You’ve probably heard that WordPress is open source software, and may know that it’s created and run by volunteers. Enthusiasts share many examples of how WordPress has changed people’s lives for the better. In this monthly series, we share some of those lesser-known, amazing stories.
Mario has been hooked on computers ever since he got his first one in 1996. He started with digging into MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 first and learned tons by trial and error. Following that adventure, Mario built his first HTML site in 1999. He found development so exciting that he spent day and night learning QBasic and started working at the local PC game club. Mario got involved with several other things related to website administration (translating security bulletins, setting up simple sites, etc) and soon found the technology field was full of activities he really enjoyed.
Mario started studying programming including an intensive high-level course for C#, Java development, and software engineering, and eventually got a job in a corporate environment. He soon became a team lead there, managing all the planning and paperwork for their projects.
But he continued freelancing on the side. He grew his own network of technical experts through attending, volunteering at, and organizing conferences. He also ran a technical forum and regularly spoke at universities and enterprise companies.
The combination of a high workload and a daily three-hour-long commute made Mario’s life difficult. Many of his friends were still studying, traveling or unemployed. The blissful and calm lives they lived seemed like a fairy tale to him. And even while both his managers and his clients were abroad, he was unable to obtain permission to work remotely.
So Mario decided to leave his job and start freelancing full time. But he found he faced a massive challenge.
He discovered Java projects were pretty large and required an established team of people working together in an office. All job opportunities were on-site, and some even required relocation abroad. Certified Java programmers weren’t being hired on a remote basis.
As Mario had some PHP experience from previous jobs, he used this to start his freelance career. For his projects, he used both plain PHP and PHP frameworks like CakePHP and CodeIgniter.
For a while, Mario accepted work using commonly known platforms including Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress. In addition, he worked on PHP, Java, Python and some C# projects for a couple of years, after which he decided to switch to WordPress completely.
One of his projects involved a technically challenging charity backed by several international organizations. Unexpected shortages in the team put him in the technical lead position. As a result, Mario found himself planning the next phases, meeting with the client regularly, and renegotiating the terms. The team completed the project successfully, and after the launch, a TV campaign led millions of visitors to the website.
As a result of the successful launch, this client invited Mario to participate in more WordPress projects, including building a custom framework.
“I wasn’t that acquainted with WordPress back then. For me, a conventional person trained in architectural design patterns and best practices, WordPress seemed like an eccentric young hipster somewhere on the line between insane and genius at the same time. I had to spend a couple of months learning WordPress from the inside out.”
Mario Peshev
As his interest in WordPress grew, Mario stopped delivering other custom platforms, and converted clients to WordPress.
For Mario, one of the key selling points of WordPress was the international openness. He had previously been involved with other open source communities, some of which were US-focused. He felt they were more reliant on meeting people in person. With events only taking place in the US, this made building relationships much harder for people living in other countries.
While the WordPress project started out in the US, the WordPress community quickly globalized. Dozens of WordCamps and hundreds of Meetup events take place around the globe every year. All of these events bring a wide variety of people sharing their enthusiasm for WordPress together.
For Mario, the birth of WordCamp Europe was something magical. The fact that hundreds, and later on thousands, of people from all over the world gathered around the topic of WordPress speaks for itself. Mario has been involved with organizing WordCamp Europe twice (in 2014 and 2015).
“There’s nothing like meeting WordPress enthusiasts and professionals from more than 50 countries brainstorming and working together at a WordCamp. You simply have to be there to understand how powerful it all is.”
Mario Peshev
A key WordPress benefit is its popularity – an ever growing project currently powering more than 35% of the Internet [2020]. It’s popular enough to be a de facto standard for websites, platforms, e-commerce and blogs.
WordPress has a low barrier to entry. You can achieve a lot without being an expert, meaning most people can start gaining experience without having to spend years learning how to code. That also makes it easier to build businesses and teams.
“Being able to use a tool that is user-friendly, not overly complicated and easily extensible makes introducing it to team members faster and easier. It requires less time for adjustment, and as a result makes a team stronger and faster. The fact that this tool is cost-effective also allows more startups to enter the market. It requires less time and investments to launch an MVP. This boosts the entire ecosystem.”
Mario Peshev
Mario also introduced WordPress to children and young people. He taught them how to use WordPress as a tool for homework and class assignments. By using WordPress, they were able to learn the basics of designing themes, developing plugins, marketing statistics, social media, copywriting, and so much more. This approachable introduction to the software meant technical skills were not needed.
He was also part of a team of volunteers who helped a group of young people living at a foster home struggling to provide for themselves. The team taught the basic digital literacy skills necessary in the modern workplace and potentially pay for their rent and basic needs. This included working with Microsoft Word, Excel and WordPress, as well as some basic design and marketing skills.
“When you look at that from another perspective, a platform that could save lives – literally – and change the world for better is worth contributing to, in any possible manner.”
Mario Peshev
From the core team to supporting and organizing WordCamps, Mario has long been an active contributor to the global WordPress project. He is passionate about the connections fostered by people who are involved in building both the WordPress software and the community around it.
“The WordPress community consists of people of all race and color, living all around the world, working as teachers, developers, bloggers, designers, business owners. Let’s work together to help each other. Let’s stick together and show the world WordPress can help make it a better place.”
Mario Peshev
Thanks to Alison Rothwell (@wpfiddlybits), Yvette Sonneveld (@yvettesonneveld), Abha Thakor (@webcommsat), Josepha Haden (@chanthaboune) and Topher DeRosia (@topher1kenobe). Thank you to Mario Peshev (@nofearinc) for sharing his #ContributorStory.
This post is based on an article originally published on HeroPress.com, a community initiative created by Topher DeRosia. HeroPress highlights people in the WordPress community who have overcome barriers and whose stories would otherwise go unheard.
Meet more WordPress community members over at HeroPress.com!
Latest PECL Releases:
For a complete list of changes see: https://github.com/pdezwart/php-amqp/compare/v1.10.1...v1.10.2
For a complete list of changes see: https://github.com/pdezwart/php-amqp/compare/v1.10.0...v1.10.1
For a complete list of changes see: https://github.com/pdezwart/php-amqp/compare/v1.9.4...v1.10.0
If recent global events have taught us anything, it’s that life as we know it can change in an instant. The things that once seemed certain and knowable become anything but.
For web designers who rely on client work to make a living, this situation is especially daunting. After all, what happens to our clients greatly affects us as well.
When our clients enact things like temporary closures, cost-cutting measures and other assorted chaos, it eventually makes its way down to us. In turn, our workloads and revenue can take an unexpected hit.
So, how can you deal with this uncertainty? Here are a few tips to keep you moving forward.
Being a freelancer or part of a small agency is actually great preparation for uncertainty. Change and unexpected turns go along with running a business. So, you may actually be in a better position than you think.
To know for sure, you’ll have to assess your situation. Think about what is happening and determine:
If you’re facing a huge shortage in cash, hopefully you’ll also have more free time to make up for that loss. However, if the losses aren’t major, you may get along just fine.
Once you know where you stand, it’s a matter of looking at your priorities. Figure out:
From there, it’s about making the necessary adjustments. It might mean looking for new clients, or finding ways to increase revenue from existing ones (redesigns, retrofitting, adding new features, etc.)
Maybe you suddenly find yourself with a few less projects to work on. While this isn’t an ideal situation, it is also a wonderful opportunity. It’s important to find activities that help you make the most of the newfound openings in your schedule.
What looks outwardly like a slow time can actually be a great chance to improve yourself and your business. Sometimes, the hardest part is simply figuring out what you want to do.
You could, for instance, decide to learn a new skill. In the short term, this helps by keeping your mind occupied and engaged in something productive. Over the long haul, you can use what you’ve learned to increase your service offerings and revenue.
This time could also be spent on a personal project, such as a redesign of your portfolio. There is something exciting about building a new online home. And it seems like designers rarely have the time to work on their own website. You may as well take advantage of the chance to do so.
Finally, this could also be a good opportunity to help existing clients make some necessary changes. Be proactive by reaching out and offering to help with adding new features or fine-tuning accessibility. Or maybe it’s time to perform some other behind-the-scenes maintenance.
How is it possible to plan for the future when you’re in the middle of a very fluid situation? It’s a matter of staying grounded and realistic.
The truth is that none of us can really predict what will happen tomorrow. But, using the assessment you made as a guide, you at least know where you are today.
The longer we have uncertainty, the more likely we’ll face unexpected situations. Think about what could realistically change within the coming weeks and months. How might that affect your business?
Also, a word of warning: Optimism is never a bad thing – but don’t let it cloud your judgement. Being overly-optimistic can lead to short-sighted decisions. For example, planning an expensive vacation when you’re not really sure what your earnings will be six months from now.
It may be wiser to prepare yourself for a more extended period of instability (if not for yourself, at least for the market in general). Then, if things do turn out better than anticipated, you can breathe easier.
One can make the argument that, as the world has turned to the internet for so many essential services, web designers are still in great demand. So, even as uncertainty makes for an uncomfortable present, the future looks bright.
To stay in the game, it will take the ability to adapt to the new normal. We must serve the clients we have and find ways to add new ones to our portfolios.
Oddly enough, that’s exactly what we’ve done for the better part of three decades. If we’ve made it this far, we can find our way through even the most challenging of times. Hang in there!
The post Dealing with Uncertain Times as a Web Designer appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.
There’s a legend among the cheese connoisseurs of New York City. In most of the US, it’s illegal to sell raw (non-pasteurized) dairy products. The reasons why are complicated, but many non-Americans who were raised on fresh milk and cheeses are often surprised when they come stateside and are unable to purchase anything that came purely from a cow.
Nevertheless, there are pockets of independent retail shops in New York who have been quietly staging their own cheesy rebellion for years. These renegade shops continue to sell raw cheeses – preferred among gourmets for their supposedly superior taste and texture.
However, you can’t simply walk into one of these shops and pick up a raw round of cheese off the shelf. You have to specifically ask for it. Most people wouldn’t think to ask, and so they never know about the whole world of illicit flavor hiding in plain sight.
This, my friends, is an example of design mythology in action. A compelling story that piques your natural curiosity and makes you wonder if you yourself could ever stumble across something so unusual.
The best part is that it’s not merely something for cheese sellers – designers can master this skill as well, using their own personal stories to craft a compelling narrative that captivates clients as well as viewers. Maybe not as cool as illegal cheese, though. I mean, come on. That’s pretty epic.
The British street artist Banksy is known for his anonymity almost as much as he is known for his work. This is done deliberately – it builds up a powerful persona that people recognize (or in Banksy’s case, don’t recognize) immediately. They will hear your name and instantly recall how weird you are, or how many risks you take, or how excited you get when talking about your work.
Whatever your unique personality and communication style is, you can use it to transform your persona from dull to dynamic. Even if you think you’re not that exciting, you can still capitalize on some quirk of yours that will grab people’s attention.
Even being “boring” can be fascinating as a persona. American comedian Jerry Seinfeld is quite famous for being an average, everyday Joe. It’s how he built his comedy empire and became a legend on television screens across the country. So don’t be afraid to be exactly who you are, and never underestimate your appeal to your niche market.
What others may fine dull or strange or confusing, your audience will absolutely love.
You can definitely harness the same process for your design work as well, and create a compelling experience around the production of your work for your clients and your users.
Many artists and designers have used video to display their creative process to the fans of their work. People love to watch a creative person working; if you’ve ever tried to sketch in a public place like the zoo or the subway, you know this. Many strangers won’t be able to resist tilting their heads around trying to get a good look at your sketchbook.
When you display your own unique production style, clients and users will take notice, and your work will take on a life of its own in the stories people will tell each other about it.
You want those stories – that mythology – to take root in every aspect of your production and your marketing. It’s the single most important part of your reputation as a designer.
Storytelling is the most essential component of creating a mythology around yourself as a designer. After all, how else to get your mythology out there except in story form? But storytelling is a double-edged blade.
Sure, you have to get good at telling your own story. But it’s also important to consider the stories other people are telling about your work.
What people say about your designs, and how they say it, is vital to getting the best clients. You can definitely influence people’s opinion of your work based on the mythology surrounding it. People are more likely to respond positively to design that has a good mythology around its creation, than to design that has little to no mythology.
If you really want to stand out from the crowd, don’t take inspiration from the same things everyone else in your industry is. Find something else to embrace, perhaps from a different industry or discipline, and co-opt it for your own work.
Remember that it’s perfectly okay to steal ideas, just as long as you steal enough different ones.
If every designer is obsessed with one particular trend or style, and you’re just not into it, that’s perfectly okay. Read books, look at new and different designs, and discover even more things that will help you develop a totally unique visual style.
It takes more work, but if you’re willing to dig deeper, you’ll stand head and shoulders above all the copycats who are too lazy or afraid to strike out on their own.
It takes time to develop a mythology around your designs. Don’t expect it to happen overnight – people need time to get to know who you are as a designer and to adapt to your unique offerings.
Attracting quality clients who will rave about your work will help tremendously, as it will lend your business a credibility that you can’t get any other way. Remember, people are willing to tolerate almost any amount of eccentricity as long as others can verify that you can be counted on to deliver the results they want.
The post Developing a Sense of Mythology Around Your Designs appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.