In this insightful conversation, Paolo L. Scala discusses his initial encounter with WordPress while working at the Italian Institute of Astrophysics in 2015. Drawn to the platform’s extensive resources, he eventually applied his WordPress skills to redesign an NGO’s website. Paolo shares his experience contributing to open-source projects, beginning in 2006 with Mambo CMS and later joining the WordPress community during a Contributor’s Day at Yoast in 2022. His advice to new developers emphasizes the importance of attending WordPress events to experience the inclusive and supportive nature of the community.
Can you share your first experience with WordPress, and what made you choose it?
It could have been around 2015, where I was working at the Italian Institute of Astrophysics: the institute needed a new website and I started playing with WordPress to create a prototype. Eventually the project was teporarily abandoned, but I then used WordPress to restyle the old, AJAX-based website of the NGO I collaborate with (https://www.cosafrica.it). What drew me into WordPress was the sheer amount of free plugins and themes, and the vast availability of learning resources.
How did you start contributing to open-source projects, and what was your first contribution to the WordPress community?
My first contribution to an open-source project dates back to 2006: I was working on a EU-funded project whose aim was the development of a European network of portals publishing news about building regulations and standards. The portals used the Mambo CMS (now Joomla) and I extended the functionalities offered by a localisation component named Nokkaew. Shortly after I developed a Quantum GIS plugin to convert files from AutoCAD DXF format to ESRI ShapeFile format, two commonly used formats for the exchange of vector data. Quantum GIS is a widely used open source GIS desktop application. Regarding the WordPress world, my first time as a contributor was during the first Contributor’s day I attended at Yoast, in 2022. I was lucky enough to have a tiny patch included into the WordPress core 
What advice would you give to developers who are new to WordPress or open source?
Definitely go to a local meetup or a contributor’s day, You’ll find a lot of knowledgeable and nice people there. Everybody is welcome to join, regardless of their competences, and without even realising it you will already be part of the WordPress community!
In your opinion, what are the best ways to engage and attract new developers to the WordPress community, and how can we make the onboarding process more welcoming and inclusive?
Again, I feel the most effective way to attract new people inot WordPress development is to make them attend a WordPress event such as WordCamps or meetups. Experiencing first-hand how welcoming and eager the community is to share knowledge is the best way to become immediately passionate about WordPress development.
