There are so many great themes out there. How on earth do you choose the right one? I think it’s almost like buying a home or a car really. You need to come up with your list of most desired features, nice-to-haves, and most likely price.
This list is different for most, but there’s something I think should be on everyone’s list that is most likely over-looked.
Community: I think that community should be at the top of the list. I would argue that it should be in your top 3 at least. For me personally it looks like this:
- SEO
- Design
- Community
The thing is that I doubt most end-users buy because of “community” as one of their top priorities – I think this should be changed!
Full Disclosure
For those of you who don’t know, I am currently interning for 8BIT. My main area of responsibilities is maintaining and engaging with our Support Community. I was a frequent contributor before my internship. My opinions about a theme community were first formed before my internship, but it has firmed and strengthen them.
Jumping in Free Theme First
When I first entered the world of WordPress, I naturally started with some free themes. As I started working with these themes, I wanted to customize them to my own liking. It was difficult to find help online and there wasn’t one central place to ask or get help. Enter premium themes.
My buddy Michael is well known for his breath of knowledge with things like apps, themes, plugins, anything technology related. His stamp of approval is crucial for many peeps. I told him I was getting into WordPress and then he suggested Standard Theme. This was before he or I were on the 8BIT team and his words were,
It’s a well written theme and the community is top notch.
I purchased the theme and its support license then jumped into the forums. There was so much helpful information and it was all right there in on place. I spent some time going through the posts and then started asking questions. I was amazed how helpful everyone in the community was.
Consumer to Contributor
Something happened over a span of a couple of months. I found myself going from the person asking questions, to someone helping others and answering questions. I wasn’t always correct in my answers, but others would help correct and get to the right answer.
There’s always a way to get something done, then there’s the right way to do it. I would have never learned that if I wouldn’t have taken that first step and the community was there to support me.
Customer to Promoter
It’s because of the community around Standard Theme that I found myself promoting it. I found myself repeating what my buddy Michael originally told me. I have seen friends of mine that I made the same suggestion to now making the same transformation.
It’s that word of mouth that companies like Apple have been so successful. That’s more effective than any marketing strategy out there.
You Have Learned Well, Grasshopper
It has been great to be a part of a theme community. It has helped me get better at my trade and feel great when helping others. There are a lot of great communities that have been built around themes and plugins.
I would highly suggest looking for that when shopping for a theme. When you do find that community be sure to contribute and I promise you that you’ll be glad you did.
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