Raising my hand to help others create their own productive spaces in WordPress

There is so much room for so many spaces in the WordPress world. Having created and run an official space for a few years (the FSE Outreach Program) and, as I venture into creating an unofficial one with WordPress YouTubers, my brain spins with all of the communities and pop up spaces I want to create. Off the top of my head:

• Repeat working calls for issues that impact accessibility, alongside designers and developers. I’ve dabbled in this with a few hallway hangouts but haven’t had someone pick up the mantel.
• A dedicated space for agencies to share pain points, wins, and feedback, likely anonymous to ensure folks can talk about projects.
• Creative Calls ™️ for folks who want to create art with blocks to submit to the Block Museum. We would check out current pieces of art, work on our own pieces live, share in progress work, and pass on feedback.

Each of these scratches a different itch and, as of now, requires capacity I don’t have, especially right now with where my soul is. If you’re reading this, perhaps you have capacity and a desire to get started in creating a space for like minded folks to bring feedback into the WordPress project. If that’s you and you aren’t sure where to get started, contact me and I’ll work with you to get going out in the open.

For now, I offer this advice:

• Grassroots outreach is effective, as seen in the FSE Outreach Program and recent YouTuber effort. Go where people are already.
• Share work openly, such as on a personal blog, to facilitate feedback integration, reach more people, and ensure widespread benefit.
• Consistency is essential. Allocate 4-6 hours per month for at least 4-6 months before beginning.
• Have a vision and focus to attract people, but remain open to feedback and allow your effort to evolve accordingly.
• Be relentless and excellent with follow through. Post notes promptly, open GitHub issues, email people back, etc. This builds trust and creates momentum.
• Don’t take anything personally :).

In case anyone is taking requests, I’d love to see one dedicated to agencies. It was runner up on my list before I pursued YouTubers and I think would be incredibly high impact. There’s a small crew of us who emailed and gathered a few times previously but I think it just needs someone caring to sustain and build it.