This week I found a name for something I’ve been doing for years.

Dave Winer, one of my biggest supporters, used a phrase I’d never heard before: product evangelist. I like telling people about things they’re able to make with WordPress and showing them work that excites me.

And apparently, I’ve been doing this all along.

The Honest Part

My friend Matt called me out this week, and he was right. I’m mercurial. I drift in and out of the WordPress community when I get discouraged or bored. I disappear when the negativity gets too heavy or when I lose that spark.

But that callout made me realize something important: if someone had kept showing me things to be excited about, I might not have left.

So here’s what I’m committing to: I want to be that person for you.

Why I’m excited now

AI has made me excited about building on the web again. I want people discovering WordPress to see what they can make with it.

Someone called my optimism “toxic positivity” this week. I understand the reaction, but I want to spend my time sharing things I like and helping people make more of them.

What This Actually Looks Like

I’m still figuring out what this looks like. Here’s what I want to do:

  • Blogging about things that excite me about WordPress and where we’re headed
  • Amplifying others doing cool work: reblogging, sharing, shouting about the awesome stuff happening in our community
  • Checking out new plugins and leaving real reviews for the things I think are worth your time

I know things go wrong. I want to spend more of my time on the work I like and the people doing it.

Join Me

If you’re new to WordPress or thinking about leaving, I hope I can show you something worth staying for.

The people who keep making things are a big part of why I stay.