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Ship Fast and Iterate

December 29, 2015 / Tom / 0 Comments

One of the phrases many involved in software will likely hear (especially early in their career) is “Ship fast and iterate.”

And there’s definitely something to that when it’s been implemented correctly. But when I’ve watched others trying to adopt this idea when building something for WordPress, it seems like something gets lost in translation.

Ship Fast and Iterate

No, this is not a critique of other companies or developers. No, this is not saying that we’re all like this. No, this is not saying that I’m above this.

If anything, it’s a reflection on the idea and what it means for those of us who are building things on WordPress and how we may be more more mindful of the work that we’re doing.

Don’t Report Issues on GitHub

December 28, 2015 / Tom / 0 Comments

In the admittedly short time I’ve worked in software development, I’ve rarely seen a site like GitHub have such a level of success especially for something as nerdy as version control.

Linktocat has always been one of my favorites.

Don’t get me wrong: Version Control is a must have for any serious software development shops – be it a single person or a team of people. But the fact the site works so well, has a variety of quality clients, and doesn’t look like, y’know, developers built the site is such a huge plus.

And as much as I love open source and what GitHub has brought us, I often see development shops asking users to report issues on GitHub whenever they see them.

That’s never sat well with me.

The thing is, even though GitHub looks good, even though it works well, and even though it does its job well at doing what it’s meant to do, it’s still targeting an audience that’s very rarely going to be our core audience.

Merry Christmas 2015!

December 25, 2015 / Tom / 0 Comments

My family and I are running the gamut today celebrating Christmas with one another – both with my family and my wife’s family.

It’s a busy, it’s exhausting, but it’s a ton of fun and I look forward to it every single year.

Must Read WordPress Articles

December 24, 2015 / Tom

During the holidays, most of us slow down a bit from what we’re used to doing every day so that we can actually hang out with friends and family or so that we can catch up on something we’ve waited a long time to do.

You know, like reading or a playing a game or something like that.

Pocket

One of the things that I have a habit of doing is throwing a ton of content into Pocket and then planning to read it when I actually have time.

An Interview on The Art of Value

December 23, 2015 / Tom

Earlier this year, I had the honor of being featured as a guest on The Art of Value podcast hosted by Kirk Bowman.

For those who haven’t heard of the show, Kirk attempts to answer the question:

How do you create happy customers and earn more money?

Of course, the goal isn’t all about money. It’s about building successful, sustainable businesses and making sure you aren’t underpricing yourself for the services and/or products you offer.

This is something I think many freelancers or those who are self-employed struggle with managing. At least, that’s something I’ve experienced in my own career (and something I still work to refine).

And that’s why I was happy to participate on the show.

Tom McFarlin

Ship Fast and Iterate

Don’t Report Issues on GitHub

Merry Christmas 2015!

Must Read WordPress Articles

An Interview on The Art of Value