Shopware United was formed to help Shopware move from being a leading German platform to being a leading global platform, one that flies the flag for “Open Source” ecommerce and the benefits of flexible and adaptable ecommerce software. To do that we need to bring all the different stakeholders in Shopware together, for the benefit of all. That means developers, agencies, technology providers, merchant and a whole wealth of other people and businesses. We want to help all these diverse communities, from countries all around the world, live and thrive in the Shopware ecosystem. With this in mind we have adopted the following aims:
AIMS
To give the Shopware community an “English First” focus point for communication especially across borders (ie to serve the Int community and help it integrate, where possible, with the German community)
- To improve communication channels into Shopware without sacrificing the independence of the community
- To increase Shopware community visibility and ensure that Shopware knowledge, information, extension discussion and features /ideas are visible to both search engines and the community.
- To encourage maximum involvement of the community to the product and the wider ecosystem
- To identify areas of Shopware that the Community could usefully contribute to
- To provide a mechanism for extension projects to be allocated to developers
- To actively welcome new people, especially those from other territories and countries , to local events
In addition to this we wanted to ensure that these aims are upheld in a way that guarantees the culture we think is important to an Open Source community. We therefore also have included some core values that we expect our Shopware Community to uphold:
CORE VALUES
- Be Inclusive, not Exclusive
- Do not promote exclusivity (no VIP status, no “Masters”).
- No event, (apart from AGM or EGM) should be member-only.
- “ Ask not what the Community can do for You, but what You can do for the Community”
- Members participate actively and contribute time.
WHY COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT
Many of us, when we started in ecommerce (often in the Magento Community!) benefited from the help and support of other members of the community. It helped us get over the initial hurdles that we inevitably faced, helped us to gain the expertise we needed to deliver great work to our customers, and just as importantly it provided support when times were tough! We want the Shopware community to do the same for it members – Why? – because Open Source software depends on a spirit of contribution and community to deliver innovation and evolve great solutions – that’s how it continues to offer the flexibility and adaptability that modern ecommerce requires.
We all know that adopting any new platform is hard – and this community helps soften the blow by providing easy access to shared knowledge, assets, ideas and best practice. There are going to be roadblocks in any development and community helps us surmount them. Aiding the speedy dissemination of knowledge is also key – and community helps ensure that all are kept up to date with developments.
Furthermore, we know that the most important requirement for any platform is Trust, and that an active community is a major factor in generating this – from agencies, businesses, merchants and developers. Supporting technologies also need to trust the platform, and the robustness of the community can help with this too. The Shopware community aims to go further by helping oil the wheels of commercial activity, and enable it participants to build great businesses – aided by collaboration and the power of networking. That might mean finding new colleagues and partners, or new customers, or new mentors.
One of the great things about community is that it represents a “Network Effect” – as it grows bigger it becomes of more value to all concerned – so we all have an interest in making sure the Shopware community is as large and as egalitarian as it possibly can be.
And when a community is large and diverse that creates the perfect conditions for that other business essential – GREAT PARTIES AND SOCIAL EVENTS!
Roadmap To our Vision
While we would all love to be able to to achieve all we need to instantly, we realise that we need to be realistic, and that creating a great community takes time – and effort! As a result , we have put together a roadmap to help us move ever closer to an ideal community. That roadmap consists of:
- Events
- Compile/edit a useful database Shopware resources (code modules, Code assets, links to training and information, FAQs)
- Promote & Support events and services of our members and partners
- Provide opportunities for the community and the Shopware Ecosystem to meet each other and mingle
- Do anything we can to increase Shopware visibility across the globe
Legal Entity
Shopware United is an independent ‘Not for Profit’ organisation registered as a Vereniging in The Netherlands.
The Shopware United Board
To manage this Shopware United has a Management Board, made up of a mixture of developers, agency executives, consultants and enthusiasts:
| Justin Biddle |  | Wouter den Otter |  |
| Katazyna Sokol |  | Sander Mangel |  |
| Borys Skraba |  | Laura Kremer |  |
| Siegmund Mioduszewski |  | Edin Dedagic |  |
| Boris Redlich |  | Tim Resl |  |
| Tobias Pierschel |  |