Category Archives: Note

Hauwa Abashiya 1:31 pm on November 2, 2021
Tags: nominations,   

Nominations for Training Team Reps 2022

This post kicks off the call for Training team reps.

The Role

Each team has one or more representatives (reps). Team reps are responsible for communicating on behalf of their team to other contributor teams. They represent the team, collaborate with other teams, raise, manage and address any issues. This role averages two to five hours per week in team organizational duties.

The Election Process

We will follow the same process as other teams, dates may differ slightly.

Nominations

Nominations will open on November 3, 2021 at 12:00 UTC and will remain open until November 17, 2021 at 12:00 UTC. Please add your nominations as a comment on this post. You can nominate yourself or someone else if you think they are a great fit.

Elections

We will review the nominations at our team meeting on November 23, 2021. If there are more than 3 nominations, we will organize a poll to select the Team Reps.

If we need to have a poll, this will be open until 10 December 10, 2021 at 12:00 UTC. This takes into account the US Thanksgiving holiday.

Annoucements

We will announce the results at the next team meeting on November 23, 2021. If there are more than 3 nominations, we will announce the results at the December 14, 2021 team meeting.

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

#nominations, #training-team

Hugh Lashbrooke 1:18 am on October 27, 2021
Tags: documentation, ,   

Documentation Sprint

In light of planning for the Faculty program – a dedicated and trained volunteer program for the Training team – we need to make some real progress on documenting all of the great work that this team does. After all – you can’t have a dedicated volunteer team without documentation!

To that end, I have put together a sheet for tracking which docs we need and what their current status is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XicSs4YWogmptQgqd1raZSVTQQZ8KTfswfPDKiZwN2A/edit

We can use this sheet as a base and work in separate Google Docs for each document.

A Focused Sprint

In order to really kickstart this process, we’re going to hold a focused documentation sprint from 10 – 12 November 2021.

The sprint will be across all time zones and will take place in the #training channel in the Making WordPress Slack group. The Automattic sponsored team – that’s @hlashbrooke, @rkohilakis, @west7, and @arasae – will be spending dedicated time on this project during those days and we invite you to join us!

We would love to get all of the documentation done during this time, but if not we will work to complete it as soon after the sprint as possible.

If there are any docs not mentioned in the sheet then please comment here or add them directly to the sheet itself (it’s open for editing). Anyone is welcome to begin work on these docs right now – you don’t need to wait for the sprint to start! Just make a note in the sheet that you’re doing it and mention it in the #training channel so the team is aware of your work.

Looking forward to getting this done alongside all of you!

#documentation, #sprint

Hauwa Abashiya 11:36 am on October 15, 2021
Tags: time change,   

Training Team Meeting Time Change Survey

The Training team currently runs 2 team meetings to cover the EMEA, Americas and APAC regions. We’re approaching that time of the year when clocks change for some regions. To accommodate this we propose changing the time we meet. Please indicate your preference.

EMEA and Americas

Tuesday 4:00PM UTC or 5:00PM UTC

Vote EMEAs and Americas

APAC

Wednesday 2:00AM UTC or 3:00AM UTC

Vote APAC

#time-change, #training-team

Hugh Lashbrooke 1:59 am on September 21, 2021  

Should Learn WordPress contributors be GPL compliant?

In some cases – notably for anyone involved in a WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. in any official capacity – WordPress contributors are required to be GPLGPL GPL is an acronym for GNU Public License. It is the standard license WordPress uses for Open Source licensing https://wordpress.org/about/license/. The GPL is a ‘copyleft’ license https://www.gnu.org/licenses/copyleft.en.html. This means that derivative work can only be distributed under the same license terms. This is in distinction to permissive free software licenses, of which the BSD license and the MIT License are widely used examples. compliant. This means that any WordPress derivatives (i.e. themes, plugins, forks or distributions) that they distribute must be licensed under the GPL or a compatible licence. This isn’t the case for most areas of contribution, so let’s have a look at whether this should apply to contributors to learn WordPress.

The result of this conversation may seem obvious to some, but it’s good to discuss these things out in the open so that we have a documented record of where, why, and how these types of decisions have been made.

First, some precedents

In terms of contributions, Learn WordPress is an interesting blend of speaking and documenting depending on the area of contribution on the platform, so here are some precedents in both of those areas that we should be aware of:

Event speakers

Anyone who speaks at an official WordPress event (WordCamp, meetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area., etc.) is only allowed to speak if any WordPress derivatives they distribute are licensed with a GPL compatible licence. This has always been the case, and for good reason. Speakers (and organisers) are seen to represent WordPress to their local community, so they need to embody the same freedoms that the GPL affords WordPress users.

Documentation contributors

Anyone can contribute documentation to WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ – the Docs team handbook doesn’t have any specific requirements listed and allows anyone to get involved. Since documentation writers aren’t specifically representing WordPress in the same way that event speakers, this is not an issue. Also, documentation contributors aren’t directly recognised for their specific contributions in the context of where it took place.

Core contributorsCore Contributors Core contributors are those who have worked on a release of WordPress, by creating the functions or finding and patching bugs. These contributions are done through Trac. https://core.trac.wordpress.org.

Since CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. is the oldest area of contribution in the project it’s also worth taking a look at how contributors can get involved and are recognised here. Anyone can contribute to WordPress core, regardless of their GPL compliance. All contributors receive props for their contribution directly on TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/., as well as being thanked in the announcement post on WordPress.org/news. Their name in the announcement post is linked to their WordPress.org profile.

OK, so what does that mean for Learn WordPress?

Lesson plans

Lesson plan contributors do not have any GPL requirements – this is much the same as for documentation in that anyone can contribute and specific contributors are not recognised directly on the lesson plans themselves. This seems right to me and is the best way to encourage as many people as possible to contribute.

Workshops

Currently, all workshop presenters are credited on the workshop page with their name, avatarAvatar An avatar is an image or illustration that specifically refers to a character that represents an online user. It’s usually a square box that appears next to the user’s name. and full bio pulled from their WordPress.org profile (example). Since workshop presenters are a public face of the project in much the same way that WordCamp speakers are, we have also been operating under the same requirements as WordCamp speakers when it comes to being GPL compatible. This also seems right to me and I am of the opinions that we should continue with this requirement.

It is possible, however, for people to contribute content to a video workshop without being the presenter on the screen. This raises some questions:

  1. Do we credit non-presenting content contributors in the same way as presenters?
  2. Should non-presenting contributors have the same GPL compatibility requirements as presenters?

Since one of the primary motivations behind the GPL requirement is to ensure that anyone publicly representing WordPress does so in a way that is faithful to the licence, it makes sense for presenters to have that same requirement, but I don’t think we can say the same for non-presenting contributors.

A proposal

After considering a few ways we could move forward here, my proposal is the following:

  • Anyone contributing text-based content to Learn WordPress does not have to fulfil any GPL compliance requirements, this would apply to lesson plans and any other area that is text/image based.
  • Workshop presenters (i.e. people who appear in videos whether on video or audio) must continue to be GPL compliant just like WordCamp speakers need to be – presenters will be vetted at the time of their workshop application just like WordCamp speakers are vetted.
  • Anyone contributing to workshops who is not appearing in the video itself (i.e. helped to create the outline, script, slides, editing, or any other area) does not need to be GPL compliant.
  • Workshop presenters will still be listed on the workshop page with their name, avatar and bio as they are now, while anyone contributing to the workshop in any other capacity would be listed in a blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. titled “Other contributors” with their name that is linked to their WordPress.org profile, just like in the core release announcements.

tl;dr: Anyone featuring in videos must be GPL compliant, but all other contributors need not be.

Feedback

Does this proposal sound like a good way to move forward? Please share any thoughts you have and we can discuss it all here.

This post will remain open for comments until the end of the day on Wednesday, 29 September. After that, comments will be summarised and we can formalise the guidelines based on this discussion

Hugh Lashbrooke 12:46 am on September 14, 2021  

Learn WordPress Needs Assessment Results

In order to obtain an expert third-party view of what Learn WordPress needs in order to succeed, a leading digital learning consultant (AllenComm) was contracted to perform a full needs assessment of the platform. This needs assessment was funded by Automattic, and the research was entirely neutral and based on observations made by AllenComm themselves.

After a few months of this ongoing assessment, the final results have been delivered so here they are in their entirety.

First up, here’s a PDF of the full presentation of their findings:

Automattic_Needs-Analysis_DRR_ReportDownload

Along with that, here are the results of the public user survey that was included in their research:

learn.WordPress_survey8-11-2021Download

And, finally, they also created these interactive mockups of how Learn WordPress could be improved based on their findings.

Since there’s a lot to go through in all of that, here’s the executive summary of the findings from the assessment:

1. Make it minimal and meaningful

  • Offer assessments to determine level of expertise and user group.
  • Make the site easy to navigate with intuitive searching solutions with auto complete options for commonly searched terms.
  • Include filters that can be easily accessed with meaningful content.
  • Provide quick access to topics and solutions that apply to them. Because most use this for work obligations, they’ll need quick solutions and quick access.

2. Make it concise and customised

  • Provide a revolving carousel of new options for learning to ensure the new content gets cycled through and older content is flagged as possibly outdated.
  • Facilitate easy, simple options for them to take ownership to invest their own content based on the needs of the community.
  • Create badging or indicators that coincide with their level of expertise based on completion and contributions.

3. Make it iterative

  • Create flexible, current opportunities for the users to make the site their own based on their interests and level of expertise.
  • Apply dates to all materials so learners can determine if the content is applicable to current versions of their current processes.
  • Provide current, relevant supplementary materials for specific topics such as editors and plug-in functions. (PDF)

4. Make it interactive

  • Include training activities that encourage the users to apply or think through the application of new processes or solutions.
  • Don’t test them on knowledge, but instead outline various use cases for the lessons and materials.
  • Provide pre-recorded sessions and a way to ask questions of the presenter.

5. Make it interpersonal

  • Provide access to a collaboration of real people in real time so they can garner specific support when and where they need it.
  • Continue to provide instructional videos of real people who may share some struggles they’ve also had and how they’ve solved it.
  • Provide a feedback loopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop. where they can offer suggestions and receive responses.

There are some very exciting ideas in there and there’s a lot that I’m looking forward to exploring further! It is important to note, however, that none of this is prescriptive – just because the report suggests we do something, doesn’t mean we need to do it. Our task from here is to use this to figure out just what we need and what we can implement from all of this.

Please discuss in the comments of this post and leave any thoughts or feedback you might have!

Hugh Lashbrooke 11:47 pm on August 22, 2021  

APAC Training Team Meeting Time

As per the poll published a couple of weeks ago, the weekly Training Team meeting is going to be repeated at a second time in order to accommodate people in more time zones. The time that was voted for in the poll is Wednesday at 3am UTC:

Screenshot 2021-08-17 13.41.53

This means that the first meeting at this time will be this week at Wednesday 25 August 2021 at 03:00 am UTC.

This will use the same agenda as the current meeting, which will still be held on Tuesday 24 August 2021 at 04:00 pm UTC and the notes from the second meeting will be added as a comment on the first meeting’s notes. We will experiment with this format for the next little while and see how effective it is. If it proves to be unhelpful then we can revert and discuss trying something different.

Hope to see many of you there!

Hugh Lashbrooke 12:43 am on August 20, 2021  

Captioning Sprint Details

We’re holding a sprint today for generating and upload captions and transcripts for all of the videos on Learn WordPress. Here are the sprint times:

More details here!

In addition to those above details, here is how things will happen during the sprint:

  • Meet in the #training channel in the Making WordPress Slack group at the times listed above.
  • Follow this comprehensive guide for generating, checking and uploading captions and transcripts – all of the videos have already been uploaded to the transcription services (Otter and Sonix), so you can skip the download/upload video steps and jump straight into the captioning and trscription work!
  • Use this sheet to check which videos need to be worked on
  • When you start working on a video, just say the name of the video in the SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel so everyone knows and when you’re done with the video, please update the sheet accordingly.
  • If you need any assistance just ask in the channel! In order to be given the correct permissions and password you can ask in the channel and they will be sent to you in a private message. Passwords will be changed after the sprints are complete for security reasons.

You can join for any amount of time as you like during the sprint – if you can just be there for 10 minutes then that’s great! If you can be there for an hour or more, then that’s also great! All work done here is valuable and appreciated.

See you there!

Hugh Lashbrooke 2:26 am on August 12, 2021
Tags: ,   

Workshop Captioning and Transcription Sprint

Of the 53 workshops that currently live on Learn WordPress, 29 of them have captions and only 3 have full transcripts. Let’s fix that!

What are we doing?

We are going to hold a dedicated sprint for volunteers to join the Training Team in generating and uploading captions and transcripts for all 53 workshops.

When are we doing it?

The sprint will be held on Friday, 20 August at the following two times:

Each sprint will be 1-2 hours long (although it can go on as long as people are available) and volunteers can join for some or all of it.

Where are we doing it?

The sprint will be coordinated in the #training channel in the Making WordPress Slack group. All you need to do is show up in the channel at the right time.

How are we doing it?

We’ll be using two different services to generate captions and transcripts – Otter.ai for English videos and Sonix.ai for all other languages. This comprehensive guide walks you through the entire process so you don’t need any prior knowledge about how video captions or transcripts work. You will find a sheet with the caption/transcript status of all the published videos here.

Why are we doing it?

Captions and transcripts serve three main purposes for the workshop videos.

  1. AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) – captions and transcripts allow anyone to be able to read what is being presented thereby making the videos available to more people.
  2. Localisation – captions and transcripts, unlike the videos themselves, can be localised. Since all of the workshop videos are hosted on WordPress.tv, once captions have been added any Polyglots contributor can translate and upload them in any other language.
  3. SEO – the text in the captions and transcripts can be indexed by search engines, making the content significantly more findable across the web.

If you would like to get involved in this work outside of the hours designated for this sprint, then you are welcome (and encouraged!) to do so. Please follow the guide for instructions and let the team know in the #training channel that you’re doing it.

Once this work has concluded and all of the current videos have full captions and transcriptions, this will become a requirement for any new video published on Learn WordPress so we will never host a workshop without them again.

#learn-wordpress

Hugh Lashbrooke 12:44 am on August 9, 2021  

Scheduling an APAC-Friendly Meeting Time

As the Training Team has grown over the years, more contributors are joining from all over the world. This is super exciting to see! In order to accommodate contributors in as many timezones as possible, we’re going to need to set up dual meeting times in the same way that both the Polyglots and Community teams do. This means that the weekly Training Team meeting will be held twice, both times with the same agenda, in order to cater to different time zones.

The current team meeting is weekly on Tuesday at 4pm UTC. This generally works for people in the US and through most EMEA timezones, but it makes it pretty tough for people in APAC to attend, so let’s figure out a time that will allow more people to get involved in the Training Team!

If the current Training Team meeting time is impossible or difficult for you, then please use this poll to vote for times that could work for you (you may select as many options as applicable): https://poll.fm/10895749

Hugh Lashbrooke 8:04 am on July 30, 2021
Tags:   

Learn WordPress: User Survey & Focus Groups

Learn WordPress has been live since December 2020 and, in that time, the platform has seen solid growth in content and collaborative learning. While there are many plans in place for where the platform is intended to grow, a more structured roadmap needs to be established so that things can move forward with a clear direction in mind.

In order to facilitate this, a thorough analysis and needs assessment of Learn WordPress is underway. This assessment has a few different facets to it, one of which is direct research into what learners and potential learners would like to see, both in terms of content and the learning experience as a whole. In order to gather reliable data with which to work, a survey has been compiled and focus groups will be run. These will help answer questions about what kind of things people want to learn about and how they want to learn.

The survey is anonymous and open for anyone to complete – it will only take a few minutes to go through. You can find it here and fill it out right now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LearnWordPress. The survey will be open until Friday, 13 August.

The focus groups will be video calls that last for about 1 hour and will include 5-6 people in each one. There will only be a small number of focus groups and people who join them will have no further obligations beyond attending and taking part in the call. You can complete this form to register your interest in being a part of one: https://forms.gle/jdk2qkkvGyszx1SG6. Focus groups will ideally take place during the week of 2-6 August but can be postponed to the following week depending on interest and availability.

These efforts will be the most successful if people with a broad range of skill sets and experience levels take part, so please share the links above (or just this post!) with as many people as possible. The results will be valuable no matter how well people know WordPress – whether they’re interested in using it for the first time, have just started using it, or have been using it for a long time already.

Fill out the survey
[DISABLED] Register interest in focus groups


The results of the survey will be published on this blog, along with relevant anonymised data gleaned from the focus groups.

#learn-wordpress