My 50th Birthday Wishes for the Joomla Community
Today's my 50th Birthday and I want to say a few things.
For whatever reasons, I love the Joomla community. That love has grown since November 2005 when I first joined the Joomla forum and discovered free software. As a professional developer since 19 years of age, I thought folks were crazy for sharing their work freely and I downloaded everything I could find before they came to their senses. What can I say? I've grown a bit since that time. ;-)
Since it will take a good strong wind and considerable time to blow out my birthday candles this year, I am going to help myself to two community birthday wishes.
First, I wish for many more organic community-driven efforts like Open Translators. These folks are living examples of How to be a hacker. They found an interesting problem to solve and involve anyone who wants to participate. As a result of their work, Joomla extensions can be used by more people around the world.
My second wish is that we all realize how harmful it is when we act like protectors of the project. (Yes, I know, I spent the first few years of my time with this community in that role.) We can be tolerant of what others say, even if it's critical. Even if that criticism is unfounded. Even if what someone says is about our contribution! Certainly, it is okay to respond with accurate information in a polite and respectful manner. But, we must stop short of suggesting someone is a poisonous person or that they have a hidden agenda or that they must leave since they are our enemy. We do not have enemies.
I did not understand freedom when I started with Joomla and the truth is I believe it is a very difficult and lofty goal. I fully believe that we are free to solve the problems we face in our community. Doing so does not require permission from others. We can reach out to one another for support. Above all else, we should try to be gentle with one another, especially during disagreements. The feelings we have are every bit as real online in our virtual world as it is in real life. What we say to one another matters; how we treat each other has real implications.
Thank you to the Joomla community for being an important and special part of my life this past six years. In the future, when you speak to me, please speak up, it's getting harder and harder to hear. And use bigger font for crying out loud!
Views: 524
-
Comment by Marcos Peebles on September 17, 2011 at 10:44am -
Happy birthday Amy !
-
Comment by Mark W. Bender on September 17, 2011 at 11:24am -
Happy Birthday Amy!
-
Comment by Hilary Cheyne on September 17, 2011 at 11:38am -
Happy Birthday Amy :)
Appreciating you generously using two of your birthday wishes on our Community!
Community - a deceptively easy word - but it is one of the most difficult concepts to understand and embrace. Thank you for showing us how, if we think freely and differently, it is one of the most special and exciting things we will ever be part of.
hugs from Hils
-
Comment by Luis Méndez Alejo on September 17, 2011 at 11:53am -
Hi Amy,
Happy Day and thanks for everything good that we bring to every day.Hugs!!!
-
Comment by Marcos Peebles on September 17, 2011 at 12:00pm
-
And this "Today, Sept. 17, 2011, is the 20th anniversary of the date when the first Linux kernel (version 0.01) was released and uploaded to an FTP server by Linus Torvalds in Helsinki." (from http://mashable.com/2011/09/17/happy-20th-birthday-linux/ ) can't be a coincidence, can it :)
-
Comment by Manoel J. Silva on September 17, 2011 at 3:04pm -
Having you in our lives makes us better, happier people.
Thank you Amy!
Happy Birthday!
:)
-
Comment by Jen Kramer on September 17, 2011 at 3:55pm -
Wow, two of three Big Mouth awards before you were 50! And don't shut your big mouth. :-)
Hugs!!!
-
Comment by HarryB on September 17, 2011 at 4:32pm -
Happy Birthday Amy.
-
Comment by Amy Stephen on September 18, 2011 at 11:18am
-
Thanks guys, very much! Going to have to add "forgetfulness" to my list because it took me a little bit to realize Marcos's big fonts were directly related to my request for them! That's pretty bad!
-
Comment by Brian "Sully" Sullivan on September 18, 2011 at 1:01pm
© 2012 Created by Amy Stephen.
You need to be a member of All Together, As A Whole to add comments!
Join All Together, As A Whole