This meetup was the first time using the WordPress Slack #forum channel. It was good and we’re all sold on using Slack for team collaboration. Just try and keep the animated GIFs to a minimum if possible. 😉
Items discussed at the Support Team meetup.
WCSF and the community summit wrap-up
We briefly discussed the support handbook and changes made to the forums. The handbooks were successfully merged but still need some reviewing and some of the introductions need to be updated. Previously the support handbook was for moderators and some of the verbiage reads that way.
The support handbook is for everyone looking to help others and the moderator section was moved to the appendix.
Another topic was improvements to the WordPress site 2 meta trac tickets have been created for the following.
- Add IRC under Support Drop-down on WordPress.org – https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/717
- Increase Support Visibility with Orange – https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/718
The first has been under discussion for a while now and is about due, the second is for helping new users in a subtle way.
After a user has installed WordPress and they have a problem they will type https://wordpress.org/ in their browser. If this is implemented then the Support navigation menu item will be a little easier to find and get the new user started.
GPL topics and discussions
We’re all beneficiaries of the GPL but sometimes a user may get into a heated discussion about what that means, what can be done, etc. This is all been discussed before and is really settled. When that happens the support team suggests that something like this is used as a predefined reply.
The argument about whether or not WordPress and its themes and plugins are GPL is not something we’re qualified to debate here. Certainly WordPress is licensed under GPLv2, and all themes and plugins hosted on WordPress.org are required to be GPLv2 compatible in their entirety, so you are free to edit and redistribute as you see fit. If code is not licensed as GPLv2 (or later) compatible, we ask that you not bring it up here for discussion.
And then walk away and/or close the topic down. None of us are the GPL police and good healthy discussions about the GPL are possible. I mean just read the license. But when someone starts name calling and the topic becomes unproductive then it’s fine to close it down.
Using Slack for providing support?
The IRC channel #wordpress remains the place for discussing and providing interactive support. Slack isn’t that place and we discussed the differences between IRC and Slack. Essentially IRC provides anonymity, no need to have an account, better controls for when someone is not playing well with others, etc.
The transcript of this meeting can be read via this link. You will need a Slack account to view the conversation archive, please sign up if you have not done so.