On #wp19day we were given the opportunity to talk about WordPress and celebrate the content management system that brought us all together. David and Olivia Bisset did a wonderful job of rallying the community through quotes, videos, podcasts, and more. It felt really good to be a part of something so beloved and treasured. A few of my main takeaways from the day were: how strong the community is, how many people want it to grow, and how it has changed the lives of a lot of us for the best.
A strong community
One of the things I kept reading and hearing while celebrating was that there are people in the community that love to help others. I have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people in the community but learned they are a few of the many. I saw discussions about people who love to take in mentees, help those in the community that may be facing issues, and love helping others learn. I was in awe hearing the names and organizations committed to helping, and usually for free. People who realized that our community is only as strong as our most novice participants.
People really want to see the community grow
I have talked in the past about what we can do to make the community grow. And I am not the only one who believes that new blood is the way to go. So many people expressed ideas from companies taking on internships, to more people providing learning resources for newbies. There were also talks of getting more people to discover how they can make more local WordCamps. Watching the hype around WordCamp EU which is happening this week, has driven the point home even more that more places need WordCamps. Even if they are small or rural areas.
WordPress has changed the lives of so many people
My absolute favorite thing about wp19day was the number of people who talked about WordPress changing their lives. WordPress opened my eyes up to opportunities and people I really didn’t think existed. I am in a position today to help others because there were members of the WordPress community who believed in me. My story is not rare. So many people talked about the good friends they made over the years, the awesome themes and plugins they were able to create and use and the code they were able to use that revolutionized their businesses and lives. The outpouring and thanks were beautiful to see and I was happy to have the privilege to listen and read myself.
WordPress is 19! It has given us laughs! It has given us tears! It has given us new opportunities, new friends, and new loved ones. All in around two decades. I am honored to be a part of such a community and I can’t wait to see how the next 19 years go. Long live WordPress.
