Benjamin Evans

Get to know Benjamin 🎙️

Can you start by painting a picture of what a typical day looks like for you? What fuels your passion for the work you do, and how does it tie into your involvement with WCEU?

I work for Automattic as a full-time sponsored contributor to the WordPress project, and to the Training Team specifically. This means that the majority of my working hours are dedicated to contributing to the Training Team’s goals.

This year, the team is working on relaunching the Learn.WordPress.org website, with a focus on a new type of content – Learning Pathways. As a team rep and Faculty Administrator, I spend much of my time conversing with other contributors in the team, unblocking anything in the way of them succeeding in their contributions. I’ve never met many of the team’s contributors in Europe, and I look forward to connecting with them in person at WCEU.

What sparked your interest in becoming a speaker at WCEU? Was there a particular moment or experience that motivated you to share your insights with this community?

Learn.WordPress.org is still very much unknown to the WordPress community. The official WordPress survey last year revealed that less than half of respondents knew of the site. This made me realize that the site still needs to be promoted and advocated on a global scale.

I presented a talk at WordCamp Kansai (Japan) in February this year, introducing Learn.WordPress.org to the community here, and what potential lies in the site. The community here seemed excited to learn about Learn.WordPress.org, and I’m excited to share it to a larger audience at WCEU, too.

For those awaiting your talk, could you give us a preview of what we can expect to learn from your talk? Any sneak peeks?

I’ll be sharing not only the history and present state of Learn.WordPress.org, but also a sneak peek of what the site redesign will look like, currently scheduled to launch in July this year. Folks will also get a first look at the Learning Pathways content the Training Team is working hard on.

Also, I’ll be explaining how anyone can get involved with Learn.WordPress.org! Whether you are a content creator, developer, designer, editor, translator, data analyst or administrator, there is much you can contribute to in the Training Team.

Is it your first time at a WCEU or WordPress event? Any standout memories or lessons learned that you’d like to share?

It’s my first time attending WCEU! I attended WC Asia and WC US in 2023 and was excited to meet so many WordPress users!

For those attending for the first time, I’d highly recommend coming a day early to attend Contributor Day, too. In the WordPress events I’ve attended, Contributor Days have been the days I’ve made the most meaningful connections with other contributors. Working on something together creates a common sense of achievement, and is just a whole lot of fun!

Looking beyond the scheduled sessions, what do you hope attendees will take away from their overall experience at WCEU? How can they leverage the event to enhance their professional development or personal growth? 

I’ve enjoyed the different workshops I’ve attended, and especially the conversations with presenters after their sessions are over. Every WordPress presenter has been kind and friendly, and I’ve learned so much about the WordPress ecosystem from conversations with them.

If you’re like me, it might take some courage to approach a presenter after a workshop. But remember, presenters are also just WordPress users like you. Take a moment to thank them for their talk and share your thoughts with them. They’ll definitely appreciate you taking the time, and you’ll benefit from making the connection, too.