Cloudways has a great article profiling the Advanced WordPress Facebook group. Written by Matt Cromwell, who is one of the group administrators, it explains how the group was formed and what its purpose is.
Being a web developer or a designer (or both) can be stand-alone job for some individuals. Even if you work in an office environment, you’re probably the only one in your department that does what you do. That’s why so many people look for interaction and a sense of community online in groups like the Advanced WordPress Facebook group.
In order to participate, you need to be approved by a moderator. Advanced WordPress is a closed group so posts will stay within the group. With over 20 administrators and 7,400 members, the discussions are lively and well moderated. I’ve been a member for a few months and have really enjoyed the variety of topics and conversations. I’ve even managed to help solve a few problems for people.
There’s only one problem I have with the group. It’s hard to locate past discussions without having to wade through the entire archive to find them. Unlike a forum that contains a structured way of navigating past conversations, the Facebook group does not.
Other Places To Discuss Advanced WordPress Topics
If you’re looking for other places to hangout and discuss advanced WordPress topics, there is the WP Hackers Mailing list which is still active and the WordPress Development section of Stack Exchange. There’s also the WordPress subreddit. I unsubscribed to the mailing list a few years ago due to the number of discussions that turned into arguments. However, it appears as though the list is populated with a new group of active members, so the number of bike shed arguments may no longer be a problem.
Are you a member of the WordPress Advanced Facebook group? If so, what sort of value have you obtained out of being a member? What other places exist to discuss advanced WordPress topics?
I’ve always avoided Facebook groups related to ‘serious’ topics because they tend to become just a way to hang out and lose time. I’ll check that out.
On the other hand, I’m subscribed to few WordPress related groups on Linkedin (i’m subscribed to WordPress, WordPress Developers and WordPress Experts), and I’ve found that there are very interesting conversations, from people asking for help on a specific problem to people that just want to share an opinion about some topic. People there are all very professional and I enjoy conversations with them.