Pros and Cons

I like making and releasing plugins for WordPress. It’s a fun, and rewarding, hobby. I’m not always thrilled with the support requirements, but I feel it’s important to provide at least some help for my code.

Some days, the support questions really get to me, though, and it honestly makes me want to stop releasing new plugins. That’s by far the biggest drawback to releasing plugins.

But for every dozen “it doesn’t work!” comments or emails I get, I get at least one “Thank you!”, and those really make my day. Some people say thanks with a Paypal donation – to date, most donations have been $5 and $10 (though one generous user did give me $200! Thanks!!). I’ve also received some CDs and a pair of shoes from my Amazon wishlist, which is super nice.

Then there have been some really unique perks. Marc sent me an autographed copy of his book, Hammerjack! I’m reading it now, and if you liked Neuromancer or Snow Crash, you’ll likely enjoy it. And just today WPStation published their interview with me! Thanks, Michael, for asking me!

I don’t have any delusions of fame (and if I did, the onslaught of support requests would quickly remedy that!); I was just happy to share a little bit more about myself. I’m looking forward to seeing his next vict^Wguest! I think this is a fantastic way for the WordPress community to develop an even closer connection!

If you’re a WordPress user, please take a moment to send a note of thanks to the authors of the plugins on which you rely. Your blog is what it is because of their work. If you’ve got a couple of bucks to spare, consider making a small donation to the author of your favorite plugin. Believe me, that’s a great way of saying thanks!