---
title: "Mentors vs Gatekeepers"
author: "Lax Mariappan"
date: "2024-01-12"
categories: ["Communities"]
excerpt: "Be a mentor, not a gatekeeper. If you come across a newbie, guide them or at least point them in the right direction"
canonical_url: "https://laxmariappan.com/mentors-vs-gatekeepers/"
---

# Mentors vs Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers are everywhere, not only in the tech industry.

Gatekeeping excludes and restricts access to resources and, in turn, prevents opportunities.

Today, we have both human-generated and AI-generated spam all over the internet.

Restricting access is inevitable. At the same time, we should allow more people and be genuinely inclusive.

How to avoid gatekeeping?

Ask questions and manually moderate while adding members to a community. Do not just settle on a captcha.

Do not restrict access based on IP address, location, race, operating systems, or programming languages. Instead, allow them to be a member after screening, and even vet them at your community’s beginner or junior level.

While welcoming everyone, you should also act against those violating community policies and guidelines.

Be a mentor, not a gatekeeper. If you encounter a newbie, guide them or point them in the right direction.

We need mentors, not gatekeepers.

For the record, I will highlight Courtney Robertson, a WordPress Training team member, open-source developer advocate and teacher.

I have always admired how resourceful she is. Be a mentor and guide, and build your authority by genuinely helping others. Be like Courtney!

I have never experienced gatekeeping in WordPress and Drupal communities.