D’nelle headed down to New Mexico this weekend to speak at WordCamp Albuquerque about her newest venture, No Kill Websites. NKW is a website rescue shelter and rehoming program that exists to improve client relationships with developers/agencies so that websites find their “forever home”.
Finding your #foreverhomepage with @d_nelle #WordCampABQ2018 @nokillwebsites pic.twitter.com/nlLdvKCwq4
— ABQ WordPress (@abqwordpress) January 19, 2018
Friday’s programming was all foundational programming (lots of excellent info for folks new to WordPress), and D’nelle finished out the day with an hour of advice for website owners on working with a development partner: identifying what kind of partner you need, choosing the best partner for you, and keeping the relationship healthy for the long-term.
Check out the slides from her talk below – when WordPress.TV gets her talk up, we’ll embed it here, too! To see the chatter on social media, search for the hashtag #foreverhomepage.
The biggest take-aways from D’nelle’s presentation on how to have a good relationship with your developer:
- Strive to be empathetic (to quote the brilliant Sarah Benoit: “You’re not hiring an employee, you’re choosing a partner.” Don’t approach your relationship with your developer as something that’s purely transactional.)
- Educate yourself (your first stop should be getting a grip on developer vocabulary. WP Beginner has a WordPress vocabulary glossary to get you started!)
- Get organized (We took the Berry Interesting Productions client intake form and transformed it into a self-questionnaire for organizing your website development project that you can use to get yourself organized. It’ll email you your responses so that you can take it to your development partner.)
NKW is still in its infancy, but the ideas behind it have been brewing for several years. Having the luck (or maybe the misfortune) to take on many different roles in the website development process, she’s learned a lot about how those roles can clash and how they can cooperate. You’ll be hearing more about No Kill Websites in the months to come. If you’re interested in how to have a better relationship with your development partner – whether it’s Berry Interesting Productions, another agency, a freelancer, or your cousin’s nephew – visit the website to sign up for updates, or connect on twitter & instagram.