People of WordPress: Timi Wahalahti

by Vipe Team in WordPress Society; Published on 19.07.2022

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In the midst of warm summer days, our “People of WordPress” series takes you to Finland to meet a real WordPress contribution badge collector!

Timi Wahalahti is a person who truly believes in the power of WordPress and its community. He has a long contribution story and 12 badges in different teams. Read his inspiring story below!

Hello Timi, tell us a bit about yourself. Where do we find you now personally and professionally?

Hello! I’m from Finland, working as a senior WordPress developer at an agency called Dude. I’m also one of the partners in the agency and nowadays do specialize in demanding backend and integration needs of our clients.

Outside of work, I spend most of my time advocating for cycling and better urban planning, going to the sauna, and during the winter, I go ice water swimming at least a few times a week.

I try to update my now now now page regularly and ramp up with blogging again, so my personal site is the best way to find more about me.

When was the first time you got in touch with WordPress?

It was probably around 2009 and WordPress version 2.8. I had started to learn a little HTML and CSS and had created a website for our scout troop with excel (yup, you read correctly). Since then, I’ve put together a home server and started learning about Linux, PHP, and MySQL. At some point during that time, I found WordPress and have been using it ever since.

A few days ago I actually found out something I had totally forgotten. In 2010 I published a guide on how to translate WordPress to Finnish, as it wasn’t as easy back then, and offered a few translated themes to download.

When did you attend a WordCamp for the first time, and what memories do you have of the experience?

I remember my first WordCamp as clear as a day! WordCamp Finland 2015 was the first ever official WordPress event in our country. I needed to cheat a little on my current employer at the time because they wouldn’t allow me to spend one working day attending at the first. So I bought the WordCamp and train tickets from my own pocket and went nevertheless.

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The experience was great! I get to meet my longtime online friend, who is now a business partner with me, for the first time as well as the “big names” in the Finnish WordPress community at the time. I remember everyone being so welcoming, warm, and enthusiastic about WordPress.

Right after the WordCamp, official Meetups started in my city and I get more involved with the community.

You have attended several WordCamps, from what positions did you join them?

As an attendee, volunteer, organizer, speaker, and mentor. The sponsor badge is probably the only one I haven’t (yet) put on my neck at WordCamp.

WordCamp Europe 2022’s Contributor Day set a new record as the biggest contributor day ever. What type of contributions do you personally have, and which do you enjoy the most?

Seeing the crowds at WCEU 2022 Contributor Day was just amazing! I, along with other organizers, was astonished by the numbers we were seeing. It was so heartwarming to realize that two years of break without in-person events didn’t have a negative impact on our fellow community members’ desire to give back.

Community Team is one of my favorite ones, partially because it has a special place in my heart as I really started my contributor journey there. But also because with WordPress events we make the product, project, and community resources available to so many people around the world. Before the pandemic, our team supported over 4 000 official WordPress events that gathered over 140 000 attendees worldwide. That has a huge impact on people’s lives. They find new careers, make friends and connections for the future and learn new things…

In Community Team I’ve had the privilege to be asked to step into many different roles and though situations. At a first sight, one couldn’t even guess how many different things we actually do. That’s a challenge sometimes but also keeps the contributing interesting. There are always ways for contributors to expand their knowledge and grow as a person.

Occasionally I do put my Community Team hat aside to contribute to translations and in the Meta team which is behind WordPress.org and WordCamp.org ecosystem codebases. Oh, and I have submitted a few minor core patches over the years.

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At WCEU22 you were also recognized as an organization mentor. We believe being at top of the organization on such a huge event is a tremendous responsibility. What kept you inspired during the months before the event?

I want to clarify one part, mentoring a WordCamp is not being at the top of the organization. It’s a role where you help fellow community members to create the best event possible. Surely on the scale of WCEU, the role is a bit different and the mentor has a bit more responsibility, but you still work side by side with the organizers on an almost year-long commitment to make the event happen.

The passion of the whole organizing team and the warm atmosphere we worked in, is basically what kept me inspired. Seeing the volunteer organizers caring so much about every little detail to make the event accessible for everyone and a great experience for all attendees. The atmosphere where one could share their troubles and get support, where even hard situations and discussions were faced with the utmost respect towards others, and where failures were allowed. Even though I failed a few times and no one got mad at me – we resolved the issue in cooperation and continued to deliver the first in-person event after a few years.

We have a saying in WordCamp Europe that the organizing team is almost like a big family. And that is true. In a healthy family, you always find inspiration from others.

What role do WordCamps play in strengthening the WordPress community, in your opinion?

I think WordCamps are a vital part of that.

First and foremost, as shared earlier, WordPress events are an opportunity for us to spread the message of WordPress and teach large crowds how to use it. With our events, we have the opportunity to attract new users and community members.

As our community is global and works mostly online, official events do also play an important role in providing a platform for existing users, extenders, companies, and contributors to meet each other. Nothing is more powerful than real in-person interaction. Having a face and a voice of someone really helps when contributing online.

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At the events, our fellow community members do create new relationships and strengthen the existing ones. The connections can, and also have, lead to job offers that have literally changed so many lives for to better.

What do you like most about the WordPress community, and what would you change if you had the opportunity?

How we do things openly in the public and anyone can chime into discussions that lead to decisions. Even though sometimes it can feel hard, uneasy, and exhausting, working together like that is one of the most beautiful aspects of our community.

If I had to change anything… that’s a really hard question, you know. I guess I’d hope to see more realization that in the end, everyone is working towards the same goal. Making WordPress community and project the best they can be. Sometimes the means are different and opinions collide, but for the sake of the same goal, I’d sometimes wish more understanding and respect towards each other.

This year’s WCEU sessions mostly focused on “The Future of WordPress”. Which direction do you personally see the CMS and its community heading in?

To a bright one!

Of course, the last couple of years has been somewhat challenging, because of big changes in the editor experience as well as a pandemic that put in-person events on hold and significantly reduced the time contributors had available. But, in my opinion, we are seeing that change slowly.

The new editor has matured a lot, and developers and clients have started to fall in love with it. Also, contributions to the community are ramping up and we expect to see many more in-person WordCamps later this year.

To the bright “Future of WordPress”!

The Future of WordPress will undoubtedly be bright with community members such as Timi. His contributions and incessant willingness to help others are what stand behind the core of the WordPress community. Our WordPress development agency is glad we had Timi as a guest in our “People of WordPress” series.

Know anyone else with an inspiring WordPress story to share? Don’t hesitate to drop a comment below!

Until next time, WordPress enthusiasts!