The best thing about an open source platform is that there are users who contribute to make it much more bigger and better, WordPress is no different and it has a huge user community that not only contributes to the core, but, also help in answering user questions and solve their problems.
The best part about it is that most of the help comes from the community itself, who spend time to help WordPress quash bugs and also help other users to solve problems they face with their installations.
This community would grow bigger and better with more and more users, and many users are eager to help but may not know where to start, here are some ways to help out with bugs in WordPress, or help out other users solve their problems.
WordPress Trac
WordPress Trac is a place where users can file bugs and help solve them by testing and submitting fixes, this is a place where many bugs are filed and solved, helping make WordPress releases bug free and better for the larger audience.
If you are a developer or would like to contribute bugs by testing, this is the place you should be in.
WordPress IRC Channel
Once again focused on developers and testers, this is a place where many users are active and discussing about everything related to WordPress, feel free to join by adding the WordPress IRC Channel to share you views and help out in real time.
WordPress Forums
WordPress Forums is a place where users add problems and questions with regards to their installations, if you think you can answer them feel free to jump in and help users out, it really helps many users who are new and starting out or have problems to be guided by someone experienced or known to the issues they are facing. Your help goes a long way.
Any Other Ways?
Do you use any other channels to help the WordPress community? Feel free to share it with everyone.
Look forward to your views and suggestions.
Might be cool if someone developed a widget/add-on that was a groovy little javascript-y device/badge that had a WP collaborative logo and on scroll over, dropped down to reveal the various “how to get involved” links you’ve listed above. Put it out into the wild and allow site owners to place it proudly on their WP powered blogs (or anywhere for that matter) and see how the numbers of helpers might increase.
I’m embroiled in a project currently, however, if this doesn’t take off, when I find a stable place after launch, I may try and figure out how to code something along these lines. But surely, this is a no brainer for the smarty types that read this site?? 😉
Note that the Trac is NOT the place to report request help troubleshooting an error on your blog or things like that. It’s a place for actual bugs that have been confirmed with WordPress itself.
If you aren’t sure if it’s a bug or something on your end (your server, a plugin, etc.), please start out by posting on the forums. If it’s determined to actually be a real bug, THEN post on Trac. 🙂
I have been using Trac to post in some WordPress bugs.