d love to get a few voice recordings from you all, from folks who are listening to the WordPress Briefing, or folks that you know, to learn more about how WordPress has impacted you. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things that I miss the most from my days as a WordCamp organizer is that annually, I got to see people who had shown up, once at a meetup, you know, to learn what WordPress was, and then came back year after year to our WordCamp with these new goals and new successes and I got to watch their businesses change over time. And so if you have a story like that where WordPress impacted what you are doing or what people that you know have done, record something and send it to wpbriefing@WordPress.org. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>So that, my friends, is your small list of big things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:04] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on your favorite podcasting app or subscribe directly on WordPress.org/news. You&#8217;ll get a friendly reminder whenever there is a new episode. If you liked what you heard today, share it with a fellow WordPresser. Or, if you had questions about what you heard, you can share those with me at wpbriefing@WordPress.org. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Thanks for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing, and I&#8217;ll see you again in a couple of weeks. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:31] (Music outro)</p>\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"16357\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}}}s:27:\"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom\";a:1:{s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:0:\"\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:3:{s:4:\"href\";s:32:\"https://wordpress.org/news/feed/\";s:3:\"rel\";s:4:\"self\";s:4:\"type\";s:19:\"application/rss+xml\";}}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:44:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/\";a:2:{s:12:\"updatePeriod\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9:\"\n	hourly	\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:15:\"updateFrequency\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"\n	1	\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:4:\"site\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"14607090\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:\"type\";i:128;s:7:\"headers\";O:48:\"WpOrg\\Requests\\Utility\\CaseInsensitiveDictionary\":1:{s:7:\"\0*\0data\";a:12:{s:6:\"server\";s:5:\"nginx\";s:4:\"date\";s:29:\"Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:44:36 GMT\";s:12:\"content-type\";s:34:\"application/rss+xml; charset=UTF-8\";s:4:\"vary\";s:15:\"Accept-Encoding\";s:25:\"strict-transport-security\";s:12:\"max-age=3600\";s:6:\"x-olaf\";s:3:\"⛄\";s:13:\"last-modified\";s:29:\"Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:16:54 GMT\";s:4:\"link\";s:63:\"<https://wordpress.org/news/wp-json/>; rel=\"https://api.w.org/\"\";s:15:\"x-frame-options\";s:10:\"SAMEORIGIN\";s:16:\"content-encoding\";s:2:\"br\";s:7:\"alt-svc\";s:19:\"h3=\":443\"; ma=86400\";s:4:\"x-nc\";s:9:\"HIT ord 2\";}}s:5:\"build\";s:14:\"20231213231200\";}','no'),(8909,'_transient_timeout_feed_mod_9bbd59226dc36b9b26cd43f15694c5c3','1702615476','no'),(8910,'_transient_feed_mod_9bbd59226dc36b9b26cd43f15694c5c3','1702572276','no'),(8911,'_transient_timeout_feed_d117b5738fbd35bd8c0391cda1f2b5d9','1702615477','no'),(8912,'_transient_feed_d117b5738fbd35bd8c0391cda1f2b5d9','a:4:{s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:3:\"rss\";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:3:\"\n\n\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:7:\"version\";s:3:\"2.0\";}}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:7:\"channel\";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:61:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:16:\"WordPress Planet\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"http://planet.wordpress.org/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"language\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2:\"en\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"WordPress Planet - http://planet.wordpress.org/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"item\";a:50:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:94:\"Do The Woo Community: A Post Mortem Marketing Analysis of Black Friday aka Stuff You Should Do\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78693\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:93:\"https://dothewoo.io/a-post-mortem-marketing-analysis-of-black-friday-aka-stuff-you-should-do/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:453:\"<p>Adam and Emma discuss the importance of conducting a post-mortem analysis after a major marketing campaign, such as Black Friday.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/a-post-mortem-marketing-analysis-of-black-friday-aka-stuff-you-should-do/\">A Post Mortem Marketing Analysis of Black Friday aka Stuff You Should Do</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 14 Dec 2023 11:47:49 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:1;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:54:\"Matt: Podcast with Texts founder Kishan and Techcrunch\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=109295\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"https://ma.tt/2023/12/kishan-techcrunch/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1280:\"<p><a href=\"https://kishanbagaria.com/\">Kishan Bagaria</a> and I had chance to <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/13/why-automattic-spent-50m-on-texts-com/\">catch up with Alex Willhelm on the Techcrunch Equity podcast</a>, it&#8217;s a bit of a time travel since we recorded this on November 28<sup>th</sup> and there has been a ton of activity in the messaging space including the whole <a href=\"https://www.techmeme.com/231211/p17#a231211p17\">Beeper Mini launch and smackdown from Apple</a>. However it&#8217;s worth listening to get to know Kishan and hear some of Automattic&#8217;s broader, long-term strategy in this space. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>To give our current take with regards to iMessage: Right now we run on desktop only, basically automating Apple&#8217;s first-party app. This obviously won&#8217;t work on iOS or Android. With every network we support we want to have a good, non-adversarial relationship that puts the user first, with the utmost standards for privacy and security, and understanding the principles and values each network is trying to uphold. We&#8217;re watching this space unfold very closely, and trying to help where we can. Check out the episode here:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div>    <div></div>    </div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:35:36 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:2;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:43:\"WordCamp Central: 2023 Annual Meetup Survey\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:39:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/?p=4810030\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/12/2023-annual-meetup-survey/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1760:\"<p>In November, we launched the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/11/17/announcing-the-2023-annual-meetup-survey/\">Annual Meetup Survey</a>. This year, we propose a unified survey for all Meetup members and organizers. Because of lack of time, we were not able to coordinate the translation to other languages as we did in previous editions, and I&#8217;d love to apologize to all meetup members and organizers who were waiting for the survey to be available in their languages. Next year we&#8217;ll plan it in advance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please take a moment to complete the <a href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey\">Annual Meetup Survey</a> – even if you haven’t participated in a meetup recently! This survey is an important opportunity to share your feedback on WordPress meetups in 2023 and how we can improve the program in the future. Even if you did not attend meetup events in 2023, your input is valuable! The survey takes less than 5 minutes to fill out, and the results will help strengthen WordPress meetups in the years to come.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope to achieve a 100% response rate among Meetup organizers and members around the world, and get actionable insights about two challenges that the WordPress ecosystem is facing right now:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>How can we increase the number of WordPress events?</li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can we increase the number of WordPress users worldwide?</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The survey will remain open until January, Dec 14, 2024.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To open the survey in a new tab, please use the following link: <a href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:06:44 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6:\"Isotta\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:3;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:96:\"WPTavern: #103 – Emma Young on Exploring WordPress, the Software, the Events and the Community\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=151850\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:108:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/103-emma-young-on-exploring-wordpress-the-software-the-events-and-the-community\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48040:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case getting excited about WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players. If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Emma Young. Emma is the head of content for Hostinger, and is on the podcast today to chat through her new found love of WordPress and the community which surrounds it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emma&#8217;s journey is quite inspirational. From having almost no experience with WordPress just a few years ago, she&#8217;s now immersed deeply in all that WordPress has to offer. Just over a year ago, she&#8217;d been using WordPress a little, but that was it. Then she found employment in the space and has been to all three 2023 flagship WordCamps, as well as the WordPress Community Summit. So the whole conversation is colored with this newness, and energy, which is quite infectious.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We explore the delicate balance between profitability and community values in her job. Emma sheds light on Hostinger&#8217;s commitments in the WordPress space, and how they tread the tight rope of being a good community citizen while still turning a profit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also delve into the company&#8217;s recent involvement in WordPress events and WordCamps, discussing the benefits they have reaped from these. It&#8217;s things like brand awareness and invaluable feedback from the community. Emma&#8217;s passion for networking and continuous improvement is evident as she shares her personal experiences. We discussed the inclusive nature of the WordPress community and the various pathways individuals with different personality types can follow to feel at home. Emphasizing the ample opportunities available for everyone to contribute.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the collaborative nature of the WordPress community, exploring the cameraderie, philanthropy, and human connections that thrive within WordPress events and projects. Emma shares her insights from her recent involvement in helping to organize WordCamp Europe, and her dedication to contributing to documentation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for a way to find your place in the WordPress community, this podcast is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, You can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to WPTavern.com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so without further delay, I bring you Emma Young.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast today by Emma Young. Hi Emma.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:34] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Hello.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Very nice to have you on the podcast today. We are going to talk about the WordPress community. We&#8217;re really going to hone in on the community, and Emma&#8217;s recent contributions. Her journey very recently, in really getting stuck into WordPress events and all of that kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we get into that Emma, I wonder if you wouldn&#8217;t mind just spending a moment, giving us your bio. You can go as far back as you like. But I guess, given that this is a WordPress podcast, maybe if we center it around WordPress and the community and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:04] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah. So just briefly, I had a lot of failed attempts at WordPress blogs growing up. But they were a lot of fun, and I think led me to content in general, and where I got probably the most involved in the WordPress community. So yeah, all of that leading to traveling to different places, and ending up working for Hostinger, where I used WordPress every single day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which led to, I don&#8217;t know, diving feet first, head first, whole body first into the WordPress community earlier this year. One thing just led very nicely to the other. It was just this nice little circle, universe kind of shoving me towards the WordPress community. And me just jumping, or kind of like slowly running, like on the beach, like the 90s rom com, like with open arms and the community just being like, welcome.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I guess really started diving in last year with the contributions to the docs team. Somebody introduced, hey have you ever heard of Five for the Future? Have you ever heard of contributing to WordPress?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I was like, what, you could do that? Yeah, let&#8217;s look into it. It&#8217;s super easy. Signed up, and then, you know, I love documentation. I love words. I love everything that the docs team stands for. And then I just got super obsessed with it. What else do you need? What else can I do? And that was mid last year. And then I think since then, I don&#8217;t know, I feel like we&#8217;ll unfold a lot more of that in this podcast. I don&#8217;t want to give too many spoilers. Yeah, I don&#8217;t really have that much bio before that time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:25] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay. That&#8217;s totally fine. It sounds as if you were, I&#8217;m going to use the phrase digital nomad. I could be completely wrong in that intuition. But is there a bit of that? Were you using WordPress over the last decade, as a way of earning a living whilst doing things in different parts of the globe? Or was it more of a hobby thing? You definitely mentioned that you&#8217;d used WordPress repeatedly, but I don&#8217;t know on what level that was helping supplement what you were doing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:49] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, like on a personal level, I wasn&#8217;t making any money. It was more like blogs and trying to give my family a little bit, family and friends a little insight into what I was doing. But digital nomad is for sure a great way to put it. I don&#8217;t stay put in one place. I think for a while there, it was like every six months we were moving. I actually live out of my suitcase right now as well. But with all of that, most of the jobs that I had was using WordPress in one way or another. So it&#8217;s always been like a common denominator through all of my travels and work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:18] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Do you know what? I&#8217;ve never heard the idea of a website to keep your parents updated. And yet, that&#8217;s such an obvious way of doing things. I had a period of time where I was roaming the world, and the internet simply didn&#8217;t exist. You know, you had to go through pains of getting on an international call, which inevitably was really difficult to achieve.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But yeah, the idea of creating a blog or something, with imagery and descriptions of what you&#8217;re doing that your parents and, well, anybody that is interested in what you&#8217;re up to. Yeah, that seems like a really perfect use case.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you mentioned that the last year has really been the time where you&#8217;ve got stuck into it. Is that because of a collision with a job that you&#8217;ve taken on, or anything like that? Or was it intentional from your part, which then led to a job? Which way round did that go?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:03] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> The chicken and the egg. Both. I don&#8217;t know. The job I guess was the reintroduction into it, which made me go from just using WordPress slightly, and daily work activities. And for the blog, I think, really jumping into the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Started working at Hostinger. I&#8217;m head of content for their marketing team. And majority of what I do is providing educational content to help people with their WordPress sites. So it was a very easy transition to hear like, oh wait, you can just do this for WordPress, and you can help twice as many people. If it&#8217;s easier for somebody to use WordPress, then it&#8217;s going to be easier for the people that are looking at our tutorials.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So while it first came through my company, that was just kind of like the door. And then when we started learning about WordCamp and participating in that, that was kind of, oh, what&#8217;s Five For the Future? How do you contribute? How do you actually help out with all of this? What are some problems you can help with? That was the second part, but that&#8217;s definitely been a huge part of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:02] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Given the nature of this podcast, it would be great if we don&#8217;t make this slide into an advert for Hostinger, but I think we should dive into that a little bit. What is the position of Hostinger, vis a vis WordPress? I mean, it is a hosting company and obviously we all know that WordPress is incredibly popular with hosting companies, because of the benefits that it has. The fact that it&#8217;s free and open source, and they can offer it to their customers and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is the position that they&#8217;ve got? Do they send you to events in order to promote? Do they send you to events in order to network? And also you mentioned the kind of content that you create. Is it specifically aligned to Hostinger&#8217;s implementation of WordPress? Or is it a bit of, okay, here&#8217;s just how to use WordPress more generally. So it&#8217;s not necessarily tied to, well, you must be on Hostinger to make use of this article and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:49] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah. It&#8217;s gonna be interesting to try to teeter the line. But yeah, so Hostinger&#8217;s managed WordPress hosting is what we offer. And WordCamps are all of the above. I guess you could say. Yes, we go there to help the community. We also go there for feedback. We go there to promote as well, and to network.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I think everything can be boiled down to majority of our users use WordPress. So if WordPress isn&#8217;t working well, and isn&#8217;t continuing to improve and have innovation and have new features, then nobody&#8217;s going to want to use it. So then what are the people that use Hostinger going to want to use?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is the foundation of their site. While you do need hosting, obviously to get your site online, WordPress being the majority of, what&#8217;s that? I don&#8217;t know what the statistic is these days, around 48% of users online, or 51%. It&#8217;s still a majority, at least halfway. So that is a priority for us as a company, you know. So we want that to be the best that it can be, because it&#8217;s the first line of the first iteration, the first foundation that everybody else is going to use, and we can build on top of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> What do you have as your content workflow? What is the process of deciding which pieces of content you&#8217;re going to create next? You know, is it driven by support? Is it just driven by ideas that your team have? What&#8217;s going on there?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:06] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, so it&#8217;s been quite a few years that we&#8217;ve had support, but also tutorials. So we have like SEO content, that anybody can kind of search for if they have some type of query or problem. And then we have support that&#8217;s geared specifically for our users, like how to exactly do this with our dashboard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But focusing more on the SEO content. Yeah, it&#8217;s just for anybody. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you&#8217;re using this company or that company. It&#8217;s just as long as you use WordPress. How to set something up, how to get the best out of it, how to recover from the most recent Google updates so that like your site&#8217;s still optimised.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically anything from a complete beginner to like, okay, which plugin is the better one for this very specific use that you want it for. Just anything underneath that umbrella.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I&#8217;ve always thought it would be really difficult for a company like you to pitch where it puts its content, and how it portrays itself at events and things like that. Because clearly you have to be profitable, you have to pay your staff. And so that&#8217;s really important. Without that, the business collapses, and there would be no content of any description.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But on the other hand, the WordPress community, unlike I think lots of other commercial communities, there is this sense of open source, and not being quite so aggressive with the advertising. Just a conversation about that really. How do you pitch these things? How do you decide, okay, we&#8217;re going to do one Hostinger related piece of content for every three WordPressy pieces of content?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we show up at events we&#8217;re going to set a certain amount of people on the booth, and they&#8217;re obviously assigned to promoting the product, and getting people to sign up. But then we&#8217;ll also put two of them out, and they were not connected to the booth, that kind of thing. So let&#8217;s just chat that through. How does Hostinger manage that difficult tightrope walk?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:51] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> That&#8217;s actually a great question. I think it all comes down to like open source. Obviously, this is my personal opinion, but like the idea of open source and helping each other. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. It&#8217;s been something that&#8217;s been in my life, I guess, since before I can remember. Both my parents worked for open source companies as well, and products.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I think that&#8217;s kind of why I like Hostinger so much. Because the end goal, as much as you&#8217;re saying like, marketing is to make money. Every company wants to make money. As much as we&#8217;re like, oh, the money&#8217;s not important, it is. But there is a line, and at the end of the day the biggest focus is on the client, and on the customer, and the person that&#8217;s reading the tutorial.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this actually even helpful for them? Do they even care what this is about? Are you just regurgitating from SERPs, like from the top 10 things that pull up? Or are you actually checking the steps, making sure that you&#8217;re actually going to get to the solution as fast as possible? And are you answering all of these questions before they even become a problem, so that it&#8217;s all there prepared for you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And at least for my content team, that is our mission and vision. That we want anybody who reads this to not have to like scroll all the way to the bottom after the history of everything, but just to actually help.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think that&#8217;s the nice thing about this line, is that&#8217;s what the WordPress community is about. That&#8217;s what open source project, everything is just working towards a similar goal. At the end of the day it&#8217;s just, was it helpful? And did it solve somebody&#8217;s problem?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if we happen to make money along the way, awesome. But not all of our content is out there to make money. Some of it, yes. But a lot of it, it&#8217;s just there to answer your question. Hey, if you have a problem, we can help you because we&#8217;ve done it X amount of times before with different content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:30] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I would imagine if you&#8217;ve been attending some of the bigger WordPress events in the last couple of years, you will have seen the presence of Hostinger. Because you&#8217;ve been fairly aggressive with the, you know, you&#8217;ve been sponsoring a lot. You&#8217;ve been taking some of the big sponsorship packages, and things like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I know you&#8217;ve only been there for a short amount of time. So this might be out of your wheelhouse. But I was curious as to when that process began. I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s been going on for years and years and years, or if it&#8217;s a much more recent push to be part of the WordPress community. So my intuition, my feeling, is that it&#8217;s really over the last two, two and a half years that Hostinger has become more focused on this. So just very quickly, is that right? Have I got that about right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:09] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, pretty much. Not this year, but last year was the first time that we actually, you know, participated in WordCamps, flagship ones. And then also more local ones. But, yeah, you&#8217;re right. The last two years, pretty much.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> We have quite a broad audience, but there&#8217;s definitely product owners, and hosting company representatives listening to this podcast. And very often when we get into conversations about this kind of thing, we talk about the fact that there isn&#8217;t really an ROI on attending WordPress events.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And often it&#8217;s a sunk cost, you know, you&#8217;re going, you&#8217;re showing your face, you&#8217;re talking to an already converted crowd in many ways. Those people are, you know, they&#8217;ve been in the WordPress space for a long time, they&#8217;ve figured out what hosting it is that they want.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just wondered what your intuition was around that. Is attendance at those kind of events, is it more about just making your presence felt, being a good citizen, showing up. Rather than, okay, we&#8217;re going to definitely come out of this with 100, 200, 300 new customers. Because I&#8217;m guessing that isn&#8217;t really what comes out of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:08] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Wow, that would be amazing. I think the biggest thing that we can call a win is the first years WordCamps to this one is, people are not being like, who are you guys? Never heard of you before. And it&#8217;s like, I&#8217;m going to come check out your booth. Like that is a big win just for branding, you know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another one is, I don&#8217;t think the intention is to go in there and be like, we have to get a thousand new customers. But in a sense, we can grow quite a bit and, you know, reap the benefits of like a snowball effect by getting feedback from everybody that&#8217;s there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like you said, everybody has a niche, or something specific that they work on, and they&#8217;re the expert of. And then they can give us feedback on, and we can improve from there. And in the long run, yeah, we can benefit from that. But it&#8217;s not like short term and boom, boom, boom.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:48] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s not a quick win, is it? I remember the first time I saw your logo was at WordCamp Europe, and you had one of the big booths. So obviously, in my head, there was a bit of disconnect there. I&#8217;m thinking, woah, I know that is a very sizable investment, but also I&#8217;ve not heard of that company before. Whereas all the other ones who&#8217;d made the similar investment, and indeed the ones that were on the slightly smaller booth shall we say, I&#8217;d heard of all of them. So that was just curious to me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then I went to another event, and there you were again. And so it repeated itself. I feel that&#8217;s the game, isn&#8217;t it. It&#8217;s the long game. It&#8217;s about being recognised. It&#8217;s about showing up. Not necessarily, as you said, trying to get that return on investment, although that would be brilliant.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so for product owners who are new into the space, I guess there is some lesson to learn there. Those WordPress events, I think sometimes people show up expecting that kind of return on the investment. And often it maybe isn&#8217;t the case. But the long tail of showing up again and again, I could reel off lots and lots of companies who have benefited from that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it is a bit of a hidden benefit, and it won&#8217;t necessarily go on this year&#8217;s profit and loss spreadsheet. It might in the end be worthwhile doing. And I&#8217;m guessing, the fact that you&#8217;re still doing it is proof that you believe there is a benefit to it, albeit it isn&#8217;t entirely tangible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:05] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, exactly. And it&#8217;s definitely like a learn from, I don&#8217;t want to say mistakes because if you&#8217;re learning from it. But learning from your past experiences, and what are you going to tweak this time? What are we going to do better? What are we going to stop? Because, oh, shouldn&#8217;t have done that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s something that, you don&#8217;t get like a nice checklist that is like, hey, you&#8217;re new to WordPress and the community, do this, this and this. It&#8217;s kind of like, good luck. And the networking helps, because like especially with community, you can get help from other people that have been in there longer, and can give us advice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve gotten a lot of advice from people in the community. I think one of the best things about it is, in everyday life we have our competitors, other hosting companies. But then at WordCamps, and more community focused events, it&#8217;s like on pause.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And me and Courtney from GoDaddy had some dinner, you know. GoDaddy people we&#8217;re just like, I think this is the best way to showcase the beauty of WordPress communities. It&#8217;s like Monday, game on. But today like, hey girl, how&#8217;s it been? So like I said, that&#8217;s even on pause.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We learned from that, and it was advice from other people that it was hey, you can&#8217;t look at it as in like, how many people come to your booth? How many hosting plans did you sell? This, this or that. It&#8217;s, hey, but look at it in this way, and look at all the doors that you&#8217;re opening in the future. And I think people that are coming into this should really remember that when they&#8217;re like what did we get from sponsoring this WordCamp? It&#8217;s not just about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think that there are quite a few pitfalls. If you are new to the community, and let&#8217;s say that you&#8217;ve been, well, let&#8217;s keep talking about events. Let&#8217;s say that you&#8217;ve been attending events in other walks of life. So nothing to do with open source, or anything like that, specifically WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may be that the etiquette, for want of a better word, is slightly different. And there may be pitfalls that you fall into. And I think it is kind of good to have a plan going into that first set of events, just to take the temperature of the room a little bit, and try to figure out what other people are doing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It just feels a little bit more community related at WordPress events. Well, obviously there&#8217;s a real great opportunity to sell if you wish to. But it does feel that the aggressive sales side of things is not quite so obvious. And you&#8217;ve just pointed to the fact that you put your weapons down, for want of a better phrase. Once the event closes for the night, and go out and have dinner with the other people, and talk about what they&#8217;re doing, and try to figure out things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then obviously go off into things like contributor day, and literally do the work together. So it&#8217;s not like you&#8217;re just having a chat over a drink, you&#8217;re actually doing work. But, taken your company T-shirt off for a moment and you&#8217;re just friends. So I guess what I&#8217;m trying to say there is, yeah, take the temperature of the room on the first few times that you go, because it may not be what you expect it to be. And your intuitions may be slightly wrong there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s talk about you for a little bit though, personally. Because I&#8217;m just curious as to what you&#8217;re getting out of all this. You&#8217;ve obviously been doing this for, well, the amount of time that you said, just over a year or something like that. And you also said, I think you said, not just feet first, like whole body first or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s the deal there? Why so much in the space of time? So just to clarify, my understanding is that a year or so ago, you hadn&#8217;t been to any kind of WordPress event. Now, obviously, with the help of the company that you work for, so we need to know that, you&#8217;ve been to the three flagship events.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you went to WordCamp Asia, you went to WordCamp Europe, WordCamp US. You&#8217;ve been to WordCamp Madrid, which is really big. You know, it&#8217;s not one of the smaller ones. Why so much? I mean, maybe the answer is simply, well, that&#8217;s my job. But it feels like there&#8217;s more to it than that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:22] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> It actually isn&#8217;t my job. Now I kind of adapted to that role because I like it, you know. But, I still do run the content team, you know. Organic traffic, woo. But yeah, I think my first flagship, my first WordCamp in general was a flagship.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it was the beginning of this year, just in January, in Bangkok. And the first time I was ever going to be there. I had been contributing and I was like, yeah yeah, great. You know, I can really help out with this because I like it. I think I was doing it on my spare time, not work time. And it just happened to work very parallel, and overlap with work, that they were like, if she enjoys, it this is perfect.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then I was, I don&#8217;t know what came over me, but I was like, let&#8217;s just not go. But let&#8217;s volunteer. Let&#8217;s do, I had no idea what that meant. I&#8217;ve never been to a WordCamp. Let&#8217;s also volunteer at the one that probably has the most hype, because it&#8217;s the first one after the pandemic.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, I don&#8217;t know, I had public speaking PTSD from being inside my house for three years, only talking to people through the screen. And I kind of challenged myself, and I volunteered as an interviewer. I was like, let&#8217;s just not go to an event where you have to mingle, but let&#8217;s make it a job. And let&#8217;s actually have to find people and sit down and encourage them to talk me. Let&#8217;s just make my life harder, you know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it was the best experience ever. I don&#8217;t even know how to explain how much fun I had from like the first day from volunteers. Meeting colleagues from different countries that also came together to be at this WordCamp.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just remember walking into like volunteers orientation being like, this was the dumbest thing you&#8217;ve ever done, Emma. Like yeah, you like to travel. Yeah, you like WordPress. Nope, just awkwardly moonwalk out of here and just hide in a corner for the next three days and it&#8217;ll be fine, you&#8217;ll just get fired, it&#8217;s okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I don&#8217;t know, I think it was Milan who was like, oh hey girl. I was like, oh hey dude. And that was it. That was all it took. Like some dude who I had never met before, just come up to be like, hey girl, what&#8217;s your name is? Just like playing around. And the rest was history.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I enjoyed that so much that I was like I want more of this. I see the point of this. I see the benefit of this, and it also helps my company on the side. So that&#8217;s, I think what led to, you know, being super involved with WordCamp Europe, and volunteering for that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I tried to do something different, and put myself in kind of like a learning experience. Instead of volunteering as an interviewer, I was like maybe I can be an MC. Let&#8217;s see how I feel on stage. So maybe one day I could be a speaker, I don&#8217;t know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And right before that same thing, I was like, this is the dumbest idea Emma. Like, why do you keep doing this to yourself? And then when I went out there, I don&#8217;t even know how to explain it. I was like, this is awesome. Nobody cares if I mess up. Nobody cares if I made a mistake. Nobody realises if I made a mistake. I can be as silly as I want to be. Just as long as I say all the things I&#8217;m supposed to.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it was to an audience of all the same WordPress nerds is me. We would all geek out on the same thing. I could make all of the same jokes that I would say to somebody that I was having coffee with at WordCamp, but to a huge audience. And they would get it because we have the same interests.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mean like I&#8217;ve done like calls or workshops and trainings, and I still get like butterflies. I don&#8217;t know, it was just a different experience. I had like zero fears when I was emceeing. That was kind of an internal thing that I was using to see how I would do moving forward.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the WordPress community, WordCamp&#8217;s helped me kind of work through that. And now it&#8217;s just gone and gone and gone, and now I&#8217;m part of the next WordCamp Europe&#8217;s organising team. And it&#8217;s just crazy that not even a few months ago was the first time I&#8217;d ever been to WordCamp Europe.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So in summary, no regrets.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:46] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Oh, zero. I encourage everybody to do it. Or come find me and I will try to give you the best pep talk there is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So a couple of things to throw in there. First of all, I suspect that not everybody is the same as you. So you strike me, forgive me if I&#8217;m getting this wrong, but you strike me as fairly outgoing. And maybe the baggage that you were carrying is that you walked into the room. You were more than willing, when Milan walked up to you, you were more than willing to just throw it off and get stuck in. And all it took was for a friendly face to come over and say hi, and that was it. You were off to the races.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But would you say that for somebody who was, let&#8217;s say more introverted, or a little bit more concerned about how the event might go down, they haven&#8217;t done anything like this before. They just want to lurk. Is that okay in your opinion? You know, you don&#8217;t have to be a certain personality type.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the kind of roles that you took on, I guess it&#8217;s important to say as well, are very public facing. Whereas you really don&#8217;t have to have that as part of your arsenal. It is quite possible to contribute meaningfully, just sitting at a desk with your computer, not necessarily being outgoing or vivacious. Just chatting to the people that are nearby. Concerned with the thing that you&#8217;re concerned with. Could be docs. Could be TV. Could be, I don&#8217;t know, SEO. Could be anything that any of the tables occupy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So firstly that. You were well equipped for this. But it&#8217;s not necessarily that that needs to be the case for everybody, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:03] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, no, 100%. There were also some people from my team that contributed as well for photography. You know, that&#8217;s a great one if you&#8217;re very into like arts and more creative, where you don&#8217;t have to speak to anybody. Everybody sees it, well, not everybody. But oftentimes when they see a camera at this event, they&#8217;re like, okay, I&#8217;d love to smile for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But like you said, with the contributions as well. That&#8217;s one of the best ways to start. You can test out every single thing to see where you are the most comfortable with. Where you feel you can help the most, or where you&#8217;re enjoying helping the most. And it&#8217;s not like an outwardly facing, hey, get on stage, kind of contribution. Maybe you&#8217;re very interested in just writing stuff and testing some things out, or QA-ing a plugin or a theme that somebody wants approved. But very important as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And same with volunteering actually. You know, there&#8217;s lots of different teams that you don&#8217;t have to go on stage. You don&#8217;t have to ask people to do interviews. You can simply, if you do want to be a volunteer and help with WordCamps that way, you know, just being somebody who can direct somebody to the bathroom. Or like where the emergency kit is. Or working the lost and found, where you talk to people every once in a while.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t want to talk to anybody at all, maybe social media, where you sit behind the laptop and people bring you images and you post on there. You know, there&#8217;s lots of different ways that you can volunteer for the WordCamps that aren&#8217;t as outgoing or extroverted.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you also don&#8217;t have to do any of that. You can also just go there and enjoy it as an attendee, and talk to people when you want to talk to people. Approach them. If somebody says like, hey, how&#8217;s it going? No, sorry, not now. No one&#8217;s going to take offense to it. I think at one of the WordCamps, they actually had interaction badges.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. It was WordCamp US in San Diego, I think that was right. There was a little indicator on your lanyard, which indicated how open you were to being talked to out of the blue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:46] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> And I think that like extra measures like that is helpful. But there&#8217;s a place for everybody. You don&#8217;t have to go as aggressive as I did. You can be a lot more introverted. Even if you want to try, and I encourage you to be a speaker for the first time, to try it. Even as an introvert. Somebody who&#8217;s never, maybe done a presentation to a large group of people, or at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have like different channels on WordPress Slack, and different resources that we try to help encourage people and feel more comfortable, or help you give just the encouragement and pep talk that you need, to even just apply for it. But I think that&#8217;s another beauty about the community is, there is a place for everybody, where you can be more an extroverted person, more of an introvert. Or somebody who&#8217;s half the time extrovert and half the time, like me, has to go hide in a corner for a couple hours. Recharge your battery and then be wooo again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Back on the mission, yeah. I think the WordPress community is really a bit of a microcosm. It is big enough to be a microcosm of the community in general. There are people who are very outgoing. There are people who are not so. There is a task for people who are outgoing. There&#8217;s a task for people who are not outgoing. You don&#8217;t need to fit any particular mold.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But also, I think the bit that you mentioned, and I really can&#8217;t put my finger on why this is, but I do think that the WordPress community is populated by nice people. And so if you do attend, and you do decide to, oh, let&#8217;s say you really push the boat out and you decide to be a speaker. The reception that you&#8217;ll get, I&#8217;m more or less able to guarantee, it will be fabulous.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not one of those talent shows on TV where you stand up there, do your thing, and then there&#8217;s a panel of people who just sort of scratch their chins and give you some commentary on where you could have improved it. How it could have been better. It&#8217;s really not like that. It&#8217;s the opposite. It&#8217;s like you get a bunch of tens every time. And so, really have that in the back of your mind.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few minutes ago, though, you said something which stuck in my head and I don&#8217;t even know if you meant to say it, but it was kind of the nub of everything. And you were describing walking into the room for the first time, and you said something along the lines of, I got it. I understood why it mattered. You said something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think that&#8217;s really important. Why does it matter? For you, Emma why does contributing, being involved. What is the point of it? Maybe it&#8217;s something that you get out of it. Maybe it&#8217;s going in that direction. Maybe it&#8217;s the other direction. Maybe you feel, okay great, I&#8217;m doing something philanthropic. I&#8217;m doing something which is not for my own benefit, it&#8217;s for the world. What was the meaning of that sentence? Because that is the heart of it, I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:12] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah. Ooh okay. I don&#8217;t actually know. Let me try to unpack this while I use filler words, while I&#8217;m trying to think through my thoughts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I&#8217;ll give you intuitions from my end, if you don&#8217;t mind. I&#8217;ll tell you why I think it&#8217;s important. I have this notion that the web offered the promise of so much. And when it was invented by Tim Berners-Lee and other people, back in the day, nobody really knew what it could be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there was this great promise that it could be this fabulous, unifying force. Not only would the world&#8217;s information be accessible, but we&#8217;d be able to communicate with people in a way that, really, the expense was driven down. The ability to communicate would be approaching zero. You needed access to a computer, and nowadays a mobile phone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so the promise was just such a radical departure from everything that humanity had had before. And then part of that culture, right at the beginning, was free and open source. Now, I know that in the decades since then, large corporations have jumped in and the internet has become a very profitable, noisy place, where it&#8217;s possible to feel, well, it&#8217;s just dominated by giant companies.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think, for me, that&#8217;s one of the reasons that I love projects like WordPress. Because it offers that promise from decades ago of what the web could be. Does it cost you anything? Yeah, it&#8217;ll cost you a bit in hosting. Is it broadly free? Yes, it&#8217;s broadly free. Do you have to pay to contribute? No. Can you benefit from other people&#8217;s labour? Yes. Are you required to give back? No. Would it be nice if you did? Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s just this feeling, this wonderful feeling that I can&#8217;t, like I said, put my finger on. But there&#8217;s just something excellent about that whole idea. So there&#8217;s what I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:56] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, I agree. And the entire time we were talking, I was like, what is the word? What word like encompasses everything that you&#8217;re saying, what I&#8217;m thinking. And I&#8217;m like, I can&#8217;t just say community because, come on Emma, you work with words. But it is, like, it&#8217;s it&#8217;s collaborative.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I like that you brought up communication. I love strategic communication. Different styles of it, between different cultures. And I feel like that is where all of that is a nice melting pot. People from all over the world, people with different things, we all have one thing in common, where all of these things come together, finally. No, maybe not finally.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But like, what a community, what the definition of community in my head, at least, is supposed to be, happens. So we don&#8217;t have to worry about statuses. We don&#8217;t have to worry about the company that you&#8217;ve worked for, we don&#8217;t have to worry about our culture.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like, we are all there for one reason, and it&#8217;s WordPress. We are all interested in one thing. We all want that one thing to succeed, and it&#8217;s collaborative. Like you were saying, with the way that all the things that the internet promised us, it&#8217;s going to bring us together. It&#8217;s going to be all of these ways to communicate. It&#8217;s going to like, you know, bridge the gap between your grandparents that live in Australia and here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it did fix a lot of those things. But then during that adventure and journey, we lost a lot of communication, and a lot of collaboration, and community, and the sense of community. Unless you have one of those, you&#8217;re lucky enough to have one of those in your physical place. This is a place where it can solve that with the bonus addition of, we all just like it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that, in addition to what you were saying earlier with, everybody is genuinely nice people, and good people. There&#8217;s not some malicious agenda on the back of their mind where it&#8217;s like, ha, I&#8217;m gonna be nice to your face, but stab you in the back. Like, there is zero of that, at least from my point of view.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to all of this, it&#8217;s just a nice place to be. You make new friends, you have great conversations, you laugh pretty much for four days straight if you&#8217;re at a live event. If you&#8217;re working online with them, there&#8217;s lots of inside jokes, and it&#8217;s just, I don&#8217;t know, it&#8217;s just community. I can&#8217;t think of a better word.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:54] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think I might have the word. I think the word might be humanity.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:58] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> We live in a different world than the world of 30 years ago, before the internet was invented. But it is an enterprise where there&#8217;s a common purpose. I&#8217;ve literally met people at WordCamps who have never used WordPress. I know that sounds strange, but they somehow got themselves to a WordCamp in the past, and they just liked the feeling.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was something about the attendance of that event, which gave them that warm and fuzzy glow. And so they still attend, and they&#8217;ve never used WordPress. Their intention is not necessarily to ever use WordPress, but they enjoy the camaraderie that they get. They enjoy the fact that they can show up and be a part of that enormous jigsaw puzzle, and help people in a philanthropic way. You don&#8217;t necessarily have to get anything in return. And it&#8217;s just a very human enterprise, I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:33:47] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah. And all the things that like show up with the events, you know, like the prices aren&#8217;t ridiculous to get a ticket. You don&#8217;t have to go out and separate from people to get food. You grab some food, you sit with some strangers, you introduce yourself to somebody new, or by yourself if you want to. Everything is there, and open, and welcoming.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, it&#8217;s very different to other conferences, and I like that people that don&#8217;t actually use WordPress or have no intention to, continue to go to these. WordPress is doing something right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:34:18] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Where have you landed then on what you&#8217;re going to be doing? Because obviously you&#8217;re fairly new. You still might have your tendrils out trying to figure out, okay, if I go to another event and there&#8217;s a contributor day, that feels like my thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You mentioned that there are things like photography. There are things like docs, which I know you work with words and obviously there&#8217;s a connection there, so maybe that&#8217;s where you&#8217;ve landed. It may be that you want to try other things. What&#8217;s your intuition about that? Where do you think your endeavors will go, if you decide to contribute in the future?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:34:43] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yes. So right now most of my, I guess, contributions been going to the organising, for the WordCamp Europe. But before that, it was primarily docs, just because I like it. I like organising. I like just documentation in general, and consistency.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I do think there was a conversation, quite a few conversations at the community summit, which I also went to, which is maybe not something that happens, I&#8217;ve only been involved for a short amount of time. About like content repurposing, and really like bridging the gap between teams, and merging together, and aligning with each other. I think if I could get more involved with that, to help speed that along or even just give more attention to it. We could help all of the contributions, just not one team specifically improve together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:26] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Emma, it&#8217;s been really interesting chatting to you today. Thank you for joining us. If anybody is not entirely sure how much they want to contribute, whether they want to contribute, and they&#8217;ve listened to this and they&#8217;ve been inspired by what you&#8217;ve said, where would be the best place to locate you? I don&#8217;t know, it may be an email address, or a Twitter handle, or a website, or whatever you like.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:43] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Yeah, probably LinkedIn. I am terrible with Twitter. So I will give you that so you can link it down below, or so people can find me. Because yes, I would definitely just, you can pick my brain, ask me any questions, and I would be more than willing to help and answer in any way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:58] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you, Emma Young. Thank you for joining us on the podcast today. I really appreciate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:36:02] <strong>Emma Young:</strong> Thank you.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sophie-young\">Emma Young</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emma is the Head of Content for Hostinger and is on the podcast today to chat through her new found love of WordPress and the community which surrounds it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emma&#8217;s journey is quite inspirational. From having almost no experience with WordPress just a few years ago, she’s now immersed deeply in all that WordPress has to offer. Just over a year ago she&#8217;d been using WordPress a little, but that was it. Then she found employment in the space and has been to all three 2023 flagship WordCamps, as well as the Community Summit. So the whole conversation is coloured with this newness and energy, which is quite infectious.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We explore the delicate balance between profitability and community values in her job. Emma sheds light on Hostinger&#8217;s commitments in the WordPress space and how they tread the tightrope of being a good community citizen, whilst still turning a profit. We also delve into the company&#8217;s recent involvement in WordPress events and WordCamps, discussing the benefits they have reaped from these; it’s things like brand awareness and invaluable feedback from the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emma&#8217;s passion for networking and continuous improvement is evident as she shares her personal experiences. We discuss the inclusive nature of the WordPress community and the various pathways individuals with different personality types can follow to feel at home, emphasising the ample opportunities available for everyone to contribute.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the collaborative nature of the WordPress community, exploring the camaraderie, philanthropy, and human connections that thrive within WordPress events and projects. Emma shares her insights from her recent involvement in helping to organise WordCamp Europe, and her dedication to contributing to documentation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re looking for a way to find your place in the WordPress community, this podcast is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.hostinger.co.uk/\">Hostinger</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sophie-young\">Emma&#8217;s LinkedIn</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:53:23 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:4;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:59:\"Akismet: The 6 Best WordPress Form Builder Plugins Compared\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"http://akismet.com/?p=283524\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:61:\"https://akismet.com/blog/best-wordpress-form-builder-plugins/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:37912:\"<p>A well&#8209;designed form can help your website visitors reach out to you, generate new leads, and grow your email list. While you can add forms to your website by writing code, most WordPress website owners use a WordPress form builder to take care of this task. But, with a <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/forms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">search for ‘forms’</a> on the WordPress plugin directory retrieving hundreds of results, it can be challenging to know which is the best option for your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<p>To help, we&#8217;ve put together this essential guide to WordPress form builders, which will assist you in deciding on the best WordPress form plugin for your site. We&#8217;ll explore the key features any good WordPress form builder plugin should have, look at seven of the top choices, and answer all of your burning questions about WordPress forms. Let&#8217;s dive&nbsp;in!</p>\n\n\n<span id=\"more-283524\"></span>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image.jpeg\" alt=\"contact form on a website\" class=\"wp-image-283526\" />\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What features should a quality form builder&nbsp;have?</h2>\n\n<p>While each WordPress form plugin offers different features, here are some that all should&nbsp;include:</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An integration with Akismet to block&nbsp;spam</h3>\n\n<p>Sadly, online forms are a target for bots that attempt to flood your site (and email inbox) with <a href=\"https://akismet.com/blog/how-to-stop-contact-form-spam-on-wordpress/\">contact form spam</a> submissions, which can leave you wading through a sea of spam to find one genuine entry from your&nbsp;visitors.</p>\n\n<p>This makes it essential that your WordPress form plugin defends against spam, and <a href=\"https://akismet.com/\">Akismet</a> is the gold&#8209;standard <a href=\"https://akismet.com/blog/best-anti-spam-wordpress-plugins-compared/\">spam protection for WordPress</a>. The service has blocked an astonishing 545,500,000,000+ pieces of spam to&nbsp;date.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"787\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image.png\" alt=\"Akismet homepage\" class=\"wp-image-283527\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Akismet gets to work silently in the background and protects your forms from spam without requiring any form of CAPTCHA or manual user input. Instead, it uses advanced AI technology and one of the world&#8217;s largest anti-spam databases to filter out WordPress form spam. It does all of this with more than 99.9% accuracy.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The great news is that most leading WordPress form builders offer an integration with Akismet, so you can easily guard your forms with the best WordPress spam protection available.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Customization options</h3>\n\n\n<p>Consistency is key when it comes to branding and the visual appearance of your site. A quality WordPress form builder should allow you to easily modify the colors, fonts, and layouts of your forms, so they reflect your brand&#8217;s style and blend seamlessly into the overall design of your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Templates for common form&nbsp;types</h3>\n\n\n<p>Most modern form plugins try to simplify the creation process with a drag-and-drop builder, but it can still take time to add and configure and style exactly what you need.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>To help, some solutions offer a range of templates or patterns covering common form types, which act as a great foundation while allowing you the flexibility to adjust and customize as&nbsp;needed.</p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notification settings</h3>\n\n\n<p>Your form builder lets you decide what happens after a visitor clicks submit on your form. For example, do they go to a “thank you” page, see a confirmation message, or get a copy of their submission via&nbsp;email?</p>\n\n\n<p>For most types of forms, you&#8217;ll also want to ensure that you or a member of your team is promptly notified of new form submissions. So it&#8217;s important to check out the notification options offered by each WordPress form builder.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>Most plugins will provide a range of options that allow you to configure the emails you receive each time a form is submitted, as well as choose if you want to send your data to any third&#8209;party services or store the data in your WordPress&nbsp;database.</p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A review of the best form plugins for&nbsp;WordPress</h2>\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"686\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-1.png\" alt=\"Jetpack Forms homepage\" class=\"wp-image-283528\" />\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/forms/\">Jetpack&nbsp;Forms</a></h3>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://jetpack.com/forms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack Forms</a> is one of the best WordPress form builders. It works from within the WordPress block editor, making it easy to add forms to any post or page on your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<p>Jetpack Forms comes with a large set of patterns that allow you to quickly create common form types, including a basic contact form and registration and feedback forms. You can also build your own from scratch using the handy drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop builder, which allows you to select from a wide range of field&nbsp;types.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"741\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-2.png\" alt=\"Jetpack form patterns in a grid\" class=\"wp-image-283529\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Jetpack’s innovative AI assistant can also be used to help you effortlessly create advanced forms. Just describe the type of form you want, and Jetpack AI will get to work creating it. And you can use the AI Assistant to edit your existing forms. For example, you can ask it to autopopulate a country drop-down, or to add a field for event attendees to let you know their dietary requirements.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"994\" height=\"739\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-3.png\" alt=\"Jetpack AI assistant translating a post\" class=\"wp-image-283530\" />\n\n\n\n<p>You can use Jetpack Forms to create as many forms as you need and capture unlimited responses. You can also configure email notifications for each one, which are sent using the native WordPress email function.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>All form responses are stored in the “feedback” menu of your WordPress dashboard, and you can export them straight to Google Sheets or download them as a CSV file for further analysis. Jetpack Forms also integrates with several popular services, including <a href=\"https://jetpackcrm.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack CRM</a> for contact management and <a href=\"https://www.creativemail.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Creative Mail</a> for email&nbsp;marketing.</p>\n\n<p>Jetpack is a free WordPress form plugin that lets you match your site&#8217;s design and branding by selecting the background and text color for the block and submit button. You can make form fields mandatory to ensure that you’re collecting the information you need from each visitor, configure a custom confirmation message, or redirect users to a “thank you”&nbsp;page.</p>\n\n<p>Jetpack Forms helps keep form spam at bay with a powerful two&#8209;pronged approach. First, all forms contain a honeypot field, which is designed to trick bots and prevent them from submitting your form in the first place. Jetpack Forms also works seamlessly with Akismet to add invisible AI&#8209;powered spam detection to your site, scan all form submissions to identify spam, and ensure that you only get notified about genuine form&nbsp;submissions.</p>\n\n\n<p>Like Akismet, Jetpack Forms was built by the team behind WordPress.com, so you know that it&#8217;s a powerful and safe WordPress form builder designed for ease of use. It’s considered one of the best WordPress form plugins available.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of Jetpack&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>The ability to create forms from within the WordPress&nbsp;editor</li>\n\n<li>A range of templates&nbsp;provided</li>\n\n<li>A drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop form&nbsp;builder</li>\n\n<li>Integration with Akismet for powerful spam&nbsp;filtering</li>\n\n<li>A range of field types including text, date picker, drop&#8209;down, checkbox, and radio&nbsp;buttons</li>\n\n<li>AI&#8209;powered form&nbsp;creation</li>\n\n<li>Mobile responsive&nbsp;designs</li>\n\n<li>Unlimited forms and&nbsp;submissions</li>\n\n<li>Configurable email&nbsp;notifications</li>\n\n<li>Integration with CRM and email marketing&nbsp;services</li>\n\n<li>Google Sheets&nbsp;integration</li>\n\n<li>Customizable actions upon form&nbsp;submission</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Jetpack&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Jetpack Forms offers a range of powerful features that allow you to create custom forms for free from within the WordPress&nbsp;editor.</li>\n\n<li>The Jetpack form builder works perfectly with Akismet to catch any spam form&nbsp;submissions.</li>\n\n<li>Jetpack Forms is part of the wider Jetpack plugin, which offers a range of useful site management, performance, and security&nbsp;features.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Jetpack&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Jetpack Forms is designed to meet the needs of the average WordPress site owner, so it doesn’t have some specialty features, such as multipage forms, that are found in many paid WordPress form builder&nbsp;plugins.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n\n<p>Jetpack Forms has a simple visual form builder that works within the WordPress editor. It&#8217;s simple to configure your form settings, actions, and design. Plus, patterns and AI-powered tools make it quick and easy to create the perfect form for your needs.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Detailed <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/support/jetpack-blocks/contact-form/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">documentation is available</a>, and you can also access email support from Jetpack&#8217;s Happiness Engineers.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n<p>Jetpack Forms is part of the<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/\"> Jetpack plugin</a>, which is free to download from the WordPress plugin directory. <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/ai/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack’s AI Assistant</a> offers 20 free requests, with unlimited requests (for both forms and the many other features offered by Jetpack AI) available for about $8 per&nbsp;month.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"2114\" height=\"1022\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/screen-shot-2023-11-15-at-2.07.06-pm.png\" alt=\"WPForms homepage\" class=\"wp-image-283532\" />\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpforms-lite/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WPForms</a></h3>\n\n\n<p>WPForms is a popular plugin for WordPress that helps you create a wide range of forms for your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<p>Like most plugins in this list, WPForms is built around an intuitive drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop builder, and offers a range of templates for some of the most popular form types. Once you’ve created your form, you can embed it in any post or page using the WPForms block and tailor its appearance to match your site’s&nbsp;branding.</p>\n\n\n<p>This WordPress form plugin offers full control over what you do with the data you collect, including the option to send all form submissions by email or store the entries in your database.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>Premium versions of WPForms offer integrations with popular email and CRM services, including Mailchimp and Salesforce, along with payment gateways which allow you to create payment&nbsp;forms.</p>\n\n\n<p>All versions of WPForms integrate with Akismet so that you can keep form entry spam at bay with the leading spam detection plugin for WordPress.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of&nbsp;WPForms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Integration with Akismet to protect your forms from&nbsp;spam</li>\n\n<li>Pre&#8209;made templates for common form&nbsp;types</li>\n\n<li>A drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop form&nbsp;builder</li>\n\n<li>Support for custom field&nbsp;types</li>\n\n\n<li>Multipage forms</li>\n\n\n<li>Mobile responsive&nbsp;forms</li>\n\n<li>Unlimited forms and&nbsp;submissions</li>\n\n<li>Advanced customization options, including Webhook support&nbsp;(Pro)</li>\n\n<li>Integrations with popular CRM and email marketing services&nbsp;(Pro)</li>\n\n<li>Email notifications for form&nbsp;entries</li>\n\n<li>A wide range of field types, including file&nbsp;upload</li>\n\n<li>The ability to accept payments&nbsp;(Pro)</li>\n\n<li>Form abandonment notifications&nbsp;(Pro)</li>\n\n<li>Support for a range of complex forms, including surveys, ratings, and polls&nbsp;(Pro)</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of&nbsp;WPForms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>WPForms uses a drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop interface that simplifies building forms and changing form&nbsp;settings.</li>\n\n<li>WPForms’ premium versions make it possible to use forms to accomplish tasks that go beyond a traditional contact form, including taking payments and creating&nbsp;posts.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of&nbsp;WPForms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>WPForms does not allow you to create forms from within the WordPress&nbsp;editor.</li>\n\n<li>Some features of WPForms, including advanced field types and integrations with email or CRM systems, are only available in premium versions of the&nbsp;plugin.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n<p>WPForms’ drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop interface makes the plugin easy to use. Comprehensive documentation is available, and email support is offered for premium&nbsp;customers.</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n<p>WPForms Light is available in the WordPress plugin directory and allows you to create basic forms for free. Several different premium versions of WPForms are available, which range from the Basic plan at $499 a year to the Elite plan, which unlocks all features, for $599.50 a&nbsp;year.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1411\" height=\"526\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-5.png\" alt=\"Gravity Forms homepage\" class=\"wp-image-283534\" />\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://www.gravityforms.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3. Gravity&nbsp;Forms</a></h2>\n\n<p>Gravity Forms is a well&#8209;known premium form plugin for WordPress that offers a range of advanced&nbsp;features.</p>\n\n\n<p>Like many WordPress form plugins, Gravity Forms allows you to create forms without any programming knowledge using a drag-and-drop interface.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can include 30 different field types within your forms to build almost any type — create contact forms, quizzes, surveys, and even user registration forms.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>Gravity Forms offers various field types, along with features that allow you to create in a range of styles, including conversational forms or multipage forms. The plugin integrates with many popular services, like email marketing programs, CRM systems, and payment&nbsp;gateways.</p>\n\n<p>Gravity Forms also helps you keep your submissions spam&#8209;free by integrating with Akismet, meaning you can benefit from world&#8209;class AI&#8209;powered spam protection on all the forms on your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of Gravity&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>A visual form&nbsp;builder</li>\n\n<li>Akismet&#8209;powered spam&nbsp;protection</li>\n\n<li>Integrations with external services, including email automation tools and payment&nbsp;processors</li>\n\n<li>Customizable notifications, emails, and on&#8209;submit&nbsp;actions</li>\n\n<li>The ability to register users and update profiles through registration&nbsp;forms</li>\n\n<li>Support for quizzes, polls, and&nbsp;surveys</li>\n\n\n<li>Conditional logic</li>\n\n\n<li>A variety of field&nbsp;types</li>\n\n<li>Form response analytics&nbsp;tools</li>\n\n\n<li>Responsive forms</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multipage forms</li>\n\n\n<li>Conversational style&nbsp;forms</li>\n\n<li>Support for merge&nbsp;tags</li>\n\n<li>Hooks and functions, which allow developers to expand plugin&nbsp;functionality</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Gravity&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Gravity Forms allows you to create advanced forms using a simple drag-and-drop interface and easily integrates with a range of external services.&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n<li>There are a wide variety of add&#8209;ons that can expand upon the plugin’s functionality without needing to hire a&nbsp;developer.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Gravity&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Many form appearance settings can only be customized by using custom CSS or a third&#8209;party&nbsp;plugin.</li>\n\n<li>Unlike the other WordPress form plugins on this list, Gravity Forms does not offer a free&nbsp;version.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n<p>While Gravity Forms has a drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop form builder, the number of advanced integrations and settings may be confusing if you’re only looking to create simple forms. A <a href=\"https://docs.gravityforms.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">comprehensive knowledge</a> base is available, and all users benefit from email&nbsp;support.</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n<p>Gravity Forms has a range of <a href=\"https://www.gravityforms.com/pricing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pricing plans</a>, each of which activates more features and integrations. Plans vary. The Basic plan starts at $59 a year and the Elite plan, which enables all features and integrations, is $259 a year. The anti&#8209;spam integration with Akismet is available on all&nbsp;plans.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"2736\" height=\"1104\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/screen-shot-2023-11-15-at-3.03.19-pm.png\" alt=\"Ninja Forms homepage\" class=\"wp-image-283536\" />\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-forms/\">Ninja&nbsp;Forms</a></h2>\n\n<p>Ninja Forms is a popular WordPress form builder that offers a basic, free version alongside a range of premium&nbsp;add&#8209;ons.</p>\n\n<p>Ninja Forms’ free version allows you to create simple forms using a drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop&nbsp;form</p>\n\n<p>builder. The plugin contains a number of templates, or you can select from over 27 different field types to create the perfect custom form for your site. Like all plugins on this list, Ninja Forms allows you to create an unlimited number of forms and places no limit on the number of submissions you can&nbsp;receive.</p>\n\n<p>Ninja Forms offers several different options for notifications, and it allows you to display custom confirmation messages to your users or redirect them to a different page on your site. You can protect any form you create against spam, thanks to its Akismet&nbsp;integration.</p>\n\n<p>The functionality of Ninja Forms can be extended through a large number of official add&#8209;ons, which allow you to add features such as user registration, payment integration, conditional logic, and multistep&nbsp;forms.</p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of Ninja&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Pre&#8209;built form&nbsp;templates</li>\n\n<li>A drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop form&nbsp;builder</li>\n\n<li>27+ field&nbsp;types</li>\n\n<li>Form customization&nbsp;options</li>\n\n<li>Spam management with&nbsp;Akismet</li>\n\n<li>Ajax form&nbsp;submissions</li>\n\n<li>Conditional logic&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Webhook support&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Front&#8209;end post submissions&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>The ability to create user registration and management forms&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>File uploads&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Form analytics&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Integrations with popular email and CRM services&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>PayPal and Stripe payment integrations&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n\n<li>Hooks and filters, which enable developers to extend functionality&nbsp;</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Ninja&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Ninja Forms automatically uses the colors and fonts from your WordPress theme to help your forms match the look and feel of the rest of your site without the need to use&nbsp;CSS.</li>\n\n<li>The add&#8209;on system that Ninja Forms uses allows you to only pay for the additional features you&nbsp;need.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Ninja&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>While you can guard against form submission spam using the Akismet integration, this has to be enabled by adding the <a href=\"https://ninjaforms.com/docs/akismet-anti-spam-action/\">Akismet action</a> and selecting the field you wish to protect on each form you&nbsp;create.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n<p>The drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop builder and simple configuration options offered by Ninja Forms make the plugin generally easy to use. Adding Akismet protection requires several additional steps compared to some other plugins in this list. This may be more complicated than necessary if you just want to create a simple WordPress contact form that’s protected from&nbsp;spam.</p>\n\n<p>A help center is provided for all users, as is support through the plugin’s WordPress support forum. Users with a Ninja Forms membership plan can also access email&nbsp;support.</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n<p>Ninja Forms has a free version available on the WordPress plugin directory, which allows you to create basic forms. Various paid <a href=\"https://ninjaforms.com/add-ons/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">add&#8209;ons</a> are available to extend the plugin&#8217;s functionality for $49 each. Membership plans are also available, ranging from $99 &#8211; $299 a year, each of which includes a selection of add&#8209;ons and access to premium&nbsp;support.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1968\" height=\"892\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/screen-shot-2023-11-16-at-10.30.25-am.png\" alt=\"Contact Form 7 listing in the WordPress repository\" class=\"wp-image-283538\" />\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact Form&nbsp;7</a></h2>\n\n<p>Contact Form 7 was one of the first free contact form plugins created for WordPress. You can use Contact Form 7 to create basic WordPress contact forms or more advanced forms with a range of field types like text boxes, check boxes, drop&#8209;downs, file uploads, and dates. You can also set fields as required to help ensure your form submissions aren’t missing essential&nbsp;information.</p>\n\n<p>You’re able to protect fields on any form you create against spam, thanks to Contact Form 7&#8217;s <a href=\"https://contactform7.com/spam-filtering-with-akismet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Akismet integration</a>. Contact Form 7 allows you to configure the email notifications you receive for each form, as well as set custom confirmation messages displayed to users when they submit your&nbsp;form.</p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of Contact Form&nbsp;7:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>The ability to create unlimited&nbsp;forms</li>\n\n\n<li>Unlimited submissions</li>\n\n\n<li>Email notifications on form&nbsp;submission</li>\n\n<li>Support for file&nbsp;uploads</li>\n\n<li>Form styling via CSS and&nbsp;HTML</li>\n\n\n<li>Akismet Anti-spam integration&nbsp;</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Contact Form&nbsp;7:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Contact Form 7 is a lightweight plugin that won’t hinder your site&nbsp;performance.</li>\n\n<li>Because Contact Form 7 is a popular WordPress form plugin, there are a number of third&#8209;party add&#8209;ons that you can use to enhance its&nbsp;features.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Contact Form&nbsp;7:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>You have to use custom CSS and HTML to style the form, which can make it more challenging to match your&nbsp;brand.</li>\n\n<li>While you can add contact forms you have created to your posts and pages using the Contact Form 7 block, you can&#8217;t create forms from within the WordPress&nbsp;editor.</li>\n\n<li>Contact Form 7 doesn’t store contact form submissions. This means that to use Akismet’s ability to review form submissions, you’ll need an <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/flamingo/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">additional plugin</a> that stores entries in your site&#8217;s&nbsp;database.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n<p>While there is a very <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/contact-form-7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">active support community</a> on the plugin’s WordPress support forum, along with <a href=\"https://contactform7.com/docs/\">comprehensive documentation</a>, some users may find Contact Form 7 to be more difficult to use than others on this list. It uses text&#8209;based <a href=\"https://contactform7.com/tag-syntax/\">form tags</a> rather than a drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop interface, and you have to style forms through CSS, which might make it difficult for&nbsp;beginners.</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n<p>Contact Form 7 is available free of charge from the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/\">WordPress plugin&nbsp;directory</a>.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1968\" height=\"930\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/screen-shot-2023-11-16-at-10.34.10-am.png\" alt=\"Formidable Forms listing in the WordPress repository\" class=\"wp-image-283539\" />\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/formidable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">6. Formidable&nbsp;Forms</a></h3>\n\n\n<p>Formidable Forms is a freemium WordPress form plugin built around a drag-and-drop builder. The plugin has an integrated live preview feature that helps you see how your form will look to visitors as you build it.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>It offers comprehensive options for form styling and comes with many templates that speed up the process of creating common form types, such as contact forms or review&nbsp;forms.</p>\n\n<p>Both the free and premium versions of Formidable Forms help you keep spam at bay by integrating with Akismet. The plugin&#8217;s premium versions offer integrations with external email marketing and CRM services, as well as a number of additional features that allow you to create a plethora of different form&nbsp;types.</p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key features of Formidable&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>A drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop form&nbsp;builder</li>\n\n<li>A visual form&nbsp;styler</li>\n\n<li>Unlimited forms and&nbsp;submissions</li>\n\n\n<li>Form templates</li>\n\n\n<li>Akismet spam&nbsp;protection</li>\n\n<li>Email notifications and form&nbsp;autoresponders</li>\n\n<li>Fully responsive&nbsp;forms</li>\n\n\n<li>Field placeholders</li>\n\n\n<li>File uploads&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Conditional logic&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Multipage forms&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>User registration&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>A range of views, tables, and charts to analyze data&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Form automation&nbsp;(pro)</li>\n\n<li>Integration with third&#8209;party tools&nbsp;(pro)</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Formidable&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Formidable Forms features an advanced form styler that allows you to fully customize the look and feel of your&nbsp;forms.</li>\n\n<li>The premium versions of Formidable Forms enable a wide range of features that allow you to create complex forms and actions without any coding&nbsp;knowledge.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Formidable&nbsp;Forms:</h4>\n\n\n<ul><li>Your forms are not automatically protected from spam with Akismet, as it has to be enabled on each form you&nbsp;create.</li>\n\n<li>Unlike some WordPress form builders, such as Jetpack Forms, Formidable Forms does not include any integrations with email marketing or CRM services in the free&nbsp;version.</li></ul>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use:</h4>\n\n<p>The plugin&#8217;s drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop interface and visual form styler make Formidable Forms easy to use. A <a href=\"https://formidableforms.com/knowledgebase/\">knowledge base</a> is provided, and support for the free version is offered via the plugin&#8217;s WordPress support forum. Premium users can also access email&nbsp;support.</p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing:</h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Formidable Forms has a basic, free version available from the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/formidable/\">WordPress plugin directory</a>.<a href=\"https://formidableforms.com/pricing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Premium versions</a> range from $79 &#8211; $599 per year, with each plan providing additional functionality on top of the base plugin.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparison of the top form builder&nbsp;plugins</h2>\n\n\n<table><tbody><tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>Jetpack Forms</td><td>WPForms</td><td>Gravity Forms</td><td>Ninja Forms</td><td>Contact Forms 7</td><td>Formidable Forms</td></tr><tr><td>Protect forms from spam with Akismet?</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td></tr><tr><td>Drag-and-drop interface?</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td></tr><tr><td>Create forms from within the WordPress editor?</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><td>CRM and email marketing integration?</td><td>Yes</td><td>Paid only</td><td>Yes</td><td>Paid only</td><td>No</td><td>Paid Only</td></tr><tr><td>Configurable form submission actions?</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Limited</td><td>Yes</td></tr><tr><td>Built by the team behind WordPress.com?</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><td>Cost</td><td>Free&nbsp;</td><td>Limited free version. Paid version plans cost $99 -$599/yr</td><td>$59-$299/yr</td><td>Limited free version. Individual add-ons from $49.Memberships from $99-$299/yr</td><td>Free</td><td>Limited free version, premium versions range from $79-$599 a year.</td></tr></tbody></table>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Factors to consider when choosing a form&nbsp;builder</h2>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Akismet integration</h3>\n\n\n<p>To keep your WordPress forms spam&#8209;free, it&#8217;s important that the WordPress form builder you choose has an Akismet integration. By using Akismet to protect your forms, you can benefit from an advanced AI&#8209;powered spam filtering system that is trusted by over 100 million sites and boasts 99.9%&nbsp;accuracy.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"851\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-6.png\" alt=\"stats about spam blocked and websites protected by Akismet\" class=\"wp-image-283541\" />\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ease of&nbsp;use</h3>\n\n\n<p>The WordPress form builder you choose should be easy to use for visitors and site administrators alike. For your visitors, this means looking for a WordPress form plugin, like Jetpack Forms, that uses Akismet to protect your forms from spam, so they don&#8217;t have to solve a pesky CAPTCHA before submitting your form.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>For site administrators, this means choosing a plugin that offers an intuitive drag&#8209;and&#8209;drop interface and allows you to easily make changes to the appearance and design of your&nbsp;forms.</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tools with submission&#8209;based&nbsp;actions</h3>\n\n<p>It’s one thing being able to collect form submissions from your visitors, but it’s also important that you’re able to extract and take action on the information your visitors have given&nbsp;you.</p>\n\n<p>All form plugins in our review allow you to receive email notifications of form submissions, but relying on email notifications alone can require you to manually enter data into a spreadsheet or&nbsp;CRM.</p>\n\n<p>So, you should also look for a form builder, like <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/forms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack Forms</a>, that stores your submissions in your WordPress admin dashboard, so you can see them in one place. You should also look for a plugin that allows you to easily export data or send it to an external&nbsp;tool.</p>\n\n\n<img width=\"1600\" height=\"748\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-7.png\" alt=\"stored responses in Jetpack Forms\" class=\"wp-image-283542\" />\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about form builder&nbsp;plugins</h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What makes a good WordPress form&nbsp;builder?</h3>\n\n<p>Top WordPress form plugins enable you to quickly create a range of different form types to quickly collect appropriate responses for site visitors. The best WordPress form plugin for your site, such as Jetpack Forms, should also integrate seamlessly with <a href=\"https://akismet.com/\">Akismet</a> for industry&#8209;leading spam protection that doesn&#8217;t hinder the user&nbsp;experience.</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much does a good form builder plugin cost on&nbsp;WordPress?</h3>\n\n<p>Many good WordPress form builders, such as <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/forms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack Forms</a>, are free of charge. Some plugins that offer features for complex forms, such as user registration and integration with payment gateways, have premium options that range from $49&#8209;$599 a&nbsp;year.</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I block WordPress contact form spam when using a form&nbsp;builder?</h3>\n\n\n<p>Yes, you can block contact form spam by making sure that your plugin has a honeypot feature like <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/forms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack Forms</a> and integrates with Akismet — the leading <a href=\"https://akismet.com/wordpress/\">anti-spam solution for WordPress</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p>This state&#8209;of&#8209;the&#8209;art service uses advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to analyze submissions in real time without getting in the way of real, human&nbsp;users.</p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should I use CAPTCHA on my contact&nbsp;form?</h3>\n\n\n<p>If you want to maximize conversions, you should not require users to complete a CAPTCHA.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers from <a href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~jurafsky/burszstein_2010_captcha.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stanford University</a> found that CAPTCHAs can drive people away from your forms. The data shows that 29% of users leave a page when confronted with a CAPTCHA. This is particularly concerning if you rely on forms to capture leads or receive valuable customer feedback.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"770\" height=\"925\" src=\"https://akismet455732288.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/image-8.png\" alt=\"CAPTCHA examples prompting users to select red spheres\" class=\"wp-image-283543\" />\n\n\n<p>On average, sites using reCAPTCHA <a href=\"https://medium.com/rareview/why-your-captcha-is-killing-conversions-f9be6fe17d1f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">experience a 3.2% reduction</a> in their conversion rates compared to those that do not, which could significantly impact revenue generated from your&nbsp;site.</p>\n\n<p>CAPTCHAs can also have a significant impact on the accessibility of your forms. Individuals with vision or hearing impairments often find it impossible to complete a CAPTCHA, even with assistive&nbsp;technology.</p>\n\n\n<p>For these reasons, millions of WordPress site owners have turned to Akismet to protect their sites with world-class, <a href=\"https://akismet.com/blog/convertkit-customerstory/\">non-intrusive spam protection</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I enable the best anti&#8209;spam protection for my contact&nbsp;forms?</h3>\n\n<p>To protect your site with the world&#8217;s leading anti&#8209;spam solution, you need to select a WordPress form builder, like <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/features/discussion/contact-forms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack Forms</a>, that integrates with Akismet. You&#8217;ll first need to get an Akismet API key. These are available for free if you&#8217;re running a personal blog or through an affordable subscription for commercial&nbsp;sites.</p>\n\n\n<p>You then need to download and activate the Akismet anti-spam plugin. Some form plugins, like Jetpack Forms, will start protecting your forms with Akismet straight away, whereas, in others, you&#8217;ll need to enable the Akismet spam protection within the plugin&#8217;s settings.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Akismet: AI&#8209;powered anti&#8209;spam for WordPress&nbsp;forms</h2>\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve built your website&#8217;s forms, it&#8217;s time to protect them from spam, and <a href=\"https://akismet.com/\">Akismet</a> is your complete solution for spam detection and&nbsp;prevention.</p>\n\n\n<p>Akismet blocks form spam using advanced AI technology that works in the background. It automatically analyzes submissions in real time and lets genuine entries through while discarding spam.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/\">The Akismet plugin</a> is simple to install and configure and works seamlessly with many popular WordPress form builders to protect your site without ever getting in the way of the user&nbsp;experience.</p>\n\n\n<p>Akismet is a safe, efficient, and secure solution from the team behind WordPress.com and is trusted by some of the biggest companies in the world, including Microsoft and ConvertKit. It has blocked a staggering 545 billion pieces of spam (and counting) with an industry-leading 99.9% accuracy rate.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://akismet.com/pricing/\">Select your plan today</a> and say goodbye to spam&nbsp;forever.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Jen Swisher\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:5;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"Do The Woo Community: End of the Year Emerging Tech with Kathy Zant and Dave Lockie\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78681\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:50:\"https://dothewoo.io/end-of-the-year-emerging-tech/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:558:\"<p>In this episode, Kathy and Dave discuss the influence of AI and blockchain on content creation, the rise of businesses using OpenAI API, and the potential of using blockchain for content authentication. They also explore the options for WordPress content and online identity verification.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/end-of-the-year-emerging-tech/\">End of the Year Emerging Tech with Kathy Zant and Dave Lockie</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 13 Dec 2023 12:42:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:6;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"Matt: State of the Word 2023\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=109082\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:45:\"https://ma.tt/2023/12/state-of-the-word-2023/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:509:\"<p>I was really impressed with the warmth of the WordPress community in Madrid, Spain for <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\">State of the Word</a> this year. The in-person crowd had a ton of energy, and we had tens of thousands stream it live on platforms like Facebook and Youtube. If you missed it, and want to hear about all the fun stuff that happened in WordPress in 2023 and what&#8217;s coming for the future, here&#8217;s the video:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 12 Dec 2023 03:17:15 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:7;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"WPTavern: State of the Word 2023: ¡Hola WordPress!\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=151746\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:58:\"https://wptavern.com/state-of-the-word-2023-hola-wordpress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9127:\"<p><br />Exciting day for the WordPress community, as Matt Mullenweg delivered his first State of the Word address from a non-US location. Live from charming Madrid, Spain, he shared annual insights into the WordPress project, celebrating its remarkable 20 year journey and expressing his heartfelt gratitude to the diverse community that propels it forward.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflecting on the Year&#8217;s Successes:  A Dynamic and Innovative Community </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mullenweg took a moment to reflect on the achievements within the WordPress ecosystem over the past year. From its humble beginnings as a blogging tool to evolving into a robust website-building platform and now a powerful application framework, WordPress has reached its 20-year milestone (woo-hoo!) with resounding success.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Noteworthy mentions include WordPress&#8217;s prowess in <em>scalability</em> (as witnessed during <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/burhanhamid_i-couldnt-sleep-last-night-i-was-anxious-activity-7138301063371091969-Je5R?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop\">Taylor Swift&#8217;s Time Person of the Year announcement</a>  (with 100k requests / second) and <em>security</em>, demonstrated by sites like WhiteHouse.gov and Nasa.gov.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/\">WordPress Playground</a> continues to astonish, allowing users to set up a fully functional WordPress site in the browser in a matter of seconds &#8211; showcasing the community&#8217;s spirit of innovation.<br /><br />Here&#8217;s a brief demo (narrated by Adam Zielinski):  </li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>That will never cease to amaze me. [&#8230;] It&#8217;s a testament to the spirit of innovation in the community and the closest thing to sci-fi we have going on right now in WordPress.</em></strong></p>\n<cite>Matt</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Introducing the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentyfour/\">Twenty Twenty Four</a> theme, a masterpiece with 35 built-in patterns catering to artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking the full potential of Gutenberg. Explore the theme&#8217;s highlights in the image below &#8211; and try it out (<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentyfour/\">available in the repo here</a>).</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"500\" height=\"279\" src=\"https://149611589.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Twenty-twenty-four-theme-State-of-the-Word-Madrid-2023-500x279.png\" alt=\"Highlights of the Twenty Twenty Four theme - State of the Word 2023 Madrid\" class=\"wp-image-151785\" />Highlights of the Twenty Twenty Four theme\n\n\n\n<p>Other highlights included 70 WordCamps in 33 countries, 1.3k new contributors in 2023, the upcoming <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/\">WordCamp Asia</a> in Taipei, Taiwan as well as Openverse being awarded the <a href=\"https://awards.oeglobal.org/awards/2023/open-infrastructure/openverse/\">Open Education Award for Excellence in Education Infrastructure</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peering into the Future: Collaboration and Workflow Environments</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mattias Ventura, WordPress Lead Architect, unveiled the plans for the Site Editor, aiming to enhance the experience for both writers and designers. The focus is now shifting towards collaboration and workflow environments (Phase 3 of the project), with a working prototype already available. While there&#8217;s no concrete timeline, you can dive into the Gutenberg plugin to test these developments and share your feedback on <a href=\"http://github.com/wordpress/gutenberg\">GitHub</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ventura showcased the prototype&#8217;s main features, emphasizing:</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Patterns: becoming more versatile </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Explore a new era of <strong>patterns</strong>, allowing users to dive into exciting new features, like: </p>\n\n\n\n<p>a. Swapping related patterns</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>b. Applying theme JSON to specific pattern</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, Mattias announced the creation of a hybrid type of pattern, offering text editing while maintaining control of the global design:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Custom fields: the best of both worlds </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Offering the ability to connect blocks to <strong>custom fields</strong> seamlessly, bringing together the best of both developer-friendly and user-friendly capabilities:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Performance: for both creators and visitors </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From a new dashboard tracking Gutenberg commits to editor <strong>performance</strong> improvements, WordPress is gearing up for version 6.5, promising significant speed enhancements:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"500\" height=\"282\" src=\"https://149611589.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WP-6.5-faster-that-WP-6.4-State-of-the-Word-Madrid-2023-500x282.png\" alt=\"WP 6.5 faster that WP 6.4 State of the Word Madrid 2023\" class=\"wp-image-151786\" />WordPress 6.5 expected to be significantly faster than WordPress 5.4\n\n\n\n<p>On the front end performance, Mattias shared the team&#8217;s focus is on the <strong>Interactivity API </strong>and demo-ed the improvements &#8211; instant transitions and instant search. You can check it out on <a href=\"https://wpmovies.dev/\">https://wpmovies.dev/</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Admin design: your own WordPress</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Empowering users to customize their admin area to fit their unique needs:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in WordPress: Playground Blueprints </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, Matt explored the opportunities of AI tools, introducing Playground blueprints on the WordPress site. This feature enables the creation of playground sites using natural language. He encouraged community members to commit to using AI to expand their knowledge:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;<strong><em> our growth and development will only be limited by our curiosity. </em></strong></p>\n<cite>Matt</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Related: practicing what he preaches, Matt shared that in order to enhance accessibility, the State of the Word recordings will soon be available in five languages, thanks to AI tools lipsync-ing addresses in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Japanese. Available over the coming few days!</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Charting the Course for 2024: Data Liberation</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt emphasized a new focus for 2024:  unlocking the web&#8217;s full potential, by focusing on 1-click data migration &#8211; from other platforms to WordPress and among WordPress sites. He invited community members to join the initiative, and shared that the teams will have all necessary tools at their disposal to deliver on this priority. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOTW Reveal: WordCamp US Heading to&#8230; </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In an exciting revelation, WordCamp US is set to unfold its magic in Portland, Oregon, for the next two years. Matt describes the city as &#8216;super fun and weird in amazing ways.&#8217;  More to follow from the organisers. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<p>For a deeper dive into the State of the Word address check out the full recording below:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Resources mentioned during the address: </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/\">WC Asia 2024</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey\">2023 anual meetup survey</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://wp.org/meet\">wp.org/meet</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://wp.org/showcase\">wp.org/showcase</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://wp.org/remember\">wp.org/remember</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://developer.wp.org/playground\">developer.wp.org/playground</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentyfour/\">Twenty twenty four theme</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://github.com/wordpress/gutenberg\">github.com/wordpress/gutenberg</a> </li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wpmovies.dev/\">https://wpmovies.dev/</a></li>\n</ul>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 11 Dec 2023 23:46:45 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Ioana Mureşan\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:8;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:41:\"BuddyPress: BuddyPress 12.0.0 “Nonno”\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:32:\"https://buddypress.org/?p=332130\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:55:\"https://buddypress.org/2023/12/buddypress-12-0-0-nonno/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12104:\"<p>We&#8217;re very excited to announce the immediate availability of <a href=\"https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.12.0.0.zip\">BuddyPress 12.0.0 “Nonno”</a>, named after the excellent pizza restaurant located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, France. Get it now&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/\">WordPress.org plugin repository</a>, or right from your WordPress Dashboard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took the BuddyPress Team almost a year to finish baking the <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&group=resolution&milestone=12.0.0\">100 changes</a> to perfection, write the <a href=\"https://github.com/buddypress/buddypress/tree/master/docs/user\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">user</a> &amp; <a href=\"https://github.com/buddypress/buddypress/tree/master/docs/developer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">developer</a> documentation resources and build the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-classic/\">backward compatibility Add-on</a> that make up our second major release of 2023.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of these changes is probably the largest shift we have made since BuddyPress was born 15 years ago. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our new BP Rewrites API solves a <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/4954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-year-old issue</a> and allows BuddyPress to comply with the WordPress way of generating rules to analyze requested URLs and route the visitor to the right site content: the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/apis/rewrite/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WP Rewrite API</a>. Though we have tried to minimize the changes required for BuddyPress plugins and themes to preserve backward compatibility, the following two constraints couldn’t be worked around:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>WordPress fully analyzes a URL later in the load process than our BP Legacy URL parser</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supporting plain permalinks &amp; customizable slugs required us to completely rethink the way we build BuddyPress URLs</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of these insurmountable limitations, we chose to build the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-classic/\">BP Classic Add-on</a> to extend backward compatibility until all of the plugins you use on your site have been updated to use the new system. If you are using one or more third party BuddyPress plugins that have not been updated for the last 4 months or if you are still using the BP Default theme (which was <a href=\"https://bpdevel.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/the-future-of-the-bp-default-theme/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deprecated 10 years ago</a>), we strongly advise you to download and activate <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-classic/\">BP Classic</a> before upgrading to 12.0.0.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The first step for a Modern BuddyPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>BP Rewrites API</strong> is a massive revolution opening the way for a progressive BuddyPress evolution. Based on 10 years of experience gained through hard work, we are beginning to reimagine what it means to organize and manage communities within WordPress. Here are the immediate benefits of this new API:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>You can customize each piece of any URL generated by BuddyPress to better reflect your unique community using the new&nbsp;<a href=\"https://github.com/buddypress/buddypress/blob/master/docs/user/administration/settings/urls.md\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">URLs settings screen</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pretty or plain, BuddyPress just works no matter which option you choose for your permalink settings.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Routing BuddyPress URLs is faster, more reliable, extensible, testable and fully compliant with WordPress best practices.</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A new &#8220;members only&#8221; community visibility level</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve heard from BuddyPress end-users that being able to easily restrict access to their community is a necessary feature. And, thanks to the BP Rewrites API, we are now able to make this possible. With this first iteration, a site admin can now choose whether <a href=\"https://github.com/buddypress/buddypress/blob/master/docs/user/administration/settings/options.md#community-visibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the community is fully public or is only accessible to logged-in members</a>. In future versions, we hope to add granularity to this choice, so that community administrators can choose to highlight their members but share activities only inside the community&#8217;s &#8220;gates,&#8221; for example.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BP Nouveau is ready for Twenty Twenty-Four</h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<img width=\"651\" height=\"557\" src=\"https://buddypress.org/wp-content/uploads/1/2023/12/bp-nouveau-twenty24.png\" alt=\"BP Member\'s profile screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-332137\" /><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\">\n			\n				\n			\n		</button>        <div class=\"wp-lightbox-overlay zoom\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close-button\">\n                    \n                </button>\n                <div class=\"lightbox-image-container\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<img src=\"https://buddypress.org/feed/\" alt=\"BP Member\'s profile screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-332137\" /></div></div>\n                <div class=\"lightbox-image-container\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<img src=\"https://buddypress.org/feed/\" alt=\"BP Member\'s profile screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-332137\" /></div></div>\n                <div class=\"scrim\"></div>\n        </div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<p>The BP Nouveau template pack has been improved to better support Block Themes in general and Twenty Twenty-Four in particular. As shown in the above screen capture, our default template pack now includes a new Priority Navigation feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/\">BuddyPress</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"dashicons dashicons dashicons-heart\"></span> Many thanks to 12.0.0 contributors</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/awol/\">awol</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bkaindl/\">Bernhard Kaindl (bkaindl)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bouncingsprout/\">Ben Roberts (bouncingsprout)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/boonebgorges/\">Boone B Gorges (boonebgorges)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/btwebdesign/\">btwebdesign</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/coffee2code/\">Scott Reilly (coffee2code)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/corzel/\">corzel</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dancaragea/\">Dan Caragea (dancaragea)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dcavins/\">David Cavins (dcavins)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/diabolique/\">Diabolique</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dj-basstone/\">Heikki Paananen (dj-basstone)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/DJPaul/\">Paul Gibbs (DJPaul)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/emaralive/\">emaralive</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fanly/\">Fanly</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fawp/\">fawp</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fernandot/\">Fernando Tellado (fernandot)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iandunn/\">Ian Dunn (iandunn)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iamthewebb/\">iamthewebb</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/imath/\">Mathieu Viet (imath)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/itapress/\">itapress</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jaz_on/\">Jason Rouet</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnjamesjacoby/\">John James Jacoby (johnjamesjacoby)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kalich5/\">Michal Janata (kalich5)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/koenhuybrechts/\">koen Huybrechts (koenhuybrechts)</a> <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/lenasterg\">Lena Stergatou (lenasterg)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/lidialab/\">Lidia Pellizzaro (lidialab)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/magland/\">magland</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/makoto-a/\">Makoto Akai (makoto-a)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mehrazmorshed/\">Mehraz Morshed (mehrazmorshed)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mike80222/\">Mike Witt (mike80222)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nekojonez/\">Pieterjan Deneys (nekojonez)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/niftythree/\">Nifty (niftythree)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nilovelez/\">Nilo Velez (nilovelez)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/plugindevs/\">Plugin Devs</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/psmits1567/\">Peter Smits (psmits1567)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/r-a-y/\">r-a-y</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/rajinsharwar/\">Rajin Sharwar (rajinsharwar)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/raviousprime/\">raviousprime</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/espellcaste/\">Renato Alves (espellcaste)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/shailu25/\">Shail Mehta (shailu25)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/shawfactor/\">shawfactor</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/slaffik/\">Slava Abakumov (slaFFik)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sjregan/\">sjregan</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/teeboy4real/\">teeboy4real</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/upadalavipul/\">Upadala Vipul (upadalavipul)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vapvarun/\">Varun Dubey (vapvarun)</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"your-feedback\"><span class=\"dashicons dashicons-format-chat\"></span>  Your feedback</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Receiving your feedback and suggestions for future versions of BuddyPress genuinely motivates and encourages our contributors. Please <a href=\"https://buddypress.org/support/topic/buddypress-12-0-0/\">share it</a> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks a lot for using BuddyPress <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f60d.png\" alt=\"😍\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Let&#8217;s celebrate &#8220;Nonno&#8221;</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like BuddyPress, &#8220;Nonno&#8221; (which means grandfather) has been around for 15 years, its team is very welcoming, caring and friendly; each of its members is committed to offering the best service and delivering the best tasting pizzas of the highest quality to customers. It&#8217;s the perfect place to entertain and have good times with your friends, family, or coworkers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Enjoy BuddyPress &#8220;Nonno&#8221;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://buddypress.org/wp-content/uploads/1/2023/12/pizza-nonno-1.jpg\"><img width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://buddypress.org/wp-content/uploads/1/2023/12/pizza-nonno-1.jpg\" alt=\"Nonno pizza\" class=\"wp-image-332132\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://buddypress.org/wp-content/uploads/1/2023/12/pizza-nonno-2.jpg\"><img width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://buddypress.org/wp-content/uploads/1/2023/12/pizza-nonno-2.jpg\" alt=\"Spianata piccante pizza\" class=\"wp-image-332131\" /></a>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:57:15 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Mathieu Viet\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:9;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"WordPress.org blog: State of the Word 2023 Recap\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=16617\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/state-of-the-word-2023-recap/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10688:\"<p>On December 11, WordPress co-founder <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/matt/\">Matt Mullenweg</a> traveled to beautiful Madrid, Spain, to deliver his annual <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\">State of the Word</a> keynote. It was the first time this event took place outside the United States. Against the backdrop of <a href=\"https://www.palacioneptuno.com/\">Palacio Neptuno</a>—an iconic architectural gem and UNESCO World Heritage site—nearly 200 contributors, developers, extenders, and friends of the project came together to hear from Matt, with millions more joining online.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An introduction from the Executive Director</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kicking off the event, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a>, Executive Director of the WordPress project, spoke about the community’s heart and spirit as what fuels hope for the future, ensuring the freedoms of the open web for all. She invited Matt on stage with a closing statement of confidence that such values and characteristics will move the project forward into the next 20 years as it has for the last 20.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_36_35.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1\" alt=\"Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress project, speaking at a podium \" class=\"wp-image-16627\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking back at 2023</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking the stage, Matt shared his excitement about the event being the first international State of the Word. He honored the Spanish WordPress community for hosting, citing their past WordCamp accomplishments. From there, Matt jumped right into a reflection of this year’s notable moments. He recalled the project’s 20th-anniversary celebrations, how the software has evolved, and how much more the community came together this year—doubling the number of WordCamps to 70, taking place in 33 countries.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-off-white-2-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">We’re always aiming to learn and improve. Tell us how to make meetups better.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey?p=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take the 2023 Meetup Survey</a></div>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt continued with callouts to several resources on <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/\">WordPress.org</a>: the all-new <a href=\"https://events.wordpress.org/\">Events</a> page, the redesigned <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/showcase/\">Showcase</a>, a new <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/remembers/\">WordPress Remembers memorial</a>, and the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/09/openverse-wins-the-2023-oeg-open-infrastructure-award/\">award-winning Openverse</a>. He also demoed <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/\">WordPress Playground</a>, a tool allowing users to experiment with WordPress directly in their browsers, as well as the versatile <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentyfour/\">Twenty Twenty-Four default theme</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_35_53.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matías Ventura, Lead Architect of Gutenberg, speaking on stage at State of the Word\" class=\"wp-image-16621\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Collaborative editing and more</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt recapped the four phases of the Gutenberg project, noting that work has begun on Phase 3: Collaboration before passing the microphone to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/matveb/\">Matías Ventura</a>, Lead Architect of Gutenberg.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a quick interlude in Spanish, Matías acknowledged how much progress had been made on the software this year. He spoke about the aim of the Site Editor to become both an exemplary writing environment and a superior design tool while noting improvements to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/footnotes-block/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Footnotes Block</a>&nbsp;and the ease of&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/distraction-free-mode/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Distraction Free mode</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there was no set timeline for collaboration and workflows, Matías was excited to share a working prototype in the Editor. He showcased some of the most interesting aspects of collaborative editing, including establishing a sync engine that allows real-time edits to be visible across sessions. He invited contributors to test the prototype in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg/\">Gutenberg plugin</a> and <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/52593\">share their feedback in Github</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, Matías highlighted other exciting developments, including the emphasis on Patterns and their continued evolution as a powerful tool for workflows, and the ability to connect blocks to custom fields. He was thrilled to speak about performance improvements, noting that work is in progress to make the Editor <a href=\"https://www.codevitals.run/project/gutenberg\">at least twice as fast</a>. Speaking about front-end performance, he shared what’s to come with a <a href=\"https://wpmovies.dev/\">demo of the Interactivity API</a>, showcasing how it can make transitions, search, and other interactions instant—all with standard WordPress blocks and features.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matías concluded with a look at how the Admin redesign will take cues from the Site Editor, eventually allowing users to shape their WordPress Admin experience based on their unique needs.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_36_09.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&ssl=1\" alt=\"WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg speaking at a podium\" class=\"wp-image-16624\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI and Data Liberation</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt returned to the stage to expand on the future of WordPress, reinforcing his past advice to <em>learn AI deeply</em>. He expressed his excitement about what can be accomplished with the wealth of AI tools available, how contributors are already experimenting with natural language processing and WordPress Playground to create and build.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Matt introduced an additional focus for the project in 2024: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/data-liberation/\">Data Liberation</a>, with the goal to make importing from other platforms into WordPress as frictionless as possible. He spoke about the tendency of content management systems to keep users locked in as part of his motivation to <em>unlock digital barriers</em>. The Data Liberation initiative will work on one-click migration and the export format from WordPress.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than just tools, Data Liberation reflects the project’s ethos to allow seamless contributions. With that, Matt invited anyone interested to jump into the action, noting a new <a href=\"https://github.com/wordpress/data-liberation\">Data Liberation GitHub repository</a> and forthcoming <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">Making WordPress Slack</a> channels as places to get started.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Questions and answers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the presentation, Matt fielded questions from the live-stream and in-person audiences during an interactive question-and-answer session hosted by <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/monchomad/\">Jose Ramón Padrón (Moncho)</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional questions from the live session will be answered in a follow-up post on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project\">make.WordPress.org/project</a>. Subscribe to our blog notifications to be sure you don’t miss it. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for next year’s <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/\">WordCamp Asia</a> (Taipei, Taiwan), <a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2024/\">WordCamp Europe</a> (Torino, Italy), and WordCamp US (Portland, Oregon, United States).</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_37_04-1024x576.jpg?ssl=1\" /><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_36_22-1024x682.jpg?ssl=1\" /></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_36_31-1024x682.jpg?ssl=1\" /></div></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/sotw-2023-final.006-1024x576.png?ssl=1\" /></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_34_38-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1\" /></div></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_35_11-1024x682.jpg?ssl=1\" /></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_34_45-1024x576.jpg?ssl=1\" /><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/IMAGE-2023-12-11-13_38_08-1024x576.jpg?ssl=1\" /></div></div></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><em><em>Thank you to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/laurlittle/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>laurlittle</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/eidolonnight/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>eidolonnight</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nilovelez/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>nilovelez</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fepr/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>fepr</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>cbringmann</a>, and the many others who made this event and post possible.</em></em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:55:46 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:17:\"Nicholas Garofalo\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:10;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"WordPress.org blog: WP Briefing: Episode 68: Toward a More Interconnected Web\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=podcast&p=16569\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/episode-68-toward-a-more-interconnected-web/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14558:\"<p>In this episode, WordPress Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy articulates the vision for a collaborative ecosystem where knowledge sharing and contributions to open source tools lead to a more interconnected and empowered web.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Have a question you&#8217;d like answered? You can submit them to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:wpbriefing@wordpress.org\">wpbriefing@WordPress.org</a>, either written or as a voice recording.</strong></em></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credits</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Host:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a><br />Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dustinhartzler/\">Dustin Hartzler</a><br />Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/javiarce/\">Javier Arce</a><br />Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bjmcsherry/\">Brett McSherry</a><br />Song: Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/11/state-of-the-word-2022/\">State of the Word 2022</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://thephp.foundation/\">PHP Foundation</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Josepha&#8217;s <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/01/21/big-picture-goals-2022/\">Big Picture Goals 2022</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Small List of Big Things</strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/\">Gutenberg 17.1</a> has been released and is <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available for download</a>! The latest release includes new enhancements, bug fixes, and continued work on Phase 3 features.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/11/17/announcing-the-2023-annual-meetup-survey/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Announcing the 2023 Annual Meetup Survey</a> &#8211; The Community team proposed a survey for all meetup members and organizers. Please complete the <a href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/2023-meetup-annual-survey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Annual Meetup Survey</a>  by January 14, 2024– even if you haven&#8217;t participated in a meetup recently!</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/11/29/request-for-feedback-lesson-handbook-pages/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Request for feedback: Lesson Handbook pages</a> &#8211; As the Training team progresses towards the 2024 launch of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/07/project-thread-learning-pathways-on-learn-wordpress/\">Learning Pathways</a>, they&#8217;re developing a set of content creation guidelines to streamline and scale the process. These guidelines will focus on efficient methods for developing, reviewing, and updating content. To gather input, a <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1twvDGmVZsyjBZbi9abiqoA_a2G7O_WNis_iGL2Sccg0/edit#heading=h.srkdcrt4k0v8\">Google Doc</a> has been created where you can share your ideas. Please provide your feedback and comments on this document by Tuesday, December 19, 2023.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/\">WordPress Playground</a> makes WordPress instantly accessible for users, learners, extenders, and contributors.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2023/11/30/embracing-matrix-for-enhanced-communication/\">Embracing Matrix for Enhanced Communication</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcripts</h2>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-16569\"></span>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Hello everyone. And welcome to the WordPress Briefing. The podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Here we go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:28] (Intro music)&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:40] <strong>Josepha:</strong> If you&#8217;re already familiar with the WordPress project, and if you&#8217;re listening to this podcast, I feel like it&#8217;s a safe assumption that you&#8217;re probably also familiar with the fact that we are what&#8217;s considered a free and open source software project. We adhere to the four freedoms of open source. We track bugs in the open, and we believe that knowledge sharing can only improve our products. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you might not be aware of the other open source projects that are foundational to ours and otherwise are integral to our commitment to the open web. At last year&#8217;s State of the Word, Matt mentioned that one of the coolest things about being a plugin or theme author in WordPress is that you get to run your open source project on the same infrastructure that WordPress runs on. So, no matter whether you have five installs or five thousand, you&#8217;re getting the benefits of our bug trackers, messaging, and network of project sites. But beyond those, which are, of course, near and dear to us, we also support projects like PHP and its foundation. Openverse and its founding organization Creative Commons, and of course, the two that we&#8217;re hearing a lot about this year and next, Playground and Matrix.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:52] <strong>Josepha:</strong> That&#8217;s a lot of projects and not even a comprehensive list. And honestly, it can seem, I don&#8217;t know, a little weird. Like, we&#8217;re a FOSS CMS, right? You probably know why we contribute back to PHP. It&#8217;s the same reason we ask people to contribute to WordPress. But why are we giving so much time to a media search engine, or a Web Assembly implementation, or even a messaging protocol?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, there are, of course, a lot of quick and easy answers. For instance, like, open source is open source. Any open source contribution is going to be a good contribution. All open source in the world increases good and freedom in the world. Like, open source is open source. Makes sense, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another quick and easy answer is, you know, they&#8217;re part of us. And that&#8217;s true, definitely, for PHP, like, they&#8217;re part of us, and so we should be contributing back to them. Because we rely on them so much. And then a third quick and easy answer is that we, as the biggest open source CMS on the planet, basically, we can, spare a lending hand. We can offer a little bit of help to those around us.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:03] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And those are all true. I don&#8217;t think that anyone would disagree with any of that. But the thing that ties it all together for me is something that&#8217;s a little harder to see. In the 2022 goals that I posted, I said that my second goal for our year was to support open source alternatives for all site-building necessities.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, I was primarily talking about Openverse and the directory of photos that was being created as a CC-first source. But that also applies to all of our directories. It did then, just as it does now. And Trac, and our vast network of WordPress sites. All the tools we use in order to collaborate with, and lead for, and learn from each other.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want us to be able to do everything it takes to build an online presence using open source tools and methods because WordPress is just a glorious little microcosm of the interconnected web. It reminds me of this art installation I had the privilege of experiencing. It&#8217;s called Meow Wolf. I went to the one in Denver, but there are a few different installations across the U.S.&nbsp;The one that I went to is this massive art installation, and it is designed to be interactive, but it wasn&#8217;t until you started sharing your experience sharing your knowledge with other people that you realized it was also collaborative, a set of buttons you pushed in one room would cause a light show in some other room.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:34] <strong>Josepha:</strong> So you were enhancing the experience of strangers in some completely disconnected room to yours, and they couldn&#8217;t distinguish it from an automation or something they did, or just plain old magic. And that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re doing by supporting these other open source tools. Yes, every new open source contribution results in more freedom in the world. Yes, we owe support to the components that got us where we are today. And yes, we absolutely can and should pay it forward. But more importantly than all that, we&#8217;re creating the opportunity for new interactions, new brilliance, and new defenders of the open web every time that we work on these open source products.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:20] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And it doesn&#8217;t matter if we will ever see any of those people. And it doesn&#8217;t matter if they will ever thank us. What matters is that we see that knowledge like this is worth preserving and worth sharing. Because knowledge shared, information shared is like light. The more you share it, the more there is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I want you to be able to take that sharing and use it to light the world. I want you to be able to go out and tell people how open source has changed your life, how WordPress has opened doors for you, or how much these tools have empowered your clients. I want you to remember why you came to WordPress in the first place, and I need you to hear me when I say that I need you here in WordPress today because every little ripple of good that we create makes the world a little more good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:12] (Music interlude)&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:20] <strong>Josepha:</strong> (SLBT) And now, my friends, that brings us to our time for the small list of big things. I&#8217;ve got a kind of a big list because I always kind of have a big list anymore, but the first thing on my list is Gutenberg 17.1. That has been released and is available for download. It includes several new enhancements, loads of bug fixes, and continues that work on phase three features that we are starting to see come through. If you don&#8217;t have it already, go out and grab it, test it, break it, and tell us what you tested and how it broke things.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:52] <strong>Josepha:</strong> The second thing on my small list of big things is that there is currently an annual meetup survey out. So, we&#8217;ve had an increase in our meetup events, and certainly an increase in the active number of meetup groups that we have, but the community team is proposing a unified survey for all meetup members and organizers, and if you haven&#8217;t participated in it yet go and fill it out. You don&#8217;t have to have actually gone to a meetup event recently in order to take it, but, you know, it might be helpful. Either way, you have until January 14, 2024, to fill that out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:30] <strong>Josepha:</strong> The third thing on my small list of big things is a request for feedback. The training team is working toward launching Learning Pathways in 2024. They&#8217;re looking to create a new set of content creation guidelines that enables the learning pathways to scale with a straightforward process for developing, reviewing, and updating that content. There&#8217;s a Google doc for you where you can contribute your ideas, and that doc will be open for feedback through this week and into next week. I believe it closes on Tuesday, the 19th of December, 2023.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:04] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And then the final thing on my small list of big things is actually, it&#8217;s a dual call-in. I already said with my first one about the Gutenberg plugin: get in there and test it and break it, and then tell us how it broke and what you were doing when you were testing it and broke it. And I encourage you to do that also for Matrix and Playground.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Playground has been a really big deal all year long. It was a big deal at the end of last year. It showed up for us in November 2022 and has been really just growing in surprising ways all the way through 2023. So if you have not yet seen it, you haven&#8217;t gotten your hands on it yet, it&#8217;s a WordPress installation that is loaded entirely in the browser, totally server-free, and we&#8217;re looking at a couple of new implementations that make it easier for users who are trying to, like, kick the tires of WordPress before they decide, and developers who are wanting to test new pull requests and things like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So keep an eye out if it sounds interesting; it is interesting. And wander over and figure out how that&#8217;s working. And the other thing in that last call for collective testing is Matrix. So Matrix is an open source federated messaging protocol, and like so many technology projects out there at the moment, we are trying to make sure that we are preparing ourselves for the future arrival of Web 3 and all of the things that are coming along with current advancements in federated everything and AI and etc., etc.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, Matrix is an open source messaging protocol. There are a lot of different ways to get connected. I&#8217;ll share a link to one of the posts in the show notes over on WordPress.org/news. But if you&#8217;re interested in learning a bit about it and you don&#8217;t really want to like figure out what sort of client is comfortable for you to use. There&#8217;s also on-site chat implementations for, I want to say, like 10 or 12 of our largest or most regularly meeting groups that we have. You can go to parts of the website like make.WordPress.org/core/chat and check those out. If you have a WordPress.org account, then you can have access to that on-site chat, and that is it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the whole low barrier to entryway of figuring that out with us. Come and break stuff with us, everyone, and tell us how to make it better.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:33] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And that, my friends, is your small list of big things. Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on your favorite podcast app or subscribe directly on WordPress.org/news. You&#8217;ll get a friendly reminder whenever there&#8217;s a new episode. If you liked what you heard today, share it with a fellow WordPresser. Or, if you had questions about what you heard, you can share those with me at wpbriefing@WordPress.org. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Thank you for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing, and I&#8217;ll see you again in a couple of weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:00] (Music outro)&nbsp;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Brett McSherry\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:11;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:113:\"Gutenberg Times: Roadmap 6.5, theme handbook, Course on Data Layer, Create a Slider block – Weekend Edition 277\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=26647\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:117:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/roadmap-6-5-theme-handbook-course-on-data-layer-create-a-slider-block-weekend-edition-277/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14883:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am very excited about the State of the Word on Monday and will <a href=\"https://youtu.be/1MwT9EEkguE\">watch the live stream.</a> It will bring everyone in the WordPress space together and imagine the future, building on the fantastic work of contributors, code and no-code a like in the community. Will you watch it? If you do, please let me know what you think and what the most important takeaways were for you. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>What else happened in the Block editor space? Scroll down and take a look! </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a wonderful weekend and be well. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anne McCarthy </strong>unveiled <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/12/07/roadmap-to-6-5/\"><strong>the roadmap for 6.5</strong></a>, detailing the exciting projects and enhancements that lie ahead. Set to launch in March 2023, this release promises a host of new features that will surely elevate your WordPress experience. Accompanied by handy tracking tickets, you can easily stay connected with the development progress. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Font Library takes the lead, accompanied by other  design tools and features for the site editor such as Revisions enhancements, a mobile-friendly Navigation block, Patterns, and increased support for Classic Themes. Plugin developers might look forward to the new Data Views and APIs for Interactivity, Custom Fields, and Block Binding. The article also highlights developments in plugin and theme rollbacks after automatic updates, improved dependency management, enhanced PHP compatibility, and overall performance enhancements. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/12/07/roadmap-to-6-5/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"367\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FontLibrary.png?resize=652%2C367&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26669\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned last week, <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Saxon Fletcher</strong> invite you to join them to a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/23/hallway-hangout-lets-explore-wordpress-6-5/\"><strong>Hallway Hangout: Let’s explore WordPress 6.5</strong></a>&nbsp;on <strong>January 16 at 21:00 UTC</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-accent-color has-light-background-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-d02c05917781faad43b455819cf71f89\">🎙️ Latest episode:  <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-93-gutenberg-17-1-command-palette-data-views-and-grid-layout/\">Gutenberg Changelog #93 – Gutenberg 17.1, Command Palette, Data Views and Grid Layout</a> &#8211; a chat with <strong>Isabel Brison</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/12/04/design-share-nov-20-dec-1/\"><strong>Design Share: Nov 20-Dec 1</strong></a>, <strong>Joen Asmussen</strong> again shares the work of the WordPress design team. He takes us along with screenshots, short descriptions and link to the GitHub issue or Figma spaces:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Events</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drag and Drop</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gallery captions and potential Lightbox behaviors</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Revisiting social links</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Local nav and breadcrumb</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unified toolbar button sizes</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data views: Grid layout. (&lt;- my personal favorite) </li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/12/04/design-share-nov-20-dec-1/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"492\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-08-at-17.59.52.png?resize=652%2C492&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26678\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jamie Marsland</strong>, of PootlePress, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/pootlepress/status/1731972777266028771\">tweeted</a> &#8220;As part of my recent Twenty Twenty Four YouTube video I made 5 different types of websites, and also made the designs available as Themes, using the brilliant Create Block Theme Plugin. They&#8217;ve now been downloaded 231 times&#8221; You can download <strong><a href=\"https://www.pootlepress.com/free-wordpress-themes/\">the free WordPress themes</a></strong>, from his website, for a small donation of your email address. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nerrad\"><strong>Darren Ethier</strong></a> shared what&#8217;s new with Woo and WordPress 6.4 in a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nerrad/status/1730989297791099141\">thread on X (former Twitter)</a> and illustrates them with  short videos. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/nerrad/status/1730992780443357614\"><img width=\"533\" height=\"435\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-08-at-18.05.31.png?resize=533%2C435&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26680\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/ellenbauer\">Ellen Bauer</a></strong>, Theme builder at Elma Studio, shows you in her YouTube tutorial <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riuz99A9ZA4\"><strong>How to customize the blog template In WordPress</strong></a>, and customize the list of blog post to your liking. Without any developer, you can now adjust the length of the post excerpt, hide date or authors, or add categories and feature image to the listing. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Plugin developer, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rilwis\"><strong>Anh Tran</strong></a>, just announced that new Admin page design for <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/falcon/\"><strong>Falcon</strong></a>, a plugin that allows its users to customize the WordPress experience and provides access to settings, normally not exposed in the wp-admin space. The list is quite extensive, and you might want to consider using the plugin as  part of the tool box building sites for others. There is always a need to tweak the user interface and customize which WordPress features are exposed to the end user. If you like to check out the source code of the plugin, <a href=\"https://github.com/elightup/falcon/tree/master\">it&#8217;s available on GitHub</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jonathan Desrosiers</strong>, core contributor, sponsored by Bluehost, published a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/12/05/proposal-default-theme-task-force-for-2024/\"><strong>Proposal: Default Theme Task Force for 2024</strong></a>, that has its history in discussions at the Community Summit 2023. The task force is to research and implement a better way to update WordPress default themes with the latest features, especially with the site editor and Gutenberg. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ganesh Dahal</strong> posted <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/12/05/a-walk-through-tutorial-on-using-create-block-theme-plugin/\"><strong>a walk-through tutorial on using the Create Block Theme plugin</strong></a>. The <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/create-block-theme/\">plugin </a>is the only tool to create different variations of block themes directly from the Site Editor. Dahal explains each feature and how to use it. </p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p>This was mentioned before, and maybe you just read past it.: Over the past few months, <strong>Justin Tadlock </strong>and other theme team members <strong>added new chapters to the WordPress Theme Handbook</strong>, focusing on modern block theming.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/getting-started/\">Getting Started</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/\">Core Concepts</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/global-settings-and-styles/\">Global Settings and Styles (theme.json)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/templates/\">Templates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/features/\">Features</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The new chapters are part of a big project to update the Theme Handbook. the team still needs more people to help, and you can join by choosing a topic from the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/Documentation-Issue-Tracker/issues/816\">GitHub tracking ticket.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The course to Learn.WordPress,  <a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/course/using-the-wordpress-data-layer/\"><strong>Using the WordPress Data Layer</strong></a> is an excellent introduction to the topic with a great example if you are contemplating using the scripts and components outside the block editor for your pages. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/course/using-the-wordpress-data-layer/\"><img width=\"600\" height=\"386\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WordPress-Data-Layer-Course-Example.jpg?resize=600%2C386&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26677\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><br /><a href=\"https://twitter.com/johnbillion\"><strong>John Blackbourn</strong> </a>started a discussion <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/discussions/55642\"><strong>Interactivity API showcase</strong></a> to asked community members to show what they are already building with the Interactivity API. It&#8217;s not the direct way to learn how to use the Interactivity API, but the passion for these new standards by those taking part in the conversation can be quite motivating to learn more. To get started with the Interactivity API, you can follow along the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/trunk/packages/interactivity/docs/1-getting-started.md\">Getting started guide</a> or dive deep into the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/trunk/packages/interactivity/docs/2-api-reference.md\">API Reference. </a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/swissspidy\"><strong>Pascal Birchler</strong></a>, developer relations engineer at Google,  showcased his <a href=\"https://twitter.com/swissspidy/status/1733138082591912154\">side project on X (former Twitter)</a>. He shares the code of his <a href=\"https://github.com/swissspidy/media-experiments\"><strong>WordPress Media Experiments</strong></a> on GitHub, that allows you to compress Images, auto-convert of  from animated GIFs to video for accessibility or create an image preview of a PDF. There are ten more features already implemented. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>On the Builders site, <strong>Damon Cook</strong> wrote a tutorial on how to <a href=\"https://wpengine.com/builders/create-a-slider-block/\"><strong>create a Slider Block for WordPress with SwiperJS</strong></a>. A Slider block is not available in WordPress out of the box, so Cook closes this gap by walking developers through the various steps of building one, using the <a href=\"https://swiperjs.com/demos\">SwiperJS library.</a> </p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Image: <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\">CC0</a>&nbsp;licensed&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/816376d5dc/\">photo</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/eboxnet/\">Vagelis</a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress Photo Directory</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button type=\"submit\" class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too, and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 09 Dec 2023 15:02:38 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:12;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"HeroPress: Shayda Torabi, New HeroPress Staff, And More!\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://heropress.com/?p=6183\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:151:\"https://heropress.com/shayda-torabi-new-heropress-staff-and-more/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shayda-torabi-new-heropress-staff-and-more\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10831:\"<img width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2846572fc1dea2e71.03572528-2048x2048-1-1024x1024.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Hiking trail across a mountain ridge.\" /><h1 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_571a2b-14 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\">HeroPress Network Updates For December 8, 2023</h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6183_08c601-98 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6183_0a90a0-f7 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_6489f1-15 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\">HeroPress News!</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Things are changing at HeroPress, a long slow progress to make something new. Part of the new HeroPress is expanding the team, so that if something happens to me it goes on, so here are a couple new people.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_2fc9c9-4b wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\">New WPPhotos.Info Editor</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Selena Salustri from the Italian WordPress community has taken over the moderation and management of <a href=\"https://wpphotos.info\">WPPhotos.Info</a>.  She recently had <a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/sunset-camel/\">her own photo</a> on the site, and felt inspired to join in!</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_c2f69e-2d wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\">New Tip Of The Week Transcriber</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cecilio Rodriguez from Venezuela has been transcribing recent Tips Of The Week.  He&#8217;s not replacing Evalyn Maina who works on Hallway Chats, just working in different areas.</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-6183_ec6223-b1\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6183_858633-ca alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6183_b56b28-55 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_e4a964-ec wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://heropress.com/\">HeroPress.com</a> &#8211; <a href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/try-something-new/\">Try Something New</a></h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<a href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/try-something-new/\"><img width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/headshot-300x300.png\" alt=\"Shayda Torabi\" class=\"wp-image-710\" /></a></div>\n\n\n<p>Shayda Torabi is from Austin, Texas. Her essay &#8220;<a href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/try-something-new/\">Try Something New</a>&#8221; was prophetic, because in the years after this essay first published she became an entrepreneur and got married deep in the desert. Always striving to try something new.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I’m rediscovering my happiness every day thanks to the WordPress community, and I believe you can too.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shayda&#8217;s essay is <a href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/try-something-new/\">available</a> on <a href=\"https://heropress.com\">HeroPress.com</a>.</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-6183_2a2020-e1\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6183_efd6e9-01 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6183_f16024-34 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_94136c-97 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://hallwaychats.com\">WPPhotos.Info</a></h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<img width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/646565ee85a2be41.29146495-scaled-1-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6189\" /></div>\n\n\n<p>This week&#8217;s <a href=\"https://wpphotos.info\">WPPhotos Info</a> is called &#8220;<a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/lemon-tree/\">Lemon Tree</a>&#8220;. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his stay in Paraguay, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/benniledl/\">!Benni</a> was exploring the Reserva de Recursos Manejados Ybytyruzú, a conservation gem established in 2001. Spanning an impressive 24,000 hectares within the Atlantic Forest, this protected area is shows Paraguay’s preserving natural beauty.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/lemon-tree/\">Read more of the story at WPPhotos.info!</a></p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-6183_1ccdee-f1\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6183_dc7acb-ec alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6183_15034c-8b inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_6d7c6a-0d wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://heropress.com/\">Press Releases!</a></h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<img src=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/pressitwp_logo-300x130.jpg\" alt=\"Press It WP\" class=\"wp-image-4736\" /></div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://pressitwp.com\">PressItWP.com</a> has been a part of the <a href=\"https://heropressnetwork.com\">HeroPress Network</a> for almost a year now, if you ever release Press Releases, please consider <a href=\"https://pressitwp.com\">PressItWP</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-yoast-unleashes-ai-powered-seo-plugin-slashing-time-investments-for-crafting-vital-elements-of-effective-seo-strategies\"><a href=\"https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GravityMigrate-press-release.pdf#new_tab\"><a href=\"https://newfold.com/newsroom/yoast-unleashes-ai-powered-seo-plugin--slashing-time-investments#new_tab\">Yoast unleashes AI-powered SEO plugin, slashing time investments for crafting vital elements of effective SEO strategies</a></a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yoast announced AI-powered enhancements to its renowned WordPress SEO plugin that help users write engaging and SEO-optimized titles and meta descriptions for webpages. Using advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, it generates creative and appealing titles and meta descriptions, captivating audiences while meeting search engine standards.</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-6183_c0abae-f3\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6183_17fcec-cf alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6183_35e0d5-35 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading6183_74e907-d5 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\">WP Podcasts</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\"><img src=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/pocket_casts_single_315.png\" alt=\"Pocket Casts image\" class=\"wp-image-4316\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<p>There were <em>thirty-one</em> WordPress podcast episodes released this week! Also, the Spanish language podcast WordPress Pódcast is coming in English, French, and Catalan!</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wpcoffeetalk.castos.com/episodes/wpcoffeetalk-rytis-lauris#new_tab\">WPCoffeeTalk: Rytis Lauris</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/wpcoffeetalk/\">WPCoffeeTalk</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.wppodcast.es/podcast/entrevista-tutorias-wordpress-con-josep-moran/#new_tab\">[Entrevista] Tutorías WordPress, con Josep Morán</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/wordpress-podcast/\">WordPress Pódcast</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/growing-meetups-at-the-wordpress-community-day-roma-2023/#new_tab\">Growing Meetups at the WordPress Community Day, Roma 2023</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/do-the-woo-a-woocommerce-podcast/\">Do the Woo – A WooCommerce Podcast</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/allowing-ourselves-to-receive-help-from-others/\">Allowing Ourselves to Receive Help from Others</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/wp-motivate/\">WP Motivate</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wp-tonic-show-a-wordpress-podcast.castos.com/episodes/890-wp-tonic-this-month-in-wordpress-tech-round-table-show-with-special-guest-katie-keith-of-barn2#new_tab\">#890 – WP-Tonic This Month in WordPress &amp; Tech Round Table Show With Special Guest Katie Keith of Barn2</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/wp-tonic/\">WP-Tonic</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://underrepresented-in-tech.castos.com/episodes/end-of-year-3-recap#new_tab\">End of Year 3 Recap</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/underrepresented-in-tech/\">Underrepresented in Tech</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are new episodes every single day, so be sure to stop by <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\">WPPodcasts.com</a> and search for things that interest you!</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-6183_52219e-79\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p>The header photo for this post is a <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\">CC0</a> licensed <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/2846572fc1/\">photo</a> by <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/bhuwanroka/\">Bhuwan Bdr. Rokaha</a> from the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress Photo Directory</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s it for this week! If you&#8217;d like to get this post in your email every week, <a href=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/newsletter\">make sure you sign up</a>!</p>\n\n<p>The post <a href=\"https://heropress.com/shayda-torabi-new-heropress-staff-and-more/\">Shayda Torabi, New HeroPress Staff, And More!</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://heropress.com\">HeroPress</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 08 Dec 2023 16:24:51 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:13;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"Do The Woo Community: Page Builders, Documentation and an Scaling for Swifties\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78662\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"https://dothewoo.io/page-builders-documentation-and-an-scaling-for-swifties/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:431:\"<p>A look at a couple of polls on page builders and documentation and the WordPressVIP team preparing for an onslaught of Swifties on Time.com.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/page-builders-documentation-and-an-scaling-for-swifties/\">Page Builders, Documentation and an Scaling for Swifties</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 08 Dec 2023 12:51:31 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:14;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:60:\"WordPress.org blog: The Month in WordPress – November 2023\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=16575\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/the-month-in-wordpress-november-2023/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10455:\"<p>November is usually a busy month for the WordPress project, and this year is no different. Following the empowering release of WordPress 6.4, the energy continues to build, setting the stage for the anticipated State of the Word and upcoming projects.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on for all the exciting updates that marked the past month.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get ready for State of the Word</h2>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/11/SOTW-Blue.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\" alt=\"State of the Word 2023\" class=\"wp-image-16438\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Mark your calendars—State of the Word 2023 is approaching fast. In this annual keynote, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg celebrates the progress of the open source project and offers a glimpse into its future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the first time in WordPress history, the event will be held outside North America, in the vibrant city of <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/11/state-of-the-word-2023-madrid-spain/\">Madrid, Spain, on December 11, 2023</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re unable to attend the State of the Word in person, you can watch it live on the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/1MwT9EEkguE?si=TYwAe5qnKA3DlRMX\">WordPress YouTube channel</a> or join one of the many community-led watch parties. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word\">Find one near you</a> or <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/event-formats/state-of-the-word-watch-parties/\">organize one</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-3 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-dark-strokes-grey-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\">Learn more about State of the Word 2023</a></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet Twenty Twenty-Four</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with the release of <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/download/releases/6-4/\">WordPress 6.4</a> “Shirley,” the new default <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/11/introducing-twenty-twenty-four/\">Twenty Twenty-Four theme was introduced</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This theme breaks away from the tradition of previous default themes that focused on a specific topic or style. Instead, Twenty Twenty-Four was created to fit any website and explore different use cases for entrepreneurs, artists, and writers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You’ll find more than 35 beautiful patterns, including full-page patterns for templates like homepage, search, and more. Twenty Twenty-Four boasts the latest site editing capabilities and a sophisticated aesthetic inspired by contemporary design trends.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-4 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-dark-strokes-grey-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/?theme=twentytwentyfour\">Check out Twenty Twenty-Four now</a></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New in the Gutenberg plugin</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/10/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-0-9-november/\">Gutenberg 17.0</a> was released on November 9, 2023. It introduced improvements to the Command Palette, an alternative implementation of the DropdownMenu component, additional visual cues for LinkControl, and various accessibility and performance iterations.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/\">Gutenberg 17.1</a> shipped on November 22, 2023. In addition to several accessibility and writing flow enhancements, this version brought a new block spacing control in the Quote block.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-podcast-player jetpack-podcast-player__direct-link\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/10/episode-64-patterns-in-wordpress/\">https://wordpress.org/news/2023/10/episode-64-patterns-in-wordpress/</a>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Team updates</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2023/11/30/embracing-matrix-for-enhanced-communication/\">WordPress is switching to Matrix</a> in replacement of the Making WordPress Slack. The move stems from the project&#8217;s commitment to implementing a new chat system aligned with WordPress&#8217;s open source values. If you haven&#8217;t already, now is the time to explore Matrix and share your questions.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>With phishing scams on the rise, the WordPress Security team is actively monitoring the current threat and has posted <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/alert-wordpress-security-team-impersonation-scams/\">an advisory to help you protect your site</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Plugin Review team is now <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2023/12/02/join-the-plugin-review-team/\">reopening applications to join their team</a>. They’re looking for three new members who can improve the state of the plugin review queue and help create a diverse and inclusive team.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over the past few months, contributors have been working on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/22/redesigning-developer-resources-and-a-call-for-testing/\">redesigning the WordPress.org Developer Resources</a> section.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/06/proposal-2024-major-release-timing/\">This post</a> outlines proposed dates for major WordPress releases in 2024.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Meta team shared an <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/22/plugin-directory-preview-button-revisited/\">improved version of the plugin preview feature</a>. This version builds on feedback and allows plugin developers to safely test the preview experience for their plugins in a <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/\">WordPress Playground</a> environment.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyglots and Meta contributors introduced <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/29/create-tours-for-make-p2s/\">a new plugin called Tour</a>, which enables the creation of tours to guide contributors through a Make WordPress blog.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are you looking to broaden your knowledge and improve your WordPress skills? See <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/12/01/whats-new-on-learn-wordpress-in-november-2023/\">what’s new on Learn WordPress in November 2023</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The latest edition of People of WordPress features back-end web developer <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/people-of-wordpress-artemy-kaydash/\">Artemy Kaydash</a> from Ukraine.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-podcast-player jetpack-podcast-player__direct-link\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/10/episode-64-patterns-in-wordpress/\">https://wordpress.org/news/2023/10/episode-64-patterns-in-wordpress/</a>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Requests for feedback &amp; testing</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>The Community team announced the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/11/17/announcing-the-2023-annual-meetup-survey/\">2023 Annual Meetup Survey</a>. Both event attendees and organizers are encouraged to provide feedback in this 5-minute survey to help strengthen WordPress meetups in the future.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/11/23/mobile-team-update-november-22nd/\">Version 23.7</a> of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress events</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1f9-1f1fc.png\" alt=\"🇹🇼\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> WordCamp Asia opened the <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/the-third-batch-of-tickets-on-sale-now/\">third round of ticket sales</a> and announced that <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/announcing-our-first-speaker-matt-mullenweg/\">their first speaker is WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg</a>. The conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 7-9, 2024.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1ea-1f1fa.png\" alt=\"🇪🇺\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> WordCamp Europe <a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2024/call-for-sponsors/\">opened its call for sponsors</a> and <a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2024/speakers/call-for-speakers/\">speakers</a> for their conference slated to take place in Torino, Italy, on June 13-15, 2024.&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don’t miss these upcoming WordCamps:\n<ul>\n<li><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1ee-1f1f3.png\" alt=\"🇮🇳\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp Ahmedabad 2023</a>, India on December 9, 2023</li>\n\n\n\n<li><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1f5-1f1f0.png\" alt=\"🇵🇰\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://lahore.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp Lahore 2023</a>, Pakistan on December 9-10, 2023</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out </strong></em><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/month-in-wordpress-submissions/\"><strong><em>this quick form</em></strong></a><em><strong> to let us know.</strong></em></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thank you to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bernard0omnisend/\">Bernard Meyer</a> for contributing to this edition of The Month in WordPress.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Subscribe to WordPress News</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Join other subscribers and receive WordPress news directly in your inbox.</p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-subscriptions__supports-newline is-style-split wp-block-jetpack-subscriptions\">\n		<div>\n			<div>\n				<div>\n					<p>\n						<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=post&p=16575\">Subscribe</a>\n					</p>\n				</div>\n			</div>\n		</div>\n	</div></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 08 Dec 2023 11:20:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Reyes Martínez\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:15;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"Do The Woo Community: Looking at 2023 and Moving into 2024 with Carl and Zach in Woo DevChat\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78657\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:91:\"https://dothewoo.io/looking-at-2023-and-moving-into-2024-with-carl-and-zach-in-woo-devchat/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:454:\"<p>Carl Alexander and Zach Stepek, hosts of Woo DevChat at Do the Woo Podcast, end the year 2023 the only way these two could end a year.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/looking-at-2023-and-moving-into-2024-with-carl-and-zach-in-woo-devchat/\">Looking at 2023 and Moving into 2024 with Carl and Zach in Woo DevChat</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:01:24 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:16;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"Do The Woo Community: Share a Question or Comment for the Do the Woo End-of-Year Show\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78650\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:27:\"https://dothewoo.io/voices/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:367:\"<p>Want to share your favorite episode, host or show? Perhaps you have a burning question or comment. Here\'s your chance.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/voices/\">Share a Question or Comment for the Do the Woo End-of-Year Show</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 07 Dec 2023 11:34:55 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:17;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 6.4.2 Maintenance &amp; Security Release\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=16562\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:80:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/wordpress-6-4-2-maintenance-security-release/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6205:\"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress 6.4.2 is now available!</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This minor release features <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=6.4.2&groupdesc=1&group=resolution&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=keywords&order=priority\">7 bug fixes</a> in Core. The fixes include a bug fix for an issue causing stylesheet and theme directories to sometimes return incorrect results.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This release also features one security fix. Because this is a security release, <strong>it is recommended that you update your sites immediately</strong><strong>.</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-6.4.2.zip\">download WordPress 6.4.2 from WordPress.org</a>, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”. If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 6.4.2 is a short-cycle release. The next major release will be version 6.5 released in early 2024.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on this release, please visit the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/documentation/wordpress-version/version-6-4-2/\">HelpHub site</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Security updates included in this release</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The security team addressed the following vulnerability in this release.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>A Remote Code Execution vulnerability that is not directly exploitable in core, however the security team feels that there is a potential for high severity when combined with some plugins, especially in multisite installs.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To help the security team and WordPressers around the world, you are encouraged to <a href=\"https://hackerone.com/wordpress?type=team\">responsibly report vulnerabilities</a>. This allows vulnerabilities to be fixed in future releases.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thank you to these WordPress contributors</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This release was led by <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorbin/\">Aaron Jorbin</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 6.4.2 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver maintenance and security fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-wporg-props-long\"><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorbin\">Aaron Jorbin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wildworks\">Aki Hamano</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/atachibana\">Akira Tachibana</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/xknown\">Alex Concha</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin\">Angela Jin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/antonvlasenko\">Anton Vlasenko</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/barry\">Barry</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/Bernhard%20Reiter\">bernhard-reiter</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/icaleb\">Caleb Burks</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/coreyw\">Corey Worrell</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/crstauf\">crstauf</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nerrad\">Darren Ethier (nerrad)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald/\">David Baumwald</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dmsnell\">Dennis Snell</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32\">Dion Hulse</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kebbet\">Erik</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gaambo\">Fabian Todt</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/flixos90\">Felix Arntz</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/priethor\">Héctor Prieto</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ironprogrammer\">ironprogrammer</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/isabel_brison\">Isabel Brison</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb\">Jb Audras</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeffpaul\">Jeffrey Paul</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/luminuu\">Jessica Lyschik</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joemcgill\">Joe McGill</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnbillion\">John Blackbourn</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/\">Jonathan Desrosiers</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kharisblank\">Kharis Sulistiyono</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/krupalpanchal\">Krupal Panchal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kdowns\">Kylen Downs</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/meta4\">meta4</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikeschroder\">Mike Schroder</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mukesh27\">Mukesh Panchal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/partyfrikadelle\">partyfrikadelle</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/peterwilsoncc\">Peter Wilson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/NekoJonez\">Pieterjan Deneys</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/rawrly\">rawrly</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/rebasaurus\">rebasaurus</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/SergeyBiryukov\">Sergey Biryukov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hellofromTonya\">Tonya Mork</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vortfu\">vortfu</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to contribute</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To get involved in WordPress core development, head over to Trac, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/report/6\">pick a ticket</a>, and join the conversation in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RQBWTW\">#core</a>. Need help? Check out the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/tutorials/faq-for-new-contributors/\">Core Contributor Handbook</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a final reminder, The WordPress Security Team will never email you requesting that you install a plugin or theme on your site, and will never ask for an administrator username and password. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/alert-wordpress-security-team-impersonation-scams/\">Please stay vigilant against phishing attacks</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thanks to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/\">@angelasjin</a> and <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U02SVSW3U\">@desrosj</a> for proofreading.</em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:03:48 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Aaron Jorbin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:18;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:119:\"Do The Woo Community: Agency Client Relations, Team Work and Differentiating with Nuno Morgadinho and Jesper Wallmander\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78643\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:117:\"https://dothewoo.io/agency-client-relations-team-work-and-differentiating-with-nuno-morgadinho-and-jesper-wallmander/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:520:\"<p>Nuno Morgadinho from WidgiLabs and Jesper Wallmander from Wallmander Co chat about their experiences and insights into running a WooCommerce Agency</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/agency-client-relations-team-work-and-differentiating-with-nuno-morgadinho-and-jesper-wallmander/\">Agency Client Relations, Team Work and Differentiating with Nuno Morgadinho and Jesper Wallmander</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:02:26 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:19;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"Do The Woo Community: Growing Meetups at the WordPress Community Day, Roma 2023\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78619\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"https://dothewoo.io/growing-meetups-at-the-wordpress-community-day-roma-2023/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:455:\"<p>In this show the organizers for this event share how the idea transpired for the Next-Gen event and the goals to help grow the Italian WordPress meetup community.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/growing-meetups-at-the-wordpress-community-day-roma-2023/\">Growing Meetups at the WordPress Community Day, Roma 2023</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:20;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"WPTavern: #102 – Artemy Kaydash on Exploring AI and How It Will Alter the Workplace\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=151668\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:99:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/102-artemy-kaydash-on-exploring-ai-and-how-it-will-alter-the-workplace\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:41598:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case, how AI is transforming the workplace.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice. Or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox. And use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Artemy Kaydash. Artemy is a WordPress and WooCommerce freelance developer who focuses on backend development. After realising his passion lay in back-end work, he shifted his focus from full stack development to creating, supporting, maintaining, and editing WordPress and WooCommerce plugins. He also runs a personal website where he shares his expertise through blogging about WordPress and WooCommerce.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of this episode centres around the impact of AI on the landscape of web development. We explore the implications of AI tools for web developers, firstly talking about the way that AI systems have rapidly become somewhat essential and the developer&#8217;s toolkit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discussed the pivotal role AI may have in the future and how it could become an indispensable time-saver, relegating many uninteresting tasks from needing to be carried out manually.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the intersection of AI and web development, highlighting the need for developers to adapt and harness the potential of AI tools to remain at the forefront of innovation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We deliberate on the potential ramifications of AI on job roles within the WordPress space, underscoring the enduring need for human expertise in deciphering customer wishes, refining marketing strategies, and crafting compelling design experiences.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Artamy is not sure how the future will unfold, it&#8217;s clear that he sees the present as a pivotal moment in which those who adapt to the realities of AI can flourish, whilst those who do not might be left behind. His perspective allows us to glimpse a future of web development in which AI can be a force for positive change, to be embraced, not feared.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If AI has piqued your curiosity in the past, especially in the WordPress space, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast today by Artemy Kaydash. How are you doing, Artemy?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:34] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> I&#8217;m doing good. What about you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:36] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Good, thank you. Lovely to have you on. We&#8217;re going to talk today about AI, which is a really interesting subject. Something that personally is really fascinating to me. Before we get into that, Artemy, I wonder if you wouldn&#8217;t mind just spending a brief moment giving us your biography. How come you&#8217;re talking on a WordPress podcast today? What is your relationship with WordPress? What do you do for a living? That kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:59] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> So I&#8217;m 24 years old. I&#8217;m a WordPress and WooCommerce freelance developer. I want to underline that I&#8217;m a backend developer. I used to be some kind of a full stack developer, but at some point in my life, I understood that I don&#8217;t like working with front end stuff. So I decided to focus on backend and today I create, support, maintain, and edit WordPress and WooCommerce plugins. That&#8217;s what I do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also have a, my personal website, where I blog about WordPress and WooCommerce. Where I share some of my knowledge. Where I teach people how to do some things with WooCommerce and WordPress. You can visit it. It&#8217;s kayart.dev. I guess that&#8217;s all you should know about me,</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you so much. We will link to any URLs or sites or anything like that we mention. We&#8217;ll make sure to link to them in the show notes. So if you go to WP Tavern and search for this episode, you&#8217;ll be able to find all of the links in there. But we&#8217;re going to have a chat today about AI.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I think I should probably say at the outset, I certainly am no expert in any way about AI. I am just curious. And, I would say more than that, I&#8217;m fascinated by it. I&#8217;m not always particularly enamoured by it. I&#8217;m not entirely sure that it&#8217;s always the best thing to pursue, but I am fascinated by it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know what your credentials are, whether it&#8217;s something that you view Artemy, are you into the technology of this? Do you get yourself in the weeds of any code related to this? Or are you like me somebody that&#8217;s fascinated by what it&#8217;s doing?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:38] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> I think I&#8217;m more like you, I don&#8217;t know much about how AI works under the hood. I&#8217;m a big fan of philosophy and I think a lot about our future and what&#8217;s ahead of us. So of course, I&#8217;ve been thinking a lot about how AI will change the way we live, the way we work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I wrote some posts on LinkedIn about this, especially about the content creators. And you know, I&#8217;m excited but I think that there&#8217;s a lot of hype and marketing around this topic because you know, when I made my first steps in web development in 2017, some people already told me that in a few years there will be no demand in front end developers because, I don&#8217;t know if you ever used the Avocode app.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Avocode allows you to take a PSD template, from Photoshop, and it generates CSS for you. And then we had some tools like Figma, or something like this, that generated CSS on the fly. You create a figure and it generates CSS for it. Even then there were some people that thought that in a few years there will be no demand in HTML and CSS developers. And you know what? We are in 2023 and we still need front end developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Front end has become much more complex. We now have things like React, Vue and other front end frameworks. Those tools, they cannot solve these issues. I think that when a new tool comes up that allows you to automate some things, you can go on the next level. You can create much more complex things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I think that with AI, at least in the nearest future, that&#8217;s something that&#8217;s going to wait for us. AI will allow us to automate some simple, sometimes stupid, stuff that we hate to do because it&#8217;s boring.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, I don&#8217;t like writing HTML and CSS. So if ChatGPT is going to generate HTML and CSS for me, that&#8217;s great, because I want to focus on things that&#8217;s interesting for me. And I don&#8217;t think that, at least at the moment, at least in the state that ChatGPT has now, it can replace me absolutely. It can do some stuff for me, but it cannot replace me fully. That&#8217;s what I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s one of the interesting things that we&#8217;ll probably chat through is whether or not we are going to be out of work, because of the advances in AI and the capabilities that they bring. But that&#8217;s a really interesting argument and an argument that I&#8217;m sure many people would share the outcomes that you just suggested. That the AI can increasingly take over the mundane, the uninteresting things that you may well have had to do, but also it allows us to do increasingly more complicated things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the things that were available to us as web developers 10 years ago, are no longer the things that we would use anymore. And perhaps in the future AI will enable us to do things as yet unimagined. I guess only the future will tell, but you don&#8217;t have an intuition, certainly at the moment, that anybody using AI could replace a human? You&#8217;re thinking more that it would be able to augment what they can do. Add on to what they can do. Reduce the amount of time it takes them to do things. Have I got that about right? Is that your position?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:57] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> It absolutely already can replace some people, especially if you&#8217;re talking about some manual stuff like, there are some people that they are paid for, okay, I have an Excel table and I need you to go through every cell and do something with this. And ChatGPT and similar tools, they can do something like this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the less intellectual your work is, the more is probability that your work is going to be replaced. So if you want to be in demand, if you want to keep up with these AI tools, you need to work on your intellectual skills, on your soft skills. You have to work on your, way of thinking. And of course, as a law of evolution, you have to adapt. You either adapt or die, unfortunately.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Do you think then that one of the tools that you&#8217;ll have to have in the future? And again, let&#8217;s rewind the clock. If we were to go back 10 years, your suite of tools would be, I don&#8217;t know, some software which enabled you to write the code, plus a bunch of possibly books or online resources to enable you to take that knowledge and put it into your head and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But do you imagine that in the future, using AI will be a prerequisite, an essential tool for anybody, just because, well simply from a time saving point of view, the fact that you don&#8217;t have to research everything yourself, and it may be able to fulfill, let&#8217;s say, a proportion, 50%, 30%, 90% of the tasks that you need to achieve. That will be an essential skill, aside from all the other things you need to know. You have to know how to write in in React. You have to know how to set up a server, whatever it is. But the AI will be your companion sitting there helping you, and it will be necessary because of the time benefits and all of that that it brings.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:48] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Absolutely. 10 years ago, there were no package managers, there was no NPM, there was no packages or something like this. And now they are part of our life, and we cannot work without it. So I think that some AI tools, absolutely will be a part of our tool set.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s fine, that&#8217;s great. They will allow us to do some stuff that we had to do manually earlier. That&#8217;s great. It means that we will have more time to focus on things that we do better. At least for now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:16] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Do you have any intuitions or have you played with AI and it fulfill what you needed to do? So I&#8217;ve played with AI fairly recently, probably in the last week or so, and I&#8217;m continually amazed by the things that it can achieve from a simple text prompt. So for example, the WordPress code base has been out, completely free, for everybody to examine for many, many, many years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so there&#8217;s no inhibition to all of the AI pieces of software, ChatGPT, and Claude and Anthropic, and all of the different pieces that you can go and look at. All of them have had access to that code. And so when I ask it to do something fairly straightforward in WordPress, something that I would have to sit down and write and think through. I am always bowled over by, a, how amazingly accurate it is in understanding what I wanted it to do. But also how clean the bits and pieces that it returns. Now sometimes it gives me something which is entirely unusable, but on the whole I am utterly amazed by how reliable and effective it is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:23] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> I use ChatGPT and Bard sometimes. But I usually use it for, I think that every developer has some Stack Overflow threads that they are visiting regularly. Go to see the same answer every and every again, because they cannot remember it. So ChatGPT is good for these things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or sometimes I use ChatGPT to generate some boilerplate code for me, and it&#8217;s great. For example, as I told you before, there was a case when I worked on Dokan website. Dokan is a multi vendor plugin for WooCommerce. And I had to get some data about a vendor, if I&#8217;m not mistaken. And, when I asked ChatGPT to find an answer for me, how can I get this data using PHP and without MySQL, it just hallucinated some answers. It told me to use some methods that didn&#8217;t exist. So I still had to go to the source code. I had to find a class I need, and I had to find methods I need.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or for example, there are some questions that do not have one single answer, you know. For example, how to structure your code? There&#8217;s no single answer. How to stylize your code? There&#8217;s no single answer. How to structure your classes? What should be the relations with each other? There are no single answer for this. So you have to think about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s why, forums like Stack Overflow, they are still the thing, because there are some discussions of real people that have some experience behind their back. And you can read it, and you can make your own opinion about their opinions, and you can find your own way. And I think that ChatGPT, or other stuff, they won&#8217;t help you with this. Because it&#8217;s your decision, and you will take every blame for every error that ChatGPT will make.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:16] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I think that&#8217;s a really good point. It is definitely not perfect. But in some situations, it is remarkably close to perfect. But still, as we stand towards the end of 2023, you still need a human to judge whether or not what it has given you is perfect.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do wonder if in the future, the inspection that humans need to apply to what AI gives us back. I do wonder if as time goes on, that will be less and less required, because it becomes more and more accurate. So for example, if we were to just look at the things that were output by, for example ChatGPT, in versions prior to what we&#8217;ve got now, there was definitely a difference in the quality of things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we were for example just to take the silly example of image creation. Now, I know that&#8217;s got nothing to do code, but it&#8217;s an interesting example. It was really easy to spot just 18 months ago, like really, really easy to spot that an AI made that picture of a human being. Because look at the fingers, look at the ears, there&#8217;s just clearly something is not quite right there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you were to run the same query today, it would be almost impossible to tell that a human being hadn&#8217;t been involved in that, because they have learnt along the way. So I do wonder whether or not we&#8217;ll need the humans to have that level of inspection in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that brings me to another point, this is something that I&#8217;ve considered a little bit. You, whilst you&#8217;re significantly younger than I am, put it that way, but you&#8217;re no longer a child, let&#8217;s say that. And you have managed to, since you were a child, you have managed to presumably be employed, be paid, be in work, in order to acquire the skills that you now have. And the reason that you have been able to have that work is because somebody needed to have you, for example, as an intern or as a junior developer, and you have acquired skills in steps, getting more and more difficult work as the years have gone by.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wonder if the AI, if there&#8217;s a risk that it will knock out that bottom layer of people who get into the workplace at the intern level. Because why would we need to employ an intern? Because we now know that the AI can handle pretty much everything that an intern would have done. And so as time goes on, I wonder if there&#8217;s going to be a gap in people coming through, learning the technology, learning all the bits and pieces. So I wonder if that&#8217;s anything you&#8217;ve given thought to?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:48] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Well, you cannot take a college graduate and make him as the CEO of your company, right? You still have to learn about your business. So yeah, of course AI will take some of their jobs. But you still, you cannot jump through the levels. You have to go your way. You have to learn your, what you need. You have to live through your experience and there is no way to escape this. So I think that the company owners will still take interns. Maybe they will pay them less I guess, maybe, who knows. But still people need to gain their experience. There is no way to escape this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I guess that may be the concern of people who are worried about AI, is that we just have to think through these problems in advance, so that we&#8217;re not 20 years from now, looking back and saying, boy, we, we really haven&#8217;t had any interns getting through our company and now 20 years on, we&#8217;ve got nobody left to fulfill these positions. What do we do?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:45] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> That&#8217;s the people natures, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, but obviously in your own business, that&#8217;s an easy one to fix. You just make that decision. If as a nation or as an industry, we don&#8217;t consciously think about that, there is a risk that, Well, it&#8217;s okay, the other businesses out there, they won&#8217;t farm everything out to the AI. So I&#8217;ll be able to employ people who grew up and went through their internship. And that&#8217;s fine. But if we&#8217;re all doing it, then there&#8217;ll just be this deficit of people. Who knows, maybe that won&#8217;t be the case.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s move the conversation a little bit. And I&#8217;m going to mention the LinkedIn posts that you wrote, that the URLs for those are far too long to give out. So I&#8217;ll just say go to the show notes and have a look. But you wrote a couple of pieces over on LinkedIn where you shared your concerns about AI hoovering up, vacuuming up, all of the knowledge that we&#8217;ve put out there, so blog posts and what have you. And whether or not there&#8217;s like an ethical problem, or something that we ought to be able to stop the AI from doing that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So do you just want to outline, you don&#8217;t really give a position on this. You don&#8217;t say whether you think it&#8217;s right or wrong, but you highlight it as a potential issue in the future. Do you just want to go through that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:52] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Well, of course it&#8217;s bad. These AI tools, and the companies behind them, they take your content and use it to make money, and they don&#8217;t share this money with you. Of course, it&#8217;s bad for me. But you know, it is what it is. You have to accept this rule because you cannot change them. So you have to adapt.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as I said in those posts, you cannot protect your content like fully. And in one of those posts I mentioned an article on The Register where the site, the CEO of Medium, it&#8217;s a huge publishing platform, so they have a lot of content. And I&#8217;m sorry, I don&#8217;t remember his name, but he told that yeah, we try to block AI crawlers from our website. But still there are some companies that scrape our data, and then they sell this data to OpenAI or Google or someone else.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, yeah, you can block some AI crawlers, very specific crawlers. But there will come more of them and you cannot block all of them. It&#8217;s like an arms racing, right? Websites have been trying to block AI Crawlers for ages, and no one could do this, and you cannot do this. Because when you create a new wall that they have to go through, you will come up with an idea how to go through this wall, and then a new wall and you come up with a new idea. So it&#8217;s a constant process, and you cannot stop it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I also tell that the only way to at least kind of protect your content is to use some, paywall features or something like this, or create a private group or something like this. As I told you before, you can automate these things as well. So if someone really want to take your content, they will find a way to take your content. And you cannot fully protect it. So you have to find ways to still, still be in demand. For example, I&#8217;m a content creator myself, because I have a website. I have a blog.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I blog about the WordPress, and just like Stack Overflow, I noticed that when ChatGPT has become public, traffic on my website has decreased. Of course because some people, they don&#8217;t go to Google anymore when they have a software question. They go straight to ChatGPT or Bard or something like this. And they ask these tools these questions. So they don&#8217;t need my website anymore.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And those companies just scraped, I think you can find my content in this tools because, I wrote some unique articles, and they couldn&#8217;t find any other answers. At least I think this way. So yeah, you have to adapt. And my answer about this is that you have to be unique because your content can be stolen, but your way of thinking, your unique life experience, your unique perspective, and sometimes your craziness. It cannot be simulated, at least for now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s a really good answer. I like that little bit at the end. This is interesting. So if we were to rewind the clock to the beginning of the internet, I get the intuition that it was a really different enterprise. The internet came around, hyperlinks were invented, all of a sudden things could connect to other things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then blogging began, and it was a real, a real moment of pride for people to set up their blog and put their voice out there and know that if search engines did their job correctly, those search engines would find your content and then people through the search engine would find their way back to you. And I still think that, although you could argue that Google may have interesting ways of surfacing your content that don&#8217;t necessarily lead back to your article. Broadly, the intention of a search engine is to go around the web, scrape it, and then for people to find themselves back at your site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas, although I think it&#8217;s a little trickle at the moment, of people who&#8217;ve moved away from search engines to ChatGPT, I can see a moment where the trickle becomes a bit of a stream. And then the stream becomes a bit of a tidal wave. Where if you want the answer to something, you&#8217;re not just trying to find something to read, but you just want the answer to a problem, then I think you&#8217;re right. I think people will increasingly go to the place where that answer will be given back to you, so an AI.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then the problem is, what&#8217;s the incentive in writing anymore? Why would you write if you know for a fact that the vast majority of people will never see what you&#8217;ve written. It&#8217;s just going to be consumed by an AI, which will spit it out, give you no credit for it. There is a potential for it to ruin the enterprise of writing content in the first place, yeah?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:48] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Well, you can think about this way, and I think some people will surely do this. But for example, what&#8217;s the point of listening to this podcast? We were just two guys, what was the point? But, I guess it means that some people are interested in my experience, in my way of thinking and your experience and your way of thinking.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some authors that I read, not because they create, not because they give me some answers, but they make me think. They have some good perspectives. And I can use these perspectives to create some of my own perspectives, right? So, it&#8217;s about thinking. It&#8217;s about reading something that, as I said before, there are some questions that do not have one single answer. You have to think about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I think that bloggers will be more focused on this type of content, like my opinion on this, or my perspective on this, or what I think about this. Because, at least for now, ChatGPT doesn&#8217;t have any opinions. It can share some facts. And you can&#8217;t even be sure that these facts are real because it hallucinates sometimes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I do wonder if the AIs maybe need to do a better job of citing where they get things from. So in the example that you gave earlier, where you wrote a few posts, where you tackled something probably for the first time, and if somebody wanted to find the solution, you were the person that had provided it. So you&#8217;ve got an intuition that ChatGPT, in this case, had consumed your article, and when you went to find whether they had or not, you could write a question which clearly gave that content that you&#8217;d written back to yourself.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do wonder if the AI could do a better job of saying, okay, the information that we&#8217;ve got came from this website and this website. Here&#8217;s the links that we used, that we scraped in order to find the content that we&#8217;ve just surfaced, which we&#8217;re sort of pretending we made up, but we didn&#8217;t really. So if they could give more information about where they&#8217;re getting their information, maybe that would help, provide that gap between what we have now with search engines, and what we have now with AI, where we don&#8217;t really know where the heck it got anything from.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:59] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> In the perfect world, yeah of course they should do this. And as I know, Bing AI already does this. If you ask Bing Chat about something, it doesn&#8217;t just give you an answer, it also provides you with some links it used to give this answer, and that&#8217;s great I think, But as I said, companies are not interested in you making money, right? They&#8217;re interested in making money for themselves. So, maybe if there will be some legal requirements that will make them to cite properly sources they use, and it&#8217;s something that would be great. As I said, there are always some workarounds. And I&#8217;m not sure if the companies behind these tools will not use these workarounds.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s a good point. I think you&#8217;re right. So you made the point earlier that it doesn&#8217;t matter how clever you are in putting up a wall between your content and the internet. At some point you&#8217;ve got to allow people to get through that wall, and maybe the AIs will figure out how to get through that wall as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, it&#8217;s just an, I just think we&#8217;re on the precipice of something, or the opposite. We&#8217;re at the foot of a mountain and it&#8217;s, rather than it being a precipice that we&#8217;re about to fall into, which sounds really bad, maybe it&#8217;s a mountain that we&#8217;re just at the base of and we&#8217;re going to climb towards the summit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t really know. Certainly you mentioned earlier that certain jobs have already gone. If you were to look at the work of, I don&#8217;t know, crafting a spreadsheet, or amending a spreadsheet based upon something that your boss needed doing. That kind of work can now be done by AI. I wonder what your intuitions are as to the level of complexity that is going to be acquired by AI in the next few years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you mentioned at the top that you&#8217;re 24 years old. Is there any part of you that&#8217;s concerned about your job stability in the future? Do you think you&#8217;ve achieved a certain level of expertise where you&#8217;re immune? Or are you at that point where you&#8217;re looking over your shoulder thinking, I really do need to keep an eye on this because I&#8217;m afraid for my job? What do you think about that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:02] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Well, of course I cannot guarantee that in the future the AI tools could replace me or could not, because, who knows? Five years ago, we couldn&#8217;t even imagine that there will be things like DALL·E or something like this, and they do really great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know, I really don&#8217;t know. The only thing I can guarantee, at least for myself, I&#8217;m still going to be a person I am. And I can work on my soft skills and I can adapt. Maybe I won&#8217;t be a WordPress developer in five years because ChatGPT will do, will create plugins for me. Well, maybe I will have to find a new job, who knows. But I&#8217;m pretty sure about myself, and I&#8217;m not pretty sure about my job, right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:42] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> One of the interesting arguments that I heard recently, it&#8217;s a fairly pessimistic argument, I&#8217;ll put that out there right at the beginning, but the argument always goes a bit like, well, if we invent new technology, then obviously that will disrupt things, but there&#8217;ll always be new opportunities created. So, if 5,000 people lose their jobs over here, what will happen is 5,000 other jobs, or something equivalent, will get created somewhere else. The technology will create a new branch of the workplace that we haven&#8217;t as yet imagined, and that will be where those people will go, once they&#8217;ve figured out how to adapt and what have you. So it&#8217;s this constant process of improvement, alteration, and finding where you fit into this new jigsaw puzzle of the technological landscape.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the arguments that I heard recently was that this could be the first time where that argument doesn&#8217;t really hold. And the argument went a bit like this. In every other technological innovation, humans have been able to move out of the thing which was innovated into, and they&#8217;ve been able to go to somewhere else, because now we&#8217;ve got something, there&#8217;s some space available. So a good example would be the industrial revolution, where machines were made to move things, drill holes through things, lift things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, the machines took the physical things that we needed to do, and it mechanized those, and so people moved from the sphere of physical work, and became more intellectual workers. However, if in this current revolution of AI, the AI also beats us at the intellectual enterprise, it&#8217;s better than us at thinking, it can do things more quickly. Where do humans go? What&#8217;s left? Machines are better lifting things than us. Machines are better thinking through things than us, well, we&#8217;re on a permanent holiday then, aren&#8217;t we? Don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;ve got any thoughts about that? If this technology is literally transformational because it&#8217;s consuming the last vestige of what we&#8217;ve got left, which is our brain, really.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:45] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Philosophers and economists have discussed this topic even when ChatGPT wasn&#8217;t even a thing. So for example, like one of the possible scenarios, okay. We&#8217;ll have great AI tools that will do every job for us. Which means that we have like millions and billions of people without a job.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>They still need to eat. They need to live somewhere. They need to drink something. One of the possible scenarios is that governments will have to like take some part of those big companies revenue and share it with people like, passive basic income, if I&#8217;m not mistaken, it&#8217;s called.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:25] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Universal Basic Income, UBI. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:27] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Right. Maybe this scenario that waits for us. I don&#8217;t know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:32] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. The truth is we really don&#8217;t know. It&#8217;ll be an interesting journey. Let&#8217;s just, before we round this off, let&#8217;s just ground this back into the WordPress space, because obviously that&#8217;s primarily what this podcast is about. What have you experienced over the last 18 months, it literally could have been last week, it could have been something from last year. Can you mention any things in the WordPress space connected with AI that you have found yourself being drawn to, coming back to, using, over the last period of time?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:00] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> In WordPress, I&#8217;m not sure. I saw that Jetpack now has some AI features, and some of the most popular SEO plugins already allow you to like generate meta descriptions or something like this. I know about this feature, but I don&#8217;t use them for now. And I think that Gutenberg has some potential for AI features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elementor, I actually used Elementor AI features, and Divi AI features. It&#8217;s not perfect right now, but I think it&#8217;s great that you can tell those builders, like I want to have a section with an image, and a text in the center of it, and it generates it. You didn&#8217;t have to code it. You didn&#8217;t have to write HTML and CSS what I had. So these tools can be very useful in this case. And I think that Gutenberg may have something like this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:50] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think the content piece, the creation of content, just getting yourself over the hurdle of that blank page. If it can create some content for you, which then you can tweak, make it your own. But you&#8217;re right, the whole enterprise of laying things out, once you&#8217;ve done that a hundred times, it&#8217;s probably not as interesting as it was the first time. And if you can get the AI to do those kinds of things, and then you adapt it within the tool that you&#8217;re using, whether that&#8217;s a page builder or the block editor or whatever. Yeah, that&#8217;s really interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think we&#8217;re moving into a future where the whole site is potentially under the purview of AI. The moment you first log into WordPress, it seems like there&#8217;s a lot of tools coming down the pike at the moment that will ask you a series of questions. It&#8217;s like an onboarding to the creation of your website, and based upon the answers that you give it, it will create a bunch of pages. An about page, a contact page. It will style it. It will give it colors. It will put content in there, which is not the content that you want, but it approximates what you want.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It knows, for example, that you&#8217;re a baker. And so it puts in pictures of baking, and it will have text which is adjacent to the baking industry, and that kind of thing. So I feel that all of that is coming. And again, I guess it sends us right back to the beginning of our conversation. Whilst that&#8217;s brilliant on the one hand, it does also raise concerns about the long term future of many of the jobs that we&#8217;ve been doing for the last 10 or 15 years and whether or not we need to adapt.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:34:21] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> As I said before, we can use these tools as our tools, not like our replacements, right. So for example, if I need a website, and I need a good website that&#8217;s going to attract some customers, I still need to have an understanding of what people are looking for, what are their preferences?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I need to understand some marketing stuff, some design stuff. Yeah, I think that if you want a basic website, of course you can already use some of these tools to create this website. But they won&#8217;t be perfect. they won&#8217;t be so detailed for a specific customers you try to attract. And in this case you need designers, you need marketers, you need developers, that&#8217;s going to take this basic website and they will make a perfect website from it. It will allow you to spend less money on this, but you still need an expert&#8217;s perspective on this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I think you&#8217;re right. It&#8217;s easy to forget because the things like ChatGPT, because their responses are so really remarkable, it is easy to forget that basically at its heart it isn&#8217;t yet, I say yet, it isn&#8217;t yet intelligent. It mimics intelligence. It&#8217;s giving us the next word and the word after that and the word after that, or the pixel next to that and the pixel next to that, whatever it may be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it mimics brilliantly based upon the consumption of lots of previous human knowledge. But you&#8217;re right, it doesn&#8217;t cut to the heart of what a human can do. And the human having more experience about, it&#8217;s not just a website. It&#8217;s a website where we have to throw SEO, in because that&#8217;s a piece of the puzzle. We have to throw in the marketing. We have to throw in what humans do, because UX and UI, that&#8217;s important as well, if we want people to actually make use of this website. It&#8217;s got to behave in a certain way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s easy to forget that as of 2023, no AI is capable of taking this job on, it can make things look nice. It can pretend to be intelligent, but as yet, it truly isn&#8217;t. And so, yeah, adapting, being novel, creating a new future for yourself based upon what the AI can bring seems like the road to go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy, thank you so much for joining us today. Just before we leave, if people have been intrigued by this conversation and they want to talk to you about AI or anything in particular, is there a place where we could send them? I will, of course, link to your website, but you may want to mention that again, but is there like a social network that you use that you want to drop? Anything like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:03] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> My website contains all social links I use. You can also try to connect me on LinkedIn or you can drop me an email.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Artemy, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. I really appreciate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:16] <strong>Artemy Kaydash:</strong> Thank you.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today, we have <a href=\"https://kayart.dev/\">Artemy Kaydash</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy is a WordPress and WooCommerce freelance developer who focuses on backend development. After realising his passion lay in back-end work, he shifted his focus from full stack development to creating, supporting, maintaining, and editing WordPress and WooCommerce plugins. He also runs a personal website where he shares his expertise through blogging about WordPress and WooCommerce.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of this episode centres around the impact of AI on the landscape of web development. We explore the implications of AI tools for web developers, firstly talking about the way that AI systems have rapidly become somewhat essential and the developer&#8217;s toolkit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discussed the pivotal role AI may have in the future and how it could become an indispensable time-saver, relegating many uninteresting tasks from needing to be carried out manually.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the intersection of AI and web development, highlighting the need for developers to adapt and harness the potential of AI tools to remain at the forefront of innovation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We deliberate on the potential ramifications of AI on job roles within the WordPress space, underscoring the enduring need for human expertise in deciphering customer wishes, refining marketing strategies, and crafting compelling design experiences.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Artamy is not sure how the future will unfold, it&#8217;s clear that he sees the present as a pivotal moment in which those who adapt to the realities of AI can flourish, whilst those who do not might be left behind. His perspective allows us to glimpse a future of web development in which AI can be a force for positive change, to be embraced, not feared.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If AI has piqued your curiosity in the past, especially in the WordPress space, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://kayart.dev/\">Artemy&#8217;s website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7094656120857735168/\">LinkedIn post #1</a> mentioned in the podcast</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7113445056941842432/\">LinkedIn post #2</a> mentioned in the podcast</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://openai.com/chatgpt\">ChatGPT</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://bard.google.com/chat\">Bard</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://claude.ai/login\">Claude</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://dokan.co/wordpress/\">Dokan website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.bing.com/search?q=Bing+AI&showconv=1\">Bing Chat</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://openai.com/dall-e-2\">DALL·E</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://jetpack.com/ai/\">Jetpack AI</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://elementor.com/products/ai/\">Elementor AI</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.elegantthemes.com/ai/\">Divi AI</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:21;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"Do The Woo Community: Rebranding Your WordPress Plugin Business with Robert Abela\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78634\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:55:\"https://dothewoo.io/rebranding-your-wordpress-business/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:413:\"<p>Robert Abela from Melapress shares his story of rebranding his business and also shares some insights into the under-rated user roles in WP.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/rebranding-your-wordpress-business/\">Rebranding Your WordPress Plugin Business with Robert Abela</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:32:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:22;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"WordPress.org blog: Alert: WordPress Security Team Impersonation Scams\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=16547\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/alert-wordpress-security-team-impersonation-scams/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4174:\"<p>The WordPress Security Team is aware of multiple ongoing phishing scams impersonating both the “WordPress team” and the “WordPress Security Team“ in an attempt to convince administrators to install a plugin on their website which contains malware.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The WordPress Security Team will never email you requesting that you install a plugin or theme on your site, and will never ask for an administrator username and password.</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive an unsolicited email claiming to be from WordPress with instructions similar to those described above, please disregard the emails and indicate that the email is a scam to your email provider.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>These emails link to a phishing site that appears to be the WordPress plugin repository on a domain that is not owned by WordPress or an associated entity. Both <a href=\"https://patchstack.com/articles/fake-cve-phishing-campaign-tricks-wordpress-users-to-install-malware/\">Patchstack</a> and <a href=\"https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2023/12/psa-fake-cve-2023-45124-phishing-scam-tricks-users-into-installing-backdoor-plugin/\">Wordfence</a> have written articles that go in to further detail.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Official emails from the WordPress project will always:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Come from a <code>@wordpress.org</code> or <code>@wordpress.net</code> domain.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should also say “Signed by: wordpress.org” in the email details section.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"450\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/12/email-details-signed-by-wordpressdotorg.png?resize=1024%2C450&ssl=1\" alt=\"Screenshot of email sent by a WordPress.org email account. The details include \" />\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Security Team will only communicate with WordPress users in the following locations:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>the Making WordPress Secure blog at <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/security\">make.wordpress.org/security</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>the main WordPress News site at <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news\">wordpress.org/news</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Plugin team will never communicate directly with a plugin’s users but may email plugin support staff, owners and contributors. These emails will be sent from <a href=\"mailto:plugins@wordpress.org\">plugins@wordpress.org</a> and be signed as indicated above.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The official WordPress plugin repository is located at <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins\">wordpress.org/plugins</a> with internationalized versions on subdomains, such as <a href=\"https://fr.wordpress.org/plugins\">fr.wordpress.org/plugins</a>, <a href=\"https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins\">en-au.wordpress.org/plugins</a>, etc. A subdomain may contain a hyphen, however a dot will always appear before wordpress.org.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A WordPress site’s administrators can also access the plugin repository via the plugins menu in the WordPress dashboard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As WordPress is the most used CMS, these types of phishing scams will happen occasionally. Please be vigilant for unexpected emails asking you to install a theme, plugin or linking to a login form.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Scamwatch website has some tips for <a href=\"https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/protect-yourself/ways-to-spot-and-avoid-scams\">identifying emails and text messages that are likely to be scams</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, if you believe that you have discovered a security vulnerability in WordPress, please <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/security/\">follow the project’s Security policies</a> by privately and responsibly disclosing the issue directly to the WordPress Security team through the project’s official <a href=\"https://hackerone.com/wordpress\">HackerOne page</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thank you <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorbin/\">Aaron Jorbin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/otto/\">Otto</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/\">Dion Hulse</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/\">Jonathan Desrosiers</a> for their collaboration on and review of this post.</em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 04 Dec 2023 23:13:35 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Peter Wilson\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:55:\"WordPress.org blog: People of WordPress: Artemy Kaydash\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=16470\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/12/people-of-wordpress-artemy-kaydash/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10937:\"<p class=\"has-darker-grey-color has-off-white-2-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-9b663d0d5861b05380bcaca160ef01c8\">The&nbsp;<em>People of WordPress</em>&nbsp;series shares inspiring stories of how people’s lives can change for the better through WordPress and its global community of contributors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy Kaydash discovered that working with WordPress has opened possibilities greater than he imagined. For him, the &#8220;active, responsive, and enthusiastic community&#8221; makes the software fresh and alive with many ways to experiment and practice adapting it for clients&#8217; needs.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/10/artemy-featured-img.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Artemy Kaydash stood in front of water\" class=\"wp-image-16242\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Back-end development with WordPress has proven to be a rewarding career choice for Artemy. He believes developers can inspire others to choose the same career path by sharing the opportunities and satisfaction of working with the content management system (CMS).</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The adventure of learning WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning new software can be daunting, but Artemy realized that learning with and from inspiring people makes a real difference: &#8220;I vividly remember my first WordPress experience. I was confused, had many questions, and was desperately trying to understand how to do the most simple things.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working initially in a small agency in Ukraine, Artemy had basic HTML/CSS skills and had just started learning PHP development. His senior colleagues helped him take his first steps in web development and were patient with his questions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency director later gave him the responsibility of creating a WordPress website for a friend. He recalls being nervous, as he was not yet confident in his PHP skills. Colleagues reassured Artemy as he worked, and he went on to build a career in international web development.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"640\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/10/artemy-at-a-cafe.jpg?resize=640%2C1024&ssl=1\" alt=\"Artemy reflecting on his learning as he looks outside of a window in a cafe\n\" class=\"wp-image-16241\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Like many others, Artemy found that experimenting with WordPress intrigued him, and he wanted to learn more about it. Looking back, he said: &#8220;The first theme I built was awful. It was composed of my own creative solutions and code snippets I found in searches. It had lots of bugs, but as people say, &#8216;the first pancake is always a bit tricky.\'&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy is a great believer in reflective learning, going back and reviewing a piece of development. He said: &#8220;No matter how bad it was, it was my first experience, and I learned a lot about the basic concepts of WordPress. That&#8217;s why I believe that learning by doing is the best way to learn something new.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He added: &#8220;My advice to others is don&#8217;t be afraid of doing something awful when you create something for the first time. It&#8217;s okay. We&#8217;ve all been through that initial phase.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"640\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/10/artemy-winter-lake.jpg?resize=640%2C1024&ssl=1\" alt=\"Artemy looking across a lake in the winter time\" class=\"wp-image-16245\" />\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s nice to have a mentor when you learn something new. Luckily, you don&#8217;t need a person sitting next to you anymore. All of us have got the best mentor possible: the Internet. If you don&#8217;t know how to do something, then search for how other people have done the same thing,&#8221; Artemy said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No wonder some say that one of the most required skills of every developer is the willingness to learn and to know how to search for information. This is one of the reasons WordPress is one of the best options for beginners. Now there is so much more information and help available to learn, more than there was when I first began.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy feels that the willingness of others to share their experience and problem-solve together is a big strength of the WordPress community and also the reason for its ongoing success: &#8220;When you stumble upon a problem, there&#8217;s a high probability that someone already asked the same question on one of the forums or websites. If you&#8217;re lucky enough, someone already wrote a post about your problem with a great explanation of how to solve it with examples and code snippets.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress is for beginners and long-term careers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress is not a software with strict limits, and it can be adapted and used in many different ways by beginners and advanced developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>I like to learn something that excites me and makes my brain work. With WordPress, I am able to find interesting and creative solutions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>There are so many new things to learn that Artemy decided to stay in web development, and he sees it as a perfect channel for his creativity and abstract thinking. It may seem very different from his initial education in literature, sociology, and philosophy. Still, he has found those studies sharpened his skills for understanding, communicating, and working with clients on creative solutions to challenges.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy enjoys the client side of his work and interacting with different studios and agencies. His international work allows him to use WordPress and WooCommerce in many different environments, both large and small, which keeps the software exciting. He said: &#8220;I believe if you want to learn something you have to practice using it a lot. Open source is a big advantage in this.&#8221; Artemy found that the more he experiences various sites and clients, the more flexible and helpful he can be in helping them find the right solution.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inspired to help others use WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/10/artemy-from-pier.jpg?resize=1024%2C639&ssl=1\" alt=\"Artemy standing on the pier\" class=\"wp-image-16243\" />\n\n\n\n<p>A willingness to share and grow skills together is what open source environments champion. This collaborative environment inspired Artemy to focus on using WordPress professionally and to share what he learned. &#8220;There is a lot of free code and snippets available for anyone to use. I have been grateful to all of the people who have written answers on sites like Stack Overflow, written blog posts, created free plugins, and other helpful materials. It made me want to help others when I was able to.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In August 2021, Artemy began blogging about using WordPress:&nbsp;&#8220;I like to think that this way I am repaying my learning debt for all the content I have consumed. It makes me happy to see that people really read my posts, and it helps them solve their WordPress problems. So, today, when I face a problem and can&#8217;t find the solution, I think it might be a great idea for a new post!&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also likes to keep up with how other people use WordPress by visiting Stack Overflow, WordPress Facebook groups, and other communities where people ask questions almost daily. He helps where he can in those channels or gains inspiration for new content. He believes&nbsp;<a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn.WordPress.org</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Developer Blog</a>&nbsp;are valuable resources for beginners and more advanced developers too. As those resources grow, they will increasingly become a place where others can share their development knowledge and use cases.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Every community is a two-way street</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Artemy encourages everyone to become a part of the WordPress community. “There are a lot of opportunities for everyone,” he said. “You can help with the translation of your favorite plugins or themes. You can create your own plugin or become a contributor to an already existing open source plugin. You can write tutorials. You can write reviews helping other people to choose the best option for them. You can help people on support forums.”</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Every contribution, big or small, makes WordPress better. It is a great experience to be part of it.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Share the stories</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Help share these open source contributor stories and continue to grow the community.&nbsp;Meet more WordPressers in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/category/newsletter/interviews/\">People of WordPress series</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To discover more about how to use WordPress, and start your own story, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/\">Learn.WordPress.org</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thanks to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kayart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Artemy Kaydash</a> for sharing about his adventures in WordPress, and to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webcommsat/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abha Thakor</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nalininonstopnewsuk/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nalini Thakor</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/meher/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Meher Bala</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/marks99/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mark Smallman</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/eidolonnight/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nicholas Garofalo</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chloe Bringmann</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/marybaum/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mary Baum</a> for interviews, editorial, images, and reviews. </em></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-center\"><img width=\"180\" height=\"135\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2020/03/heropress_logo_180.png?resize=180%2C135&ssl=1\" alt=\"HeroPress logo\" class=\"wp-image-8409 size-full\" /><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>This People of WordPress feature is inspired by an essay originally published on </em><a href=\"https://heropress.com/\"><em>HeroPress.com</em></a><em>, a community initiative created by Topher DeRosia. It highlights people in the WordPress community who have overcome barriers and whose stories might otherwise go unheard. </em>#HeroPress </p>\n</div></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:28:33 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Abha Thakor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:24;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"Do The Woo Community: Do the Woo is Headed to State of the Word 2023 in Madrid\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78614\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-is-headed-to-state-of-the-word-2023-in-madrid/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:439:\"<p>BobWP from Do the Woo will once again attend State of the Word. The SOTW 2023 will be in Madrid this year to celebrate Spain\'s WordPress community.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-is-headed-to-state-of-the-word-2023-in-madrid/\">Do the Woo is Headed to State of the Word 2023 in Madrid</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 04 Dec 2023 09:14:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:126:\"Gutenberg Times: Responsiveness, styling the details block, create block theme plugin and so much more – Weekend Edition 276\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=26529\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/weekend-edition-276/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:21079:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Winter in Munich comes with big steps.  If you are interested, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph/status/1730699245773029537/photo/1\">I shared a photo from last night</a> on X (former Twitter) . I am all excited as I haven&#8217;t seen that much snow since I visited a friend in Vancouver in 2021, but that was only for a couple of weeks. Now I have to live in this weather. 🥶 I might venture outside long enough to take some more pictures. Stay tuned.  </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this edition, I share a ton of links to updates about tools, plugins and themes, tutorials and how-to articles. I have a feeling, I also missed a few, so please notify me, so I can add them next week. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Holiday season 🎄 And if you don&#8217;t celebrate, have a wonderful weekend! </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Monday, I was on the panel of the <a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2023/11/28/this-week-in-wordpress-277/\"><strong>277th episode of This week in WordPress, Mysterious cosmic rays </strong></a>-together with <strong>host Nathan Wrigley, Michelle Frechette, Wendie Huis in t Veld, and Jeroen Rotty</strong>. We covered, the new feature of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/22/plugin-directory-preview-button-revisited\">Live preview for the plugin directory</a>, with a shout-out to Alex Shiels and the meta team, and also, as a surprise to me about <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index\">Keeping up with Gutenberg Index</a>, the <a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2024/speakers/call-for-speakers\">call for speakers and diversity efforts for WordCamp Europe</a> was also a topic, as was the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/100-nick-diego-on-the-revamp-of-the-wordpress-showcase-website\">new Showcase on the .org site</a> and the <a href=\"https://bobwp.com/the-road-to-do-the-woo-4-0\">new line-up of shows on the  Do the Woo network</a>.  Participating on the panel is a fun way to start a week in the WordPress world. Don&#8217;t be shy, 🙂 <a href=\"mailto:admin@wpbuilds.com\">connect with Nathan Wrigley</a> and see when there is a free slot on the show. You definitely should subscribe to the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/wpbuilds\">YouTube channel</a> and the Podcast. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2023/11/28/this-week-in-wordpress-277/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"367\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TWIW-277.jpeg?resize=652%2C367&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26599\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you looking for a <strong>State of the Word watch party</strong> near you?  A few are already planned. Take a look at <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\">the events landing page.</a> The countdown will start soon:  <strong>December 11, 2023, at 15:00 UTC Matt Mullenweg will give the State of the Word keynote talk directly from Madrid, Spain.</strong> It&#8217;s the first time it is broadcast from outside the US. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will be livestreamed on <a href=\"https://youtube.com/wordpress\">YouTube on the WordPress channel</a>. A Q &amp; A section will follow, where Mullenweg will answer questions previously submitted to <a href=\"mailto:ask-matt@wordcamp.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ask-matt@wordcamp.org</a>. You will be able to submit questions during the event via the Slido App. The QR code will be available on the day of the event. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"435\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/image.png?resize=652%2C435&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26400\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-accent-color has-light-background-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-d02c05917781faad43b455819cf71f89\">🎙️ Latest episode:  <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-93-gutenberg-17-1-command-palette-data-views-and-grid-layout/\">Gutenberg Changelog #93 – Gutenberg 17.1, Command Palette, Data Views and Grid Layout</a> &#8211; a chat with <strong>Isabel Brison</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/releases/tag/v17.2.0-rc.1\"><strong>Gutenberg 17.2 RC1</strong></a> is now available for testing.  The stable release will come out on December 6th, 2023. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Save the date! <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/23/hallway-hangout-lets-explore-wordpress-6-5/\"><strong>Hallway Hangout: Let’s explore WordPress 6.5</strong></a> on January 16 at 21:00 UTC. <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> and <strong>Saxon Fletcher</strong> will talk through some of what’s to come in the next WordPress release,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/06/proposal-2024-major-release-timing/\">with a proposed schedule for March 26th</a>. This is being shared early to help encourage more folks to tune in and to build some excitement for this next release.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On &#8220;The WordPress Way&#8221; show, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/NonStopNewsUK\"><strong>Abha Thakor</strong></a> chatting with <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/joyofwp\"><strong>Bud Kraus</strong></a> <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/all-things-wordpress-6-4-with-anne-mccarthy-and-bud-kraus/\"><strong>About all things WordPress 6.4</strong></a> Great conversation that goes in a lot of fun and insightful directions with these three. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aki Hamano</strong> created the  <strong><a href=\"https://github.com/t-hamano/enable-responsive-image\">Responsive Image plugin</a>.</strong> It adds settings to the Image block to display different images depending on the width of the screen. He cautions you to use it on a production site, as it&#8217;s under active development and might change behavior with new versions. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In the latest video, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgoNBFDyIaA\"><strong>How To Create a WordPress Image Gallery</strong></a>, <strong>Ellen Bauer</strong> of Elma Studio gives you a look behind the scenes on how she built the <a href=\"https://themes.elmastudio.de/moog/style-variations/\"><em>demo page for the style variation</em></a> in their latest block theme, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/moog/\">Moog.</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to test the <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Gutenberg Nightly</a> plugin, but don&#8217;t want to set up a test site, you can now use it with a WordPress Playground instance.  Head on over to the  <a href=\"https://icodeforapurpose.com/gutenberg-nightly-playground/\"><strong>Gutenberg Nightly &amp; Playground</strong></a> page on my personal tech blog and click on the <strong>Get Started</strong> button. It&#8217;s a proof of concept for now. I still need to add the daily automatic deployment of the build.zip file to the site. Please let me know what you think about it and how you use it. </p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"652\" height=\"375\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-11-28-at-19.20.48.png?resize=652%2C375&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26582\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s trunk branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seth Rubinstein </strong>of Pew Research Institute <a href=\"https://twitter.com/SethRubenstein/status/1729545261007929823\">announced on X</a> (former Twitter)  that he just released a small plugin to add <strong><a href=\"https://github.com/sethrubenstein/responsive-core-group-block/releases/tag/v1\">responsiveness to the core group block.</a></strong> (GitHub)</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Michelle Schlup-Hunt</strong> published her base Full Site Editing theme, that is meant to be used to build other projects on top of, but probably simple enough to use as-is too: <strong><a href=\"https://github.com/marktimemedia/Alicorn-Theme\">Alicorn-Theme</a></strong> (GitHub)</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The fine folks at 10up, just released the 1.1.3 version of their <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/maps-block-apple/\"><strong>Block for Apple Maps,</strong></a> which integrates Apple Maps directly into your WordPress site. It&#8217;s a mighty block with a ton of features to create customized maps right on your WordPress site. You would need to have an Apple ID and sign up for their Developer program to get the right API keys, though. <a href=\"https://github.com/10up/maps-block-apple\">The code is available in the GitHub repo</a></p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://github.com/10up/maps-block-apple\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"438\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-02-at-11.40.03.png?resize=652%2C438&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26601\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ben Ritner </strong>of Kadence announced the <a href=\"https://www.kadencewp.com/blog/coming-to-kadence-blocks-pro-advanced-query-loop/\"><strong>arrival of the Advanced Query Loop </strong></a>block to their pro-version of the plugin. It&#8217;s an enhanced version of the core query loop block, incorporating many user-requested features. It allows you to specify which post types and taxonomies to display, along with the number of posts per page. Not only that, but it also comes with options to custom transition animation which can be used when viewers click between pages, search, or apply filters on the front end. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>If you are not a Kadence Blocks customer, or only use the free version, there is also the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-query-loop/\"><strong>Advanced Query Loop</strong></a> available by <strong>Ryan Welcher.</strong> It might not be as polished and as frontend oriented as the Kadence version. <a href=\"https://t.co/7HLrN4pvVw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"></a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In his post <a href=\"https://www.briancoords.com/how-to-show-the-choose-a-pattern-modal-by-default-on-new-pages/\"><strong>How to show the “Choose a Pattern” modal by default on new pages</strong></a>, <strong>Brian Coords</strong> walks you through the few steps to create a full-page layout patterns for your theme or site. </p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>With his post, <strong>Jamie Marsland</strong> helps you <a href=\"https://www.pootlepress.com/2023/11/understanding-the-theme-json-file-in-a-wordpress-gutenberg-theme/\"><strong>Understanding the theme.json File in a WordPress Block Theme</strong></a> and he breaks down the various sections and how you can configure them. Marsland also added a section on how to lock certain areas down for end users, so they won&#8217;t change important design settings. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Baum</strong> published the 3rd part of the Series,<em>&nbsp;Make your site’s typography make a statement.</em> <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/12/a-great-read-four-simple-steps-to-your-best-body-copy-ever/\"><strong>A great read—four simple steps to your best body copy ever</strong></a>, and she provides code examples for theme.json on how to combine settings of measure, line height, spacing to make your text as readable as possible. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Part I: </strong><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/make-your-sites-typography-make-a-statement/\"><strong>The visual voice of type:&nbsp;</strong>basic type terms, so we can start the discussion</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Part II: <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/08/the-anatomy-of-a-letterform/\">The anatomy of a letterform.</a></strong></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;For now, let’s leave it at this: if you set a gray wall of type, your reader has to want your information very urgently before they’ll slog through to the end.&nbsp;If you break up your copy into approachable chunks, every subhead has a chance to persuade your reader to go on and read further.&nbsp;&#8220;</p>\n<cite><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/12/a-great-read-four-simple-steps-to-your-best-body-copy-ever/\">Mary Baum, on the Developer Blog</a></cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brian Gardner</strong> shared a designer&#8217;s insight into Gradients and how to use them in WordPress Blocks. <a href=\"https://wpengine.com/builders/default-gradients-block-editor/\"><strong>Default Gradients in the WordPress Block Editor</strong></a>. Anyone who listened to the Gutenberg Changelog podcast knows, I am a big fan of gradients, and so I am delighted,  they are now available for almost all Core blocks. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> shared in on the fun of  <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/12/styles-patterns-and-more-with-the-details-block/\"><strong>Styles, patterns, and more with the Details block</strong></a>. The Details block combines two HTML elements:&nbsp;<code>&lt;details&gt;</code>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<code>&lt;summary&gt;</code>. It is an HTML-native way to show and hide content: the summary part is a title that hides the details until your user clicks on it to trigger a reveal of the details. It can be used for various use cases, on your website. After covering the out-of-the-box styles of the block, Tadlock shows you how to adopt its look and feel for a Spoiler section, and a  list of FAQs. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/12/styles-patterns-and-more-with-the-details-block/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"338\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/details-summary-faqs-pattern.jpg?resize=652%2C338&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26607\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>There have been a few quality-of-life improvements to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/create-block-theme/\"><strong>Create Block Theme plugin </strong></a>over the course of the WordPress 6.3 and 6.4 releases. In this tutorial, <strong>Jonathan Bossenger</strong> gave a brief introduction to these improvements.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On Thursday, <strong>December 7, 2023 &#8211;  14:00 UTC,</strong> <strong>Jonathan Bossenger</strong> will introduce attendees to the <a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/297698902/\"><strong>new WordPress  Interactivity API</strong></a>. The main goal of the Interactivity API is to provide a standard and simple way to handle the frontend interactivity of Gutenberg blocks. This standard would make it easier for developers to create rich, interactive user experiences, from simple cases like counters or popups to more complex features like instant search, or carts and checkouts. In this session, you will learn more about this new developer API, through a live coding example. Sounds like great fun! </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In his article <a href=\"https://tommcfarlin.com/generate-a-reference-to-a-block/\"><strong>Block Notes: Generate a Reference to a Block</strong></a>, <strong>Tom McFarlin</strong> explains the benefits of generating block references and how they can be utilized in block development. He provides code examples and step-by-step instructions on how to create a reusable block reference using JavaScript and jQuery. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Block extension plugins in WordPress are quick and straightforward to build and are quite formulaic once you have built a few. During the latest <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9KKpIgNMNQ\"><strong>Developer Hours: How to extend Core WordPress blocks</strong></a>, <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> and <strong>Nick Diego</strong> walk through building an extension for the column block that allows users to reverse the display order on mobile devices.  It uses JavaScript on the front end for accessibility. You&#8217;ll learn three ways on how to do this: a Block Style, a Block variation and a custom block. <a href=\"https://github.com/ndiego/enable-column-direction\">The example code </a>is available on GitHub. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Image: <em>A Slice of Rainbow Cake</em> by Ajith R Nair</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button type=\"submit\" class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too, and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 02 Dec 2023 06:08:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:58:\"Do The Woo Community: ChatGPT Told Me How I Can Do the Woo\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78585\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:57:\"https://dothewoo.io/chatgpt-told-me-how-i-can-do-the-woo/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:377:\"<p>How much can ChatGPT tell me about WooCommerce, and doing the Woo. Well, I found out and am sharing it in this weeks WooBits.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/chatgpt-told-me-how-i-can-do-the-woo/\">ChatGPT Told Me How I Can Do the Woo</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 01 Dec 2023 13:12:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:27;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:112:\"Do The Woo Community: Working on Different Open Source Platforms and More with Ian Gordon and Philip James Wylie\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78581\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:111:\"https://dothewoo.io/working-on-different-open-source-platforms-and-more-with-ian-gordon-and-philip-james-wylie/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:478:\"<p>Ian and Philip from Kanuka Digital talk about WooCommerce, Magento, web specializations and the open source community.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/working-on-different-open-source-platforms-and-more-with-ian-gordon-and-philip-james-wylie/\">Working on Different Open Source Platforms and More with Ian Gordon and Philip James Wylie</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:04:51 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:28;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"Gravatar: Introducing An All New Gravatar Profile Editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"http://blog.gravatar.com/?p=750\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"https://blog.gravatar.com/2023/11/29/introducing-an-all-new-gravatar-profile-editor/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4589:\"<p>We are thrilled to unveil the latest updates to Gravatar, better empowering you to personalize and own your online identity. Today, we introduce a new Profile Editor, three new profile fields, and enhanced Privacy settings for all users.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-gravatar\">What is Gravatar?<a href=\"https://updateomattic.wordpress.com/2023/09/20/introducing-the-all-new-gravatar-plus-whats-next/#what-is-gravatar\"></a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gravatar stands for “Globally Recognized Avatar” and is your digital signature across countless websites. By associating a single avatar image to your email address, Gravatar makes maintaining a consistent online presence simple.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having gained popularity as a way to display avatars in blog comments, Gravatar has since extended its reach across the web — you&#8217;ll find your Gravatar in Slack, Open&nbsp;AI, Salesforce, and more. In addition to the avatar, you can build a free online profile to share with those you meet, bringing together all your social media and web accounts.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-new-profile-editor\">The New Profile Editor<a href=\"https://updateomattic.wordpress.com/2023/09/20/introducing-the-all-new-gravatar-plus-whats-next/#the-new-profile-editor\"></a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We have completely redesigned the Profile Editor, providing an intuitive interface to customize and preview your Gravatar profile. Express yourself by adding a bio, verifying ownership of your social profiles, adding links, and more. The new Profile Editor lets you curate your online persona, making it easier for others to discover and connect with you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is faster, works great on mobile devices, and with this update, <strong><em>you can change the URL of your profile page</em></strong> too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Log in at&nbsp;<a href=\"https://href.li/?https://gravatar.com\">gravatar.com</a>&nbsp;now to try out the new editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"enhanced-privacy-settings\">Enhanced Privacy Settings<a href=\"https://updateomattic.wordpress.com/2023/09/20/introducing-the-all-new-gravatar-plus-whats-next/#enhanced-privacy-settings\"></a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We’ve added <a href=\"https://support.gravatar.com/profiles/profile-access/\">new privacy settings</a> that when enabled will ensure your profile data is private. We’ve also added new settings for users who want to discourage search engines from crawling and indexing their profiles.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"836\" height=\"1042\" src=\"https://gravatar.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/cleanshot-2023-11-29-at-11.35.51-2402x.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-857\" />\n\n\n\n<p>We believe in transparency and empowering users to fully control their digital profiles. With many of the websites you use, there is confusion about the information being collected, how it is used, and when it is shared with third parties. As more Gravatar features are rolled out, you’ll see how we are flipping that model on its head by offering a transparent and open profile experience that puts you in the driver’s seat of your online identity.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pronunciation and Contact Fields</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three new fields available in your profile, all of which were popular requests we&#8217;ve received.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You asked. We delivered:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>A &#8216;<strong>pronunciation</strong>&#8216; field in your About section. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>A &#8216;<strong>contact form</strong>&#8216; field where you can link to a contact form on your website or blog.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A &#8216;<strong>calendar</strong>&#8216; field to link to a public appointment calendar like Calend.ly.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s Next?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re paying close attention, you might notice that the profile image above looks a bit different from what you&#8217;re used to. We&#8217;ll be introducing some design improvements to public profile pages in the next few weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve got more exciting stuff in the pipeline that we can&#8217;t share just yet, but we&#8217;d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below with your thoughts and feedback!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.com/log-in/link?client_id=1854&redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic-api.wordpress.com%2Foauth2%2Fauthorize%3Fclient_id%3D1854%26response_type%3Dcode%26blog_id%3D0%26state%3Dac5a30e6451f6b87ee6a0ac0df70d79046ac480badb660ac4f3753fa70968c12%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fgravatar.com%252Fconnect%252F%253Faction%253Drequest_access_token%26from-calypso%3D1\">And claim your personal Gravatar profile page today</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 29 Nov 2023 17:45:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Ronnie Burt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"WPTavern: #101 – Pooja Derashri on Creating Educational WordPress Content\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=151581\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:89:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/101-pooja-derashri-on-creating-educational-wordpress-content\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40167:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case creating materials to help other people learn about WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you could do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice. Or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Pooja Derashri. Pooja is a co-founder of WPVibes, a plugin development company based in India. With a passion for WordPress, Pooja has been actively involved in the community since 2013. Her journey as a contributor began in 2017, when she attended her first local WordCamp. Her expertise and dedication have earned her various key roles in the WordPress ecosystem. She currently serves as a co-team rep for the training team, and GTE for the Hindi locale. In addition, she holds key positions in the WordPress release squad for version 6.3 and 6.4, where she headed up the test team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pooja was on the podcast a few weeks ago talking about diversity, but this time the focus is on creating learning materials for WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We begin discussing Pooja&#8217;s background and her involvement with the training team. She shares how she stumbled upon the training team during a WordCamp event, and got started by finding a simple spelling mistake in a lesson plan. From there she became more involved with the training team and gradually took on roles such as reviewing code and leading the test team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the importance of training materials in helping new users understand and navigate the WordPress platform, highlighting the learn WordPress website. Pooja emphasizes that contributions to the training team can be as small as reviewing existing content, or as involved as creating new lessons or video tutorials.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re curious about how to get started with the training team, Pooja explains the comprehensive onboarding program available in the team&#8217;s handbook. Additionally, there&#8217;s a mentorship guide program for one on one guidance for new contributors. Whether you have a few minutes or several hours to spare each week, there&#8217;s a place for everyone to make a start.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key topic of the discussion is the need to keep the training materials up to date, as WordPress is a dynamic and ever-growing software. Pooja explains the team&#8217;s process of reviewing and updating content, particularly in light of new WordPress releases, and frequent changes in terminology.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also talk about the importance of translations, introducing the opportunity for contributors to help with translating materials into different languages. Making WordPress accessible to a global audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards the end, Pooja highlights the supportive and collaborative nature of the training team. She shares her experience of making friends and connections across the globe while contributing to the team. There&#8217;s a sense of community and camaraderie amongst the contributors, making it an enjoyable journey for all involved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re curious about helping others learn WordPress, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to WPTavern.com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so without further delay, I bring you Pooja Derashri.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast today by Pooja Derashri. Hi, Pooja.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:27] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Hello, Nathan.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:28] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It is so nice to have you back. You were on the podcast just a few weeks ago now, talking about something completely different. We&#8217;ll point you in the direction of that episode in the show notes. But today, Pooja, we&#8217;re going to be talking about learning WordPress. About the training team and about the Learn WordPress website and resources.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just before that, for those people who didn&#8217;t hear the previous episode, would you just give us a short biography? Tell us a little bit about yourself, your journey with WordPress and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:59] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yeah, sure. My name is Pooja Derashri and I&#8217;m from Ajmer, a beautiful city in India. I&#8217;m a co founder of WPVibes, a plugin development company. I&#8217;m also an active contributor to WordPress community. I served as a training team representative for the past two years, and now I&#8217;m serving as a test team rep. I was also in the WordPress release squad for 6.3 and 6.4 version, where I led the test team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you so much. That&#8217;s really great. So obviously you&#8217;re very, very committed to WordPress. And one of the big things about WordPress is getting people to understand how the software works. If you&#8217;re like me, and like you, Pooja, I suspect that it&#8217;s pretty obvious what to do with WordPress. You&#8217;ve used it an awful lot before, and you&#8217;re committed to it, and you understand how it all works.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But people who are new to the platform, or people who are trying to explore something that they haven&#8217;t used with it before, obviously have to learn a little bit about how that works. And it may be that people do not know. But there are training materials that are being created over at Learn WordPress. I will give the links in the show notes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that is being done and coordinated by the training team. Would you just tell us a little bit about how you got involved with the training team? When did you begin your journey and what kind of things have you been doing, personally, with training and learn materials?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:26] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. Before telling me about my involvement, I would like to tell about how I got started contributing to the training team. I was attending a WordCamp, WordCamp Ahmedabad. There was a contributor day. There are several teams over there, and I decided to learn more about the training team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On that day, Chetan Prajapati, the table lead of training team, guided me about what is Learn WordPress, and how I can contribute to it. So he guided me to review some lesson plans. When I was reviewing the lesson plans, I found a spelling mistake in one of the lesson plans. And I suggested a correction, simple correction. That was my first contribution to the team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically I had a development background, so I was not sure how I can use my skills in creating content, or something like that. So I was not sure how I can get involved with the training team more, where all other team members were working around content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But at that time Courtney Robertson and Hauwa Abashiya were the team reps. And the whole team was working on the initial launch of the Learn WordPress .org website. They, guided me on how I contribute to reviewing code in lesson plan. That was my cup of tea and I am fascinated about it. So I joined the forces, at the time, and soon felt very comfortable with the team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically the training team overall helped me a lot in learning and growing. With the team&#8217;s help, I gradually started feeling more confident and part of the inaugural team. That time with my consistent contribution, or my involvement with the team, I was nominated and selected as a team rep back in 2022.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s absolutely fascinating. So your entire journey started out by spotting a spelling mistake, and it grew from there. That&#8217;s lovely. But it also points to the fact that you don&#8217;t need to do something really seismic. You don&#8217;t have to be involved in the training team. You don&#8217;t have to do anything super major, it is possible to be involved to do little things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t have to dedicate absolutely ages of your week over to this. Would that be right? There&#8217;s no commitment in terms of time, or the amount that you&#8217;re going to do. Making little changes is just as important as contributing in a big way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:45] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes, definitely. It was started just with his spelling mistake correction. And now I&#8217;m more involved with the administrator related things, running weekly meetings with other co-team reps, posting monthly updates, monthly newsletter, reviewing other team&#8217;s content, other team members content. I&#8217;m also a translation coordinator for my Hindi language.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, and in past I was also wrote few lesson plans. So yeah, it started with a small thing, and gradually with more involvement, I learned many new things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:16] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> If somebody was interested, let&#8217;s say that they&#8217;ve listened to this episode and they are keen to, at least have further discussions about what it is that they could do. I&#8217;m, interested in you describing how the team is structured. So, as an example, if I&#8217;m new, how do I get onboarded, and how is it decided where I would be most useful?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you mentioned a couple of things there, you know, you were talking about the fact that you were able to change spelling mistakes. But you also talked about the fact that you could do things in your own language.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you get to show up and pick what it is that you&#8217;re going to do, or is there a hierarchy? Are there people, such as yourself, who&#8217;ve been contributing to this for a while, who have their hands on what needs doing, and kind of farm out those projects to people?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:05] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. At the beginning of this year, my co-team rep, Benjamin Evans, who worked on a project for an onboarding program for new contributors. And desperately it helped us win half of the battle. New contributors found learning and getting involved with the training team is very easy. They can find the complete getting onboarded program in our handbook. That is available on make.wordpress.org/training/handbook.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a section, getting started. There is a complete video and tutorial format, where they can find the step by step process about how they can involve. And by reading that handbook, they can find their own way to start contributing. That is very easy and concise way to get involved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there is also, a program, run by Courtney P. K., that is a mentorship guide program. There is a one on one mentorship program, where few mentors guide mentees about how they can start contributing to the training team, and help them to make meaningful contributions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:08] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, thank you for that. So, you&#8217;re obviously extremely keen on doing this, and it sounds like you dedicate quite a lot of your time. Again, for the listener who is maybe just coming across this subject for the first time, are there any guardrails, or are there any things which you would suggest, in terms of the amount of time that you need to dedicate if you want to be involved?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that you mentioned the handbook, but for people who don&#8217;t quite make it there and are using this podcast audio only as their guide, is there any level of commitment? Do you wish to have people who are willing to give a certain amount of time per week, or can commit to a certain number of weeks or months? Or are you happy to have anybody on board, even for a short period of time? People who drop in, drop out. Are you taking all comers?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:53] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes, definitely. If our listeners have only a limited time, like let&#8217;s say just half an hour, or one hour in a week. So they can review the content the other content creators are creating, already created content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In every few months, we review our published content as well. Because as a new version, WordPress version launches, some of the content get outdated. So we always do the auditing the existing content, so people can go through with that content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they found any outdated content, or anything that is missing from lesson plans or video tutorials, they can report our issues on GitHub that is dedicated, learn repository over there. They can report issue over there, and other team members can have a look and try to fix them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So that is the lesser time. If new contributor have lesser time to contribute, they can go through with that reviewing process.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So there&#8217;s no need to commit a great deal of time. Small contributions are just as welcome as large contributions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m just going to turn the conversation to you, Pooja, just for a few minutes. And I&#8217;m curious as what you get out of it. I don&#8217;t mean that in the way that it maybe sounds, but I&#8217;m keen to know why you commit so much of your time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You mentioned at the top of the podcast recording that you&#8217;ve obviously got a business to run. You&#8217;ve got other things to do. You&#8217;ve got to generate revenue for you, and the people close to you, and all of that. So I&#8217;m just wondering why it is that you do this. What are the reasons you do it? And I suppose we should clear up the fact that getting paid is not one of them, because this is an entirely voluntary position.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:29] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yeah. I&#8217;m volunteering all my time to the training team, I&#8217;m self sponsored. So no, I&#8217;m not getting paid from anywhere. But, as I already told you, that I was having a background of development. So, in contributing in training team, I got to know more about how content works around. How we can record a video tutorial, how we can write a lesson plan, many things around SEO.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when we work together, other content creator experts, we learn a lot. So by contributing into training team, I learned a lot about content creation, and that newly gained skills, I can use in my business. So it&#8217;s kind of win win situation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:13] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s nice. In terms of how the team is organised, if I was to join in, and obviously you&#8217;ve described that there&#8217;s a handbook and it can probably answer many of these questions, but it&#8217;s nice to get it out into the audio. How are tasks assigned? How do the training team, and all of the things that they do, how are those jobs coordinated? Is there a piece of software that we need to be familiar with? Is this all done through Slack or something else?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, if we were to join, how would we know what needed to be done? And report the things that we had done so that they could be checked and approved and so on. Basically, how does it all work in the background?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:51] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> We manage our work mainly in three places. Our team blog, our Slack channel or GitHub repository. Team blog is make.wordpress.org/training. All decisions are discussed and announced in blog post to allow the widest audience to participate. The team blog is the place where our whole discussion, decisions are announced, or are posted.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And our Slack channel is where we can connect with other contributors in the team in real time. It&#8217;s where people can ask our faculty members and other experienced teammates for help, while working through some team tasks. Our training team meetings are also conducted in Slack, but decisions are not made in Slack. If an item needs a discussion or decision, we publish it as a post on the team blog, so that the general public can see the discussion and join in decision making.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And lastly, there is a GitHub repository. This is where individual tasks are tracked. These include content creation or content translation, website management related tasks, and these are all organised in a GitHub issues form.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are currently like seven major project boards. All the content development related issues fall under this project. There is a team that administrates the related project. There is a content localisation related project where the other people are translating content in their own language. All related issues are under this project.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there is a content feedback, if our content has any issue, any outdated content or any spelling mistake related thing. All that type of content feedback falls under this issue, this project. So yeah, we manage all the website related issues, development related queries, and any content, new content request. All the other content that is in process, all are managed under GitHub repository.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So there&#8217;s a variety of different tools and workflows that you need to become familiar with. But I&#8217;m guessing that there&#8217;ll be assistance with that if you decide to join. Somebody will shepherd you through that, and there&#8217;ll be some documentation, some learn materials, which will enable you to learn about contributing towards Learn and the Training Team, which is a bit meta, but there you go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of the actual topic areas that you cover, technology, and WordPress in particular, is a really fast moving piece of software. You know, it&#8217;s not glacial. The documents that you wrote a year ago, there is some chance that they will still be pertinent, but I&#8217;m imagining that in many cases, some of these materials will go out of date fairly quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I&#8217;m wondering what you could tell us about the bits and pieces that really do need a lot of attention at the moment. So for example, it might be full site editing, or something like that. But just give us an idea of how you decide what needs to be covered.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve obviously talked about the way that you communicate that with the tools that you&#8217;ve got. But what topics at the moment are really in need of documentation? And that could be things that haven&#8217;t been done yet, but also things which are underway, which needs to be completed. So yeah, just give us an idea of the topic areas that are really in need of work at the moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:05] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yeah, sure. There is a GitHub project where when people submitted their topic ideas, are subject matter experts looking into every topic ideas. And they finalise that, yeah, that piece of content is having a high priority and we need to focus on first.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every month we did a 5 to 10 high priority content list. And we will ask in our every weekly meeting that, yeah, this content is something we need to do on high priority. And we ask for volunteers to help. If they found their area of expertise or their skills match with that content, then they volunteer for that particular project, and they definitely pick that particular piece of content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So right now, we are working on 6.4 release work. That is something on our high priority. And there are a few issues that need to be completed as soon as we can. In past 6.4 release, training team was the official part of release, and Courtney PK and Courtney Robertson was the lead at that time in the release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they are working hard for matching our lesson plan content, or our tutorials, with the release work. So yeah, right now we are looking for people, or volunteer, who can help us in working. Those issues can be easily found on GitHub. There is a label assigned on 6.4 on GitHub. That is something we are looking for on high priority right now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay, thank you. In terms of the content that you submit, are there any kinds of content that you prefer to have? So what I mean by that is, so for example, there is video content, there&#8217;s text. But I don&#8217;t know if you also produce content in different ways. For example, I don&#8217;t know if you do audio content, the kind of thing that I&#8217;m producing with you right now. Or whether you do live webinars, which end up as a video. So that might be something that people could actually participate in. So just give us an idea of the kinds of different contents that are being created. So video, text, audio, et cetera.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:11] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Basically, there are four types of content available on learn.wordpress.org website. Lesson plans, tutorial, courses and online workshops. Lesson plan and courses are the text based format, and video tutorials and online workshops are like video format. The overall content can be used by both learners and teachers, but lesson plan is specifically created for teachers. And video tutorial, courses and online workshop are for targeted learner audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>People who wanted to contribute in text based format, they can go to contribute into lesson plans and courses. And there are several topics submitted on our GitHub repository. They can choose from them. And if there is not, they have any specific topic in that their mind, they can reach out to us or submit their topic idea into GitHub repository, and our subject matter expert can review them, vet them, and approve them. After that they can start working on it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Video tutorials, in the similar way, if they want to helping existing submitted topic, they can pick from there. And if they have any topic they want to create video for that. So for creating content on their own, they need video. They need to just submit their topic idea on GitHub repository. That is the basic workflow we follow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> In terms of the quality of the materials that you put out, obviously, not everybody is equal. For example, let&#8217;s take the situation of video. Some people are just absolutely fabulous at working with video. You know, they&#8217;ve got the software, they&#8217;re familiar with it, they can make the whole presentation look really slick and all of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other people may be new to writing that. Other people may not have written text too much before, and they may not have too much confidence about that. So I&#8217;m just wondering if you&#8217;ve got any guard rails around the project. You mentioned that people inspect the content that&#8217;s being offered, in order to make sure it&#8217;s of a certain quality.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you do with content that doesn&#8217;t live up to what you&#8217;d hoped for? Content that maybe needs to be redone, to be improved, to be rewritten. Are there processes in hand to sort of help people who are beginning, who maybe need that little bit of extra support to get them over the hurdles in order to get that content live?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:31] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Firstly, we have a detailed guide on our handbook about how you can create a tutorial. As your question is very interesting, in a few months back, Jonathan Bossenger, he was our video tutorial content creator. What he did, he just wrote some script, and it was some like a cohort kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote a script, other volunteer recorded him, recorded that script. And with collaboration of both, they created a masterpiece, and they published in a collaboration video. Jonathan&#8217;s video creation expertise helped other volunteer to master the skill.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So others volunteer also learn about the video creation. Like this, many other team members are willing to help a new contributors, or other people who are not that much expert in this video creation. But they can learn from others. There are many other video tutorials available on our Learn WordPress website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And our mentors are also there, who help them by one on one call to guide them about what recording tool they can use, what speed they can use. And after they have completed their recording, they can submit their recording on our Slack channel or something. So other content editors then review and provide their feedback, so they can improve also.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> There are procedures in place to support and help people who may feel that their contributions need a little bit of help. You&#8217;ve given a good example there of Jonathan Bossenger willing to help people up the standard of their videos. So yeah, that&#8217;s really nice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were to submit, let&#8217;s say a piece of video, are there minimum criteria in terms of things like, let&#8217;s take the topic of accessibility for example? Obviously video is available for some people, but there&#8217;s a subset of the population who are unable to access that video. Do you have guidance around things like transcriptions and things like that? If you submit certain types of content, do you have to then be mindful of things like accessibility or other topics before things get published?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:40] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> We take accessibility very seriously. Every video tutorial is followed by transcript. You can find easily transcript under video.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:50] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> And so presumably, that&#8217;s another role which needs to be fulfilled. If you are able to listen to a video and transcribe it, that&#8217;s yet another portion of the work which needs to be done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:02] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Every video tutorial is followed by transcripts. And there are three or four video editors available. They review the transcript, the video quality and what the video is going to explain to our learners, or our targeted audience. So yeah, there is a whole team and process works around.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So accessibility is not an issue in the content. And if some people find any accessibility issue under Learn WordPress content, they can easily reach out to us under our Slack channel or our GitHub issue. Anywhere they can reach out to us and ask about yeah, I&#8217;m having that certain issue and, can you please help me with that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we can have in our mind about, yeah, this kind of scenario is also available and we need to work on it also. There is a checklist available where we check every single point before publishing the content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you so much. I&#8217;m just wondering about translations as well. Now, you did touch on this a few minutes ago, but I just want to drill down on that a little bit. Presumably this work also needs to be, not just transcribed, but translated into some other languages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, again, let&#8217;s just highlight that there are opportunities there if you speak a language other than English. There are opportunities to take these materials and get them taken over into a whole variety of different languages. So that&#8217;s some important work, I would guess as well, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:28] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. Many content is already available, and for that we are looking for volunteers who can help us in translating text based content, and video content as well. So that can be reached out to wider audience, so they can easily learn in their language. That said, learning in your own language is very much easier.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, indeed. Okay, so we&#8217;ll just round it off. I&#8217;ve got a few more questions just to sort of round it off. But the first one is around the way that this content sticks around and for how long. So, for example, we mentioned earlier that some pieces of content need to be updated all the time. Full site editing would be a perfect example, you know, the language changes, the words that we use to describe certain things change, the whole UI changes from time to time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I&#8217;m just wondering, how much of the work is not new work, but is going back and checking that the things which are already published are in fact up to date? So just going through the materials, checking, making sure that in the situation where, I don&#8217;t know, full site editing was mentioned, it&#8217;s now changed to site editing so that everybody&#8217;s got the right data.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:35] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. There are basically two processes. First process is our team faculty members, they review or they audit the content. For example 6.4, there was a dedicated two faculty members, Courtney PK and Courtney Robertson. They reviewed the issues, the features that is going to be included in 6.4.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>They map with our already published content. And they filtered out like, yeah, these issues are outdated, and these lesson plans and video tutorials, we need to update. They made a list, and that issues list is available on GitHub. So from that list, our volunteers come and pick a issue to work on it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is the first process. And the second process, people are eager to learn about full site editing. For example, like they are learning our full site editing course, they are taking our full site editing course. And they found it like, yeah, their full site editing is now site editing. So they reported that issue in GitHub. And our faculty members reviewed it, and just gone through the course and updated the content. So that&#8217;s how the updates work for learn content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:41] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Obviously, if somebody was to commit a fairly large amount of their time to this, or even just a small amount of their time, it would be nice to know that your endeavors were appreciated, that the people that you were working with were a nice bunch. And I know this is a bit of a bizarre question, but I&#8217;m just keen to drill down into that a little bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>How does that team feel to you? You know, is it a nice place to be? Are they thoughtful individuals that you would regard as friends? Because I think a lot of people in the WordPress space would regard many of the people that they collide with as friends after a period of time. And so rather than the work being a chore, oh goodness I have to go and translate this piece of Learn material, it might be that you, you know, you relish it and you enjoy it because you interact with, what have become good friends in a nice environment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:29] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. When we contribute we met so many new people, networking happens. We work together with many experts. And by the time we will make friends. If I talk about myself, I have so many friends across the globe, by just contributing to the training team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, like Courtney Robertson, Hauwa Abashiya. With these people, I&#8217;m working with them every week or every few days. So, it was like creating a connection with them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh that&#8217;s lovely. I mean it really is, my experience at least anyway, is that many of the people that I have interacted with in the WordPress project, have become really dear friends, and it&#8217;s really nice to know that&#8217;s the case for you as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So there&#8217;s a lot of work to be done. There are lots of areas which need work. Lots of different skills which you can acquire, or bring to bear on this work. So I guess the next thing we need to know is, where do we, sign up? Where would be the best place to go if we&#8217;re curious about taking this further?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pooja, I wonder if you could just, I don&#8217;t know, dig out a URL, or name a page which we could Google. Some of the good places to begin that journey.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:34] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Begin journey with Learn WordPress. You can go to make.wordpress.org/training. That is official team blog, where all the discussion happens. Under this there is a handbook page available that is a detailed step by step guide available to help you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another one is learn.wordpress.org website. There is content available in the video, and text format that helps you learn about the training team, and about the WordPress as well. There are good places where people can learn about the team, and they can join and contribute as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you so much. I spoke with you just before we hit record on this particular episode, and you mentioned that from the previous episode, you&#8217;d been contacted by some people who wished to communicate with you about that subject. So we&#8217;ve got this different subject.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m wondering if you wouldn&#8217;t mind telling us where we can find you personally. If people want to speak with you directly about this and get some more knowledge about your own experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:33] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Yes. I&#8217;m available on Make WordPress Slack. My profile username is webtechpooja, and they can find me on Twitter. They can find my handle is Pooja Derashri. They can also find me on LinkedIn, by the same name Pooja Derashri handle.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:48] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Well Pooja, thank you so much for talking to us today about your experience with the Learn and Training teams behind WordPress. Really appreciate you coming on the podcast and talking to us today. Thank you so much.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:00] <strong>Pooja Derashri:</strong> Thank you for having me Nathan. So I can share my journey and about the training team.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtechpooja/\">Pooja Derashri</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pooja is a co-founder of <a href=\"https://wpvibes.com/\">WPVibes</a>, a plugin development company based in India. With a passion for WordPress, Pooja has been actively involved in the community since 2013. Her journey as a contributor began in 2017, when she attended her first local WordCamp. Her expertise and dedication have earned her various key roles in the WordPress ecosystem. She currently serves as a co-team rep for the training team and GTE for the Hindi locale. In addition, she holds key positions in the WordPress release squad for versions 6.3 and 6.4, where she heads up the test team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pooja was on the podcast a few weeks ago talking about diversity, but this time the focus is on creating learning materials for WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We begin by discussing Pooja&#8217;s background and her involvement with the training team. She shares how she stumbled upon the training team during a WordCamp event and got started by finding a simple spelling mistake in a lesson plan. From there, she became more involved with the training team and gradually took on roles such as reviewing code and leading the test team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get into the importance of training materials in helping new users understand and navigate the WordPress platform, highlighting the Learn WordPress website. Pooja emphasises that contributions to the training team can be as small as reviewing existing content or as involved as creating new lessons or video tutorials.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re curious about how to get started with the training team, Pooja explains the comprehensive onboarding program available in the team&#8217;s handbook. Additionally, there&#8217;s a mentorship guide program for one-on-one guidance for new contributors. Whether you have a few minutes or several hours to spare each week, there&#8217;s a place for everyone to make a start.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key topic of the discussion is the need to keep the training materials up to date, as WordPress is a dynamic and ever-evolving software. Pooja explains the team&#8217;s process of reviewing and updating content, particularly in light of new WordPress releases and frequent changes in terminology.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also talk about the importance of translations, introducing the opportunity for contributors to help with translating materials into different languages, making WordPress accessible to a global audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards the end Pooja highlights the supportive and collaborative nature of the training team. She shares her experience of making friends and connections across the globe while contributing to the team. There&#8217;s a sense of community and camaraderie among the contributors, making it an enjoyable journey for all involved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re curious about helping others learn WordPress, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/95-pooja-derashri-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-in-wordpress\">#95 – Pooja Derashri on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in WordPress</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wpvibes.com/\">WPVibes</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/\">Learn WordPress</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp Ahmedabad</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/handbook/\">Training Handbook</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/\">Make WordPress Training</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/\">Learn WordPress</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtechpooja/\">Pooja&#8217;s WordPress Profile</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/PoojaDerashri/\">Pooja&#8217;s on Twitter</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/pooja-derashri/\">Pooja on LinkedIn</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional links supplied by Pooja.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Onboarding session for new contributors &#8211; <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/handbook/getting-started/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https://make.wordpress.org/training/handbook/getting-started/</a><br />Team blog &#8211; <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https://make.wordpress.org/training/</a><br />Slack channel &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RW657Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RW657Q</a><br />Github Repository &#8211; <a href=\"https://github.com/wordpress/learn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https://github.com/wordpress/learn</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>People Pooja mentioned in podcast:<br /></strong>Courtney Robertson &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U02RQ0375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Courtney</a><br />Courtney P. K. &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U0L4J5SH0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Courtney P.K.</a><br />Chetan Prajapati &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U2TPPR7U4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Chetan Prajapati</a><br />Sarah &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U026C1QRXE1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Sarah (She/Her)</a><br />Hauwa Abashiya &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/UD5V51YSD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Hauwa Abashiya</a><br />Destiny Kanno &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U02AZ6T2BRT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Destiny</a><br />Benjamin Evans &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U0381D1Q1RU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Ben Evans</a><br />Jonathan Bossenger &#8211; <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/team/U0AHNQ65V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@Jonathan</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"Do The Woo Community: The Backstory of the New Woo Branding with David Callaway\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78575\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://dothewoo.io/the-backstory-of-the-new-woo-branding-with-david-callaway/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:398:\"<p>David Callaway from Woo.com joins BobWP as they take a deeper dive into the latest WooCommerce branding.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/the-backstory-of-the-new-woo-branding-with-david-callaway/\">The Backstory of the New Woo Branding with David Callaway</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:27:57 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:31;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"Do The Woo Community: All Things WordPress 6.4 with Anne McCarthy and Bud Kraus\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78565\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://dothewoo.io/all-things-wordpress-6-4-with-anne-mccarthy-and-bud-kraus/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:432:\"<p>Anne McCarthy and Bud Kraus join Abha for a chat about the earlier release of WordPress 6.4 filled with insights and experiences from all.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/all-things-wordpress-6-4-with-anne-mccarthy-and-bud-kraus/\">All Things WordPress 6.4 with Anne McCarthy and Bud Kraus</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:50:21 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"BuddyPress: BuddyPress 12.0.0 Release Candidate\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:32:\"https://buddypress.org/?p=332047\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"https://buddypress.org/2023/11/buddypress-12-0-0-release-candidate/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5646:\"<p>The <a href=\"https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.12.0.0-RC1.zip\">first release candidate (RC1)</a> for BuddyPress 12.0.0 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This version of the BuddyPress software is a development version</strong>. Please do not install, run, or test this version of BuddyPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate 12.0.0-RC1 on a test server and site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains vital to ensure that everything in BuddyPress 12.0.0 is the best it can be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test WordPress 12.0.0-RC1 in four ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Try the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-beta-tester/\">BP Beta Tester</a>&nbsp;plugin.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.12.0.0-RC1.zip\">Download the release candidate here (zip file)</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check out our SVN repository:&nbsp;<code>svn co https://buddypress.svn.wordpress.org/trunk/</code></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clone our read-only Git repository:&nbsp;<code>git clone git://buddypress.git.wordpress.org/</code></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The current target for the BuddyPress 12.0.0 release is&nbsp;<strong>December 6, 2023</strong>. Get an overview of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://buddypress.org/tag/12-0-0/\">12.0.0 release cycle</a>, and check the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://bpdevel.wordpress.com/\">BP Development updates blog</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href=\"https://bpdevel.wordpress.com/tag/12-0-0/\">12.0.0 related posts</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s new in 12.0.0-RC1 ?</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>We made three new improvements to the BP Nouveau template pack:\n<ul>\n<li>Member and Group loop entries are now more consistent (see <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/9025\">#9025</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A group&#8217;s excerpt in a loop is now &#8220;really&#8221; truncating the Group&#8217;s description when it exceeds 225 characters (see <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/9024\">#9024</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>We have made the member&#8217;s cover header action buttons behave more consistently (see <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/9023\">#9023</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n\n\n\n<li>We also added other improvements to this template pack to welcome the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentyfour/\">Twenty Twenty-Four</a> WordPress theme, including a new Priority Navigation feature (See <a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/9030\">#9030</a>).</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12.0.0 Highlights</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The BP Rewrites API&nbsp;(a&nbsp;massive change!)</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Site Administrators now have a full control over&nbsp;<strong>all</strong>&nbsp;BuddyPress-generated URLs. They can choose slugs (portions of URLs) that reflect their community, using localized language or special terms that are more meaningful to their members.&nbsp;<strong>All</strong>&nbsp;also means that URLs generated by third-party BuddyPress Add-ons using the BP Rewrites API will be editable.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>BuddyPress is fully compatible with plain URL permalinks.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parsing BuddyPress URLs is&nbsp;<strong>faster</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>more reliable, extensible, testable and fully compliant</strong>&nbsp;with WordPress best practices.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please note that if some of your BP plugins are not ready yet for this new API we have you covered thanks to this <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-classic/\">backwards compatibility plugin</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A new community visibility level: Members only</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the BP Rewrites API, we were able to give site admins a choice as to whether their community should be fully public or only accessible by logged-in members. In future versions, we hope to add granularity to this choice, so that community administrators can choose to highlight their members but share activities only inside the community “gates” for example.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ways to contribute</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>BuddyPress is open source software made possible by a community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get involved in testing</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing for issues is critical to developing the software and ensuring its quality. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have coding experience or not.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>If you think you’ve found a bug</strong>, you can share it with us replying to this&nbsp;<a href=\"https://buddypress.org/support/topic/lets-prepare-the-buddypress-12-0-0-next-major-release/\">support topic</a>&nbsp;or if you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/\">file one on BuddyPress Trac</a></em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate BuddyPress</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English?&nbsp;<a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/buddypress/\">Help us translate BuddyPress into as many languages as possible!</a>&nbsp;This release also marks the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#string-freeze\">string freeze</a>&nbsp;point of the 12.0.0 release schedule.</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:58:23 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Mathieu Viet\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"WordPress.org blog: WP Briefing: Episode 67: Openverse &amp; Photo Directory Rewind\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=podcast&p=16454\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/11/openverse-photo-directory-rewind/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11665:\"<p>WordPress Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, returns to a recent episode of the WordPress Briefing, which discussed two resources for openly licensed media in the WordPress project– Openverse and Photo Directory– and how they differ from one another! </p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Have a question you&#8217;d like answered? You can submit them to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:wpbriefing@wordpress.org\">wpbriefing@WordPress.org</a>, either written or as a voice recording.</strong></em></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credits</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Host: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a><br />Editor: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dustinhartzler/\">Dustin Hartzler</a><br />Logo: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/javiarce/\">Javier Arce</a><br />Production: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bjmcsherry/\">Brett McSherry</a><br />Song: Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/photos/\">Photo Directory Make Page</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/submit/\">Submit a Photo to the Photo Directory</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/\">Openverse Make Page</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/44496\">Openverse Call for Contributions: Block Editor Integration</a> (now closed)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Small List of Big Things</strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/11/state-of-the-word-2023-madrid-spain/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State of the Word</a>&nbsp;&#8211; The countdown is on for this year&#8217;s State of the Word! If you missed the initial announcement a few weeks ago, you&#8217;ll want to mark your calendars for December 11, 2023. State of the Word will include a Q&amp;A session. If you want to participate, you can send your question to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:ask-matt@wordcamp.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ask-matt@wordcamp.org</a>&nbsp;or ask during the event via the Q&amp;A app Slido. A QR code for your submission will be provided during the event live stream.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>WordCamp Asia has <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2024/call-for-sponsors-extended-to-november-30th/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extended their call for sponsors</a>, slated to take place in Taipei, Taiwan, March 7-9, 2024. The new deadline has been extended to November 30, 2023.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Documentation Team created a new GitHub repo for end-user documentation and its translations to all locales. More info about this can be found&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2023/09/06/documentation-translation-localization/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcripts</h2>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-16454\"></span>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Hello everyone. And welcome to the WordPress Briefing. The podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Here we go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:28] (Intro music)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:40] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Today, we&#8217;re going to take a listen to last year&#8217;s episode about Openverse and the Photo Directory. A lot has changed in that project, well in, in both of those projects since then. For instance, the Photo Directory just passed a 10,000 photo milestone. And Openverse, in the past year, got their own URL and have been hard at work strengthening the reliability of their APIs.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:03] <strong>Josepha:</strong> But for some folks, it might still be a little unclear just what the difference is between these two projects. So let&#8217;s take a listen, and don&#8217;t forget to catch the updated small list of big things at the end of the episode.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:13] (Music interlude)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:21] <strong>Josepha:</strong> About 18 months ago, the Openverse project became part of the WordPress open source project, and at roughly the same time, we also welcomed in the Photo Directory.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since that time, we&#8217;ve seen growth of teams supporting both of these initiatives. But if you&#8217;re not involved in the day-to-day, it can be hard to know how those two things fit together or if they fit together at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:41] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Today, let&#8217;s take a brief tour of those two projects and why they came to be.&nbsp;In my timeline, work on the Photo Directory started before the work on Openverse, so that&#8217;s where we&#8217;ll start.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For as long as I can remember, the WordPress community has raised the need for WordPress-first ways to have and host GPL-compatible photos for use in themes, site builds, and marketing efforts as a whole. As recently as 2016, that was still coming up as a question at various flagship events and among the career photographers that contribute their time to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:02:13] <strong>Josepha:</strong> So, in 2017 and 2018, as attention started to turn toward rebuilding the CMS using blocks, it dropped down the list of priority items. But it never really went away as a thing that people were hoping we could do for the project as a whole. So in 2019, it was becoming clear that having open source-first tools of all varieties for people whose businesses were built on our software would help broaden the availability of the open source freedoms we believe in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This began the work on the Photo Directory with the intention of providing a GPL-friendly, community-driven repository of images. It has since launched, and we have photos in it now. We have a whole team around it. It&#8217;s wonderful. But that is how that all kind of came to be.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:02:58] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Openverse, on the other hand, was launched as CC Search in 2019 with the laudable mandate to increase the discoverability and accessibility of open access media.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Late in 2020, while work on the Photo Directory was underway, Matt shared with me that the team was looking for a new project home. When I first met with them, they shared an overview of the product, which they shorthanded as an open source search engine that searches openly licensed images. We were working on a repo of openly licensed images, so clearly, this was all written in the stars. And so you might be asking yourself at this point, great, how does it work together?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think for most of us, the timeline there kind of covers the question of what is the difference between these two things.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But because I never know which of you will want to strike up a conversation about open source on an elevator, I&#8217;ve also got the elevator pitch version as well.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:52] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Openverse is an open source search engine that searches, indexes, and aggregates copy left media from across the web using sources such as WordPress&#8217;s Photo Directory, Flickr&#8217;s CC Tagged Media, and Wikimedia, to name just a few.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another key difference between the Photo Directory and Openverse is that in order to contribute to the Photo Directory, now that it&#8217;s all built, that&#8217;s mostly done by submitting photos or reviewing photos. So, you don&#8217;t really need to be a developer to join in.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Openverse not only is a developer-centric contribution opportunity, but it also uses a different tech stack than WordPress as a whole. So, it&#8217;s a good place for folks to go if they&#8217;re looking to broaden their horizons.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:37] <strong>Josepha:</strong> So that&#8217;s your elevator pitch of what is Openverse and how does it use the Photo Directory.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have a couple of ways that you can get involved with these two projects. For the Photo Directory, as I mentioned at the start, you can always contribute photos, and they could always use more photo contributions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll include a link to the submission guidelines in the show notes below, and as I mentioned, it is a no-code way to give back to the WordPress project. So, no code is required, no development environments, no testing skills. The Photo Directory team also could always use more contributors to help with the moderating of photo submissions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so I&#8217;ll link to their making WordPress page in the show notes as well so that you can get started there.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:22] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And as I mentioned before, Openverse is an aggregator, so it doesn&#8217;t host any media itself, but it is always accepting suggestions for new GPL-compatible media providers. I&#8217;ll link the area where you can leave suggestions in the show notes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you are more code-inclined, there&#8217;s an open issue for adding Openverse browsing to the block editor right now.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I&#8217;ll link that issue in the show notes in case you thought to yourself, gosh, that sounds like my most favorite thing to do. That is where you can go.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:53] (Music interlude)&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:01] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And that brings us now to our November 2023 small list of big things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:07] <strong>Josepha:</strong> The first thing that&#8217;s on the small list of big things this week is that the countdown is on for this year&#8217;s State of the Word. If you missed the initial announcement a few weeks ago, you&#8217;ll want to mark your calendars for December 11th, 2023. State of the Word will include a Q&amp;A session, and if you want to participate, you can send your question to ask-matt@wordcamp.org.&nbsp;Or, ask during the event via the Q&amp;A app Slido. A QR code for your submission will be provided during the event live stream, so if you&#8217;re choosing that option, don&#8217;t worry; there&#8217;s not anything to do right this second.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:40] <strong>Josepha:</strong> The second thing on the list is that WordCamp Asia has extended their call for sponsors for the conference that is slated to take place in Taipei, Taiwan, March 7th through 9th, 2024. The new deadline has been extended to November 30th, 2023, and so if you have been on the fence about whether to sponsor that event or not, for one, please do sponsor it, and for two, you still have a little bit of time to get over there and show your support.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:05] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And then the last thing on the small list of big things is that the documentation team now has a new GitHub repo created for end-user documentation and its translations into all locales. For more information about this, come check out the show notes. I will have a link right there for you. And that, my friends, is your small list of big things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:26] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on your favorite podcast app or subscribe directly on WordPress.org/news. You&#8217;ll get a friendly reminder whenever there&#8217;s a new episode. If you liked what you heard today, share it with a fellow WordPresser. Or, if you have questions about what you heard, you can share those with me at wpbriefing@WordPress.org. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Thanks for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing, and I&#8217;ll see you again in a couple of weeks.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:51] (Music outro)</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Brett McSherry\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"Do The Woo Community: Meetups and State of the Word Watch Parties with Devin Maeztri\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78556\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"https://dothewoo.io/meetups-and-state-of-the-word-watch-parties-with-devin-maeztri/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:432:\"<p>Devin Maeztri joins us as a new host and shares more about meetups and how to put together a State of the Word 2023 watch party.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/meetups-and-state-of-the-word-watch-parties-with-devin-maeztri/\">Meetups and State of the Word Watch Parties with Devin Maeztri</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:104:\"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog #93 – Gutenberg 17.1, Command Palette, Data Views and Grid Layout\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?post_type=podcast&p=26509\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:116:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-93-gutenberg-17-1-command-palette-data-views-and-grid-layout/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64615:\"<p>In this episode, Isabel Brison and Birgit Pauli-Haack discuss Gutenberg 17.1, the Command Palette, experimental Data Views and Grid Layout</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-69-gutenberg-releases-wordpress-6-0-1-the-create-block-theme/#shownotes\">Show Notes</a> / <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-69-gutenberg-releases-wordpress-6-0-1-the-create-block-theme/#transcript\">Transcript</a></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Music:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://soundcloud.com/xirclebox\">Homer Gaines</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-reed/\">Sandy Reed</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://markuraine.com/\">Mark Uraine</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://icodeforapurpose.com\">Birgit Pauli-Haack</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size\" id=\"shownotes\"><strong>Show Notes</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special guest: Isabel Brison </h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>GitHub <a href=\"https://github.com/tellthemachines\">@tellthemachines</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>WordPress <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/isabel_brison/\">@isabel_brison</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>X (former Twitter) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ijayessbe\">@ijayessbe</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/11/getting-started-with-the-command-palette-api/\">Getting started with the Command Palette API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/11/20/design-share-nov-6-nov-17/\">Design Share: Nov 6-Nov 17</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/22/plugin-directory-preview-button-revisited/\">Plugin Directory: Preview button revisited</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/\">What’s new in Gutenberg 17.1 (22 November)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/11/whats-new-for-developers-november-2023/\">What’s new for developers? (November 2023)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/49018#top\">Try adding a grid layout type</a>#49018</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/56237#top\">Dataview: media view</a>#56237</li>\n\n\n\n<li>GitHub Label <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/labels/%5BFeature%5D%20Data%20Views\"><strong>[Feature] Data Views</strong></a></li>\n\n\n\n<li></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Stay in Touch</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul>\n<li>Did you like this episode? <a href=\"https://lovethepodcast.com/gutenbergchangelog\"><strong>Please write us a review </strong></a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ping us on Twitter or send DMs with questions. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gutenbergtimes\">@gutenbergtimes </a>and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph\">@bph</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>If you have questions or suggestions, or news you want us to include, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. </em></li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Please write us a review on iTunes! <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/itunes/\">(Click here to learn how)</a></em></li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\" id=\"transcript\"><strong>Transcript</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Hello, and welcome to our 93rd episode of the Gutenberg Changelog podcast. In today&#8217;s episode, we will talk about Gutenberg 17.1, the command palette, data views, grid layouts. A lot of good things. I&#8217;m your host, Birgit Pauli-Haack, curator at the Gutenberg Times and a full-time core contributor for the WordPress Open Source project sponsored by Automattic&#8217;s Five for the Future Program.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wow, that&#8217;s a mouthful. I&#8217;m so happy to have Isabel Brison with me. She&#8217;s a JavaScript developer at Automattic, working on Gutenberg as a core contributor. Editor co-lead for 6.3. WordPress 6.3 release in August. And also, she mentored the cohort editor tech and triage for 6.4, which just came out at the beginning of November. So, greetings to Sydney, Australia. How are you today, Isabel?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Hi. Hello. Very good. Just getting towards the evening, end of the day here. And yeah. Doing pretty well. Thanks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. Excellent. Yeah. Well, I just got up. Just so everybody knows, we are an around the globe operation here. And it&#8217;s now 9:30 on November 24th in Europe. And Isabelle, it&#8217;s about 7 o&#8217;clock at your place?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, it&#8217;s 7:30 here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: 7:30. Yeah. So, let&#8217;s get started. We have a lot of things to talk about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community Contributions &#8211; Command Palette</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: But first we have &#8230; Before we go into the changelog of the latest Gutenberg plugin, let&#8217;s talk about other things that happen in the community. The first one is Justin Tadlock published a tutorial on how to create your own commands with the command API. It&#8217;s an introductory tutorial, and it shows you how to create &#8230; If you want to open up the Experiments page, you can do this with a plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you put all the commands in one plugin, and then you activate it. And then, you have command for opening the Experiments page. Or it also has toggle the panel command or toggle the user preference commands. And the last one is also toggle the panel command, but it has some additional sidebar notices in there. Not sidebar. Snack bar. Snack bar are the ones that are on the bottom of screen. So, you know, &#8220;Okay, something happened.&#8221; Sometimes, with a command palette, sometimes, you don&#8217;t get a notification back, something happened. So, adding the snack bar notices is also in the tutorial. So, this is a great way to get started. And there is an advanced article to come, as well, to use command loaders to have additional or a little bit more, how would I say, functionality with it without just opening up and down certain features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. This is pretty cool because, I guess, you can open any page. You can open setting &#8230; You can toggle settings from it. And say you&#8217;re a plugin. You could potentially add a command to the palette where you can direct people to your plugin page.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, for own plugin. Of course, yeah. You can add that as an additional feature to your plugin to provide also commands for the command palette. I think that&#8217;s really cool. I&#8217;m waiting for the point, but I&#8217;m always waiting. I&#8217;m waiting to the point where I can daisy chain those commands, so certain workflows can happen on key press with the shortcut. Yeah. So, I can say, &#8220;Okay. Now, give me a separator block and use that particular variation.&#8221; And it would save me three clicks on the mouse on a weekend edition that has, I don&#8217;t know, 15 sidebars in there. So, it will be quite a saving, but yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, workflows. That would be pretty cool. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s &#8230; I think that&#8217;s part of the idea for the command palette later on, maybe. Yeah. Or maybe that&#8217;s plugin territory. We&#8217;ll see what comes out of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I was just thinking and just wildly speculating here, but with all the talk about AI that&#8217;s been happening in the past 12 months or so, you can imagine that that would be a flow where you could just &#8230; In the future, you would be able to just open it up and go, &#8220;Oh, give me this, that, and that.&#8221; And your AI assistant would pull it up like a bunch of translate what you said into blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, yeah. You could certainly use that search box on the command palette also to create AI commands, and then what comes back in the lower section of the command palette would be some cool stuff. Yeah, some pictures that you were looking for or some &#8230; Oh yeah, some summaries or text or translations. Yeah. Yeah. Let&#8217;s wildly speculate on the command palette for &#8230; I love it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, Joen Asmussen, who is part of the WordPress design team, has published his Design Shares that is just showcasing the things that the team is working on or has been working on in the last two weeks. If you want to follow the design make blog, you will get notifications every two weeks and to see what&#8217;s going on, because the design team not only makes things pretty, it also thinks through some of the workflow and some of the, &#8220;How should this work, and how does the interface work with that?&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, you get a glimpse into the future for certain things. And he starts out with the sticky table elements. That&#8217;s for the data views or the admin list views. That&#8217;s how the header column and pagination, and also that the data inside each cell&#8217;s always integrated and the pagination is locked in the same position.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, then, also, to new and URL popover, tightening up the user interface. They&#8217;re working out, also, on the open source audio component for the Creative Commons site, which looks really nice. I really like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And then, some great iterations over a dropdown menu. That is a new component, and you can follow along that and you see what kind of details the team is working on for any of those interface components that not only power Gutenberg or the plug editor, but also are used by plugin developers for their own interfaces if they choose so. So, this is definitely a great insight into how much work and thought goes into some of the interfaces.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, definitely. And dropdowns are such a hard area. It&#8217;s so hard to get right. And I mean, speaking from the experience developing in Gutenberg for years, and there have been so many problems with the popover component positioning, and there is so many bugs that we&#8217;ve had to fix. So, I&#8217;m really looking forward to the next iteration of dropdowns, and especially with these flyovers &#8230; I mean, a way of making the dropdowns when they&#8217;re nested easier to navigate. I think that&#8217;s really important.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah. And it&#8217;s not only for menus. It&#8217;s for all kinds of interfaces that come in and out of the sidebars and from the top bar and all that. So, yeah. That&#8217;s definitely some great work that we can see there. They also worked on a range date picker. That&#8217;s more for plugins? I&#8217;m not quite sure. Yeah. The range picker is something that you get when you book a flight or a hotel where you say, &#8220;Okay, I go from November 11 to December 13,&#8221; and you have the range to pick. It&#8217;s an initial sketch and, yeah, it&#8217;s definitely something plugin can &#8230; I don&#8217;t know. I&#8217;m really having a hard time picking where in Gutenberg that might be helpful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, I was trying to think where we deal with dates. I mean, post publishing doesn&#8217;t usually need a range, so I&#8217;m wondering if there&#8217;s &#8230; Oh, no, actually &#8230; So, possibly, because I think maybe that will have someplace in the data views where &#8230; Again, I&#8217;m wildly speculating here, but I imagine with &#8230; Because there&#8217;s a fair amount of thinking being done around how to actually make the data views be good to organize data and to organize content. And so, potentially, you&#8217;d think you might be able, at some point, to pick, say, a range of posts from this date to that date or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Right. Yeah. Would make sense. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: And then, having a range date picker could be useful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. It could be useful for bulk edits, for instance, or just for viewing, say, &#8220;Okay, all the posts around Thanksgiving, give them a Thanksgiving kind of tag&#8221; or something like that. Yeah. Bulk things. Yeah. But yeah, you&#8217;re right. Yeah, that could be for some of the admin components. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, the styles panel where &#8230; There&#8217;s an interesting iteration of the styles panel work where you can have it all on the left-hand side of the site editor. And right now, the style work is all on the right-hand side of the editor, but now you have a middle column between the content and the menu where you can edit or change the colors and the font and this kind of thing. So, that&#8217;s a nice iteration. We&#8217;ll see how far that gets into the editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I see that this styles panel &#8230; This is referring to what, in my head, I still call global styles.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And it&#8217;s also a combination between the global styles as you know it and the style book. And then, have the sidebar on the left-hand side, so it has more connection between which entity you are actually editing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Because right now, on the left-hand sidebar, we have, in the site editor, we have a style section that allows you, if the theme has style variations, to pick a theme style variation. So, that&#8217;s &#8230; It&#8217;s weird that we have the styles on that side, and then we have the global styles on the other side. So, yeah. Potentially, it would be nice to have everything in one place.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And especially about the style variations &#8230; Once you have your theme selected and you select the style variations, then it&#8217;s too prominent in the menu because you don&#8217;t need it anymore. It can be hidden for something until you need it again. And I think that&#8217;s also part of the rethinking how the left menu items work in terms of order of importance or context sensitive. I don&#8217;t know. These are some of the thinking behind that. And it comes through some of the GitHub issues where say, &#8220;Hmm. Yeah. Shouldn&#8217;t we be smarter, or shouldn&#8217;t the system be smarter to hide that when you don&#8217;t need it anymore?&#8221; But that mind reading business is such a hard…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison:</em> Oh, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: &#8230; such a hard tour.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Mind reading? Very hard, very hard. Even with AI.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And then, we are still in the design shares by Joen, and he also has a link for the events redesign. There&#8217;s &#8230; under the community section where the meetups and the WordPress, the WordCamps &#8230; they&#8217;re working on an events page or events section that is a little bit more modern than what we have right now. And it&#8217;s a nice iteration, and it&#8217;s really coming together. So, yeah. The community team is working very hard with the design team to get this done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, there is a mockup. We found a mockup for something that was actually missing in the site editor, that &#8230; these are the settings around the homepage that are in the general settings, but actually totally removed from all the homepage templates, kind of thing, so &#8230; and page edits. So, this is going to &#8230; might be &#8230; It&#8217;s a quick mockup to bring those settings in also into the site editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah. So, those were Design Shares. And I always like to do &#8230; Go in there and look at it even for &#8230; Well, and this was the first, again, that we did it on the podcast because, of course, it&#8217;s visual and, on the podcast, you don&#8217;t see anything. We can&#8217;t show it to you. But I really urge you to, of course, share the link in the show notes. But take a look at that. It&#8217;s really very interesting for me and exciting. And when you follow every two weeks, you get an idea of where things are going and what people are working on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, the last thing I wanted to point out for you, dear listeners, is that the plugin directory &#8230; About six weeks ago, there was this little kerfuffle that there was a live preview button enabled on the plugin directory, but it wouldn&#8217;t work for all plugins. And what it does, it opens up the WordPress playground, installs the plugin so a user can actually test out the plugin in a live environment without having to set up a test site or put it on their production site or any of that. So, it&#8217;s a really cool feature in my view.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Alex Shiels, who&#8217;s a longtime member of the Meta Team, enabled it, and it was actually a smart move because, within a day or so, he had all the feedback he needed to take it down again and revamp it, and then come out with it in a way that the plugin developers can work with it. And on the Meta blog, he just published that the preview button is now available for plugin developers, for the plugin maintainers to create a blueprint file on what is all needed for the test site, for the playground to be a good test site for that plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they can test it out. They can configure the playground with a blueprint file. And then, once it fits our needs, they can opt in for themselves. And then, later on &#8230; That&#8217;s not yet implemented. They can open it up to their users. So, there&#8217;s a double opt-in for that feature, but it had all the &#8230; So, it&#8217;s all in the control of the plugin developer. But if you are a maintainer of the plugin developer, any feedback you have about this, leave it on the post. They&#8217;re very grateful for it to make this better and better and better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, absolutely. It&#8217;s a feature where you really need plugin developers to test it and make sure that it works for their use case because there are so many different types of plugins. And I think, from memory, one of the problems that was flagged initially was that some plugins have dependencies, so they don&#8217;t do anything in isolation, and having a preview just doesn&#8217;t work unless you can configure the proper environment to have that preview in. And so, I think that&#8217;s one of the features that have now been added is that each plugin developer can configure the optimal environment for their plugin to run it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Exactly. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: &#8230; which makes perfect sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, it has a few &#8230; So, the blueprint.JSON &#8230; It&#8217;s a JSON file that you can have the steps that the playground needs to make to be a good demo site, be it a plugin install, be it a open up &#8230; In the block editor, for instance, if it&#8217;s a block or a block editor feature to see it right away and not have to go through, &#8220;Okay, this is the admin. This is the login. This is &#8230;&#8221;. You get right to the point of it. It&#8217;s really neatly done. So, yeah. Check it out as a plugin developer. Again, it&#8217;s not yet open to the public.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s Released &#8211; Gutenberg 17.1<strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All right. This brings us to the section, what&#8217;s released. And right now, we&#8217;re talking about Gutenberg 17.1. Andre Maneiro was the release lead. And it has PRs from 55 contributors, three of them new. Yay. And they submitted about 200 PRs that are merged in this version.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andre writes, &#8220;The release includes several new enhancements, loads of bug fixes, and continued work on Phase 3.&#8221; The release post is, of course, in the show notes, and let&#8217;s just dive in. And yeah, say in the foreground though, it&#8217;s more quality of life and bug fixes than anything else apart from the data views. But we can talk about it a little bit later about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Enhancements</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the first item I have highlighted is that the template parts now have a fallback to the current theme when it&#8217;s not provided. So, that is just make it all a little bit more predictable and not running into errors or confusion for the user. So, if a template part &#8230; If a header isn&#8217;t &#8230; What is that exactly? So &#8230; Go ahead.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>:The template part. If there is a template part referred that doesn&#8217;t actually exist, then it will fall back to a default template? I didn&#8217;t actually read it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, that comes from the theme. Yeah. So &#8230;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I&#8217;m not sure how the internals work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. No, it&#8217;s the fallback is directly to the theme part that comes closest, pretty much. It&#8217;s a performance enhancement to make sure that searching for something that&#8217;s not there doesn&#8217;t slow things down. And now, the next one that I wanted to point out was that the site editor now also shows theme patterns from the directory, showing things from the directory. It wasn&#8217;t built into the site editor yet. It wasn&#8217;t the post editor. So, any post and pages. You were able to add things, point out to the &#8230; So, the theme has &#8230; In the theme JSON can point to patterns that are in the directory, and they would show up in the pattern section of the post editor, but they wouldn&#8217;t in the site editor, and that&#8217;s now fixed. Does that make sense?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, that&#8217;s great. Yeah, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So, for the theme, it means the theme developer doesn&#8217;t have to bundle all the patterns with theme if they put it up on the directory and then just can refer it to it with the slug. And that&#8217;s a nice way to do it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, that&#8217;s also &#8230; I mean, that can also be considered or &#8230; Maybe not performance enhancement in itself, but it does make things easier if you want to create a performance theme so you don&#8217;t have a dozen, or I don&#8217;t know, a hundred patterns bundled into the actual theme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. That&#8217;s true. Yeah. But, of course, they all need to follow the same mechanism. So, if you have more than one theme and you want to refer the same patterns in the directory, it also streamlines your processes a bit. So, there are a few things that are coming for the globalized revisions. So, revisions are something that were supposed to come into 6.4, but they didn&#8217;t make it because it was such a huge project that the two months of development time wasn&#8217;t enough. But it&#8217;s definitely slated for 6.5 and, now, there are improvements with every Gutenberg plugin release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, we have a consistent back button behavior and the scripted text timeline for the revisions. And also, it loads unsafe revision items in the revisions preview, even if you haven&#8217;t clicked on Save. So, that definitely helps you not losing content or changes. Those global style revisions are so useful, and I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing them in WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: So, there is a version of revisions. There&#8217;s a very basic global styles revisions already available in 6.4, which you can &#8230; From global styles or styles &#8230; I always call it global styles because styles is just so vague. Styles revisions. There&#8217;s a little section in here, and you can look at the revision history.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So, it was in 6.4, but not fully fledged out. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: You&#8217;re right. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: So, it&#8217;s ongoing. So, there&#8217;s a very basic version that&#8217;s been merged in 6.4. There is a lot more optimization, UI improvements, making the whole experience smoother that is still being worked on and due for 6.5.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I think the revisions on posts are so old. They don&#8217;t know anything about blocks. So, it&#8217;s really hard to make a good, informed decision on how that&#8217;s actually going to look visually when you have to show style. So, going from one place to the next and see how that fits in and does it work? I think it&#8217;s a longer iteration process than one would seem. And that &#8230; Yeah.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, totally. Because for the post edit &#8230; So, if you&#8217;re revising your content, if you&#8217;re looking at the revisions for posts, you still get that. Basically, it&#8217;s the classic WordPress admin interface where you see a diff of the content, but it appears in markup form and that gives you no clue. I mean, especially if you have a lot of blocks on the page and you&#8217;ve changed the attributes and you&#8217;ve changed the blocks. And you just have to go and read through all that markup, and there&#8217;s no way of seeing the difference visually, which is important when there&#8217;s a very visual-oriented tool, which is the block editor. So, yeah. That will be great. That&#8217;s still to come, being actively worked on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Then, the block editor has the button block got a simple thing, we would think, but it&#8217;s &#8230; because our muscle memory. So, now, if you use double enter, you skip to the default block and it doesn&#8217;t repeat the design of the other block. Is that what I&#8217;m reading there?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: There&#8217;s a keyboard shortcut for the button block. Yeah. So, buttons are interesting because, a while ago, it was decided that, if you change a style on a button &#8230; Say, if you change button to another style variation, you will probably want the next button to have the same style and you might not. So, the double enter thing. I&#8217;m not quite sure how it works because when you click enter from one button, you go into the next button, usually. Right? So, double enter.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: If you do double enter, it skips the styles and goes to a default block way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: But to a default button block? Is that what it does? Sorry. It&#8217;s just not very…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, double enter at the end of a button block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: &#8230; clear to figure out what it does.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: &#8230; moves back to the next line so you continue typing. Double enter in the middle of button blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isabel Brison: Oh, it takes you out of the button block. Oh. Oh, that&#8217;s brilliant. Yes. I see. Cool. Cool. So, it has nothing to do with the button styles. It&#8217;s all about making it easier to add another block that&#8217;s not a button after the button block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, that&#8217;s great. Yeah. Oh, I&#8217;m all for keyboard improvements all the time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Default block, not default button. I read it wrong. Yeah, I&#8217;m kind of &#8230; Yeah. Okay. That&#8217;s a really good behavior. And I knew it was something that I was actually expecting to be because we know it from the list view. We know it from the list block. We also know it from other blocks that, when you do double enter, you&#8217;re out of that whole inner block behavior, like the social blocks, and then you go out. And I just read it wrong all of a sudden.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, that is such a great improvement.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And it&#8217;s like &#8230; Some of the things where I say, &#8220;Why wasn&#8217;t it before?&#8221;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. Well, it&#8217;s an iterative process. Yeah, true. There are all these &#8230; And sometimes, it&#8217;s just tiny things make the experience so much better, but they&#8217;re not always obvious. And sometimes, they&#8217;re actually not very easy to implement. In this case, I don&#8217;t know. I didn&#8217;t actually look at the pull request for this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And a similar thing is actually the next one for the design tools where we get block gap support for the quote block. And so, now, it has a good layout support, and you can better control the spacing of the inner blocks. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Well, that one was actually easy to implement. I know because I like it myself. So, someone else did. So, another contributor submitted a pull request to add layout support to the quote block. This was Tomoki Shimo Mura. I hope I&#8217;m saying the name correctly. And so, that added basically support to the quote block, and that means that quote will automatically use the default block spacing. And that is good because it brings it in line with whatever the default theme block spacing is. So, it&#8217;ll have the same kind of spacing that other blocks have between them by default.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then, I and a few other contributors reviewed that pull request, and we started talking, &#8220;Well, what would be great would be to actually give explicit block spacing support to the block.&#8221; Because now that it is using the default block spacing, it would make sense that, if people want to change it, they have the control available. So, that was just sort of a little follow-up, and it was literally one-liner. Just adding support for block spacing…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, and this is…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: &#8230; which made sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: &#8230; blocks JSON? Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: So, now, you can change. So, now, by default, it will have whatever the default theme spacing, block spacing is. And if you want, you can go into your quote block, and you can change the spacing to make it bigger or smaller as you design.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Now, we get also &#8230; So, for the list view, we now have a keyboard shortcut to select all blocks. It follows the common keyboard shortcut for Select All. So, it&#8217;s either Command-A or Control-A. Command-A for Mac, and Control-A for Windows. To select all the blocks that are in the list view. And that&#8217;s really good, especially when you just hit delete and then gone!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Love a good keyboard shortcut. Command-A Delete. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New APIs</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And then, next one is actually a good thing. It sounds so technical, but it&#8217;s the Download blob: remove download js dependency. But what it actually does is &#8230; Found that when you export the patterns, the former reusable block being synced patterns now &#8230; When you export them and use the JSON to upload them, it works. But if you do this with other patterns, the synced patterns, somehow, it used the different JSON package, whatever, and it was malformed JSON. And now, they streamlined the same mechanism for both of the downloads and exports for the patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that was interesting experience that it was implemented in both, but then one implementation worked and the other didn&#8217;t. Now, we found out which one is the right one and streamlined it. Sometimes, it is a clear path forward on certain bugs, and sometimes it&#8217;s not. But this was clear.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. Oh, yeah. That&#8217;s good.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bug Fixes</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Speaking of patterns, now you can actually add embed blogs to your patterns, and they render correctly on the front end, which was &#8230; I think, even in the block editor, that wasn&#8217;t always a given that you could use a certain video in the patterns or a certain social post in the pattern. It would only display the link for that, but it didn&#8217;t process the embed. So, now, it does. And that&#8217;s a really good enhancement there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah, this brings it in line with templates. I guess patterns was one of the areas where it was probably one of, I guess, the last remaining area where embeds weren&#8217;t being processed because there&#8217;s already logic in place to process them in templates and widgets and things like that. So, this made perfect sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And now &#8230; Well, we are a travel from all the different things to all patterns, like template parts are patterns. Reusable blocks are patterns. Patterns are patterns. And people are working on the partially synced patterns. So, it&#8217;s all &#8230; Pattern is what makes it stick now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. I think it&#8217;s a good thing in general. I mean, we&#8217;ve had reusable blocks for ages, and patterns was a new version, but they&#8217;re very similar in, I suppose, the ways that they&#8217;re used in their use cases, I should say. And so, it does make sense for them to be one thing, and you can choose whether they&#8217;re synced, whether they&#8217;re not, whether they&#8217;re partially synced, I guess.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: So &#8230; It&#8217;s good to provide a range of options, but I definitely appreciate having the renaming of reusable blocks to patterns so that we all know that we&#8217;re talking about the same thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And the only so difference from just which content updates and which doesn&#8217;t. Yeah. So, the next item &#8230; It&#8217;s just a code quality or quality of What You See Is What You Get editor that you can now see the post image block is now wrapped in anchor tags, is also in the editor, not only on the front end but also in the editor. So, you know it&#8217;s actually working and functioning, kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, yeah. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. The What You See Is What You Get editor is a promise, and sometimes it falls down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: It&#8217;s good to have consistency. It&#8217;s hard. It&#8217;s a hard problem sometimes because the markup. The editor is an editor ultimately, and you have to have content edits all over the place because the content has to be editable, obviously. And so, there can&#8217;t always be a one-to-one match between the markup in the editor in the front end, but the more divergent it becomes, the more chance there is for bugs to be introduced and for them not to be a visual match. So, we are always trying to make sure it works. It&#8217;s a very fine line.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. It&#8217;s very interesting. Sometimes, you encounter problems when you solve something on the front end, but then you get it into the editor and then it doesn&#8217;t work anymore. So, one example was that the gaps between the blocks &#8230; You could actually switch off, and all controlled through the interface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what happened was, now that the space between the blocks wasn&#8217;t big enough, the siblings insert between didn&#8217;t have a place to show anymore. So, that was an interesting &#8230; I don&#8217;t know if you have an issue for that, but it came up in one of the calls for testing, and it was really interesting to &#8230; Yeah. Well, yeah. What You See Is What You Get, then it&#8217;s not what you see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: It&#8217;s actually &#8230; It&#8217;s What You See Is Not What You Want To Get, I guess, because you still want to see &#8230; I don&#8217;t want to have space between the blocks, but I do want the sibling insert to appear because I do actually need to add something between these two blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And sometimes, you have these competing interests to line up &#8230; Just a little tangent here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: So, what do we have?</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Accessibility</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: The next is a component for the &#8230; There&#8217;s the image link button pressed state on the media text block. Sometimes, the headlines are a little bit obscure. So, in the image block and in the media text block, when the image is linked, the link button in the block tool doesn&#8217;t have a pressed state. Okay. So, as such, there&#8217;s no visual semantic accessible information for the image to actually be linked. Okay. That is fixed. Cool. Yeah, that&#8217;s an important accessibility issue fixed. And then, another one.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I&#8217;m just going through and trying out all the things. Adding a link to an image and seeing &#8230; Oh, yeah. I see. So, now, it actually becomes obvious that there&#8217;s something in here. So, now, the button &#8230; It becomes a dark background, light-colored text. I think this is the change. Oh, that&#8217;s cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. The next one is a similar one. It helps you get your focus back when you&#8217;re on the toolbar and use the Escape key and then you get back to the editor canvas, and you don&#8217;t have to tap around the thing. Escape gets you out of the block tool. It&#8217;s interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who are more keyword users, that&#8217;s definitely a good problem to solve. And that&#8217;s the piece that goes with a double Escape coming out of a button block into the canvas. Again, that&#8217;s a similar one when you block toolbar doesn&#8217;t get you &#8230; You have to use the mouse or something like that to get out of the toolbar or tap instead of Escape. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I think &#8230; memory. I&#8217;m going to test this. But I think what happened before was, if you were on the block toolbar and you pressed Escape, you would be taken into navigation mode.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, yeah. Right. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: But actually, no. I think, now, I&#8217;m actually testing this on a 6.4 vanilla, no Gutenberg install. And what I&#8217;m doing &#8230; I&#8217;m in the block toolbar. I&#8217;m going around the buttons in the block toolbar, and now I press Escape and focus just seems to go somewhere. I&#8217;m not sure where it goes. It might actually &#8230; Ah, interesting. Okay. That was definitely a bug. Good job. It&#8217;s been fixed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So, when you say, &#8220;vanilla 6.4, no plugin,&#8221; means that was before this release came up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. So, I was comparing. So, I&#8217;ve got Gutenberg &#8230; Actually, I&#8217;ve got Gutenberg trunk on my local development environment, and I have another install of just 6.4 and I just keep comparing it and see what&#8217;s changed.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Performanc<strong>e</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: What&#8217;s changed. Yeah. So, this was the time for some of the basic accessibility things to be fixed and bugs to squash. Another one was &#8230; It actually sounds like a code quality performance, a code quality PR. But it&#8217;s under performance. And the List View Block. It has a lot of calls to the same hooks. And the code quality was to just combine those hooks, those calls, to the &#8216;useSelect.&#8217; And that actually increased performance quite a bit on the List View. So, yay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yay for all performance improvements and especially with the List View because it&#8217;s becoming more and more important to navigating in the block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah. And it&#8217;s definitely considerable when the tests were 1,000 blocks, and the call were four calls per block. So, it was 4,000 calls to the same store. It was interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, you don&#8217;t want that.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Documentation</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So, there were two documentation issues that I wanted to point out from this release. And there was that there is a new Block Development Quick Start Guide in the Block Editor Handbook and also one for how to create the block templates for the scaffolding tool. So, if you&#8217;re a block developer and/or a budding block developer, check out the new quick start guide on your journey from becoming confused to becoming a proficient block developer. And so, that is in part of the revamp of the Block Editor Handbook that has been published. And the second one is also there is a built-in local environment with Gutenberg. It&#8217;s called wp-env, and that is now also listed under additional resources for local environments.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, nice. That&#8217;s good. I mean, it&#8217;s a good development environment if you&#8217;re okay with running Docker, which, I guess, Docker can be pretty resource-intensive. So, it depends on how powerful a machine you have, if you want to run it or not. But if you&#8217;re okay with running Docker, then this is a really easy environment to get set up and running.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And to test whatever you&#8217;re developing on the current environment. You don&#8217;t have to set up database and PHP and connectings to and the usual MAMP things. Yeah. So, yeah. It&#8217;s definitely a good resource, and people worked on it. So, yeah. It&#8217;s been around for a while but never really mentioned in the documentation. So, now it is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s, I think, is all we have from this release. And I guess you probably, dear listeners, agreeing with us. There was not a whole lot of big things in there. There was no big thing in there, but it was all good enhancements and &#8230; Performance enhancement as well as user interface enhancements and certain great accessibility improvements as well.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s in Active Development or Discussed &#8211; Grid Layout and Data Views</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Which brings us to what&#8217;s in active development or what&#8217;s discussed. And this is just an announcement. Maybe we could have done it earlier, but it&#8217;s &#8220;What&#8217;s new for developers?&#8221; a roundup post is published on the developer blog.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you haven&#8217;t signed up for that feed, it&#8217;s a roundup post of what&#8217;s new between the 10th of the month and the 9th of the month and published on the 10th of the month. And Justin Tadlock and I were compiling that from various sources like being a GitHub, a Gutenberg release, what&#8217;s new into core, what&#8217;s around on the learn for developers. So, you can go through &#8230; It has a huge table of content, but it also gives you an inkling on what&#8217;s new, what you should pay attention to, and where things are going, and where you find the information to follow along.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it mentions the experimental pieces, the form and input blocks, and also the Data View works with links. And then, some major changes that came with 6.4, but this is a repeat of some of the Dev Notes condensed, but just highlighting in case you missed it. And then, moving away from the WordPress/element to React and &#8230; Yeah, all these good technical things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will share a link to it in the show notes. For instance, it mentions the new Tabs component that replaces the TabPanel or the PluginPostExcerpt slot fill for plugin developers on the block editor and all that good stuff. Is there anything that stands out that you want to talk about?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: From the developer?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: The &#8220;What&#8217;s new for developer?&#8221; Yeah. We separated into what&#8217;s interesting for plugin developers and what&#8217;s interesting for theme developers. Sometimes, it has an overlap, and then it&#8217;s a toss-up. But that is where you can say, &#8220;Okay, I&#8217;m not interested in plugin stuff. I just want to see what&#8217;s new in the theme stuff.&#8221; And that&#8217;s also a pattern update.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah. I&#8217;m very interested in seeing where the Data Views work is going. I think there&#8217;s a lot of potential for enabling. It&#8217;s already viewable as an experiment in Gutenberg. So, that&#8217;s a cool one I&#8217;ll be keeping an eye on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, if you want to, just as a developer, if you still have trouble, and &#8230; I think it&#8217;s getting worse that it&#8217;s hard to keep up with Gutenberg. That&#8217;s why we create this monthly view instead of having just everything new every four months when there is a new release out. So, you can see things coming. And if they were interested and not and follow up on that. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, yes. But speaking about experiments, when you enable the Experiment page on Gutenberg plugin, you see quite a few experiments. But let&#8217;s talk about two of them. One is the Data Views, and what you see is the progress on the lists for content types like the templates or the pages. When you have List All Pages, how can that look in the site editor as well as in the template? So the pages in the site editor as well as the template lists show already these new Data Views when you enable that experiment. Right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: From memory, I think it&#8217;s the pages. Let me check. I&#8217;m just going through. I&#8217;m not sure the templates…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. It&#8217;s the pages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: &#8230; has it yet. So, if we go in the site editor and we get the little black bar on the left-hand side, when you go into the site editor. There&#8217;s a Pages section, and then, at the very bottom, you have Manage All Pages, which takes you to a list view of all of your pages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, if you have the new admin views enabled, that page &#8230; So, that link in the site editor will actually take you to a new view, which is this Data View, which is quite experimental. And the interesting thing, well, for me, because I love layout and organizing things on pages. The interesting thing is that you can change the layout from a list to a grid, or you can even see a side-by-side view where you have your list of pages and then you can just click on a page and preview it in another window.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it works a bit more like an operating system, for a browser, I guess a bit more. It has this expanded functionality where you can view things in different ways, which could be quite useful depending on what kind of operation you want to do. So, yeah. I&#8217;m really appreciating the work that&#8217;s been done on this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, there&#8217;s also quite a filter view that you can review, can add a filter. You see only those four for a certain author, the pages who are just the status, just the scheduled one or the published ones. And in the views, there&#8217;s also a Sort By version. So, you can sort it by title, by author, by date. And not only the layout. So, also, you can say, &#8220;Okay, I want &#8230;&#8221;. And these are all features that you know from your WP admin, but it&#8217;s actually with a more modern interface and maybe even easier to handle for someone who is new to the system. The grid view shows you the featured image with it if you want to. And the side-by-side is really cool, as well, if you have the space on your screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. You&#8217;ll see, right away, the layout of the page. Yeah, it&#8217;s really cool. Check out the experiment. It&#8217;s all experimental. So, at any time, it can change. Anytime, it can go away. Anytime, it can break. So, that&#8217;s the experimental nature of this. But &#8230; yeah. In this release, there has been quite some work on these Data Views, so if you go through the changelog, everything that says Data View at the beginning is about this admin section for the pages and the site editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison:</em> But also, I want to add. The thing about experiments is that they&#8217;re being actively worked on, and they are always looking for feedback. And so, it&#8217;s immensely helpful, especially for folks who are invested in this and they want to see this going in a certain direction like, &#8220;Oh, this is really helpful&#8221; or &#8220;This is not good at all.&#8221; That feedback is really useful at an early stage, so that the developers know what&#8217;s working and what&#8217;s not and what might be causing issues for certain workflows or what might be a welcome addition.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, yeah, the feedback &#8230; And I guess the downside of the experiments in Gutenberg is that they&#8217;re not always super visible because folks might not even think about going into the Experiment section. It&#8217;s like, &#8220;What is this?&#8221; And you can just click on things and randomly enable stuff, but it&#8217;s always super useful to go in and check those experiments and give feedback on them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I found there are two kinds of people. Those who like to poke at new things and don&#8217;t mind if they get lost or confused or can recover quite nicely from it. And then, there are people who need to be secure or safe in safe spaces and they cannot &#8230; They just want to get their work done, and they are not interested in how the sausage is made and they don&#8217;t want to test things. Say, &#8220;Well, I&#8217;m not your beta test,&#8221; that kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In open source, unfortunately, it&#8217;s a little bit different because we all work on it and we all use it. So, feedback is really important. But as you said, Isabel, but I also know that experiments can be a scary place for certain people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, yeah. I mean, absolutely. I mean, probably, don&#8217;t use it in production, but play around with it on the test website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. But you will see that there&#8217;s actually quite a few things there amongst them. We skipped over that in the release, but there&#8217;s also a Forms Block feature or set that you can test out. And I also wanted to talk about the grid layout. When you go to the Experiments page, it tells you in the experiments there&#8217;s also grid variation for group block. And when you enable that, what happens?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: What happens? So, when you enable that, what happens is that, when you then go into your post or template editor and you create a group block, instead of getting the standard three variations that you have, which is the regular group, the row, and the stack, you get a fourth variation, which is the grid. And that variation is also available from the block inserter. So, you can just type grid and it gives you the grid block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the grid block is &#8230; Essentially, it&#8217;s a variation of group. It&#8217;s not a block in itself. But what it does is it allows you to set the grid layout on your group block. And it&#8217;s only &#8230; And most of the reason why it&#8217;s still in experimental, even though &#8230; That&#8217;s actually &#8230; I did that a while ago now. More than six months ago. So, it&#8217;s been experimental for a couple of cycles. It&#8217;s not in core yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the main reason is that it&#8217;s only a very basic implementation of grids. So, you have the ability to set the amount. Not the amount of columns, but the column width. That&#8217;s the default option that you get. That&#8217;s the only option for now, where you can set a width that will be the minimum width of your columns. So, if you squeeze it down onto a really small screen, the columns will not go under the width that you stipulate, but they can stretch if it&#8217;s a wider screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the good thing about that is that this is pretty much the only version of grid where you can, with a couple of lines of code, create a block that is responsive. Because what happens is, if you get to a point where you don&#8217;t have enough space on your screen for &#8230; Say, you have four or five elements in your grid, and you no longer have the space on your screen to have those four or five elements side-by-side because each of them has a minimum width set. Then, the grid just free flows, and it just calculates how many columns will fit on the screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the easiest way. It&#8217;s the paradigm of responsive without media queries. And that&#8217;s the best way to achieve that kind of responsive without media queries layout. But, having said that, there is a bunch of configuration that would probably be useful for folks creating actual layouts with this kind of grid. And I think one that jumps to mind immediately to me is the ability to set how many columns your item or your block is going to span because you might want to block to span a couple of columns. You might not want all the columns, all the elements in your grid to have the same width, to occupy the same amount of columns. You might even want some of them to stretch the full width of the grid. And so, having that sort of configurability for children, I think, would be a really useful addition.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question is how to implement that. What is the most useful way of implementing that that will satisfy the most use cases? And that&#8217;s where I think there&#8217;s still a bit of design work to be done. And that&#8217;s why that&#8217;s still experimental, although it is &#8230; So, the secret here is &#8230; It&#8217;s not quite a secret, but &#8230; So, grid support technically already exists in core. The thing is the UI is not exposed. So, there&#8217;s no grid group variation in core, but the grid layout already exists because it underlies the grid&#8217;s layout in the post template block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that&#8217;s already an implementation of CSS grids in post template. And so, that means that if you really wanted to use a grid layout in core, you could go into your block attributes and set the layout type as grids, and that would just work because the code to support the layout type is there. What is not there yet is the UI and the group block variation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Wow, that&#8217;s really interesting. Yeah, I had no idea. Excellent. Are you going to write a blog post about it for the developer blog? I&#8217;m asking you publicly, but you can say, &#8220;I am going to think about it.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Is this something that I&#8217;m going to have to commit to? Yeah, no. I&#8217;ll have to think about that. I actually have a fair amount of stuff on my plate right now. I&#8217;m not saying no. That would be great. I would like to write &#8230; I mean, I love CSS and talking about it and trying out new stuff with it. So, that is definitely a possibility that I will consider.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Well, I also know that Justin Tadlock is in the start blocks for a while now when he heard about grid layout to write about it. But as it&#8217;s still in experiments, it&#8217;s &#8230; Yeah. We need to wait till it&#8217;s out of experiments, and that might take a while. Yeah. What I can see is &#8230; I just enabled it on my test site, and it&#8217;s really cool. I just added a few pictures in there, so it looks like a gallery but it&#8217;s not &#8230; Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Hmm. Yeah, it works. I think gallery is actually a block where it would be really cool to have a grid implementation, especially if you could control the size of the child blocks. So, that&#8217;s something that I&#8217;m looking forward to being able to work on at some point in the future. But there&#8217;s a lot &#8230; And actually, if you go into Gutenberg and you search for the sort of issues where layout and, especially grid, is discussed, there&#8217;s a lot of thinking around how it should work. Everyone has an opinion on it. And it&#8217;s one of those things that it has to be done right, and it has to be done in a way that will satisfy the greatest amount of use cases while keeping the implementation fairly simple and lean. So, yeah. It&#8217;s not going to be a very easy problem to solve, I think, but it will be a great one to solve. It will be great to see the outcome of that once it&#8217;s done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And it&#8217;ll also answer some of the questions about responsiveness and &#8220;Where are my viewpoints?&#8221; and all that. So, you actually wouldn&#8217;t need them because the grid helps you with that. That&#8217;s modern CSS to you, but it&#8217;s also, what, six or seven years old now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Well, yeah. Grid&#8217;s been &#8230; Actually, it&#8217;s been around. It&#8217;s had decent browser support for a long time. The exciting thing now is subgrid, which is &#8230; It has also, I mean, in theory, been around for a long time, but actual implementation in browsers didn&#8217;t happen until last year-ish. And I think it&#8217;s still not stable in all browsers. Let me just check. Can I use CSS subgrid? Because I think that, in Chrome, it&#8217;s probably already in Canary, but I&#8217;m not sure it&#8217;s in Chrome Stable yet. Wait, what&#8217;s the latest version of Chrome? It might actually be. Oh, yeah. Released October 31st. Okay. So, it&#8217;s in the latest version of Chrome. Actually, it&#8217;s looking pretty good. It was very, very recently implemented in Chrome Stable. So, this means that we can start thinking about not only grids but subgrids, which &#8230; You know what would be amazing is having your block so your block uses grid and you detect whether a parent block uses grid, and then you can enable that. It nested grid as a subgrid of the parent. I&#8217;m thinking that that would be really cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: It&#8217;s really cool and totally confusing for a user interface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: But everything would be beautifully aligned!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes, the alignment is that one that confuses people. And yeah, I want it. Yeah.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think we&#8217;re getting, time-wise, to the end of our show. It has been a great pleasure talking with you, Isabel, today. The Gutenberg Changelog. The bad news is this is the last Changelog of the year. The good news is we start one right in the first week of January with episode 94. But I have one question, still. What are you currently working on? Because you worked on the grid log a while ago, but what are you working on right now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Right now? So, my attention&#8217;s been a bit scattered here and there with different things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Welcome to the club.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I&#8217;m actually trying to get some &#8230; I&#8217;ve been trying to add in some controls to allow, I guess, website designers &#8230; And this is probably going to be an interesting feature for agencies and folks using Gutenberg at a more enterprise level, where &#8230; For a long time, folks have wanted to be able to disable certain design controls. And so, I&#8217;m adding a few settings to layout so that some of the controls in layout can be disabled at a site-wide or a block-wide level. But that&#8217;s not very exciting. That&#8217;s not very exciting in terms of new features, something that probably should have already existed in there. So, I&#8217;m just going, &#8220;Okay, let&#8217;s add this in.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison:</em> The thing I&#8217;m excited about…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: &#8230; which I&#8217;m just starting to dabble in. I&#8217;m starting to play around with Drag and Drop because I think there&#8217;s a lot of space for improvement in the current Drag and Drop. And this is not to say that it&#8217;s bad because it&#8217;s a lot better than it was a couple of years ago. There&#8217;s steadily been work and improvement in that area, but I think there&#8217;s still a fair bit of stuff that can be done. And I&#8217;m particularly excited to try and combine the Drag and Drop functionality with the ability to create layouts. So, add Drag and Drop elements so that they can be side-by-side and things like that. So, I&#8217;m playing around with some very experimental stuff and trying to figure out if it works.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I have the vision that when I Drag and Drop something, it actually pops to a grid. And I know there are certain tools out there that actually do that, but it would be phenomenal if that would come to WordPress. So, I&#8217;m glad you&#8217;re working on things like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I do know people who are going to get excited about the disabled, site-wide, some layout stuff. So, yeah. You do some great work there as well. And people are waiting for it as well. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, okay, dear listeners. Now, we have to say goodbye to this year and wishing you not only happy Thanksgiving, but also happy holidays for those who celebrate it. And before we end the show, as always, the show notes will be published on the GutenbergTimes.com/podcast. This is episode 93, and if you have questions, suggestions, or news for the next one, in 2024, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. That&#8217;s <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. And Isabel, it&#8217;s not the first time that you&#8217;re on the show, but maybe we have a few new listeners. Where can you be reached when people want to reach out to you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Oh, I am on GitHub as Tell the Machines. I am on WordPress Slack as Tell the Machines, also.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: I&#8217;m not very inventive. That&#8217;s my username pretty much across all the WordPress sphere. Feel free to ping me, ask me questions and &#8230; Yeah, I&#8217;m around.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Well, thank you so much and all the good wishes for the last month of the year. Also, to you, to Australia. You have summer now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isabel Brison: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: We are coming into the winter, and it&#8217;s my first winter in Munich. So, I might turn into a hibernation and go &#8230; like Mama Bear always goes into hibernation when it&#8217;s too cold. That sounds like me. So, I sleep longer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: That&#8217;s great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: I go earlier to bed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Sounds like it&#8217;s going to be chilly. Yeah, it&#8217;s going to be warm. Well, Sydney&#8217;s pretty warm. So, expecting a fairly hot summer here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. All right. Well, I wish you all a good New Year and see you all in January.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Happy holidays for everyone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Happy holidays. Bye bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isabel Brison</em>: Bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p> </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sun, 26 Nov 2023 12:06:55 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:19:\"Gutenberg Changelog\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:113:\"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg 17.1, Theme Handbook updated, Get started with Command Palette – Weekend Edition 275\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=26428\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:118:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/gutenberg-17-1-theme-handbook-updated-get-started-with-command-palette-weekend-edition-275/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18147:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you celebrate it: Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the weekend with your family and friends. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s the first time in over twenty years, when Thanksgiving was just another  Thursday in our workweek. Here we have plenty of bank holidays around Christmas and New Year&#8217;s. I am not complaining. It was merely one of those first <em>Living in Munich</em> things. Similar to seeing the first tiny snowflakes when walking down the street and temperatures below 49 °F (ca. 9 °C) during the day. 🥶❄️</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay warm, my friends.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</a><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-how-to-replace-the-default-blog-home-template-in-2024\">How to replace the default Blog home template in Twenty-Twenty-Four </a></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-building-blocks-and-tools-for-the-block-editor\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor</a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>November 29, 2023 16:00 UTC </strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/297122886/\">Developer Hours: How to extend core WordPress blocks</a></strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nick Diego</strong> and <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> will discuss how to extend core WordPress blocks and why this approach can be preferred over creating a custom block.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/297122886/\"><img width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DEVHour-2023-11-29.webp?resize=600%2C338&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26458\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\">State of the Word</a> </strong>2023 has a landing page now. Matt Mullenweg&#8217;s annual keynote address will take place on <strong>December 11 at 15:00 UTC</strong> on livestream or in person (in Madrid, Spain) </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-accent-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/\"><img width=\"652\" height=\"296\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-24-at-14.12.45.png?resize=652%2C296&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26483\" /></a>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Andre Maneiro</strong> released Gutenberg 17.1 version. 200 PRs by 55 contributors, 3 of them first timers. The release includes several new enhancements, loads of&nbsp;bug&nbsp;fixes, and continued work on Phase 3 features. Here are the highlights: </p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/#writing-flow\">Improvements to accessibility and writing flow</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/#spacing-quote-block\">Design tools: block spacing for Quote block</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17-1-22-november/#other\">Other notable highlights</a></li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Isabel Brison</strong> and I discussed the latest Gutenberg release, Gutenberg 17.1, Command Palette, Data Views and Grid Layout. It was a great chat, hope you enjoy it, too. It is also the last episode of 2023. In a few days, it will become available on your favorite podcast app. </p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"600\" height=\"170\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Isabel-Brison-Birgit-Pauli-Haack-Gutenberg-Changelog-93.jpg?resize=600%2C170&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26478\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-accent-color has-light-background-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-d02c05917781faad43b455819cf71f89\">🎙️ Latest episode:  <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-93-gutenberg-17-1-command-palette-data-views-and-grid-layout/\">Gutenberg Changelog #93 – Gutenberg 17.1, Command Palette, Data Views and Grid Layout</a> &#8211; a chat with <strong>Isabel Brison</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joen Asmussen</strong> posted the <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/11/20/design-share-nov-6-nov-17/\">Design Share: Nov 6-Nov 17</a></strong>, in which he lists the following work of the WordPress design team: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Sticky Template in template view</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dropdown component for menus and other use cases</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Date range picker</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Styles Panel</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Settings for the homepage in the Site editor</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"652\" height=\"395\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/setting-for-Homepage.webp?resize=652%2C395&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26435\" />\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> invites you to the next <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/23/hallway-hangout-lets-explore-wordpress-6-5/\"><strong>Hallway Hangout: Let’s explore WordPress 6.5</strong></a> on January 16, 2024, at 21:00 UTC, when she will talk through some of what’s to come in the next WordPress release with a proposed schedule for March 26th. This is being shared early to help encourage more folks to tune in and to build some excitement for this next release.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching the pros is always a fabulous way to learn. <strong>Brian Gardner</strong>, developer advocate at WP Engine, shows you in his video how to<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJnLZJPtsA0\"><strong> create a page with sidebar template in WordPress</strong></a>. You&#8217;ll learn how to add columns, how to use the List View, how to group blocks, and change the blockGap, how to add a custom style and make the sidebar accessible for screen readers by assigning a semantic HTML element to it. From beginning to end, a great tutorial. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In the YouTube video, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l5XqBEX598\"><strong>Pro-Themer builds a WordPress website with Twenty Twenty Four</strong></a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erT8LxuI5r4\"></a><strong>Maggie Cabrera,</strong> co-lead on the default theme development and <strong>Dave Smith</strong>, JavaScript developer on the open-source project, used the Twenty-Twenty-Four theme to build a fictional business site with core blocks only. And I just learned how to change the template on the home page instead of editing the existing template. The choices are gorgeous. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-how-to-replace-the-default-blog-home-template-in-2024\">How to replace the default Blog home template in Twenty-Twenty-Four </h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>On a fresh installation of WordPress with Twenty-Twenty-Four theme,  </li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the Site editor, </li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the canvas to get into edit mode. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure you are on the Template tab in the sidebar</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Next to &#8220;Blog Home&#8221; click on the three-dot menu. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the choice to <strong>Replace template</strong>. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you click on it, a modal opens full screen with all the beautiful choices  for the home page you can use. </li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph/status/1728014239581769922\">I also shared</a> the video and some screenshots on X (former Twitter)</em></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Felix Arntz</strong> posted some changes you might want to double-check on in  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/13/main-query-loop-handling-for-block-themes-in-6-4/\"><strong>Main query loop handling for block themes in 6.4</strong></a>. In WordPress 6.4, a change has been applied to how the main query loop is being handled for block themes. For singular content, the output of block templates (e.g. <code>single.html</code> or <code>page.html</code>) will be automatically wrapped in the main query loop. This might have ramifications for how your theme works. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>If you are keen to learn more about the design and development process for this year&#8217;s default theme Twenty-Twenty-Four, <strong>Rich Tabor</strong> quizzed Beatriz Fiahlo and Maggie Cabrera for his article: <strong><a href=\"https://automattic.design/2023/11/22/introducing-twenty-twenty-four/\">Introducing Twenty Twenty-Four</a></strong>, that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at &#8220;the most expressive and capable WordPress default theme yet&#8221;, alongside WordPress 6.4.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> just published the new Theme Handbook chapters&nbsp;<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/getting-started/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Getting Started</strong></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Core Concepts</strong></a>. While the <strong>Getting started</strong> section aims at new theme developers, it also provides a resource for seasoned theme developers who are learning how to build block themes for the first time. The meat of the matter is to found in the <strong>Core Concepts</strong> chapter. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/theme-structure/\"><strong>Theme Structure</strong></a> is&nbsp;a walk-through on how a theme’s files and folders are structured following WordPress standards.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/main-stylesheet/\"><strong>Main Stylesheet</strong></a><strong> </strong>explains the importance of the theme’s&nbsp;<code>style.css</code>&nbsp;file and how to use it.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/custom-functionality/\"><strong>Custom Functionality</strong></a> shows how to use the theme’s functions file (<code>functions.php</code>) and how to add more functionality to a theme.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/templates/\"><strong>Templates</strong></a> introduces how WordPress’ block templates system works and provides pathways for more in-depth learning.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/including-assets/\"><strong>Including Assets</strong></a> is a guide on including CSS, JavaScript, images, and more in your themes.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/core-concepts/global-settings-and-styles/\"><strong>Global Settings and Styles</strong></a>&nbsp;gives a basic overview of how the&nbsp;<code>theme.json</code>&nbsp;file works in themes with learning pathways to more detailed articles.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With these two chapters now updated/published, it effectively replaces the old Block Themes chapter. The first five chapters of the handbook are now almost entirely focused on block theming, with classic theming relegated to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/classic-themes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Classic Themes</a>&nbsp;chapter. There is still more work to be done (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/Documentation-Issue-Tracker/issues/816\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">get involved!</a>)!</p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a> </strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-blocks-and-tools-for-the-block-editor\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nick Diego</strong> wrote about <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/11/22/redesigning-developer-resources-and-a-call-for-testing/\"><strong>Redesigning Developer Resources and a call for testing</strong></a> on the Make Met Blog. This project consists of a new design for the <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/\">Developer Resources</a> section of WordPress.org, which houses the official Code Reference, Block Editor Handbook, Theme Handbook, and much more.  The design effort aims to refresh the aesthetics, convert the site to a block theme, and improve the overall developer experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>With his newest tutorial, <strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> helps you <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/11/getting-started-with-the-command-palette-api/\"><strong>Getting started with the Command Palette API</strong></a>. Learn build command to toggle a Discussion panel, open the Experiments page of the Gutenberg plugin and toggle the buttons from icons to text and back to site and post editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"652\" height=\"338\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/command-palette.jpg?resize=652%2C338&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26433\" />\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress Developer are called to help with <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/11/21/exploration-to-support-modules-and-import-maps/\"><strong>Exploration to support Modules and Import Maps</strong></a>. <strong>Luis Herranz</strong>, sponsored contributor by Automattic,  posted a call for comments on how you think you should be able to leverage the latest web standards for writing and consuming JavaScript code. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In his latest Twitch stream, <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> was <strong><a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1985187408\">Looking at block deprecations</a></strong>. and walks you through the nature of block deprecations for static blocks and starts with a very basic block. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t know what that means, you can also read up about it in Michael Burridge&#8217;s article on the Developer Blog <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/03/block-deprecation-a-tutorial/\"><em>Block deprecation – a tutorial</em></a>. </p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Image: Screenshot of <a href=\"http://openverse.org\">Openverse</a> on the search for &#8220;wooden blocks&#8221;.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button type=\"submit\" class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too, and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 25 Nov 2023 07:23:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"HeroPress: HeroPress News! Camels at sunset! Weddings! Castles! Everything!\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://heropress.com/?p=5972\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:185:\"https://heropress.com/heropress-news-camels-at-sunset-weddings-castles-everything/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heropress-news-camels-at-sunset-weddings-castles-everything\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12205:\"<img width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/591655ed2bfb224c5.58123242-rotated-1-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id5972_384b30-5e alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5972_61d1c2-ce inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_7d33fa-9b wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"> NEWS NEWS NEWS!</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a LOT going on this week!  For one thing, this newsletter is <strong>no longer</strong> coming to you from the HeroPress Network site!  It&#8217;s being rolled into HeroPress.com.  The old archives will stay on the old site, but new issues will be here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same holds true for the Tip Of The Week.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_21cf19-54 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://heropress.com/affiliates/\">Affiliate Links</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>People have suggested for years that HeroPress raise funding with affiliate links, but I didn&#8217;t want it to become a link farm either.  The solution is to make a plugin that lists all of our affiliate links on <a href=\"https://heropress.com/affiliates/\">one page</a> with easy sorting.  You can find it at <a href=\"https://heropress.com/affiliates/\">https://heropress.com/affiliates/</a></p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5972_79af4b-39 is-style-dots\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id5972_8e6495-54 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5972_933d34-41 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_8c4972-67 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://hallwaychats.com\">WPPhotos.Info</a></h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/sunset-camel/\"><img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/45665573fd4b02927.15243956-scaled-1280-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6157\" /></a></div>\n\n\n<p>This week&#8217;s <a href=\"https://wpphotos.info\">WPPhotos Info</a> is called &#8220;<a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/sunset-camel/\">Sunset Camel</a>&#8220;. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>This photo was taken by <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/salsel/\">salsel</a> while on a journey through Morocco. She traveled alone from France and then joined an organized group trip from Marrakech to the Merzouga. The trip was her own birthday gift.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wpphotos.info/long-view-of-chalipuzha-river/\">Read more of the story at WPPhotos.info</a>!</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5972_bbbf3c-06\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id5972_2f83b6-44 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5972_56324c-d3 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_448d4e-d9 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://heropress.com/\">Press Releases!</a></h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<img src=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/pressitwp_logo-300x130.jpg\" alt=\"Press It WP\" class=\"wp-image-4736\" /></div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://pressitwp.com\">PressItWP.com</a> has been a part of the <a href=\"https://heropressnetwork.com\">HeroPress Network</a> for almost a year now, if you ever release Press Releases, please consider <a href=\"https://pressitwp.com\">PressItWP</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gravitykit-s-2023-black-friday-sale-get-50-off\"><a href=\"https://www.gravitykit.com/black-friday/?utm_campaign=gk_sale&utm_source=pressitwp&utm_medium=referral\">GravityKit’s 2023 Black Friday Sale (Get 50% Off!)</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Get 50% off on GravityKit’s toolkit of essential add-ons for Gravity Forms. Enhance Gravity Forms and build powerful web applications.</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5972_d95905-8d\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id5972_322dca-35 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5972_f182e5-1b inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_f81ad2-4f wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\">WP Podcasts</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\"><img src=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/pocket_casts_single_315.png\" alt=\"Pocket Casts image\" class=\"wp-image-4316\" /></a>\n\n\n\n<p>There were <em>twenty-six</em> WordPress podcast episodes released this week! There&#8217;s also a new podcast this week, <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/the-wordpress-edge/\">The WordPress Edge</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://underrepresented-in-tech.castos.com/episodes/how-allies-create-mental-labor-for-underrepresented-people#new_tab\">How Allies Create Mental Labor for Underrepresented People</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/underrepresented-in-tech/\">Underrepresented in Tech</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://share.transistor.fm/s/18de8624#new_tab\">Will WordPress Page Builders Survive?</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/the-wp-minute/\">The WP Minute</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.freelandev.com/podcast/239-preparando-bf-dudas-cambios-en-plugins-render_block_-y-adios-a-los-nahuai-pinitos/#new_tab\">#239 – Preparando BF, dudas cambios en plugins, render_block_* y adiós a los Nahuai-pinitos</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/freelandev/\">Freelandev</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/now-is-the-time-for-passkeys-in-wordpress-all-the-time-with-timothy-jacobs/#new_tab\">Now is the Time for Passkeys in WordPress, All the Time with Timothy Jacobs</a> from <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com/podcast/do-the-woo-a-woocommerce-podcast/\">Do the Woo – A WooCommerce Podcast</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are new episodes every single day, so be sure to stop by <a href=\"https://wppodcasts.com\">WPPodcasts.com</a> and search for things that interest you!</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5972_89ea16-3c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id5972_927049-d3 alignnone kt-row-has-bg wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top kb-theme-content-width\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5972_9b1705-22 inner-column-1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h2 id=\"wpphotos\" class=\"kt-adv-heading5972_7cae31-b1 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos\">WP Photos</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the great photos submitted to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos\">WPPhotos</a> project this week!</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"kb-gallery-wrap-id-5972_4698e7-40 alignnone wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery\"><ul class=\"kb-gallery-ul kb-gallery-non-static kb-gallery-type-masonry kb-masonry-init kb-gallery-id-5972_4698e7-40 kb-gallery-caption-style-bottom-hover kb-gallery-filter-none\"><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/263655aeb0ca4fab4.82439901-683x1024.jpg\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6169\" /></div></div></div></li><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/477655aec622a1fa8.92305308-683x1024.jpg\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6168\" /></div><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/sharankrishna/\">sharankrishna</a></div></div></div></li><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/290655dd4ecead9f1.84139270-1024x768.jpeg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6167\" /></div><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/290655dd4ecead9f1.84139270-scaled.jpeg\"></a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/anish29/\">Anis</a></div></div></div></li><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/59655a89c03d60b4.33485375-819x1024.jpg\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6166\" /></div><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/tyxla/\">Marin Atanasov</a></div></div></div></li><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/919655dcd7dc244e9.81017175-1024x768.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6165\" /></div><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/atsuo0475watanabe/\">渡邉厚夫</a></div></div></div></li><li class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain kadence-blocks-gallery-intrinsic\"><img src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/839655ae1936ee3c0.52974282-1024x768.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6164\" /></div><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/ardhrubo/\">Dhrubo</a></div></div></div></li></ul></div>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">hundreds of other great photos</a>!</p>\n</div></div>\n\n</div></div>\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The header photo for this post is a <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\">CC0</a> licensed <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/591655ed2b/\">photo</a> by <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/yamchhetri/\">Yam Chhetri</a> from the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress Photo Directory</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s it for this week! If you&#8217;d like to get this post in your email every week, <a href=\"https://heropressnetwork.com/newsletter\">make sure you sign up</a>!</p>\n\n<p>The post <a href=\"https://heropress.com/heropress-news-camels-at-sunset-weddings-castles-everything/\">HeroPress News! Camels at sunset! Weddings! Castles! Everything!</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://heropress.com\">HeroPress</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:10:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"Do The Woo Community: WordPress Meetups Have Always Had a Place in My Heart\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=78540\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:74:\"https://dothewoo.io/wordpress-meetups-have-always-had-a-place-in-my-heart/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:415:\"<p>A bit of reflection and good feelings seeing more meetups being organized. Plus a teaser for State of the Word and watch parties.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/wordpress-meetups-have-always-had-a-place-in-my-heart/\">WordPress Meetups Have Always Had a Place in My Heart</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce and WordPress Builder Podcast</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:29:10 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"WPTavern: #100 – Nick Diego on the Revamp of the WordPress Showcase Website\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=151481\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:91:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/100-nick-diego-on-the-revamp-of-the-wordpress-showcase-website\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:49495:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case, the revamp of the WordPress showcase website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice. Or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today we have Nick Diego. Nick is a sponsored full-time contributor at Automattic. His official position is a developer relations advocate, which allows him to focus on creating developer orientated content. Apart from his regular responsibilities, Nick is also involved in a separate project called the WordPress Showcase, and this is the focus of the podcast today.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress showcase is a curated collection of websites built with WordPress. Its purpose is to inspire, and show the breadth of what WordPress can achieve. Currently the showcase features around a hundred sites, including large enterprises like the New York Times and NASA. It aims to challenge misconceptions about WordPress, and highlight the platforms scale and reach.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The design of the showcase is contemporary and visually impactful. It shows that whatever proprietary platforms can do, WordPress can also do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the podcast we talk about the intricacies of the Showcase project. We discuss the selection criteria for featured sites, including the possibility of case studies to show the process behind their creation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also explore the importance of block themes within the Showcase, and the ongoing efforts to make wordpress.org fully block-based.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also get into the future iterations of taxonomies and navigation on the site to enhance its functionality. Nick suggests that the categories in the showcase will serve as a valuable resource for novice users, trying to understand the capabilities of WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The redesigned showcase aims to highlight WordPress in a modern way, inspire web design, and convince clients that WordPress is a credible choice. Everything that you see on the website is open source, meaning that you can download all the theme files for the showcase site to see how it was all put together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re curious about block development, or how you might convince clients that WordPress is a credible CMS, this podcast is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to WPTavern.com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so without further delay, I bring you Nick Diego.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast today by Nick Diego. Hello, Nick.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:49] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Thanks for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:50] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You&#8217;re very, very welcome. Nick has been on the podcast before, but he&#8217;s here to talk about something completely different this time. He&#8217;s here to talk about something called, well, I&#8217;m going to call it The Showcase. I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s the correct name for it. It might just be the WordPress Showcase or just Showcase. We&#8217;ll get into that in a moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, Nick, it&#8217;s a fairly generic question, but I always begin this way. Could you just tell us who you are, who you work for, what your relationship is with WordPress? All of that kind of quick bio stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:16] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Absolutely. So I am a sponsored full time contributor working for Automattic. And I work in the. org division. My official title is developer relations advocate. And so a lot of my work is around creating developer oriented content, speaking with developers, kind of helping them navigate modern WordPress development techniques, and that sort of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what we&#8217;re here to talk about today, is about the WordPress Showcase. And that&#8217;s kind of a separate project, but also in the .org space, improving the .org website, one component being the Showcase. I&#8217;m also working on that as well as my developer content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:55] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So you have your fingers in a variety of different pies. But the pie that we&#8217;re concerned about today is the WordPress Showcase. I suspect that it may be useful, if you are sitting near a computer or a mobile phone at this point, it may actually be quite useful to pause the podcast and go and have a little poke around the following URL.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s really easy to capture. So if you go to wordpress.org/showcase. That&#8217;s nice and straightforward. wordpress.org/showcase. You&#8217;re going to be presented with a site, and you may think to yourself, well, what&#8217;s the purpose of this? Because there&#8217;s no real calls to action. There&#8217;s nothing really that we are requiring the users to do. But I guess that&#8217;s the intent.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Nick, what is it? Why does this page exist? We&#8217;ll talk about its history later. Let&#8217;s just outline what it&#8217;s for.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:39] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> The page is designed to Showcase what can be built with WordPress. And right now there&#8217;s about 100 sites, and this is kind of looked at as like a beginning. You know, the Showcase can grow as folks submit entries to the Showcase. But it&#8217;s really just to highlight and kind of inspire people about what can be built with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have sites like NASA and, you know, government sites like wordpress.gov. We have artist blogs and portfolios and businesses, and there&#8217;s a construction company on there. I mean, it&#8217;s just to try to show all the different types of sites that can be built with the WordPress platform.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:14] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So given that WordPress has been around for a really, really long time now. We&#8217;re into the second decade, we&#8217;ve gone through 20 years already. So it&#8217;s been around for absolutely ages and, you know, people have been building websites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does the WordPress community or the wider world, maybe that&#8217;s who it&#8217;s aimed at more. Do they not know what WordPress is capable of? In other words, is this here for people who are trying to make a decision about whether to use WordPress or not? And it&#8217;s trying to encourage them that, look, there is no perfect template. There isn&#8217;t one size fits all. WordPress can do more or less anything.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:43] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Yeah, I think so. I think that part of this new Showcase, and we&#8217;ll kind of talk about, again, you said the history of the page and, you know, how it came to be. But the Showcase is now a top level navigation item when you go to wordpress.org. And the idea is for somebody who maybe is very new to WordPress, never used WordPress before, is just looking to get a presence online. It&#8217;s a quick place for them to go to just see what&#8217;s possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s all sorts of different audiences that come to WordPress. And there&#8217;s a lot of people who have some idea, or thoughts about what WordPress is. Oh, it&#8217;s just a blogging platform. Or, oh, it can&#8217;t do certain things, or it can do certain things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is trying to show the breadth of what WordPress can do. Whether you&#8217;re a new user or whether you have some, you know, misconceptions about what the WordPress platform can do. This is trying to capture all the different ways to build with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s fairly impactful in terms of its design. In other words, the design is very contemporary, and it&#8217;s quite stark. There&#8217;s a lot of black, there&#8217;s a lot of white. And essentially you are putting the sites, there&#8217;s these little, they look like desktop versions of the site in every case that I&#8217;m looking at, at the moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there&#8217;s just dozens and dozens of them lined up after one another. And each of them is really incredibly different from the other. But the thing that I&#8217;m taking away from it all, is just how large the reach of WordPress is. So more or less everything that I can see is something that I&#8217;ve heard of. So there&#8217;s museums here, there&#8217;s software companies, there&#8217;s enormous publications, and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So is there a bit of that thrown into it as well? We&#8217;re trying to sort of impress with the scale of what WordPress is able to achieve. So I&#8217;m looking, I can see the New York Times, and various other different enterprises. Is that a part of it as well? Just look at the enormous projects that WordPress has captured, NASA and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:27] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Yeah, I think so personally. There are a lot of other competitors, quote unquote, that WordPress competes with. We have things like Squarespace and Wix and others. This Showcase was not a direct response to those sites. The Showcase has been around on WordPress for a very long time. But one of the unique things about WordPress powering 43 percent of the internet is that, there&#8217;s a lot of high quality sites built with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being able to Showcase that the breadth of what you can build with WordPress, I do think is one of the unique things that WordPress has that allows it to stand out from maybe some of the other platforms.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so showcasing things like the New York Times, again, I said NASA. NASA is at the top of mind because they recently just converted everything over to WordPress, which is a massive undertaking.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, I mean, showcasing these kind of sites, as well as smaller sites. There are some restaurants on there. There&#8217;s a couple, ones that were built purely with the block editor, which is pretty cool. And so really having that juxtaposition of large enterprise sites versus small. Small business, you know, individual portfolio.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully, that shows a new user, someone who is just exploring WordPress all the different ways that you can build with the platform. And hopefully inspire them to dig a little deeper, download WordPress, get hosting, so on and so forth.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. So just a couple of things on the navigation. For a start, it really is front and center on the wordpress.org navigation. Currently, as things stand, we&#8217;re recording this in November 2023. It&#8217;s the second item in the menu. After news comes Showcase and after that is hosting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then also if you actually go onto the Showcase site, there&#8217;s a couple of menu items on the right hand side where it says submit a site. And then there&#8217;s view all sites. But it&#8217;s the submit a site bit that I&#8217;m interested in. I wonder what the guidelines is around what would ever make it onto this page.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can imagine if you were an agency, it would be incredible to get your website listed here. Presumably there&#8217;d be some kudos to that, and perhaps even other people coming to your agency.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I wonder around that if there are criteria about what can appear here, what will appear here in the future. And the number a hundred, which is the number of websites that&#8217;s there at the moment, seems too coincidental. Is that the target number that you&#8217;re always going to feature or does that possibly go up and down depending on submissions?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:38] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> So it&#8217;s funny you call out the hundred, because there were some proposals back in March around trying to keep the Showcase to 100. And from some community feedback it was like, oh, that&#8217;s a numbers too small. Do we really want to remove people from the Showcase once you&#8217;ve been added? You know, so kind of keeping that 100 as it stands right now, based on my understanding, that&#8217;s not a hard and fast number to be stuck with.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly enough, a lot of sites that were on the previous version of the Showcase were pulled over into the new Showcase. And there were some that were in the queue still, that hadn&#8217;t been processed, that also got pulled over. There are a handful of new ones as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we went through, double checking, oh, this is still a WordPress site, making sure there were no problems, we randomly got to 100. It was like 108 at one point, and then just like, oh, this is not WordPress anymore. And then it got down to 100, so that&#8217;s purely coincidence.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> In terms of criteria for submission though, what would those be?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:31] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Exactly. So right now, the submission for submitting to the Showcase has not changed from the previous version. The project around updating the aesthetic, and the design of the site is part of a broader effort across wordpress.org, to kind of modernise and update the site as a whole. The main focus is aesthetics, and also changing all the themes to a block theme. So the new Showcase is entirely a block theme. Previously it was not.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Content moderation and how the submissions are managed, you know, how often new sites get added, that was not within the scope of the project. How the previous Showcase was managed, prior to this new redesign, is all the same.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That being said, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. And this needs to be handled from a community perspective, around content moderation, what is the process around that? So as we move forward in the next few months, that needs to be a focus for the Showcase site, in kind of improving that pipeline for new sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of right now, we get a lot of submissions to the Showcase, because it&#8217;s wide open. Anybody can submit. So there is a lot of contributor time that&#8217;s needed to go through each submission, double check that it&#8217;s WordPress. So there&#8217;s a lot of work and man hours that is required for that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s something that needs to be sorted out in a Make post, and get some folks around that who want to commit time to helping manage that process. So, unfortunately that wasn&#8217;t part of the scope of this project, but it is very important to the continued success of a Showcase, and will need to come in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have a few issues that were highlighted during the launch and the development of the site, that will also get improved as we go along. So I do really want to stress that, while the aesthetics of the Showcase right now, very different from what was before, so it really feels like a new experience. It is just another iteration, and more iterations will come as, you know, we fix things and improve things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> In terms of the criteria for a minimum basic requirement, if you want to feature on this site. I mean, if you click through to any of the websites, the first thing which springs to mind is, you know, it has to be responsive because it&#8217;s shown in two different ways. There&#8217;s something suggestive of a desktop, and there&#8217;s something suggestive of a mobile phone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t actually have the sort of, it&#8217;s not encapsulated by the phone UI or anything. But it&#8217;s pretty clear that&#8217;s what you&#8217;re looking for. So that would be a minimum. But beyond that, do you have any things which are utterly essential? So one thing which jumps into my head would be, I don&#8217;t know, this website is accessible, for example. Or this website is, well, I&#8217;ll hand it over to you. Are there any criteria which, just don&#8217;t submit unless you meet this, this and this?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:01] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Right. So there are currently three bullet points under the submission criteria, and they&#8217;re purposely quite broad. You need to be using WordPress in a unique and innovative way, representing a notable organisation, government entity, or corporation as a official blog or website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key piece here before I say the last one is that, you need to be doing one or more of the following. So one or more of these, and or you need to be using modern WordPress. So for example, a small little restaurant might have a really cool, interesting design. They&#8217;re not a notable organisation or corporation, but they&#8217;re using it in a unique and innovative way. Maybe they&#8217;re using a block theme to do so. So you don&#8217;t have to apply it to all of these, but these are kind of the broad criteria around that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when it comes to being things like accessibility, and responsiveness or whatever. These are things where there is no criteria right now around a site passing a certain level of accessibility, or a certain lighthouse score. And it&#8217;s not to say that those criteria couldn&#8217;t exist, but they would need to be decided on collectively as a community. Identified what those are, and then that criteria can be implemented to the sites in the Showcase.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That process is highly opinionated, not highly opinionated, but it requires a lot of group consensus. And that is partially why the whole submission process and, you know, the content moderation was not part of the redesign. Because that requires an, at least personally, that requires its own consideration, its own thought processes, its own discussion with the community. And hopefully that could happen relatively soon as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:38] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It seems like a not particularly onerous submission process, in that case. So long as you hit two out of the three of the criteria that you mentioned, you&#8217;re eligible. And then we must wait for the community to decide which go in, and add to the pool that we can currently see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doing a quick refresh, there&#8217;s always one website which dominates, if you like, it&#8217;s in the, you know, the hero section. And there&#8217;s one website which get featured. But every time I click refresh, broadly speaking, I get what seems to be something random. Although having refreshed probably 50 times or so now, it would appear that the ones which get into the header, there&#8217;s a few that seem to be earmarked.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s maybe five or six that I&#8217;ve seen so far. I&#8217;m seeing the New York Times. I&#8217;m seeing Meta. I&#8217;m seeing a variety of others that come up. Is there some other criteria there to get right to the top, if you like, of that page?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:26] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> There is not. Behind the scenes, they&#8217;re basically a sticky post. And so there&#8217;s a server cache that refreshes, I believe it&#8217;s every 120 minutes, or every 60 minutes. And once that refreshes you&#8217;ll see a new page. The sites that were up there were selected as part of just the redesign aesthetic process just to have something there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the mechanism around those six sites can completely change. So if the community decides some brand new site really should be part of that six, then it can be. Should be considered kind of a default just to get the site launched. But I kind of put who those six are, kind of falls into that content moderation bucket, and it really can be anything that the community wants. Obviously that&#8217;s within the Showcase.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> When you click through to any of the particular websites in question, it looks like one of the submission things is A, give us the name. B, give us some imagery, or presumably you scrape that imagery somehow. But then it&#8217;s categorised by country, by the word category in this case, I&#8217;m looking at one which is categorised as business.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there&#8217;s flavor, which is quite an interesting term. Publish date, and then there&#8217;s a bunch of tags, which obviously refer to the industry that you&#8217;re in. So I&#8217;m looking at art, hospitality and so on. But there&#8217;s probably some more there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You get a link, which seems to go directly, I don&#8217;t know what kind of a link that is, but maybe it&#8217;s just a regular old link, going directly to the property itself. And then you get some descriptive text, where you get to establish what this business is, and how the website has been put together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it doesn&#8217;t seem on the whole, this isn&#8217;t really a promotional tool for agency X. This is not a technique for an agency that&#8217;s big in the WordPress space, we know all the names. For them to push something and say, look what we did. There&#8217;s no link to them anywhere as far as I can see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:08] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Correct. And this is something that, again, we tried to stay out of because it really falls into kind of content moderation again. But ideally, the Showcase should be a very exciting, place to Showcase your best work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it would be amazing if, you know, some of the largest agencies, even small agencies, submitted their work to the Showcase for review. Because we know that there&#8217;s a hundred sites in this Showcase, right? We know that there&#8217;s millions of sites out there. Probably many that are better than the ones that are in the Showcase, right? And so having folks submit their work will be awesome.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, you&#8217;re right. It is not a tool to show off the agencies or promote the agencies. That being said, when you submit a site, you include a description about the site and how it was built. And it would be kind of nice, you know, in the future of these kind of became little mini case studies. Hey, you know, we built this nasa.gov, and we&#8217;re using Multisite.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it&#8217;s fine to highlight the agency dimension who built it, that&#8217;s okay. But it&#8217;s really about showcasing the work, and showcasing what can be built with WordPress. An agency can kind of inadvertently promote their work by being on Showcase, but that&#8217;s not the intended purpose. And I don&#8217;t know if we want to jump right into it, but I do want to share some thoughts around the taxonomies because you mentioned you have category and flavor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Categories and flavors. Flavor, by the way, you have three options that I can see at the moment. You have WordPress, WordPress enterprise, you might want to pick that one apart for the audience, and WordPress Multisite. They&#8217;re the options that you&#8217;ve got. So yeah, throw all the taxonomy stuff at us. That&#8217;s good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:41] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> So the taxonomy stuff is an area of the site that needs a future iteration. A lot of it was just pulled over from the old site to make sure that, you know, we kind of had feature parity as we moved over.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flavor is an interesting one. And I think this is where we can really, maybe flex in the future. You could imagine a flavor being block theme, or hybrid theme. You know, maybe it&#8217;s different flavors of how the sites are built. WordPress is just like the catch all, just like normal WordPress. Presumably everything is WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in enterprise, again, kind of a nebulous thing around sites that, and there&#8217;s only a handful of them that are listed as enterprise, where in doing this and reviewing the sites, we knew that this was a massive site that was enterprise grade, quote unquote, like NASA. With, you know, 60,000 pages. Really massive sites. And then Multisites, obviously for folks that are using Multisite.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flavor, the current setup for the, you know, the taxonomy needs some work. We left it because it could be reused in a really interesting way in the future. And if folks have ideas around how this taxonomy can be used and additional terms to add, by all means, let us know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Category is, and this goes back to thinking about some of the competitors of WordPress. Where we have Squarespace and Wix and so on. If you go to their Showcases, they have some very simple categories. You know, these are like five or six, that kind of bucket the sites. So it&#8217;s a little bit easier to navigate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, the category just looks like a normal taxonomy. But one of the ideas, perhaps in a future iteration is like, when you land on the Showcase, maybe there&#8217;s, visually you have some, you know, nice little buttons or something to say like business and portfolio. To try and help users navigate around the site a little bit better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this iteration of the Showcase, we left it very simple. It&#8217;s just another taxonomy term. But it leaves the door open for a new, updated design in the future that kind of leverages those categories a bit more. Makes the site a little bit more navigable for users, especially who are coming there for the first time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then your site tags are, it&#8217;s supposed to be like a fun expression where, we could have a thousand tags. It&#8217;s just a way to provide additional context about what a site is like. So tags are free form. Ideally we&#8217;ll have hundreds of them, that really help provide a little bit of fun to the sites and explain a little bit more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think the categories will be really useful for novice people coming to WordPress, because it really does break out what WordPress is capable of, as much as anything else. So currently, at the time that I&#8217;m looking at the screen, the options are business. I would imagine a lot of people would immediately grasp what that is, but community. Oh, okay, WordPress can do that kind of thing. Can it? Okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creative publication, obviously capturing people who are creating blogs or newspapers or whatever that might mean. But also store, you know, okay WordPress can handle that as well, can it? And whilst it&#8217;s obvious to you and I that those things are well within the purview of what WordPress can do, it may not be to other people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, yeah I think they&#8217;ll be really, really useful. And you can stack them on top of each other. So you can filter two or three things at the same time. And it strikes me that that will be, yeah, incredibly useful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you threw out there, dare we say it on a WordPress podcast. You threw out there the name Squarespace, I don&#8217;t know if you mentioned Wix. But we know who the commercial competitors are. And you also said, if you look at their Showcases. So I haven&#8217;t looked at their Showcases, but I&#8217;m guessing that there must have been, in order for this redesign to happen, there must have been a moment in time where the WordPress Showcase, perhaps fell behind in terms of the appeal, or the design or what have you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did the WordPress Showcase, in times gone by, a few months ago let&#8217;s say, did it not live up to what it does now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:18] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> I want to be very clear and not disparage anybody that was involved in the original Showcase. It served its purpose, but it felt as old as it was. You know, I don&#8217;t know when that original site was launched, but it felt many years old, and it was.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so when, I mean, WordPress.org is not a commercial entity. But at the same time, we are trying to grow the user base of WordPress. And other proprietary platforms, like Squarespace and Wix are also trying to grow their user base. And part of that is showing off what those platforms can do. And that was, that&#8217;s the point of the Showcase, to kind of show what WordPress can do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I think it was very fair to say that the previous aesthetic of the Showcase did not showcase WordPress in the best light, especially compared to some of these other tools that people can use.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what we&#8217;re thinking about here is really not, you know, not an agency that already knows WordPress, not people who already know WordPress. But those folks who are just want a website, just want a presence online. And so if you were to compare the old Showcase, and something like Squarespace and Wix, it was a very stark difference there. And it was very clear which direction a user might go if they knew nothing else other than, this looks pretty, I want this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so yes, there was a lot of consideration around what others were doing when the Showcase was designed. And it&#8217;s not necessarily to compete with these other platforms, but it&#8217;s just to really showcase WordPress in a modern way that allows WordPress to kind of, allows us to be excited about directing people to the Showcase, other than perhaps cringing that it was a little bit out of date, and not reflective of the best that WordPress can be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:51] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It strikes me that this has lots of layers of use as well. Because, not only could you go to this website, obviously there&#8217;s a hundred at the moment, but that number is going to be in flux. Let&#8217;s imagine that there&#8217;s more in the future. Not only could you go there and just get bucket loads of inspiration, because really, genuinely there&#8217;s not one that looks anything like the other. They really are truly different in nature. And I guess that&#8217;s part of the Showcase, is to maintain that originality, as you said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you can go there to get inspiration. But also, it was always a part of the arsenal, I thought of a freelancer, and an agency when trying to persuade clients that WordPress was a credible choice. It was always really great to, not only show the designs, but also to name the names.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you know, The White House, NASA, you just list it. Well, these people are using WordPress, and immediately credibility just falls out of your mouth. I just wondered if there was any bit of this which was designed for that? You know, to help the community to be able to sell WordPress to their clients.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:54] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> Absolutely. I think that WordPress has, in some circles, a negative connotation. You know, it&#8217;s just a blogging software. People decry security issues, which we know is not necessarily founded. And, you know, these are things where being able to send some customer or client somewhere and say, hey, do you know Noma? One of the most famous restaurants in the world? They&#8217;re using WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hey, do you know the Ray Charles Museum? You&#8217;ve heard of Ray Charles. They&#8217;re using WordPress, so on and so forth. Rolling Stone is using WordPress. And I really think that that, not that we need to prop up the credibility of WordPress, but I think that having something like this really helps with that. And, you know, establishing that credibility, and also showcasing what WordPress can do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> This could be completely wrong. Apologies if this comes out and you think, no, no, no, that really wasn&#8217;t the intention. The ones that I&#8217;m looking at, I&#8217;ve got a screen full of, and it probably is by some sort of random query of the database. I&#8217;ve got a screen full of things where everything is in English.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I doubt that that&#8217;s the case because now that I&#8217;ve gone onto the second page, I can see there&#8217;s one or two where English as the first language is not there. So is that just a coincidence? It&#8217;s not like there&#8217;s a proclivity here to showcase English things. Any language is possible. It&#8217;s the design that&#8217;s the point, not the language.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:05] <strong>Nick Diego:</strong> I think that may have been unfortunate happenstance because there was a really strong effort to make sure that there&#8217;s a diversity of sites across other languages. Actually, we do have one on the homepage, the Denmark Museum of Design. The featured name is Design Museum Denmark, but then all the navigation is in Danish, I believe.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So that was definitely a huge effort as well. Because WordPress is not just the United States, and the state of the word that&#8217;s coming up is taking place in Madrid to kind of show off all the amazing contributors that we have in Spain. You know, so this is really a global Showcase, and it really should reflect that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So perhaps we need to add a few more items to the homepage that are from different areas, but absolutely not. We really want to have a broad spectrum of sites across the world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:51] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So, WordPress is doing a really good job here, we can see that. WordPress is also doing a really good job in the amount of materials that are being created in order to learn how to use WordPress. And I know this isn&#8217;t directly within your wheelhouse, but i&#8217;m ki