134 - What makes us trust WordPress software developers?

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In this episode:

Discussion - What makes us trust WordPress software developers? David and I proudly acknowledge that we are implementers. Our coding skills don’t stretch as far as us building serious software solutions and client budgets don’t stretch that far either, so we are dependent on WordPress developers and their themes and plugins. It strikes us that there needs to be a lot of trust in that relationship and for all our chats about plugins we have not seriously focused on that. How much do we think about this? How much does marketing influence us? Does peer pressure have an impact upon us? How do we research solutions? Do we treat essential software like themes and page builders differently to things that can be swapped out easily? Do have a system to check products. Maybe you have been burned before? These are the areas that we address in this discussion: The products is owned by the developer who made/coded it?

1. Some seem to revolve around the developer skills of one person or a small team.

Pros: More focused/crafted/reliable/ consistent/less prone to bloat Con: Risky as businesses as they rely on a few people who tend to be better at their craft than marketing.

2. Some seem to hire the developers they need.

3. Some seem to have developers who lead and the rest is handed off to be maintained.

Company/developer history.

Can you see that they (or their team) have experience with software customer service or how to test releases and updates. Perhaps you can work out that they have too many fingers in too many pies. There seems to be a lot of skills needed beyond coding and having good ideas to support a product.

Do they have to be fully committed WordPress company?

Contributing to the core, supporting community events, adopting the open source licences and business philosophy. Does this one seem to be getting eroded recently?

Do we need a story behind the product?

Copycat products that undercut the originals can do well. Do we need to identify with the problem they are solving personally?

Do we need to know the product’s target audience?

Having some idea of where the product will or will not go. Maybe we need some idea of their developer values. Attitudes towards common problems. Technical debt v's product stagnation.

Is personality a factor?

We can pick up a lot from seeing live interviews with owners. Should we worry when folk want to stay behind the scenes? There are also cultural differences in how folks do business.

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How are we influenced? Endorsements from thought leaders.

Seems like a shortcut to listen to someone who’s been around the block. But maybe it needs a bit of “discourse analysis”. And the application of the “in whose interest is this”.  Do things like friendships, loyalties and money matter?

Popularity/Peer Pressure/FOMO

Several million people can’t be wrong can they? With the eternal boom and bust of the market, safety in numbers is probably not something we can wholly rely on.

Also we have to look at the market. Themeforest seemed to do well aiming at the DIYer, hobbyist & new starters. Possibly the successful pro website builder is in the minority and is too busy to be chatting on Facebook about what tool they should get next.

Roadmaps and future developments

Marketing promises? Reassuringly open? Is this a sign they have come to market too soon or something that legitimises the bargain (founders) deal?

I don't think that we've got any real chance of getting this one 100% right, but hopefully some of the points that we raise in this episode of the WP Builds WordPress podcast will be something that you can identify with. Thanks once again for listening, we really appreciate it. Why not join in the conversation over at the WP Builds Facebook group?