“Is WordPress A Thankless Community?“ – That’s a question asked by Jeff Chandler.
Many of the plugin authors I have spoken with throughout the community tell me that very rarely do they ever get a donation let alone a Thank You for releasing their work to the public. Based on the plugin authors feedback, end users demand more features, demand better support, and in the end, have this feeling of entitlement even if the plugin is available without a price tag. The reality is, that for a freely available plugin, you’re not entitled to anything. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not like to be part of a community that is known as thankless.
On the Internet, the marketing is based on a dual approach:
- Give something away (e.g., WordPress plugins) to get free publicity that is plain about what exactly is your expertise;
- Sell something else (at a high price) to a small part of your community or to some business people who are influenced by your community.
Most of the WordPress plugin end-users do participate in e-commerce purchases over the Web. They are used to manipulate payment systems (e.g., PayPal). The tough task is to give them a reason to buy or to give them the envy to recommend you to some business people in need. Just asking for donations does not make it. Do business the Trent Reznor way, folks. Sell T-shirts or mugs with creative WordPress (plugin) art. Or better: Sell WordPress development services.
The WordPress community should quit whining and start building the foundations of a sustainable business platform that will compensate the hard work that the WordPress plugin and theme authors are injecting into the system. One idea would be to have more prominent publicity for the plugin author business on each plugin page. If one WordPress plugin is downloaded 10,000 times a week, that is free access to 10,000 influencers, and I bet at least one of them has a web project (or know one) in need of a good WordPress expert. Do sell this expertise.
Matt, please, help them selling that expertise. There is money to be made here —if only we can do it the right way.
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