On Dec 10, we posted a Tweet for our list of the top Wordpress Influencers in the industry.
Here’s the tweet in all its glory:
These 40+ Wordpress Influencers are MUST-FOLLOW in 2020!
WordPress thrives on these people, and so can we if we take a leaf out of their books. #WordPress #Influencers #WPblog #TuesdayThoughts https://t.co/wd12qBd08Z
— WPBlog (@wpblogdottcom) December 10, 2019
Us folks at WPblog spend a lot of time creating content that helps people get the best out of their WordPress journey. However, there are times when we slip up.
The tweet above is a testament to the fact that even if your intentions are good, you’re not always right.
Our team got together to build a list of WordPress influencers last year that beginners and WordPress users, in general, could benefit from. The thought behind it was to help people take inspiration from people on the list to help them on their journey, but now it’s clear that we didn’t do a good enough job of doing our research properly and left some really important people out.
Thanks to Michele Butcher-Jones, Allie Nimmons & Stephanie Brinley for pointing out exclusively how we’re in the wrong. Also, Claire Brotherton, pointed out that we had factual errors in the post.
We’re not going to hide their words against us, nor we’re going to pretend they don’t exist and run away from solving the highlighted issues:
Hey, @chrislema @heyadamsilver @wpmodder @Josh412 : Which women would you have put on this list from @wpblogdottcom ? https://t.co/7Vt9BkwA5k
— Stephanie Brinley (@sjbrinley) December 11, 2019
Wow. 8/44 were women. EIGHT. https://t.co/IF37pditcx
— your friendly neighborhood pain in the ass (@allie_nimmons) December 11, 2019
To Michelle Frechette, Michelle Schulp, Taylor Elizabeth Rose, Carrie Dils, Kathy Zant, Kathy Drewien, Kimberly, Marieke van de Rakt, Jen Swisher, Mary Baum, Aurooba Ahmed, Andrea Middleton, Angela Jin…
… Tiffany Bridge, Piccia Neri, Christie Chirinos, Mel Choyce, Ipstenu (Mika E.), Josepha Haden, Rachel Cherry, Bridget Willard, Lucy Beer, Mrs. John Phillips, and the many other names in the industry:
You all are already bigger than a list made by people who aren’t learned enough.
We’re Still Sorry…
But it wouldn’t hurt for us to apologize for our huge Social Faux Pas, so please accept our heartfelt apology for missing out on you all and the many other WordPress greats who we might still be missing.
We weren’t thinking about how many women we’ve included or how many Black or Asian people are on the list. In fact, we weren’t thinking at all (unfortunately). But you guys have compelled us to do so.
Even though it was a sort of a tiny nightmare for us because it all backfired instead of what we were hoping for, we’re nevertheless grateful to all those who commented and showed us where we were going wrong.
However, we’d like to clarify some points here:
The List Wasn’t Ranked
Yes, the list started with Chris Lema and Syed Balkhi, but it still wasn’t a ranked list. We just reckoned that Chris and Balkhi’s blogs are great WordPress resources and that they’d benefit those who followed them. Nevertheless, we randomly included all the people.
We Didn’t Miss Out Anyone Deliberately
It might have looked that we didn’t include women in the top 10 or even more worthy women in the list, but it wasn’t deliberate. Admittedly, we didn’t do our research properly, and for that, we apologize and promise to be more diligent from now on.
There Was a Disclaimer at the End
Lastly, we had a disclaimer at the end of the article. And no, we didn’t include it after the backlash on Twitter.
Here’s a screenshot:
So while everyone did criticize us for leaving out notable names, almost no one paid attention to our acknowledgment of capacity to make human errors.
No hard feelings, though. Our mistake was bigger.
What’s Next?
Our apology would be useless without mentioning what we’re going to do next.
This was nothing short of a proper eye-opening experience for us. We were always of the opinion that we’re doing a good job, but now we know that we lack in areas that we have no right to be lackluster in.
Rectification for Our Social Faux Pas
So before we move to anything else, the first thing we’re doing is to completely overhaul the list of WordPress influencers and turn it into a diverse list that actually represents the Superheroes of WordPress. This is most important because we exist to serve the WordPress community and that’s not possible unless we’re absolutely transparent and well-endowed with important information.
Improvement in Our SOP’s
Secondly, we’re making changes to our SOP to reflect proper research in all the articles and posts we publish. Unless we change our methods, we won’t be able to remain honest and true to our work.
Rethink Our Strategy
And lastly, we’re going to completely rethink our strategy on what we decide to work on. Even though all these hard-working people are above such lists, it still doesn’t feel right to leave anyone out and get the community to start talking about us negatively.
In the end, I’d like to acknowledge the community and all those who stood up to speak for the people. It shows the power of the WordPress community and how people are so willing to push other people in the limelight and think so selflessly. It’s simply wholesome, and despite being on our expense, we loved the gesture!
We love WordPress, and we love all the people associated with it.
Please accept our apology for ruffling feathers in the most stupid way possible.
We’re genuinely sorry!
The post We Messed Up, But We’ve Learned Our Lesson! appeared first on WPblog.
