Building in the open is important to me because, had it not been for the thousands of people who were doing this in the WordPress community nearly 20 years ago, I don’t think I would’ve learned as quickly as I did. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d even be a WordPress developer today. WordPress has been at the centre of my career and one of my main hobbies, and I can’t imagine my life without it.
Learning, Building and Giving Back
I was introduced to WordPress in 2007 by my friend Danny, who said something along the lines of, “We need to follow this. I have a feeling it’s going to be a big.” Turns out, he was right. What we discovered early on wasn’t just a unique piece of software, but a growing community of people who were openly sharing knowledge and resources, whether through blog posts, tutorials, or even full bodies of work.
This was before GitHub (which launched in 2008), so sharing code and resources wasn’t as streamlined as it is today. It took extra effort for people to publish tutorials, examples, and full projects, and that generosity is what made the community so valuable. Even then, it was clear this was a community was something special. We knew we wanted to learn from it, and eventually give back as well.
“We need to follow this. I have a feeling it’s going to be a big.”
Danny Brown
Sticking with that original idea of learning from others and giving back has shaped my entire career. In the early days, that meant volunteering time in the WordPress support forums, and in recent years it has meant turning more of my ideas into open source projects. My Block Accessibility Checks plugin is a perfect example of this (view the Github repo).
While building it, I briefly considered whether features like external block integration might be offered as a paid add-on, but I felt strongly that its value to block development and content creation was too important to restrict. The core purpose of validating blocks, and supporting externally developed blocks, against accessibility requirements is something that should always remain open source. That conviction solidified my commitment to keeping all my other personal projects open source and well-documented.
The Ripple Effect of Sharing
Over the past few years, I’ve become more active in the WordPress community, whether through social media conversations, releasing open source projects, learning to contribute to Gutenberg, or writing for the WordPress Developer Blog. The ripple effect of that work has introduced me to fantastic people I may never would have interacted with otherwise. Those conversations remind me I’m part of something much bigger, and that sense of connection has brought a new level of joy to the work I do.
Educating the Next Generation
For me, the most important part of building in the open is education. I learned a large part of what I know from this generous community, and I feel an obligation to provide the same opportunities for others. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a selfish side to this, too: I want to be a known personality in this community. Not for recognition alone, but because it leads to more conversations with more people who bring a wider breadth of experience. Every time I learn something new in those exchanges, I can pass that knowledge back to others. That cycle of learning, sharing, teaching is what keeps this community thriving.
Why I Keep Building in the Open
I’m here because others chose to share their work, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without that generosity. Building in the open is my way of honoring that legacy and ensuring the next generation has the same chance to learn, experiment, and find their place in this community. It makes the tools stronger, the people wiser, and the community more connected. If even one person finds value in my work the way I did from others, then building in the open has done its job.
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