Looking Forward to 2013

In 2012 we looked hard at what we've done over the last few years, and I highlighted a few events yesterday. Now it’s time to execute on things that really matter and make a difference.

By Ryan Thrash  |  November 30, 2012  |  3 min read
Looking Forward to 2013

We’ve spent considerable time evaluating what we’ve done over the last few years at MODX. I highlighted a few key events from 2012 yesterday, but now it’s time to execute on things that really matter and will make a difference going forward.

MODXpo 2012 attendees
Photo credit Andrew King

Growing the Community

MODX enjoys one of the greatest Communities in software, period. But we think you deserve a more thriving and lucrative ecosystem; now it’s time to foster broader MODX awareness and adoption.

Our first step will be an Ambassador program which surfaced at MODXpo 2012. While we’re still sorting out the complete details, the goal for the program is to ensure people have fun and make meaningful connections while learning about and fostering adoption of MODX.

Ambassadors must be willing commit to at least a year, and they’ll need to host and coordinate a minimum of six meet-ups a year, while collaborating and communicating with MODX on a regular basis. They certainly don’t have to present at every meeting, but we’ll help build some content that they can present. Their primary role is to take care of finding a location for meet-ups, coordinating them and making sure people show up.

For becoming an Ambassador, what will you get in return? Access to MODX, influence in its future, early info about what’s planned, and a higher profile and recognition in the overall MODX ecosystem. There’s also the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping make a brighter future for the software we all love so much. No doubt being an Ambassador will take a serious time commitment, but we hope the benefits are well worth your investment.

If you’re interested in potentially becoming a MODX Ambassador in your local community or region, please use our contact form to tell us about your MODX experience, your location, your Skype contact details, and anything else you think would be relevant, especially why you’d like to be an Ambassador and how you’d get the word out about the MODX meet-ups.

User Experience

We’re committed to radically overhauling the UX at MODX in every aspect from the Forums, to the Documentation to the software and services we support. This began with hiring Dustin Walker to lead all things pixels-and-white-space-related in March 2012. His debut handiwork appeared in MODX Cloud, which hides much complexity and infrastructure-managing-mojo behind a simple UI which continues to improve weekly.

Next was the massive overhaul to our Forums, which we hoped would increase Community engagement. Even with the recent holiday, we’ve already seen noticeable increases of visits to and time spent in the Forums. We’re happy with the start, and also about finally releasing the code to the Community later this year.

I really can’t wait for Dustin to tackle the MODX Manager UX/UI. How about you?

Ongoing Innovation & Invention

Our first MODX release in 2005 supported HTML 5, CSS 3, and responsive design. Today, we already support whatever comes next, without having to hack the core or dig into a lot of code. MODX Revolution brought Media Sources to life, the likes of which have never been seen as core features in other platforms. So if you need to access your Dropbox, Google Drive, or Amazon S3 bucket just like the web server’s local file system, you can do it with Media Sources.

But we’ve barely scratched the surface of what will come. Inventing new things and innovating on better ways to do existing things is really important and baked into our DNA. As such, going forward expect to see more releases, more often, and more focus on transparently engaging with the Community in making innovation happen in 2013 and beyond.

If you have any ideas to improve MODX itself, or the processes around it—or any other part of the MODX universe, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.