PHP Online started as an idea, an inspiration, a way to give back. For years now I have been involved in the community: contributing to open source, mentoring others, starting user groups, organising conferences, speaking at events. All of these things are extremely rewarding, and I would recommend it to anybody looking to get involved more in the community.
Recently there has been a lot of talk about how we might improve the PHP community as a whole. With PHP 8 in beta stage right now, and new initiatives appearing almost every day - right now is a great time to be involved with PHP and the community. In days of old organisations such as The PHP League and PHP FIG have been a central place to document standards and the way forward. However new initiatives are trying to pull this closer into the core of the language as it should be.
What I am doing now, with PHP Online, is providing a tool. A tool that will enable and aid community growth, a place for community members to come and learn past what the documentation gives you. A place to find things that will help you with your career, and eventually a place to progress in your career by finding relevant jobs to you.
Over the years I have been involved with quite a number of industries and projects, and none have been as rewarding as working in the community for the community. My aim for PHP Online is to serve as a central place in the PHP community where you can go to read the latest tutorials, share links to work you have been working on, write guest blog posts, share links to any packages you might have created, find local user groups and events, and even see what podcasts are relevant to our community. All in all, my vision and aims for PHP Online is to create an inclusive online community that will allow anyone and everyone to get the spotlight they deserve. No more news websites that restrict who can post to it.
While there will be no restrictions on who can create content on PHP Online, I will be running an editorial service on all posts. Making sure that content is valid and relevant for the community. As long as it meets the community guidelines and code of conduct - it will be published.
So far the project is going well, and is well under way. The majority of the functionality is built and tested, I am now on the hardest part for me - how it looks and feels. Making it appealing enough without it feeling overcrowded is going to be a balance that will need to be adjusted over time.
If you are reading this, and it interests you - I would love to hear your thoughts on the project! Feel free to reach out on twitter or join us on the community discord!
