In reply to James.

Generally speaking, I’ve tried to not reply to this post for a few reasons. Ron's comment is the one I’m replying to. There are some points I’d like to directly address.

Ron, you compared volunteering for an open source project and community with volunteers in a hospital where some patients may be terminal. I’m going to just go with “He got caught up in the discussion and carried it too far” because that a ridiculous comparison.

Obligatory disclosure: Kevin’s blog post made me angry. It would have saved James some grief and much drama had Kevin simply stated at the beginning that there’s no way James or anyone could placate him. He and others don’t like the hosting page. That’s acceptable. I just don’t think there is any excuse for his pushing James in an online interrogation.

Which is beside the point; I want to focus on Ron’s other statement. An individual choosing to help a community doesn’t grant anyone the right to harass or corner that person. Speaking just about the WordPress Support Team, the team is expected to treat everyone with respect. It’s not a stretch to expect others to reciprocate that.

Upon reading the replies here, most of them are on point. But saying “It has everything to do with real businesses using WP” isn’t correct. That hosting page like the other pages on the site are about helping the WordPress users.

Please do not read into some hidden or nefarious secret hosting plot. Some thought went into that page and yes, Matt got the final word. That’s just how that page works. Is it perfect? Of course not. Would it help if there were hundreds of host recommendations there? If the page was on a host review site then sure. But it’s not and sometimes concise is good. Four host providers isn’t a bad number.

Remember, if you attend a WordCamp you’ll see that all of the volunteers are helpful and respectful. We all have a lot of fun. I look forward to volunteering at the Happiness Bar (if they’ll have me). Treat the volunteers online the same way you do in person: respectfully and friendly. That’s not a big ask.

Online discussions can be dramatic but this one does not have to be. Maybe the next iteration of the hosting page will satisfy more people. Probably not. I don’t think it ever has. ;)

Now… my comment here is way too long. ;) I hope everyone gets along and stays on topic. Let’s keep it about the hosting page content, OK?