More of your questions answered
We hope our Q&A series has inspired you to take part in the event at WordCamp Europe on 20 June 2019. We have been working with other WordCamps and the Make WordPress Marketing Team to help encourage new attendees to join a contributor event.
Milana Cap, Community Team Lead for WCEU, said: “Contributor Days are great places to start or progress on your contributor journey. We want to continue to make it as easy as possible to get involved.”
Ask us anything or share feedback from previous Contributor Days at WCEU and elsewhere using our Google form. Questions and answers will be published regularly.
Question 6
“Can I be on more than one team at Contributor Day and how does this work?”
Answer 6
Yes, you can switch teams at any time during Contributor Day. There are no rules. The team you wish to join and the time you wish to spend only depends on your preferences and the goals you want to achieve.
Question 7
“Will information be sent out in advance so I can prepare for the tasks at the event?”
Answer 7
Yes, we will send detailed instructions on how to prepare for Contributor Day. We will also include a schedule for the day so everyone involved knows what to expect.
Question 8
“Why is it called Contributor Day and not Volunteer Day?”
Answer 8
Contributor Day has developed its specific vocabulary. To learn more, we have a Contributor Day Glossary that explains terms and expressions.
Even though everyone at Contributor Day is volunteering (this includes Organisers, Volunteers and Contributors), there are few reasons behind the name Contributor Day:
- It keeps consistency with WordCamp terminology, where Volunteers represent a group of people who are helping to Organise events
- It explains that this day is about contributing to WordPress as a project.
- WordPress as a project is a result of the hard work by many teams. These teams are present at Contributor Day and often referred to as “Make Teams” or “Make WordPress Teams”, but the official name is “Contributor Teams.”
Question 9
“I can’t code, but managed to use the old system and felt I could contribute to things like marketing and polyglots. I am completely lost with the new block editor, so does this mean I can no longer contribute?”
Answer 9
No, it does not. You can still contribute to WordPress. There are teams that do not require knowledge or use of the new editor. There will also be talks at WCEU about Gutenberg (the new editor) that you can attend to learn how to use it.
Question 10
“Can you make WCEU less daunting for new people and those feeling anxious about large groups? Five hundred people in one room can make the noise overwhelming.
Can you help people find where they need to go more easily before entering such a big room.”
Answer 10
We want to be sensitive to challenges that new or existing contributors may experience in joining a large Contributor Day. The size of Contributor Day rooms is not always under an Organiser’s control. It depends on many circumstances and is different for every venue.
At WCEU 2017 in Paris, circumstances were such that every contributor team had its own room. This proved to be useful for large teams, but not as welcoming for some small teams. At WCEU 2018 in Belgrade, teams were located in one big room. Similarly, this had both advantages and disadvantages.
For the 2019 event in Berlin there will be two rooms. In an attempt to manage sound levels, we will split team locations by potential for noise from discussions to assist teams that need quieter areas to work. Our goal is to help decrease anxiety and uncertainty, and we will signpost and label team areas so they can be more easily seen from different parts of the rooms. We will also provide floor plans with team locations on every table and list team names at the entrance of both rooms.
Each year, the organising team adapts the day to best fit the venue. We welcome and incorporate your feedback to keep improving Contributor Day and to create an experience that is more welcoming and inclusive.