Contents
ColdFusion is alive. That’s obvious to anyone. A huge component of what keeps ColdFusion alive is what happens inside the CF developers and CF experts circle, in what we call the ColdFusion community. Year 2019 seems like a turning point to me.
- Conferences are becoming bigger and bigger
- Adobe announced Coldfusion 2020
- Adobe announced CF is going to the cloud
- Lucee announced Lucee 6, ie. Swansea Jack
This only means that ColdFusion and CMFL are officially NOT dead.
What happens in our (CF) community will determine the next decade significantly.
Even if this sounds like a no brainer, keep it in mind. When you hear someone talk about CF it is more often than not shamey tone, while instead, it should be proud and loud. Talk about the perks of using ColdFusion. Compare your stories with other CFers and how CFML made their life easier.
Learn through community
Take the initiative and start putting the information out. Work on improving yourself and your fellow CFers. Share your knowledge with other CF developers, and you will also start learning through the CF community. This will also motivate the younger developers to dig deeper into ColdFusion. Remove the stigmata of being boring and uneventful, that is so often related to developers.
Yes, this is a big deal
Everyone is working on their own stuff and not really making any noise about it. Once we understand that sharing on social media is more than just bragging, it is letting people know that you are there, that ColdFusion is still alive and that your work matters.
Some people think that it’s not their job to make ColdFusion alive. YOUR CF needs you to help you, be the change you want to see in the world/community. Just being more visible and proud that you’re using ColdFusion.
ColdFusion Community Guidelines
In the spirit of cooperation and communication, there’s a handful of guidelines that help provide an environment where we can all learn and grow together.
They apply to the entire CF community. They apply everywhere you communicate with other CFers: in the forums, Slack, social media, at events, CF groups and masterminds.
- Give more to your fellow developers than you ask from them (the CF imperative!); create more value than you capture. Make your contributions in the spirit of helping the community. It’s those who give that end up getting the most in return.
- Operate with exceptional manners and professionalism. Particularly when engaging in business deals with fellow members. Use explicit written agreements, contracts where necessary, and extend exceptional service to your fellow CFers. Be honest and upfront in your dealings, particularly when challenges arise (and they will!).
- Be respectful and courteous with all your interactions. Derogatory or insulting language is not tolerated.
- Give your fellow CFers the benefit of the doubt or a ‘beneficial reading.’ In many communities people make a sport out of picking apart the comments of others, here we seek to find the best in what others are contributing.
- Prioritize shared experience over opinions. Our membership represents some of the most remarkable doers, builders, and developers on the web– we want to hear what you've done. CF discussions are at their best when we're sharing what we have done and what we have learned. You could call it talking your walk.
- Don’t have the answers? Welcome to the club. It's more productive to ask great questions.
ColdFusion is alive. That’s obvious to anyone. A huge component of what keeps ColdFusion alive is what happens inside the CF developers and CF experts circle, in what we call the ColdFusion community. Year 2019 seems like it’s a turning point to me.
- Conferences are becoming bigger and bigger
- Adobe announced Coldfusion 2020
- Adobe announced CF is going to the cloud
- Lucee announced Lucee 6, ie. Swansea Jack
This only means that ColdFusion and CMFL are officially NOT dead.
What happens in our (CF) community will determine the next decade significantly.
ColdFusion developers still have a lot to learn
No, not about programming. You’re already (CF) experts in that field. But how about improving our community and the environment where we work?
In the spirit of cooperation and communication, there’s a handful of guidelines that help provide an environment where we can all learn and grow together.
These apply to the entire CF community. They apply everywhere you communicate with other CFers: in the forums, Slack, social media, at events, CF groups, and masterminds.
CF Community needs to develop an abundant mindset
Give more to your fellow developers than you ask from them (the CF imperative!); create more value than you capture. Make your contributions in the spirit of helping the community. It’s those who give that end up getting the most in return.
Here’s an example. Remember when you were starting to code and (for some that was a long time ago, I agree, but bear with me here) you needed a fast answer and some help to get things done. You didn’t search online for “the best joke about my coding skills, haha.” You searched for “how to XYZ?” Correct? Just imagine today someone that needs a fast fix about their problem and all they get is mocked by their fellow developers.
Even worse is that someone will jump in the forums and see that, and won’t even want to post their questions and thoughts and share.
A ColdFusion developer is a professional
Operate with exceptional manners and professionalism. Particularly when engaging in business deals with fellow members. Use explicit written agreements, contracts where necessary, and extend exceptional service to your fellow CFers. Be honest and upfront in your dealings, particularly when challenges arise – and they will!
This comes in handy when you come to the point where all hell breaks loose in your project. That’s when you might feel the need to talk #@$Q!$%!% to your fellow programmers, and blame them for the mistakes and missed deadlines. All of the above will be obsolete if you would have done your homework in advance.
You should also be respectful and courteous with all your interactions. Derogatory or insulting language is not tolerated. No need to go deep here.
ColdFusion community doesn’t judge or doubt first; we encourage and try to understand
Give your fellow CFers the benefit of the doubt or a ‘beneficial reading.’ In many communities people make a sport out of picking apart the comments of others. Here we seek to find the best in what others are contributing.
CFers prioritize shared experience over opinions. Our membership represents some of the most remarkable doers, builders, and developers on the web. We want to hear what you've done. CF discussions are at their best when we're sharing what we have done and what we have learned. You could call it talking your walk.
Don’t have the answers? Welcome to the club. It's more productive to ask great questions.
Do you have something to offer? To share how your latest project was done? Let’s hear it. People do like to listen and learn, so feel free to share and let us know if you’re stuck so we could help!
ColdFusion community values
- An abundant and giving mindset
- Honesty and directness in communication
- Service to our fellow developers
- Integrity
- Humility
- Thoughtfulness
- Cooperation
- Personal growth = developer growth
- Having fun!
How to Get the Most Out of the CF Community
- There are many ways you can contribute and get value out of the community including:
- Host and attend meetups.
- Share a case study of something you learned in your coding.
- Share strategies, tactics and hacks that have worked well for you. Consider sharing a struggle you’re having and collect suggestions from the community.
- Add value to other members’ discussions by sharing your experiences in the forums.
- Join or start a mastermind for a specific CF area.
- Got an idea on how we can make the CF Community better? Email us. We’d love to hear it.
It has become obvious that Covid 19 is making a big difference in the world that we know and got used to. While so many are losing their jobs, and are worried about where the next meal might come, let’s take a moment and be thankful that we’re not in that sauce. Even before all this, I used to take time and think about how happy I am that I don’t have to commute each morning, and can create my own work schedule.
What now?
#workfromhome is now everyone’s thing, and it will become more and more accepted in the years to come. CF community can only help you overcome your problems, both business or personal. Reach out to one of the fellow CFers and talk to them. Ask and offer advice.
Why would I want to do this?
Coldfusion is a very closed community. As Nolan Erck mentioned, Slack is great. It’s awesome!
But one thing is that CFers are asleep there and they’re in their cocoons, so to speak… this bubble makes us all happy and proud that we’re using ColdFusion, but it’s not making CF visible. Stackoverflow for example.
Still not convinced?
It’s very simple. If CF dies, you’re out of a job! You don’t have to be Don Quixote, or an idealist. But make sure that you can put the food on the table. And the way to do that is to keep CF Alive.
- No shame
- Talk about it
- Forums
- Posting the questions and helping to answer others
- Go the extra mile! When you see fellow CF developer that uses a legacy code, and is stuck, don’t just tell them to upgrade. Give them a reason and show them why that makes sense. Show them how it makes their life easier!
- That person will be more interested to give back to CF community.
- This also refers to people that search for answers in the forums afterward. If they see bunch of negative talk and trash-talking they won’t be interested in staying there.
- REMEMBER: something that might seem funny to you is mostly wasted time for someone else… Forums are there for a reason.
What is your next move?
Got an idea on how we can make the CF Community better? Email us. We’d love to hear it.
Michaela Light is the host of the CF Alive Podcast and has interviewed more than 100 ColdFusion experts. In each interview, she asks "What Would It Take to make CF more alive this year?" The answers still inspire her to continue to write and interview new speakers.
Michaela has been programming in ColdFusion for more than 20 years. She founded TeraTech in 1989. The company specializes in ColdFusion application development, security and optimization. She has also founded the CFUnited Conference and runs the annual State of the CF Union Survey.
Join the CF Alive revolution
Discover how we can all make CF more alive, modern and secure this year. Join other ColdFusion developers and managers in the CF Alive Inner Circle today.- Get early access to the CF Alive book and videos
- Be part of a new movement for improving CF's perception in the world.
- Contribute to the CF Alive revolution
- Connect with other CF developers and managers
- There is no cost to membership.
