Participating in Five for the Future stands as a crucial pillar in sustaining the thriving ecosystem of open-source technology, particularly in the context of WordPress. This initiative isn’t merely about giving back; it’s an investment in the very foundation that empowers countless websites and businesses globally. Consistent involvement in Five for the Future is akin to nurturing the roots of a vast tree, ensuring its growth and stability for the long term. That’s why every last Friday of the month, WebDevStudios sponsors our teams’ participation in Five for the Future (5FTF).
A Brief History of Five for the Future
Five for the Future emerged from the visionary mind of Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress. It was first articulated on Matt’s blog in 2014. In his blog post, Matt advocated for individuals and companies involved in the WordPress ecosystem to commit 5% of their resources—be it time, finances, or workforce—toward contributing back to the open-source project.
This initiative aimed to ensure the sustained growth and improvement of WordPress by encouraging consistent contributions from the community. The concept was simple yet powerful: devote a fraction of time and resources to the platform’s development, thereby nurturing its evolution and maintaining its status as a leading content management system.
Since its inception, 5FTF has gained momentum, garnering support from individuals, companies, and agencies like WebDebvStudios. It has evolved into a fundamental principle, fostering a culture of giving back and collaborative participation within the WordPress ecosystem. This commitment to dedicating resources has significantly contributed to the platform’s innovation, security, and overall enhancement, reaffirming WordPress’s position as a dynamic and community-driven open-source project.
Make Five for the Future a New Year’s Resolution
When individuals and companies dedicate their time and resources to 5FTF, they contribute to the ongoing evolution and improvement of WordPress. Whether it’s through coding, support, documentation, or other areas, these collective efforts fortify the platform’s innovation, security, and accessibility. Moreover, companies sponsoring their teams’ involvement in this initiative not only endorse a culture of giving back but also recognize the intrinsic value of open-source collaboration in shaping the digital landscape.
For WordPress companies yet to embark on this journey, embracing 5FTF could be a game-changing New Year’s resolution. It’s an opportunity to align corporate goals with community enrichment, fostering a spirit of responsibility and collective advancement. Encouraging active involvement in this initiative can empower teams, enrich company culture, and ultimately contribute to a WordPress ecosystem that benefits everyone.
In essence, Five for the Future isn’t just a gesture of goodwill; it’s an investment in a shared future where WordPress continues to evolve, innovate, and remain a driving force in the world of web technology. Consider making it a corporate or individual resolution to be a part of that.
Last Month’s 5FTF Friday at WebDevStudios
Holding a 5FTF Friday during the holiday season is challenging when much of the team isn’t present, but we give it a try anyway. So far in 2023, WebDevStudios has sponsored 1,722 contributed hours to Five for the Future. That number should go up slightly after this week’s Five for the Future Friday on December 29th. Here are some of the ways our team contributed to 5FTF last month.
- Engineering Manager JC Palmes used her 5FTF time to work on the WordCamp Asia website and on coordinating WordCamp Asia’s Contributor Day.
- Lead Engineer David Walz wrote a WordPress-related article.
- Backend Engineer Awais Altaf worked on his open-source plugin by testing its compatibility and researching how to expand its features.
- Lead Engineer Lindsey Bell worked on dynamic blocks and learned about how to make block patterns.
- Frontend Engineer Jennifer Farhat contributed to the Venezuelan translation team and to the Advanced Query Loop plugin.
- Senior Frontend Engineer Inna Gutnik worked on packaging up some events-driven async code into something that can be reused.
- Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello opened a pull request for a plugin he uses.
A really interesting way to participate in Five for the Future is through collaboration. Senior Backend Engineer Mauricio Andrade has been working on establishing a solution to parse HTML into WordPress blocks to keep content semi-dynamic by storing only part of the data instead of the whole HTML structure. Principal Engineer Amor Kumar teamed up with Maurico last 5FTF Friday to help him brainstorm ideas.
Let Us Help You Contribute to Five for the Future
If your company needs help establishing regular 5FTF contributions in 2024, don’t hesitate to reach out. WebDevStudios has been doing this since 2014. We’re happy to mentor you to set up a process. Either comment below or reach out to us at [email protected]. Be sure to put Five for the Future in the subject line.
Thank you to everyone who has supported WebDevStudios’ efforts to contribute to Five for the Future. Much of this support comes in the form of shout-outs and recognition. We know you see our team’s participation. Thank you for acknowledging it. Have a great new year.
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