That’s the big question in my head after this morning. I’m terribly sad that I’m thinking of this.
Bit of an background
Before diving into the matter here, I do want to provide some background.
I’ve been contributing towards WordPress project for around seven years now I believe. Although during last years my contributions have been mainly on hiatus, due to being extremely busy at work and eventual burnout, I’d like tho think that at least some of my contributions in the past have been important for the community.
At my last company, I could use my work time towards the project. When the discussions started with my current employer, I stated that I’d like to use my time towards the project and see company take part in the five for the future initiative.
At the time of signing it wasn’t agreed, but neither ruled out. We continued the discussions around the topic. Some months ago we agreed and I was tasked on mapping and leading our companies efforts on giving back to the community.
My current company is the biggest WordPress agency in Finland, measured in the turnover, personnel and clientel we serve (some of the biggest brands in the country).
I was extremely happy. This is what I wanted from the day one starting at the company. This was my path back to contributing towards the project in a sustainable fashion.
What’s up then?
This morning the latest dispute in WordPress community was brought to my attention. Or, to be blunt it’s not a dispute it’s a straight heated call-out by the project leader Matt towards one specific company in the ecosystem. If you haven’t heard about it, James Giroux put together excellent summary.
After reading that summary and some other takes, I sent following messages on Post Status Slack.
Uh oh. I’ve been on a hiatus from contributing due to personal reasons. For some reason, this makes me question if I want to come back. I mean, I kinda get the point and problem. But don’t agree on the delivery. The ultimate question for me, I guess, is do I want to come back to a community that feels to have lots of self-grown negativity, calling out and disputes in it or should I use my time towards something that brings positivity to my life. Don’t know man, really don’t know.
Why would anyone want to start contributing towards a project that shows self-grown negativity around it? People seek to be part of things with positive aura.
Double uh oh is the fact that I just spent months to persuade my new employer to start contributing, was assigned to map out and lead those efforts and now this latest call out made me personally rethink my own contributions.
Now, WordPress project has individuals that I look up to, with whom I really enjoy working with and who are probably the brightest individuals I’ve encountered in my life.
That still might not counteract the fact that the project’s leader, Matt, is really creating dispute and negativity inside and outside the project. Not only with this call-out, but there’s a record of similar type of indices in the past.
And for me it’s really not only about using my time towards only things surrounded with positivity. I’m a realist and one could say, rarely positive myself.
It’s also about how you lead and motivate your troops. Is this behaviour something I want to be part of and believe in the leadership methods?
Do I want to represent these messages and ways of working? Yes, I think that to some extent every contributor represents WordPress and what it’s co-founder says in official capacity. Especially when it’s done via official media that is broadcasted to hundred millions of dashboards across the world.
I also belive that the community acts like the leader(s) of it acts. If the leader does heated call-outs and starts flamewars, will the community follow down the same route? I hope it wont, but I fear that in a long term it can spiral even more into it. Do I want to be part of something that once was aspiring and motivating community but has spiraled into big public disputes?
Then, now what?
Like shared on the Post Status: don’t know man, really don’t know.
I need some few good sauna times to think this through.
I also hope that Matt thinks what these actions do for the community and where it’s heading. Do a vibe check on how attractive the WordPress project is for contributions after these outbursts.
But then, as one fellow Post Status member said; “we [WordPress project] have an infinite pool of ready, willing and eager contributors, and every aspect of the project is suitably well-resourced. We can just keep burning through goodwill.”
I read that to have grain of sarcasm.
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