Reviewing Tutorial Presenter Applications

Eligibility of Presenters

Anyone can be a part of planning, scripting and creating tutorial videos on Learn WordPress. However, only people who embrace the WordPress trademark and licence can be presenters of the videos. To quote from the WordCamp speaker guidelines, the implication of this is:

• They must embrace the WordPress license. This means that if they are distributing WordPress-derivative works (themes, plugins, WP distros), any person (or their business) should give their users the same freedoms that WordPress itself provides.
  • Note: this is one step above simple compliance, which requires PHP code to be GPL/compatible but allows proprietary licenses for JavaScript, CSS, and images. 100% GPL or compatible is required in order to present a Learn WordPress video tutorial when WordPress-derivative works are involved – the same guidelines that are followed on WordPress.org.
• They must respect the WordPress trademarks. This means they do not operate websites with the word “WordPress” in a top-level domain, they do not use the logo in a way that violates the usage policy, they do not use the trademark in AdSense/AdWords, and they do not promote people/businesses/entities that do.

Here are more details about how this will apply and play out on Learn WordPress:

• 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.
• Tutorial 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 tutorial application just like WordCamp speakers are vetted.
• Anyone contributing to tutorials 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.
• Tutorial presenters will still be listed on the tutorial page with their name, avatar and bio as they are now, while anyone contributing to the tutorial in any other capacity would be listed in a block titled “Other contributors” with their name that is linked to their WordPress.org profile, just like in the core release announcements.

This policy was discussed and finalised in September 2021.

Reviewing Tutorial Presenter Applications

When we review applications, we are assessing if applicants are eligible to present on Learn WordPress.

Where do I reply to applicants?

All applications are sent to the Help Scout inbox and should be replied to using the Learn WordPress Help Scout– this ensures that emails come from the Training Team and can be replied to with any other individual with access to the inbox. If you need access to Help Scout please ask in the #training channel of the Make WordPress Slack. If this guide says you must email an applicant, then Help Scout is where you can do that.

Vetting the applicant

Below are some processes to follow for this to help ensure that the presenter meets the eligibility criteria noted above.

1. Check the applicant’s WordPress.org profile: Look for activity in the support forums, any contributor badges, and how long the applicant has been a member. This will give you an indication of their experience with the WordPress community.
2. Check the applicant’s presence online: Look for how long they have worked with WordPress, what their knowledge of the tutorial topic appears to be, and if they have any trademark or GPL violations. Check all social media that you are able to access publicly including LinkedIn, Meetup, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, About.me, and personal blogs (you don’t need to send friend or connection requests – just look for what is available to you already). Especially be on the lookout for anything that indicates bigoted or discriminatory behaviour.

   The Community team has provided some useful information on how the GPL works, as well as this vetting checklist.

   When recording this information, only use the notes section of the application and do not share any of it elsewhere. This is to ensure the privacy of applicants.

3. Check any background you can in Help Scout:
   • Look for unusual email conversations, lack of response, and anything else that might indicate that they could be unreliable (after taking timezone and availability details into consideration). Feel free to ask in the #training channel if there’s any history you should be aware of, but please respect the privacy of applicants and bear in mind that Slack is a public space.
   • In addition, check if they had previously applied for another Training Team role (e.g., Facilitator, Faculty, etc.) — if they have been vetted by the Training Team in the past year, you can refer to the previous vetting notes, which should save you some time!
4. Check if they have existing content on Learn WordPress: If they have existing content on Learn WordPress then there’s a good chance they have already been vetted in the past – have a look at their past tutorials to see if there are any vetting notes.

If you need more information from the presenter, then email them to ask for what you need (there is no saved reply for this), and tag the Help Scout ticket with more-info-requested.

If the application is declined, tag the Help Scout ticket with tutorial-declined, and send the appropriate saved reply (or customize your reply as necessary):

• TUTORIAL: Declined (topic already exists)
• TUTORIAL: Declined (topic already in planning)
• or TUTORIAL: Declined (topic not relevant)

If the application passes the criteria,

• Email them with the “TUTORIAL: Approved” saved reply.
• Tag the Help Scout ticket with tutorial-approved and update the status to “Pending”.
• Add a note to the Help Scout ticket with your vetting notes.
• Add the approved applicant to the Learn WordPress site as a Workshop Reviewer.
• Add their information to the Vetted Content Creators spreadsheet.

Identifying spam applications

Spam applications typically include text that does not appropriately answer the given questions, lack a valid WordPress.org profile, and/or an invalid email address. When an application vetter comes across a spam application, we recommend tagging the message as spam and closing it out. Also, go to the Feedback page on the Learn WordPress site and mark the response as Spam. If the vetter is unsure of whether or not it is a spam application, don’t hesitate to reach out to a Training Team Representative or Faculty Member for guidance.

Additional Resource: GPL in the WordPress Training Team’s Vetting Processes

Below is a recording of an Online Workshop the Training Team conducted in September 2023. The workshop will explain what GPL is in general, and how it applies to the vetting process for content creators in the Training Team. It is then followed by a live walkthrough of a Faculty Administrator vetting an application, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how GPL is applied in the team.