[wp-forums] Proposed draft

[Matt Mullenweg]

Podz wrote:
> If we can't get a draft, we can't have a forum.
> And even if we don't get a forum we still need some consensus about what
> is and is not acceptable.

There is an alternative of course: not everything needs to be inside our 
support forums.

WP-Pro was originally intended to create more of a marketplace around 
WP. When I was at SxSW I met no less than a dozen people who were making 
their living doing consulting around WP, and I think this number could 
and should be even higher.

Even if we put a fat disclaimer at the top, if someone has an awful 
experience with something they find through us, it'll reflect badly on 
WordPress. (I got gypped on eBay in 2001 and haven't used it since.)

The problems around trust and reliability are non-trivial. I think it 
would be irresponsible to simply create a free-for-all commercial arena. 
The scammers would overrun it within weeks and anyone legit would avoid 
it merely because of the bad association.

I am *very* open to highlighting the commercial services of trusted 
community members. I don't think it should be in the support forums 
though, and I think we should give some thought to what the barrier to 
entry is for someone to be able to promote their services. (It shouldn't 
be open to any Joe off the street.)

-- 
Matt Mullenweg
  http://photomatt.net | http://wordpress.org
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