudios for time to do this via #5FTF

— Justin Fœll (@justinfoell) October 4, 2019

It’s time to rock another #5ftf @maintainn and @WebDevStudios. First up, WCUS slides for workshop about Contributor Day. Did you know EVERYONE has something worthwhile to contribute? Don’t believe me? Let’s talk

— Christina Workman going to WCUS Contributor Day! (@AmethystAnswers) October 4, 2019

Soon! #5ftf pic.twitter.com/Oz3LHnGiDr

— Chrispian H. Burks (@chrispian) October 4, 2019

It’s #5FTF day @webdevstudios and I’m working on getting our new coding standards setup on https://t.co/FDLXKWvZpR and https://t.co/WNA1CuLhnL for beta testing! pic.twitter.com/z8rqR3TRDG

— Aubrey Portwood (@aubreypwd) October 4, 2019

Today on my first #5ftf I will dedicate my day on my Workshop for the kids at the CETAV – Parque La Libertad #givingback @gatsbyjs @WordPress

— el.puas() (@3LPU4S) October 4, 2019

I’ll be spending time organizing volunteers for WCUS this October #5FTF https://t.co/PqQZjAhis1 pic.twitter.com/5i7qbOP9uZ

— Cristina Holt (@cristinaholt416) October 4, 2019

Wrapping up today’s @webdevstudios #5ftf work on my OOPS-generators scripts, to make working with @_jmichaelward‘s OOPS-WP library as easy as `composer oopsgen — cpt Thing`! Work in progress: https://t.co/SyHOiGTPTY

— Evan Hildreth (@oddevan) October 4, 2019

The post Five for the Future: It’s Happening Tomorrow! appeared first on WebDevStudios.

The thing about #5ftf is that everyone is invited to the party. You don’t have to work for WDS to participate. Anyone can get involved—WordPress users, developers, fans, and even you! Read this for some ways you can be a part of the #5ftf movement. Follow the hashtag #5ftf tomorrow on Twitter and get a gander of what our team is doing for their part.

Curious to see what kind of work our team completed for our last Five for the Future Friday? Take a look at the collection of tweets below for just a sample of our contributions.

It’s #5ftf day! Thanks @webdevstudios
for donating time so I can make a WordPress plugin for churches to automate their content!

— Scott Anderson (@thriftydev) August 30, 2019

It’s #5ftf again @webdevstudios and I’m booked for the day closing out #WCIloilo2019 and working on #WCAsia2020 and a tiny bit of work on the side. Clean table(!) and yes I work doing the yoga sukhasana (indian sitting) pic.twitter.com/ok5IZWQ8ge

— JC Mae Palmes (@jpalmes) August 30, 2019

Working on adding some additional functionality to the plugin by @IDXBroker to extend their Gravity Forms integration to create saved searches. #5ftf pic.twitter.com/pEPX4HIBp1

— Allen McNichols (@Allen_McNichols) August 30, 2019

It’s #5FTF at @webdevstudios again! Today I’ll be working on a @Pokemon TCG database and blogging about how I’m solving the multiple card printings problem.

— Evan Hildreth (@oddevan) August 30, 2019

For #5ftf this morning, the Frontend engineering team is going to merge into wd_s, our @wp_acf powered Gutenberg blocks integration.

From that point forth, we'll be a Gutenberg ready dev shop! Check it out:https://t.co/iHfR4PcMbn

— Greg Rickaby (@GregRickaby) August 30, 2019

Contributing to the #indieweb and specifically #webmentions with my #5ftf time today at @webdevstudios

— Michael Beckwith (@tw2113) August 30, 2019

Kicking off #5ftf today @webdevstudios and @maintainn with WCUS Contributor Day planning. if you are planning to attend WCUS bit aren’t sure about Contributor Day, let’s talk!

— Christina Workman ask me about Contributor Day! (@AmethystAnswers) August 30, 2019

Doing the damn thing for #5FTF today at @webdevstudios – working on updating our wd_s starter theme to fully integrate Gutenberg via @wp_acf and some other smaller improvements here and there.

— Corey M Collins (@coreymcollins) August 30, 2019

Another awesome #5ftf with @WebDevStudios. I'll be testing out some super cool ACF/Gutenberg work spearheaded by @coreymcollins, then on to working on issues for a Gatsby/WordPress theme with GraphQL started by @GregRickaby. Did I mention it's also Friday!

— Marty O’Connor (@martinjdolan) August 30, 2019

This is my second #5ftf working on Gatsby and the second time it's kicking my ass. I was able to get a site up and running last time and I'm just trying to get images working but I keep running into various issues. Learning a lot but also frustrating.

— Chrispian H. Burks (@chrispian) August 30, 2019

Today @webdevstudios for #5FTF, I'm learning more about filters and working on the Gutenberg Page Unit Test Plugin. I hit some blockers a week or two ago and hope to get past them.

— Mike England (@mikelikethebike) August 30, 2019

I have been learning SO much about #codingstandards, #WordPress, #phpcs, #eslintjs, #npmjs, #composer, #php, and MORE by working on our internal (and open source) @webdevstudios coding standards for #5ftf — Checkout https://t.co/Y0OlMispuf if you wanna follow along! pic.twitter.com/pnTQ9cWJ0d

— Aubrey Portwood (@aubreypwd) August 30, 2019

The post Friday Is for Five for the Future appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Imagine this: you inherit code from some unknown, unseen website developer and you scoff at it as you begin to pore over it. You repeatedly face-palm as each new line of code brings another cry of, “Why did they do it like this?” You may even share the code with your developer friends or co-workers and chuckle at its quality in comparison to your own or your team’s.

But, why do we do it? What’s the point of perpetuating the stereotype of the mean developer by ridiculing the code of another, regardless of whether or not they’re aware you’re doing so? Who does it benefit? Most importantly, how can we, as developers, stop being so critical, cynical, and rude and start being more mindful of our words and actions while working toward a better web?

For the sake of our argument, we’re going to refer to “bad code” as code that may be ugly to look at (poorly formatted), repetitive, not extensible, or that is lacking in performance. If code raises security concerns, then that’s another boat altogether and should be addressed with care, but still not with ridicule.

Recognizing the problem of the mean developer

This is the easy part. If you’re a developer, there’s about a 99.99% chance you’ve laughed or groaned at someone else’s code when you were asked to take it over. Inheriting headaches is never fun, and sometimes you truly do take over code that is poorly written or not future-proof. These headaches, though, aren’t helped by agonizing someone else’s code not being up to your standards. In fact, doing so will only make things worse.

When you take over a codebase from someone else, you should consider that not everybody is at the same level as you find yourself. You may have been developing websites for the past 15 years when you adopt the code from a developer who has only been at it for a couple of years. Is the code they’ve written really any less valid than what you would have written? Sure, it can probably be improved upon, but do we need to act as a gatekeeper with new developers?

Think back to when you first started. For me, it was working in Notepad and building sites from scratch with beautiful, beautiful tables. As I and the web developed, I was able to add new tools to my workbench. When I first learned about the ability to put all of your styles in a single stylesheet and remove the need for inline styles, my mind was blown.

Just because I got to that point at that very moment in my journey, though, doesn’t mean that someone who didn’t learn about it for another six months was any less a developer than I was. Perhaps they only built sites every so often and weren’t as entrenched in web development at the time. Nonetheless, they still did the work and got there at their own pace.

The next time you’re bequeathed code from another developer and want to laugh or complain about what they’ve written, think about your own journey first. Think about how you would have written the very same thing two, three, or five years ago, and then think about how you would write it today.

How to deal with bad code

Just stop.

Take a step back.

Breathe in deep and let it back out (that last part is very important, please don’t forget to breathe out).

Then dive into the code.

You may be taking code over for any number of reasons. Maybe you’re forking a repo to build off of something else, or you’re on a project working with multiple vendors and need to integrate code from another developer/company into whatever it is you’re building. Perhaps you’re joining a new company and are taking over for someone who has since moved on.

The main thing to keep in mind is that nobody is writing what you consider to be bad code on purpose (probably). Developers are writing to the best extent of their knowledge at the time and could be dealing with any number of extraneous circumstances not made clear in the code.

How many times have you done anything in your life “good enough for now” because you were under a time crunch? One time, I royally messed up a pizza dough and it wound up tasting way more like a pretzel than a pizza. Still, it had cheese, sauce, and other toppings. It was technically edible—good enough for jazz, right?

While you may not be able to fix a bad pizza, you can fix bad code. Plus, if you’re working with the person who wrote the bad code, then you’ve got a wonderful teaching opportunity. If not? Well, then you can rest peacefully knowing that you’ve taken something and improved it with your good big brain. What a treat!

Dealing with bad code can be as much a learning experience for yourself as it can be for the developer who originally wrote the code. You have the unique ability to peek inside of someone else’s mind and try to parse what they were thinking when they wrote something. Maybe it looks wrong to you, but does it actually work? If so, isn’t it sort of neat that someone was able to accomplish something their own way with a working end result?

What’s important to remember is that bad code does not mean a bad coder wrote it. We’re always learning, growing, and trying new things. If your code from years ago looks the same as it does now, you’ve got a problem. So much changes and evolves in just a year that, as a developer, if you’re not constantly trying new things, then you’re going to find yourself falling behind.

Yes, maybe your code technically still does what it needs to do… but will the person ahead of you who has been experimenting and learning beyond your knowledge level see your code as “technically good” or as something on which to improve?

How to stop being a mean developer

This might be the easiest thing to do with the biggest hurdle in front of it. It’s easy to be cynical and catty in your daily life, and those instincts are multiplied when you’re in a rush or have a lot on your plate. As much as it pains me to take off my own tinfoil hat from time to time, it’s important to remind yourself that everybody else isn’t out to get you.

You aren’t picking up someone’s bad code as a punishment or a cruel joke. You’re simply nudging forward the life cycle of developers, code, and the web.

When you adopt someone else’s code and the logic behind it puzzles you, stop and ask yourself why someone would write something in this way. More often than not, they just didn’t know of any other way. It could be way over-engineered or needlessly complex, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually wrong. If you can accomplish the same thing in fewer steps or with better performance, do it!

If you’re in the unique position of working with the person whose code you’re inheriting, ask that person why they wrote something a certain way. There may be more behind their code than simply not knowing any better. Maybe they, too, were jumping onto some other previously written code and needed to tailor their new code to the existing codebase.

If you’re unsure of any issues you may run into by beginning a code cleanup, reach out to your team or community. Assuming the code is safe to share with your group, try to get some insight into why something could have been written a certain way while also sharing your suggestions for cleaning it up. You may find that someone has an even better solution than your own allowing yourself to grow as a developer and someone else to grow as a teacher.

When it comes down to it, just take a moment to think about what you’re doing. It may feel good to laugh at something like a pile of bad code, but it’s not getting anybody closer to solving any of your problems. It’s a pointless exhibition of elitism and potential gatekeeper behavior.

The next time you want to deride another developer’s code or process because, “I wouldn’t have done it this way,” or “This doesn’t make any sense,” don’t. Instead, appreciate that you have the opportunity to see someone else’s process while also expanding your own mind to see that there is almost always way more than one way to accomplish something.

Above all else, though? Don’t be a jerk!

The post Breaking the Cycle of the Mean Developer appeared first on WebDevStudios.