My Experience as a Woman in WordPress

At a time when some women web designers are battling abuse by our male counterparts, I consider myself truly lucky that I personally haven’t dealt with it. Perhaps it’s because my name isn’t widely known or that I haven’t yet attended a large conference.  Or maybe, just maybe it’s because I began building WordPress websites strictly with the Headway theme years ago.

Why would that make a difference?

Because most of my interaction with other web designers and developers come from the Headway community.  And from the beginning, Headway has welcomed and encouraged both men and women to use, develop and design with Headway.  Individuals like myself and Corey Freeman of Headway 101 have been a part of the Headway community since the beginning.  And while I haven’t been an ‘official’ support person on the forums, I have been creating tutorials and providing help to users in need for years.  Not once have any male counterparts in that community ever been disrespectful toward me nor have they even commented on the fact that I’m a woman.  Of course I can’t speak for the other women in the community, but I think they probably would say they’ve been treated fairly as well.

That’s not to say that I’ve never dealt with unfair criticism.  Posting material online, especially places like YouTube has a tendency to leave you open to cheap shots by others, sometimes for no other reason than they like to be mean.  But for the most part, so far, I haven’t dealt with what others of my gender have and I credit the Headway community for promoting an equal opportunity spirit of acceptance.

It’s just one of the reasons I’m getting ready to launch a new program for women who have a desire to learn how to design a website (or websites) using the Headway theme. It’s called Women in WordPress making Headway. The program will provide instructional information and learning events created specifically with women in mind.  Be watching for more information about Women in WordPress making Headway in the coming weeks. Join me in enjoying the welcoming atmosphere in the amazing Headway Community.

Have an interest in Women in WordPress making Headway?  Subscribe to Geek Speak to be sure you get news regarding the program delivered to your inbox.