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";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:"HeroPress: How To Become A Freelancer – A Few Things I Learned Before I Gave Up";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:56:"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=3280";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:206:"https://heropress.com/essays/how-to-become-a-freelancer-a-few-things-i-learned-before-i-gave-up/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-become-a-freelancer-a-few-things-i-learned-before-i-gave-up";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:28154:"<img width="960" height="480" src="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/091620-min.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Pull Quote: I realized that freelancing is not the only way to achieve my goals." /><p><a href="https://heropress.com/feed/#serbian">Članak je takođe dostupan na sprskom jeziku.</a></p>
<p>Everyone’s story is unique. Our life journeys differ in so many aspects and these experiences shape us into who we are now. Therefore, things that we, as individuals, learn along the way can’t always apply to someone else’s life goals, potentials, aspirations, and struggles.</p>
<p>But, sometimes, knowing about other people’s mistakes and successes can help us navigate through our life challenges better. We can avoid making the same mistakes and, even better, we can get inspired to accomplish similar achievements.</p>
<p>That is why I decided to share a few things that I have learned by trying to become a freelancer. Spoiler alert &#8211; I’m a corporate employee now.</p>
<p>My career path was a bit unusual. I wasn’t quite tech-savvy until 5 years ago and my entire focus was around the fitness industry from 2006 until 2015. Being a fitness trainer was a dream job for me when I was 26 but, by the age of 35, it became somehow, well, boring.</p>
<p>Then I had a huge epiphany &#8211; numerous opportunities come with WordPress and freelancing was one of them. So, if you are at the stage of your life when becoming a freelancer seems like a good idea, read on.</p>
<p>I will try to break down 5 things that helped me in starting my freelance career. They are formulated as general tips for beginners but some of them can also be applied when changing the course of your career. So, let’s dive right in.</p>
<h3>Question your motives</h3>
<p>The first and the most important thing that you should ask yourself before you do anything in your life is why. “Why am I doing this?”</p>
<p>So, why do you want to become a freelancer?</p>
<p>Is it because you need an extra income? Or maybe because of flexible working hours. Or because you will be able to work from different locations? Or you see freelancing as just a phase before you get enough experience to open your agency and have others working for you.</p>
<blockquote><p>Be honest with yourself. List all the reasons why you want to become a freelancer. This will help you later on in choosing the right jobs or maybe in considering some other alternatives to freelancing.</p></blockquote>
<p>For example, these are my top 3 motives to become a freelancer:</p>
<ul>
<li>Opportunity to grow intellectually and learn new things</li>
<li>Flexible working hours (by not being forced to work 9 am to 5 pm every day, I was able to avoid the boring routine)</li>
<li>Peaceful and quiet working environment &#8211; quite opposite to the gym where everything is so loud</li>
</ul>
<p>So, after you question your goals and motives, and you are certain that you want to become a freelancer what’s next? My suggestion is &#8211; develop WordPress related skills.</p>
<h3>Get the skills &#8211; choose WordPress</h3>
<p>Why WordPress you might ask? Well, for a start, WordPress gives various opportunities and it is not a developer-only niche.</p>
<p>Although, when someone thinks of freelancing and WordPress, web developer and web designer are first associations, there is a huge variety of WordPress related freelance jobs:</p>
<ul>
<li>Web developer (coding websites, themes, and plugins)</li>
<li>Web implementor (creating websites from existing themes without coding)</li>
<li>Web designer (designing website mockups, editing images or creating infographics for websites)</li>
<li>Client support professional (helping people with their websites)</li>
<li>Website maintenance professional (takes care of the website to make sure that WordPress, themes, and plugins are up to date and new backups are created regularly)</li>
<li>WordPress teacher (teaching clients how to use WordPress or teaching other web professionals)</li>
<li>Content writer</li>
<li>Accessibility specialist (making sure that certain standards are met and suggesting solutions for accessibility barriers)</li>
<li>SEO consultant</li>
<li>Statistics consultant (especially for webshops)</li>
<li>WordPress assistant (adding new content and editing existing posts)</li>
<li>Website migration specialist (moving websites from one server to another)</li>
<li>Web security specialist</li>
</ul>
<p>Another reason why WordPress is great for freelancers is a strong community that exists around this CMS. There are regular meetups, WordCamps, and other events (they are now switched to online), where you can get a ton of useful information, and also get to ask like-minded people literally anything. The community is so large and diverse, that you will definitely find the answer to any question. It’s much easier to start your freelance career when you have such a great community around you.</p>
<h3>Plan in advance</h3>
<p>Now that you know where the opportunity lies, you can start planning your career.</p>
<p>Becoming a freelancer is a process. At the beginning of that process, you should acquire or improve relevant skills that will make you stand out in the freelance market. And, of course, as you learn and grow, you will be able to take more challenging and better-paid jobs.</p>
<p>Which skill should you focus on? If you already have a basic skill set for at least one of the previously listed jobs, you can improve your knowledge in that direction and specialize in that area.</p>
<p>However, if you don’t have any relevant skills, in my opinion, it would be the easiest to step into the freelancing world with a job that has a shorter learning curve and build your knowledge around that. Example &#8211; you can start with either content writing or as a web implementer since these jobs have a shorter learning curve than SEO related jobs or web development. Then, from content writing, you can expand your knowledge towards SEO and from a web implementer, you can become a developer. Just don’t stop learning.</p>
<p>Also, if you have specific talents or hobbies like writing or design, you can base your career on that.</p>
<blockquote><p>There is nothing better than doing what you love.</p></blockquote>
<p>Additionally, it would be a good idea to analyze the market before you jump into the learning process.</p>
<p>For example, now it would not be the best time to specialize in writing travel-related content, while it would be a great moment for any job related to webshops and online sales.</p>
<p>If you want to learn web development, web design, web security, or SEO, you should always focus on new trends, so your skills can be useful in the future as well.</p>
<p>For different jobs, working terms often vary so you should take this into consideration when choosing your career path. At some jobs, you can work flexible hours while at others you have to be available during predefined hours. This is what you should have in mind when specializing in a certain area or looking for a first job.</p>
<h3>Hurray, it’s time to get a first freelancing job</h3>
<p>If you currently have a job, it would be wise to either save some money before you quit your job to become a full-time freelancer or try freelancing for a few hours per week, in the beginning, to see if you like it or not. If you become successful and decide that freelancing is something that fits your needs, only then quit your job, not before.</p>
<blockquote><p>Although some people do benefit when taking a risk, think twice before you take any irreversible actions.</p></blockquote>
<p>And here are some tactics that worked for me when trying to get my first freelancing job:</p>
<p><i>Use a freelancing platform</i> &#8211; although this is not mandatory, it is much easier to get the first job when you are using a freelancing platform. My choice was Upwork back in the day, but there are several platforms that you can use to get the first job faster.</p>
<p><i>Triple-check your resume</i> &#8211; I guess that this is not something that I should mention but I will anyway, just in case. Don’t make spelling mistakes in your resume, it will give the impression that you are not thorough and that you will oversee mistakes in your other work as well.</p>
<p><i>Present yourself in a professional manner</i> &#8211; Take the time to present your professional skills in the best possible light but still stay humble. Don’t write: “Best WordPress developer that never wrote a bad code”. This is not evidence-based, and it will make you seem arrogant. Instead, you can write: “Web developer with 3 years of experience and over 50 satisfied clients, specialized in WordPress.” This statement is based on facts and it shows your credibility.</p>
<p><i>Fill up your portfolio</i> &#8211; If you have any previous work (that is presentable, of course) you should put it in your portfolio. Emphasis on presentable. If not, you can make a few websites, designs, or write some example texts if you are a content writer in order to showcase your skills. This is not applicable to all jobs, like SEO consultants or customer support but if you have the opportunity to create a portfolio, use the opportunity.</p>
<p><i>Use video material</i> &#8211; Short introductory video will make you stand out since making promotional video material is not something that many freelancers do. It will help you create a more human professional approach. For your clients, you will not be just a list of skills and previous experiences, but a real person that has these skills and experiences and that provides a certain service for them.</p>
<p><i>Have a detailed strategy when choosing your first employer &#8211;</i> Choose your first employer wisely, very wisely. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is so I will give you an example. When I had to apply for my first job, I considered the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>How this employer was rated by other freelancers which worked for him previously</li>
<li>How the employer rated other freelancers</li>
<li>How much money he had already spent on this platform and if he posts regular job offers</li>
<li>The number of open positions for this job and the number of freelancers that have already applied. In my case, the job had about 10 open positions so that amplified my chances of getting hired, even if the competition is high.</li>
</ul>
<p><i>The first job is not all about the money &#8211;</i> Don’t get greedy on your first job. If you get good reviews, your second job can be paid 2-3 times more. And your third job can go up to 5 times more. That was my experience at least.</p>
<h3>Be careful, you are an adult</h3>
<p>Individual responsibility is key when it comes to freelancing. You have the freedom to choose who you are going to work for, what kind of job are you going to take, and how it is going to be delivered. And freedom often comes with responsibility. They are like two sides of the same coin.</p>
<p>You should never miss a deadline. If you are not sure that you are going to be able to deliver, don’t take the job or as an alternative have someone very reliable as a backup, just in case. When you miss a deadline, your client loses money, and they have every right to be angry. This will very likely affect your reviews after the job is complete. And then, the opportunity to get your next job and so on. This can start a downward spiral for your career.</p>
<p>However, we are all humans and unpredictable things can happen. If for some reason you are not able to complete your work in a timely manner, let your client know immediately so they can have enough time to hire someone else.</p>
<p>Also, it is important to make everything clear in advance, before you accept the job. Let your clients know what your expectations are and make sure that you understand what they expect from you. For example, if you are a content writer, make sure that you know the length of the text in characters or words, ask if some keywords should be used and how frequently, what writing style your client prefers, and so on. And if you are a designer, specify how many revisions are included in the price.</p>
<blockquote><p>The clearer the initial arrangement is, the more satisfied both you and your client will be at the end.</p></blockquote>
<p>If you have flexible working hours, don’t let other people interrupt you. If your friends and family wouldn’t show up in your office every day if you were a bank clerk, they shouldn’t interrupt you when you work from home. It’s the same principle and it’s up to you to set the boundaries and let them know about your working schedule. It’s not up to them.</p>
<p>So, these are some basic guidelines that helped me in starting my freelance career and I hope that they will be helpful for you as well.</p>
<blockquote><p>There is no unique recipe and one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to the path you ought to take.</p></blockquote>
<p>It’s just important to stay focused on your goals and to be open to new opportunities.</p>
<p>If you were wondering why I’m not a freelancer anymore, this is where the answer lies. By constantly being interested in different opportunities, I realized that freelancing is not the only way to achieve my goals. There are companies that offer flexible working hours and peaceful work environment while stimulating professional growth and creative thinking.</p>
<p>Plus I gained something very precious by joining a team &#8211; my colleagues became my support system both professionally and privately, and that is what I have been missing while being a freelancer.</p>
<p>I wish you a lot of luck and success in the future, regardless of the path you choose to take.</p>
<h1 id="serbian">Kako postati frilenser &#8211; stvari koje sam naučila pre nego što sam odustala</h1>
<p>Naše životne priče su različite. Svako od nas ima svoj jedinstveni životni put, a iskustva koja steknemo oblikuju nas u osobe koje smo danas. Zbog toga, stvari koje mi, kao pojedinci, naučimo na svom putu ne mogu uvek lako da se primene na situacije kroz koje prolazi neko drugi.</p>
<p>Ipak, ponekad sagledavanje tuđih uspeha i grešaka može da nam pomogne da se bolje snađemo u sopstvenim životnim izazovima. Možemo da izbegnemo da napravimo istu grešku koju je napravio naš prijatelj ili, još bolje, možemo postati motivisani da postignemo jednak ako ne i veći uspeh kao neko iz našeg okruženja.</p>
<p>Zbog toga sam odlučila da sa vama podelim ono što sam naučila pokušavajući da postanem frilenser. Spoiler alert &#8211; sada sam zaposlena u korporacji.</p>
<p>Moja karijera je isla pomalo neuobičajenim putem. Nisam uopšte bila naklonjena informatici do pre pet godina. Tačnije nisam znala skoro ništa o toj oblasti. Bila sam potpuno fokusirana na fitnes industriju i radila sam isključivo kao fitnes trener od 2006. do 2015. To je za mene bio posao iz snova dok sam bila mlađa ali mi je oko moje 35. godine već pomalo dosadio.</p>
<p>Tada sam otkrila WordPress i shvatila da se mnogobrojne prilike otvaraju bas sa poznavanjem ove platforme. A frilensing je jedna od njih. Tako da, ako ste trenutno u fazi kada vam se frilensovanje čini kao dobra ideja, nastavite da čitate.</p>
<p>Pokušaću da detaljno opišem pet stvari koje sam naučila pokušavajući da postanem frilenser. Formulisala sam ih kao uopštene savete za početnike, ali neki od njih mogu da se primene i kada menjate kurs svoje frilens karijere.</p>
<h3>Preispitajte svoje motive</h3>
<p>Prva i najvažnija stvar koju treba da se zapitate pre nego što uradite išta u životu je zašto. “Zašto to radim?” Zbog čega želite da postanete frilenseri? Da li zbog toga što vam treba dodatni prihod? Ili zbog fleksibilnog radnog vremena? Ili da biste mogli da radite sa bilo koje lokacije na svetu? Ili frilensing vidite kao fazu pre nego što steknete dovoljno iskustva da možete da otvorite svoju agenciju.</p>
<blockquote><p>Budite iskreni prema sebi. Popišite koji su to razlozi zbog kojih želite da budete frilenser. Ovo će vam kasnije pomoći pri izboru adekvatnog frilensing posla ili pri razmatranju neke druge alternative.</p></blockquote>
<p>Na primer, ovo su bila moja tri glavna razloga:</p>
<ul>
<li>Prilika da naučim nesto novo i da se intelektualno razvijam u nekom novom pravcu</li>
<li>Fleksibilno radno vreme &#8211; time što sam imala fleksibilno radno vreme bila sam u mogućnosti da izbednem dosadnu “od 9 do 5” rutinu</li>
<li>Tiho i mirno radno okruženje, potpuno u suprotnosti sa teretanama u kojima je uvek bučno</li>
</ul>
<p>Nakon što ste preispitali svoje ciljeve i motive, i sigurni ste da želite da se bavite frilensingom, šta dalje? Moj predlog je naučite nešto što je vezano za WordPress.</p>
<h3>Steknite znanja vezana za WordPress</h3>
<p>Sada se možda pitate zašto baš WordPress. Za početak, zato što WordPress nudi mnoštvo raznovrsnih prilika, i to ne samo za developere.</p>
<p>Iako, kad se pomene WordPress, prvo što će nekome pasti na pamet je ili developer ili web dizajner, postoji veliki broj različitih poslova vezanih za WordPress:</p>
<ul>
<li>Web developer (kodira sajtove, teme i dodatke)</li>
<li>Web implementator (pravi sajtove od gotovih tema bez kodiranja)</li>
<li>Web dizajner (dizajnira skice sajtova, edituje slike i kreira infografike za sajtove)</li>
<li>Korisnička podrška (pomaže klijentima kada se nešto desi sa sajtom)</li>
<li>Održavanje sajtova (redovno održava sajt, kreira bekape, ažurira teme, dodatke i sam WordPress)</li>
<li>WordPress predavač (uči klijente kako da koriste WordPress ili uči druge web profesionalce koji se usavršavaju u nekoj oblasti)</li>
<li>Pisac tekstova za sajtove</li>
<li>Specijalista za aksesibilnost (vodi računa da određeni standardi budu ispunjeni i predlaže rešenja za barijere u aksesibilnosti)</li>
<li>SEO konsultant</li>
<li>Statističar (najčešće radi za velike onlajn prodavnice)</li>
<li>WordPress asistent (unosi novi sadržaj i menja postojći)</li>
<li>Specijalista za migracije (seli sajtove sa servera na server)</li>
<li>Specjalista za web bezbednost</li>
</ul>
<p>Još jedan razlog zbog kojeg mislim da je dobro izabrati WordPress je jaka zajednica koja se okupila oko ovog CMS-a. Redovno se održavaju manja okupljanja (trenutno na daljinu) ali i ona veća koja su nazvana WordCamp (takođe na daljinu do daljnjeg) na kojima možete dobiti pregršt korisnih informacija i pitati druge profesionalce sve što vas interesuje. Zajednica je toliko velika i raznolika da ćete tu pronaći odgovor na skoro svako stručno pitanje. Mnogo je lakse započeti frilens karijeru kada su sjajni ljudi oko vas.</p>
<h3>Planirajte unapred</h3>
<p>Sada kada znate u kom ćete pravcu ići, vreme je da počnete da planirate svoju karijeru.</p>
<p>Postati frilenser je proces. Na početku tog procesa potrebno je da steknete ili dodatno unapredite svoje veštine kojima ćete se istaći u odnosu na konkurenciju. I naravno kako učite i napredujete, moći ćete da prihvatate izazovnije i bolje plaćene poslove.</p>
<p>Na koja se onda znanja fokusirati? Ukoliko već imate neko predznanje za neki od prethodno navedenih poslova, možete se dalje razvijati u tom pravcu i specijalizovati se za tu oblast.</p>
<p>S druge strane, ukoliko nemate nikakvo relevantno predznanje, po mom mišljenju bi najlakše bilo započeti sa poslom koji ima kraći period učenja pa da kasnije nadograđujete znanje. Na primer, možete početi kao pisac tekstova za sajtove ili kao implementator jer se ti poslovi brže savladavaju nego poslovi vezani za SEO ili web development. Onda od pisanja sadržaja za sajtove možete proširiti znanje na SEO a od implementatora vremenom postati developer. Samo budite radoznali i ne prestajte da učite.</p>
<p>Takođe, ukoliko imate specifične talente ili neki hobi kao npr. pisanje ili dizajn, možete da bazirate karijeru oko toga.</p>
<blockquote><p>Najlepše je kad neko zarađuje od nečega što inače voli da radi.</p></blockquote>
<p>Uz to, valjalo bi da proučite tržište pre nego što se “bacite” na učenje.</p>
<p>Na primer, sada nije trenutak da se specijalizujete za pisanje sadržaja koji je vezan za putovanja, a pravi je momenat za sticanje veština koje, na bilo koji način, imaju veze sa onlajn prodavnicama i prodajom putem Interneta.</p>
<p>Ukoliko želite da savladate web development, SEO, web dizajn ili web bezbednost, bitno je da se fokusirate na nove trendove, tehnologije i alate, kako bi vaše veštine bile primenljive i u budućnosti.</p>
<p>Za različite poslove, uslovi rada mogu biti veoma različiti, pa bi i to valjalo imati na umu. Za neke vrste posla, radno vreme je fleksibilno, dok za druge, morate biti raspoloživi tokom određenog doba dana (ako radite kao korisnička podrška, na primer). I ovo bi trebalo da uzmete u obzir kada birate za koju oblast ćete se specijalizovati.</p>
<h3>Konačno! Vreme je za prvi posao!</h3>
<p>Ako ste zaposleni, bilo bi pametno da prištedite novac pre nego što napustite posao da biste se bavili isključivo frilensingom. Druga pametna opcija bi bila da vam na početku frilensing bude dodatni posao uz ono što već radite kako biste videli da li vam takav način rada odgovara ili ne. Ako postanete uspešni i shvatite da je frilensing nešto što odgovara vašim potrebama, tek tada napustite trenutni posao, ne pre toga.</p>
<blockquote><p>Iako neki ljudi profitiraju kada rizikuju, dobro razmislite pre nego što preduzmete korake posle kojih nema nazad.</p></blockquote>
<p>Evo nekoliko taktika koje su mi pomogle kada sam pokušavala da dobijem svoj prvi posao kao frilenser:</p>
<p><i>Koristite platformu za frilensere</i> &#8211; iako nije obavezno, mnogo je lakše doći do prvog posla kada koristite neku platformu namenjenu frilenserima. U to doba, moj izbor je bio Upwork. Svakako, sada postoji i nekoliko drugih platformi pomoću kojih možete brže doći do prvog posla.</p>
<p><i>Triput proverite svoju biografiju</i> &#8211; pretpostavljam da to nije nešto što bi trebalo da pomenem, ali svejedno ću naglasiti, za svaki slučaj. Ne pravite pravopisne greške u biografiji jer ćete time stvoriti utisak da niste temeljni i da će vam se greške lako potkrasti i dok obavljate svoj posao.</p>
<p><i>Predstavite se profesionalno</i> &#8211; Uložite trud da svoje profesionalne veštine predstavite u najboljem mogućem svetlu, ali i dalje budite skromni. Nemojte napisati: &#8220;Najbolji WordPress developer koji nikada nije napisao loš kod&#8221;. Ovo nije zasnovano na dokazima i učiniće da izgledate arogantno. Umesto toga, možete napisati: &#8220;Web programer sa 3 godine iskustva i preko 50 zadovoljnih klijenata, specijalizovan za WordPress.&#8221; Ova izjava je zasnovana na činjenicama i deluje verodostojno.</p>
<p><i>Popunite portfolio</i> &#8211; Ako imate bilo kakav prethodni rad (koji je naravno reprezentativan), trebalo bi da ga dodate u portfolio. Naglasak je na reprezentativan. Ako ne, možete da napravite nekoliko sajtova, dizajnirate skice sajtova ili napišete primere tekstova kako biste prikazali svoje veštine. Ovo se ne odnosi na sve poslove, kao što su SEO konsultanti ili korisnička podrška, ali ako imate priliku da napravite portfolio, iskoristite priliku.</p>
<p><i>Koristite video materijale</i> &#8211; Kratki uvodni video će skrenuti pažnju na vas jer izrada promotivnog video materijala nije nešto što mnogi frilenseri rade. Pomoći će vam da delujete ljudskije i profesionalnije. Za svoje klijente nećete biti samo lista veština i prethodnih iskustava, već stvarna osoba koja zaista ima te veštine i iskustva i koja im pruža određenu uslugu.</p>
<p><i>Imajte detaljnu strategiju pri izboru prvog poslodavca</i> &#8211; Birajte svog prvog poslodavca mudro. Ne mogu dovoljno da naglasim koliko je ovo važno, pa ću vam dati primer. Kada sam se prijavljivala za svoj prvi posao, uzela sam u obzir sledeće:</p>
<ul>
<li>Kako su ovog poslodavca ocenili drugi frilenseri koji su ranije radili za njega</li>
<li>Kako je poslodavac ocenio druge frilensere</li>
<li>Koliko novca je već potrošio na ovoj platformi i da li redovno objavljuje ponude za posao</li>
<li>Broj otvorenih pozicija za ponuđeni posao i broj frilensera koji su se već prijavili. U mom slučaju, posao je imao oko 10 otvorenih radnih mesta, što je povećalo moje šanse za zapošljavanje, čak i u slučaju da je konkurencija velika.</li>
</ul>
<p>Kod prvog posla nije bitan samo novac &#8211; nemojte biti pohlepni. Ako budete dobro ocenjeni, vaš drugi posao može biti plaćen 2-3 puta više. A vaš treći posao može biti vrednovan i do 5 puta više. To je barem bilo moje iskustvo.</p>
<h3>Vodite računa, odrasla ste osoba</h3>
<p>Individualna odgovornost je ključna kada je u pitanju uspeh u frilensingu. Imate slobodu da izaberete za koga ćete raditi, kakav ćete posao prihvatiti i kako ćete isporučiti dogovoreno. A uz slobodu često dolazi i odgovornost. Oni su poput dve strane iste medalje.</p>
<p>Nikada ne smete propustiti rok. Ako niste sigurni da ćete uspeti da završite, nemojte ni prihvatati posao ili, umesto toga, za svaki slučaj imajte nekoga vrlo pouzdanog da priskoči u pomoć ako zatreba. Kada propustite rok, vaš klijent gubi novac i ima puno pravo da se naljuti. Ovo će vrlo verovatno uticati na vaše ocene nakon obavljenog posla. A posledično, i na priliku da dobijete sledeći posao i tako dalje. To može pokrenuti silaznu spiralu za vašu karijeru.</p>
<p>Međutim, svi smo ljudi i mogu se dogoditi nepredvidive stvari. Ako iz nekog razloga niste u mogućnosti da svoj posao obavite u roku, odmah obavestite svog klijenta kako bi imao dovoljno vremena da zaposli nekog drugog.</p>
<p>Takođe je važno da sve bude jasno definisano unapred, pre nego što prihvatite posao. Obavestite svoje klijente o svojim očekivanjima i uverite se da razumete šta oni očekuju od vas. Na primer, ako treba da pišete tekst za sajt, uverite se da znate dužinu teksta u karakterima ili rečima, pitajte da li treba koristiti neke ključne reči i koliko često, koji stil pisanja preferira vaš klijent itd. A ako ste dizajner, navedite koliko je revizija uključeno u cenu.</p>
<blockquote><p>Što je početni dogovor jasniji, to ćete na kraju biti zadovoljniji i vi i vaši klijenti.</p></blockquote>
<p>Ako imate fleksibilno radno vreme, ne dozvolite da vas drugi ljudi prekidaju. Ako se vaši prijatelji i porodica ne bi svakodnevno pojavljivali u vašoj kancelariji da ste bankarski službenik, ne bi trebalo da vas prekidaju ni kada radite od kuće. To je isti princip i na vama je da postavite granice i obavestite ih o svom radnom vremenu. To nije njihov zadatak.</p>
<p>Ovo su neke osnovne smernice koje su mi pomogle u započinjanju karijere frilensera i nadam se da će biti korisne i vama.</p>
<blockquote><p>Ne postoji jedinstveni recept i jedna veličina ne odgovara svima kada je reč o putu kojim treba da krenete.</p></blockquote>
<p>Važno je samo ostati fokusiran na svoje ciljeve i biti otvoren za nove mogućnosti.</p>
<p>Ako ste se pitali zašto više nisam frilenser, evo odgovora. Stalnim sagledavanjem različitih mogućnosti, shvatila sam da frilensing nije jedini način da postignem svoje ciljeve. Postoje kompanije koje nude fleksibilno radno vreme i mirno radno okruženje, istovremeno stimulišući profesionalni rast i kreativno razmišljanje.</p>
<p>Uz to, stekla sam nešto vrlo dragoceno pridruživanjem timu &#8211; moje kolege su postale moj sistem podrške i profesionalno i privatno, i to je ono što mi je nedostajalo dok sam bila frilenser.</p>
<p>Želim vam puno sreće i uspeha u budućnosti, bez obzira na put koji ste odabrali!</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://heropress.com/essays/how-to-become-a-freelancer-a-few-things-i-learned-before-i-gave-up/">How To Become A Freelancer &#8211; A Few Things I Learned Before I Gave Up</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" 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:"Wed, 16 Sep 2020 06:00:13 +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:"Tijana Andrejic";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WPTavern: Upcoming API Change Will Break Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Links Across the Web Beginning October 24";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=104140";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:269:"https://wptavern.com/upcoming-api-change-will-break-facebook-and-instagram-oembed-links-across-the-web-beginning-october-24?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=upcoming-api-change-will-break-facebook-and-instagram-oembed-links-across-the-web-beginning-october-24";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:5302:"<p>In an extraordinarily inconvenient API change, Facebook and Instagram will be <a href="https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/oembed-legacy">dropping unauthenticated oEmbed support</a>&nbsp;on October&nbsp;24, breaking content across millions of websites. The change will force users to generate&nbsp;an app ID with a developer account in order to continue embedding links via oEmbed:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><strong>Changes to tokenless access for User Picture and FB/IG OEmbed endpoints:</strong>&nbsp;By October 24, 2020, developers must leverage a user, app, or client token when querying Graph API for user profile pictures via UID, FB OEmbeds and IG OEmbeds. Developers should provide a user or app token when querying for profile pictures via a UID or ASID, though client tokens are supported as well. Please visit our changelog for&nbsp;<a href="https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/changelog/version8.0#users">User Picture</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/changelog/version8.0#social-plugins">Facebook OEmbed</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/changelog/version8.0#instagram">Instagram OEmbed</a>&nbsp;for details on how to start calling these Graph API endpoints today.</p><cite><a href="https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2020/08/04/Introducing-graph-v8-marketing-api-v8/">Facebook for Developers blog</a></cite></blockquote>



<p>In 2008, Leah Culver, one of the collaborators on the <a href="https://oembed.com/">oEmbed</a> spec, <a href="https://blog.leahculver.com/2008/05/announcing-oembed-an-open-standard-for-embedded-content.html">said</a> it was created to be &ldquo;an open web API standard for fetching embed code based on a URL.&rdquo; Requiring authentication in order to use oEmbed links seems like a violation of its intended purpose. For more than a decade, oEmbed has made it possible for users to easily share media across websites and social networks, without having to touch any code. It underpins a flourishing, connected landscape of web sharing that opens up new audiences for posts that might otherwise be buried in a social network&rsquo;s fast-moving timeline.</p>



<p>In pursuit of a more secure walled garden, Facebook will now require all publishers to obtain developer app credentials in order to embed content that was previously available through simple URLs. Many users will be understandably frustrated when they find they can no longer embed Facebook and Instagram links the way they could in the past. Some will not be motivated to surmount the hurdle of setting up a Facebook app and may resort to posting screenshots or omitting the content altogether. A feature so widely used by non-technical users should not be suddenly locked away behind developer credentials.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Facebook turning off its oEmbed endpoint for FB and Instagram is another brick in the wall around Facebook reality.</p>&mdash; &#9899; Your roots are in the infinite (@thejaymo) <a href="https://twitter.com/thejaymo/status/1305960256082784259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>At the time of publishing, none of the original oEmbed spec authors were available for comment regarding Facebook&rsquo;s API change, but we will update the post as new information becomes available.</p>



<h2>WordPress to Remove Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Providers</h2>



<p>In response to Facebook&rsquo;s API change, WordPress will be&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50861" target="_blank">removing Facebook as an oEmbed provider</a>&nbsp;in an upcoming release core release. This will break a lot of content &ndash; many years&rsquo; worth of posts in some instances, and will require users to install a fallback plugin. WordPress plugin developer <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ayeshrajans/">Ayesh Karunaratne</a> has created a new plugin called <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/oembed-plus/">oEmbed Plus</a> that brings back support for Facebook and Instagram content embedding. It guides users through the process of setting up Facebook developer app credentials.</p>



<p>For those who are using the Gutenberg plugin, the Facebook and Instagram blocks have been <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24472">removed</a> as part of tomorrow&rsquo;s version 9.0 release. oEmbed links will continue to work until Facebook&rsquo;s API change goes into effect.</p>



<p>Moving forward, publishers will need to re-examine how they include social media links within their content. <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-5-to-remove-hulu-from-list-of-supported-oembed-providers">Hulu recently dropped oEmbed support</a> after being available as an oEmbed provider in WordPress for the past 11 years. As major players like Facebook and Instagram follow suit in abandoning open web API&rsquo;s, the web is growing increasingly more fragmented. Facebook&rsquo;s upcoming API change will leave millions of broken embeds in its wake, with little pieces of embedded history lost along the way, in instances where website owners are no longer updating their content.</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, 15 Sep 2020 22:47:12 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:82:"WPTavern: Digging Into Recipe Card Blocks, WPZOOM’s Solution for Recipe Bloggers";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=104730";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:201:"https://wptavern.com/digging-into-recipe-card-blocks-wpzooms-solution-for-recipe-bloggers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=digging-into-recipe-card-blocks-wpzooms-solution-for-recipe-bloggers";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:8785:"<p class="has-drop-cap">After publishing a post about the new <a href="https://wptavern.com/start-a-recipe-blog-with-the-recipe-block-wordpress-plugin">Recipe Block</a> plugin last week, several people were quick to point out that WPZOOM had released a recipe-related block plugin two years ago. Among them, was the plugin author, Pavel Ciorici. I had previously tested the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/recipe-card-blocks-by-wpzoom/">Recipe Card Blocks</a> plugin and thought it fit into that &ldquo;overly complex&rdquo; category that is not ideal for the average user who wants to share a recipe here or there. However, it may fit the bill for more dedicated recipe bloggers.</p>



<p>Over the past few days, I have been testing the plugin and giving it a more in-depth second look.</p>



<p><em>My thoughts on the plugin?</em> Not much has changed. I would still recommend the Recipe Block plugin that I covered last week for its simplicity and ease of use. However, this is not a comparison post. There is a lot to like about WPZOOM&rsquo;s Recipe Card Blocks plugin, and it caters to a similar but somewhat different audience. It is also not a single block plugin and would never be in the official WordPress block directory in its current form. Instead, it is a more fully-featured recipe plugin. Blocks are merely its primary component.</p>



<p>Recipe Card Blocks is packed full of options and features. If that&rsquo;s your thing, it might interest you as a potential user. And, the pro version tacks on tons more, such as star ratings, social sharing, and adjustable serving sizes from the front end.</p>



<h2>Recipe Card Blocks</h2>



<img />Using the Recipe Card block in the editor.



<p class="has-drop-cap">The primary feature of the plugin is its Recipe Card block, which outputs Schema markup. This could give a search results boost or at least help search engines understand that you have a recipe on the site. For serious recipe bloggers, this is probably one of the most important features this plugin offers.</p>



<p>The question is really if the plugin&rsquo;s Recipe Card block is worth using. For users who want options, options, and more options, the plugin offers at least a couple dozen of them for this one block alone. It has a plethora of toggles, inputs, buttons, and other things to customize. The downside is that it can be a bit overwhelming. With so many options, it also means the plugin developers must maintain tighter control over the elements within the block, which can mean less flexibility in other ways.</p>



<p>The block includes the standard fields that one might expect for a recipe card, such as servings, cook and prep time, ingredients and directions lists, and an image. However, it goes above and beyond by including extra features like:</p>



<ul><li>Grouping for ingredients and directions.</li><li>Recipe video section.</li><li>Notes section.</li><li>Pinterest button.</li><li>Print button.</li></ul>



<p>One of my favorite features of the Recipe Card block is that site readers can check off ingredients on the front end. For ingredient-heavy recipes, this can be a time-saver in the kitchen as you gather the things you need to get started.</p>



<img />Ticking items off the ingredients checklist on the front end.



<p>The default design is beautiful. There is ample spacing between elements. The sections are clearly separate so that there&rsquo;s no confusion for the reader. It simply looks good.</p>



<p>However, there are some limitations and issues. At times, the default design is too opinionated, overruling theme styles. It also does not support wide alignment and has a hard limit on its maximum width of 750 pixels. This could make it undesirable with some site designs. Nevertheless, the plugin team made generally smart design decisions. It should work well within most contexts.</p>



<p>What makes the Recipe Card block tough to use is that end-users must jump back and forth between the post content area and the block options in the right sidebar panel. For example, users must add the course, cuisine, and difficulty text in the sidebar but add the servings, prep time, and cooking time in the content editor.</p>



<p>Entering items in the ingredients or directions lists also requires more work than one might think. Typically, in visual editors, simply hitting the <code>Enter</code> key should create a new list item. This is not the case with the Recipe Card block. Even tabbing moves users to other controls instead of hopping between items in the list. It is particularly frustrating if you prefer to use the keyboard over the mouse.</p>



<p>These usability issues keep the plugin from being simply a <em>good</em> plugin rather than a <em>great</em> plugin. User experience issues are not insurmountable. They can be addressed, and I hope the team can continue iterating on and improving the experience.</p>



<p>I would also like to see the block opened up for the addition of other inner, sub-blocks. Currently, the layout is locked in place. While it may be suitable for some users, locking the block template means that users can neither move the current elements around nor add custom sections that suit their needs. Locking the block means that the plugin author retains control over much of the output, which can sometimes be a good thing &mdash; quality control. However, it makes the block less flexible.</p>



<p>This inflexibility is somewhat mitigated with the plugin&rsquo;s other blocks. While the Recipe Card block is the primary feature of the plugin, it does break its sub-elements down into individual blocks that users can use to create their own layout by dropping them into a Group or other container-type block. It offers the following extra blocks:</p>



<ul><li>Details</li><li>Directions</li><li>Ingredients</li><li>Jump to Recipe</li><li>Print Recipe</li><li>Nutrition</li></ul>



<img />Separate Nutrition block in the editor.



<p>With a little ingenuity and perhaps a plugin like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-pattern-builder/">Block Pattern Builder</a> (a plugin that I maintain), end-users could create custom, reusable recipe layouts.</p>



<h2>The Big Issue</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The thing I dislike about the plugin the most is that it outputs a &ldquo;RECIPE CARD PLUGIN BY WPZOOM&rdquo; message in the front-end post content output. This message is hidden in the editor view. Plugin users can see it only on the front end. For the average user, there is no easy way to remove this message without upgrading to the pro version of the plugin, which costs at least $69.</p>



<p>Frankly, commercializing the removal of a credit link a shady business practice. It is a tactic that preys on those who do not know how to code. <em>Sorry, I got no love to give for this.</em></p>



<p>This was frowned up 10-15 years ago when theme authors were doing it. It should be frowned upon today when plugin authors do the same.</p>



<p>Upsell custom branding. Upsell a 100 other things that <em><strong>add value</strong></em>. Don&rsquo;t upsell removing a credit link that you are outputting in the user&rsquo;s post content. This one problem with the plugin paints a stain over everything else that is good about it.</p>



<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">I do not want to end on a negative note. Recipe Card Blocks is a useful plugin for those who want more than a basic recipe block. It is almost more of a recipe management tool but not quite.</p>



<p>I would have taken a different route with some of the development based on the publicly-known plans for the plugin. For example, I could see creating a recipe custom post type separate from the block system. Then, allow users to insert these &ldquo;recipe posts&rdquo; into the block editor. With plans to add custom taxonomies to the plugin, it makes sense to keep the whole data layer separate.</p>



<p>It seems the plugin is torn between being a recipe block and a full recipe management plugin. I would like to see it fully commit to the latter because that seems to be the direction it is heading. However, from an architectural standpoint, it will need work to get there. It can still be done, despite two years of legacy code, and it has the opportunity to carve out its own space in the ecosystem.</p>



<p>If the plugin&rsquo;s development team would remove the upsell of the credit link, I would absolutely recommend this plugin to people who want to run a serious, full-time recipe blog. It has those extra features like a nutrition label, a print button, and Schema markup that give it an edge over some of the competition. For users who simply want to add a recipe on their blog from time to time, it is overkill.</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, 15 Sep 2020 21:25:24 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:42:"Akismet: Introducing updated Akismet plans";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.akismet.com/?p=2086";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://blog.akismet.com/2020/09/15/introducing-updated-akismet-plans/";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:3109:"<p>Since Akismet launched nearly 15 years ago, it has <a href="https://blog.akismet.com/2020/07/06/akismet-five-hundred-billion-with-a-b-spam/">blocked 500 billion spam comments</a>. We’re proud to have saved you countless hours of moderation time, reduced frustration for millions of people, and helped make the web a more beautiful place.</p>
<p>Akismet is the most powerful solution on the market for stopping spam, but spammers are continually inventing new ways to get past our filters. Adding new spam detection techniques will ensure we keep Akismet one step ahead of bad actors, but it will require additional investment. We don’t take changing prices lightly. In fact, we haven’t changed the price of the entry-level plan since it was introduced in 2005.</p>
<p>For commercial sites, the price of Akismet will be better aligned to API usage. This means that as you use Akismet more, the cost per API call will decrease.</p>
<p>For those that use Akismet on your personal sites — we’re 100% committed to offer Akismet at a price you can afford. Spam is a menace to the internet and we feel that everyone should have the ability to stop spam on their websites. Even if you’re not making money from your site, we want you to have the best spam filter available. We will continue to provide the option to pay what you can, and we thank you for helping to contribute to this project.</p>
<p><strong>To our current customers, you don’t need to do anything now.</strong> Your plan will remain at its original price and API limits at least into 2021. If you’d like to switch plans or start a new account, your plan will start at the new price.</p>
<p><img /></p>
<p><strong>What’s different?</strong></p>
<p><span>Personal</span></p>
<p>No changes. For sites that don’t sell anything, advertise, or have affiliate links, Akismet is available for whatever amount you are able to pay.</p>
<p><span>Plus</span></p>
<p>Akismet will block spam on one site for up to 10,000 API calls and provide priority support for $8.33 per month billed yearly. The price for monthly billing is $10. That’s equal to two months free for selecting yearly billing.</p>
<p><span>Enterprise</span></p>
<p>We’re decreasing the price of our Enterprise plan! Yearly plans will now be $41.66 per month, with the total yearly cost at $500 instead of $550. For monthly billing, the price is staying the same at $50 per month. For enterprise plans, Akismet will block spam on multiple sites for up to 60,000 API calls per month, as well as provide priority support on all sites.</p>
<p><span>Enterprise Plus</span></p>
<p>For our largest customers, we’re happy to provide discounted pricing and dedicated support through this new plan. If your sites have more than 60,000 API calls per month, <a href="mailto:partners@akismet.com">contact us</a> and we’ll be happy to set you up.</p>
<p>Thank you for your continued support of Akismet. If you have questions specifically related to your own Akismet account or API key, then <a href="https://docs.akismet.com/">please visit our Support page</a>.</p>
<p>&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:"Tue, 15 Sep 2020 15:59:06 +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:10:"Josh Smith";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WPTavern: Podcasting During the Pandemic: Castos Sees 300% Growth in New Podcasters";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=102111";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:207:"https://wptavern.com/podcasting-during-the-pandemic-castos-sees-300-growth-in-new-podcasters?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=podcasting-during-the-pandemic-castos-sees-300-growth-in-new-podcasters";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:6841:"<img />&ldquo;My Podcast Set I&rdquo;&nbsp;by brainblogger&nbsp;is licensed with <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0.</a> 



<p>Podcasting, like many other industries during the pandemic, is seeing a strong shift over the past six months, which has resulted in more shows and fewer listeners. While some avid podcast fans have taken solace in listening to their favorite shows to stay connected, many listeners who previously had podcasts built into their routines have turned to other forms of media consumption in the absence of a daily commute.</p>



<p>In April, global podcast listening was <a href="https://blog.voxnest.com/coronavirus-impact-on-podcast-listening/">up 42%</a> (and 53% in Europe) as lockdowns began in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Although listening in the U.S. went down 20%, certain verticals remained strong, such as true crime, music interviews, science, medicine, religion and spirituality, and self-improvement. </p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">worst part of still quarantining is the fact that I don&rsquo;t drive anywhere so im super behind on my podcasts</p>&mdash; Brad Parbs (@bradparbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/bradparbs/status/1301571407437074433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>Prior to the pandemic, the podcasting industry was experiencing a boom, with experts projecting marketers to spend <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/marketers-will-spend-1-billion-on-podcast-advertising-by-2021-report/316499/#close">over $1 billion in advertising by 2021</a>. The pandemic has thrown a wrench into the industry&rsquo;s growth. In the months of continued isolation and social distancing, E-marketer recorded its first contraction in time spent listening since it began tracking in 2015 but estimates a rebound in the coming years.</p>



<img /><strong><em>Source:</em></strong>&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.emarketer.com/" target="_blank">eMarketer</a>, June 2020 (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/time-spent-with-podcasts-will-dip-amid-pandemic-should-rebound-by-2022?ecid=NL1001" target="_blank">https://www.emarketer.com/content/time-spent-with-podcasts-will-dip-amid-pandemic-should-rebound-by-2022?ecid=NL1001</a>)



<p>The pandemic may have temporarily stunted the growth of listeners, but the team at <a href="https://castos.com/">Castos</a> is witnessing a new trend emerging: individual creators and businesses are finding the time and inspiration for firing up new shows. From April until now, the podcast hosting company has seen a 300% increase in new trials, and a 102% increase in MRR over last two years. Castos currently has nearly 2,000 paying customers. </p>



<p>The company started in 2017 after non-technical founder Craig Hewitt acquired the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/seriously-simple-podcasting/">Seriously Simple Podcasting</a> plugin from its original creator, Hugh Lashborooke.&nbsp;Hewitt expanded the platform to allow both WordPress and non-WordPress users to create podcasts, and has grown the business to support seven remote, full-time employees. He attributes most of the industry&rsquo;s fresh infusion of new shows to companies that are exploring new ways of getting into customers&rsquo; homes.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Many brands are finding that traditional marketing efforts are falling short in these turbulent times, but great content that serves a specific audience always has an impact,&rdquo; Hewitt said.&nbsp;&ldquo;Many companies are pivoting from more conventional paid acquisition approaches to building stronger and longer lasting relationships with their audiences through podcasting.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Hewitt said he expects the trend to continue after the pandemic subsides. Many of the companies Castos works with have reported that podcasting is likely to become a core part of their marketing efforts for the long haul, in both B2B and B2C environments. </p>



<p>&ldquo;Like the move to remote work many companies are seeing that podcasting isn&rsquo;t hard to do, and provides great returns for them in terms of branding and as a top of funnel customer acquisition strategy,&rdquo; Hewitt said. &ldquo;Whether in the midst of Coronavirus or afterwards this will continue to be true and the momentum that podcasting has gained should continue.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Approximately 70% of Castos&rsquo; hosting customers are using the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin. The hosting platform is unique in the podcasting market in that it automates YouTube Republishing, transcriptions, and Headliner integration, while allowing users to manage it all via WordPress. Castos recently hired Matt Medeiros, an experienced podcaster and YouTube creator, to help new podcasters keep pushing with their shows and convert into longterm customers. He shares Hewitt&rsquo;s optimistic outlook on the future of the industry.</p>



<p>&ldquo;There were early reports that podcast download stats dropped in tandem with listener commute times, but I think that opened up opportunity for creators to really capture their most loyal audiences,&rdquo; Medeiros said.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The other side of that coin are the businesses that needed to stay top of mind with the customers while their doors were closed. Spinning up a podcast is a perfect way to do that. Podcasts come in all shapes and sizes, so building one that&rsquo;s tailored to your customers is what really matters and will survive through our post-pandemic &lsquo;new normal.'&rdquo;</p>



<p>Portability is the common denominator for podcasts &ndash; people are listening from their desktops, mobile devices, and smart speakers, using a variety of different apps. But audiences vary in their appetites for staying informed, educated, and entertained through the podcasting medium. Medeiros advises both new and established podcasters to find out what kind of show their customers want them to produce.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Podcasts don&rsquo;t have to be cookie cutter,&rdquo; Medeiros said. &ldquo;If you spend time getting feedback from your customers or audience, you want to tailor the show around that. Do they like 15 minute news highlights or 3 hour 1-on-1 interviews? Do they want hard news or laugh out loud entertainment? What&rsquo;s in it for them as a listener? What&rsquo;s in it for you as a creator?</p>



<p>&ldquo;At the end of the day, the biggest opportunity for podcasting is that it opens the door to having your favorite creators and fans in the same room every time you publish an episode. It&rsquo;s a chance to (literally) have a conversation and build trust through creative storytelling &ndash; your brand&rsquo;s digital handshake.&rdquo;&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:"Tue, 15 Sep 2020 01:44:30 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: Plugin Authors Can Opt Into Email Confirmation for WordPress Plugin Updates";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=104653";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:215:"https://wptavern.com/plugin-authors-can-opt-into-email-confirmation-for-wordpress-plugin-updates?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=plugin-authors-can-opt-into-email-confirmation-for-wordpress-plugin-updates";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:5149:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Overnight, the Meta Team for WordPress.org <a href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/10255">flipped the switch</a> for a new plugin author feature in the official directory. It allows plugin authors to opt into confirming plugin updates via email. Release confirmations will strengthen security and make sure any updates sent in are intentional.</p>



<p>Dion Hulse opened the <a href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5352">original ticket</a> six weeks ago with a detailed proposal and set of questions. <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-5-eckstine-introduces-block-directory-block-patterns-and-automatic-updates-for-themes-and-plugins">WordPress 5.5</a> introduced <a href="https://wptavern.com/automatic-theme-and-plugin-updates-slated-for-wordpress-5-5">automatic updates</a> for plugin and theme authors. While auto-updates are completely opt-in for end-users, Hulse wanted to make sure that WordPress.org was on top of any potential disasters that may arise from the new system, such as accidental or even malicious plugin releases.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to propose that we add an extra optional step into the release flow for plugins, not intended on adding friction, but intending to ensure that plugin releases only get made when they&rsquo;re intended to,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;A simple Email confirmation.&rdquo;</p>



<p>At the moment, release confirmation via email is merely an opt-in feature that all plugin authors can take advantage of. However, the original proposal required it for high-usage plugins &mdash; there was never a definitive minimum install count that constituted &ldquo;high usage&rdquo; in the ticket.</p>



<p>The general agreement on how this feature should work seems to be:</p>



<ul><li>Opt-in for all plugin authors now.</li><li>Forced opt-in and no opt-out for high-usage plugins soon.</li><li>Opt-out for all other plugins in the future.</li></ul>



<p>For larger plugins with multiple committers, there was some discussion on requiring confirmation from a separate committer who did not push the code live. This would essentially require two people to confirm that a plugin update is valid. This could potentially add to the friction that Hulse wanted to avoid in the original proposal. However, some friction for plugins with millions of installs might not always be such a bad thing. These plugins serve a massive user base and can damage WordPress&rsquo;s reputation if a malicious actor gained commit access somehow. Having two people confirm an update is <em>a good kind</em> of friction in some cases.</p>



<p>However, requiring two-person confirmation is a more nuanced discussion that will need to happen. For example, Chris Christoff brought up examples in the ticket of not being able to send updates for plugins with two committers when one is on vacation or when the committers live in different time zones. Perhaps this will be an opt-in feature for plugin companies that choose to go this route in the future, depending on what fits their release flow best.</p>



<p>On the whole, the current implementation is a good starting position that will allow the community to iron out further details. This is about making WordPress more secure. If there is an extra step involved in publishing a code update, plugin authors should be on board with the process. Verifying the validity of a release sounds like a common-sense security feature. I would welcome WordPress.org making this a hard requirement &mdash; neither opt-in nor opt-out &mdash; in the long run after the feature has gone through a few rounds of real-world testing.</p>



<p>Theme developers do not have access to this feature at this time. However, the theme authors do not have access to SVN and must submit updates via a ZIP file. It is a much more manual process and should not be subjected to the same number of potential mishaps as plugin updates.</p>



<h2>How Plugin Authors Can Enable Release Confirmation Emails</h2>



<img />Enable email release confirmation form for plugin authors.



<p class="has-drop-cap">Plugin authors should now see a new administration option for each of their projects listed in the official plugin directory. The Danger Zone section of the Advanced View tab should display a new sub-section for enabling release confirmation emails. From there, authors merely need to click a button to turn them on.</p>



<p>It is important to note that, once enabled, release confirmation emails cannot be disabled from the same screen. Plugin authors are presented with the following notice before enabling the feature:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Warning: Enabling release confirmations is intended to be a permanent action. There is no way to disable this without contacting the plugins team.</p></blockquote>



<p>Do not let the warning put you off if you are a plugin author. This is a good thing. Go ahead and enable it on at least one plugin if you want to test it first. I already have done so for one of my plugins. It is a simple process and helps add one additional layer of security over your plugins.</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, 14 Sep 2020 20:34:09 +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:"";}}}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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:90:"WPTavern: WordPress Themes Directory Adds New “Delist” Status for Non-Compliant Themes";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=104585";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:213:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-adds-new-delist-status-for-non-compliant-themes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-themes-directory-adds-new-delist-status-for-non-compliant-themes";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:4182:"<p>In August, following the <a href="https://wptavern.com/astra-theme-suspended-and-reinstated-themes-team-works-toward-delisting-strategy-for-guideline-violations">suspension of the popular Astra theme</a>, WordPress Meta contributors opened a ticket to add a new &ldquo;delisting&rdquo; status for non-compliant themes. Astra&rsquo;s infraction, breaking the directory&rsquo;s ban on affiliate links, put more than a million users at risk of not getting theme updates just as WordPress 5.5 was on deck for release. This week the team <a href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/10240">committed a patch</a> for a delist status that will temporarily hide a theme from search, while still making it available directly. Alex Shiels outlined how the new status will work:</p>



<ul><li>Delist is only available from a&nbsp;<code>published</code>&nbsp;state.</li><li>Relist will set the status back to&nbsp;<code>publish</code>.</li><li>Delisted themes are excluded from site search.</li></ul>



<p>While a full suspension may seem like the best retributive action when theme authors violate directory guidelines, the necessity for users to be able to continue to get updates outweighs throwing the book at the author, especially for a first-time offense. A delisting policy is more restorative in that it seeks to maintain the connection that users have with the theme&rsquo;s author instead of merely imposing a penalty that might ultimately have a negative impact on everyone involved.</p>



<p>In the past, the Themes Team has been limited on available actions for responding to violations. Ionut Neagu, CEO of ThemeIsle, had his company&rsquo;s popular Zerif Lite theme <a href="https://wptavern.com/zerif-lite-suspended-from-wordpress-theme-directory-300k-users-left-without-updates">suspended from the directory in 2016</a> for a five-month period that left 300,000+ users without maintenance and security updates. It also resulted in a 63% decline in the company&rsquo;s revenue for that theme, since ThemeIsle was using WordPress.org as the primary channel for distribution.</p>



<p>Neagu remarked on how the new &ldquo;delist&rdquo; status provides a less severe transition back into the directory for popular themes:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>The practice of delisting is something that&rsquo;s already been done by other companies in similar situations. For instance, delisting is what Google does all the time when they find a website that doesn&rsquo;t comply. Then, the website is allowed to come back and appear on the ranking pages again when the issues are fixed.</p><p>In the end, I think this is a move in the right direction and an improvement to the process of what happens with a problematic theme.</p></blockquote>



<p>Despite the controversial decision that slashed ThemeIsle&rsquo;s revenue from $120k/month to $45k/month in 2017, the company continued to support the theme, as well as new products, with WordPress.org as the main place to find them. Neagu reported that when the theme was reinstated, its revenue continued to be hard hit. It lost momentum and was unable to ride the wave of its initial success. Astra faired much better in the aftermath of its violation, given its short-lived suspension.</p>



<p>WordPress Themes Team member Alexandru Cosmin requested the ticket for adding the delisting status receive prompt attention, as the team is set to <a href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5362#comment:13">introduce some new policies</a> and requirements that are tied to it. The patch was committed and then reverted temporarily to review how it impacted theme trac tickets, but the bugs appear to be unrelated to the patch.</p>



<p>The volunteer Themes Team has essentially been the de facto guardians of the WordPress.org marketplace that sends millions of dollars to theme authors, and they perform a great service to the community. But in the interest of supporting and accelerating the growth of the WordPress ecosystem, the team needs to adopt policies that create a more restorative path for violators, instead of obstructing the growth of products where issues have been quickly resolved.</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, 11 Sep 2020 22:59:30 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:95:"WPTavern: Addressing the Theme Design Problem With Gutenberg’s New Block-Based Widgets System";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=104569";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:229:"https://wptavern.com/addressing-the-theme-design-problem-with-gutenbergs-new-block-based-widgets-system?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=addressing-the-theme-design-problem-with-gutenbergs-new-block-based-widgets-system";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:5655:"<p class="has-drop-cap">I could hardly sleep last night. Once in a blue moon, I have an idea I want to try out. While my day job as a writer means I spend far less time breaking sites through the rigorous trials and errors of building plugins and themes, some problems bug me with WordPress, the sort that keeps me from dozing into restful and peaceful dreams.</p>



<p>Last week, Gutenberg 8.9 <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-8-9-brings-block-based-widgets-out-of-the-experimental-stage">dropped the experimental flag</a> from its block-based widgets system. Overall, it was a solid first outing for a feature that should land in WordPress 5.6 this December. However, the largest problem centered on how theme authors would be able to style widgets in traditional fashion. Because actual widgets are being phased out and replaced with blocks, theme authors will no longer have access to the standard widget and widget title classes. This is problematic because there is no predictable way to style all widgets of a particular sidebar to look the same.</p>



<p>The classic example is of the <em>boxed</em> widget design. Many themes, such as the popular <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/colibri-wp/">Colibri</a>, employ such a design for their sidebars as shown in the following screenshot.</p>



<img />Boxed widget design in right sidebar of Colibri theme.



<p>In its current state, there is no reliable way for theme authors to create such a sidebar design via the block-based widgets system. Because there is no way to exert any sort of control over the structure of whatever content users will drop into a sidebar, it would be easy to look at this situation and think that theme designers are losing control.</p>



<p>Based on a recent <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/25174">GitHub ticket</a> and a related <a href="https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02QB2JS7/p1599661386001500">Slack discussion</a> from earlier this week, it does not appear that the Gutenberg development team intends to create parity between the old and new widgets systems, at least as far as theme design is concerned.</p>



<p>It bears repeating. I am a fervent supporter of <a href="https://wptavern.com/rebirth-of-creativity-gutenberg-and-the-future-of-wordpress-themes">handing over this type of ultimate control</a> to the user. However, we need to balance that with helping them to make smart choices.</p>



<p>Theme authors must begin thinking about how this impacts the work they do and come up with creative solutions for sidebars, widgets, and other areas that will be affected by full-site editing in the future.</p>



<h2>A Potential Solution</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">That thing that kept me up last night was an idea of combining block patterns, <a href="https://wptavern.com/block-patterns-will-change-everything">one of my favorite features</a>, with widgets. The trouble was that the block-based widgets system does not currently support block patterns. And, until a quick discussion with Mark Uraine, one of Gutenberg&rsquo;s designers, on a <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/22875#issuecomment-689601857">GitHub ticket</a>, the idea did not seem to even be on the table.</p>



<p>For theme authors, the traditional sidebar and widget system of the past was nothing more than a pattern. WordPress provided theme devs with the ability to set a wrapping HTML element for the entire widget and the widget title. It was a rigid and inflexible system, but it was a reliable standard.</p>



<p>Block-based widgets are the complete opposite. They are essentially a free-for-all where users can drop arbitrary content into a &ldquo;block area.&rdquo;</p>



<p><em>What happens when we combine the structure of patterns with the flexibility of blocks inside of sidebars?</em></p>



<p>That was the idea that got me out of bed and behind the computer screen early this morning after my restless night. It was such a simple concept. Theme authors could provide a &ldquo;widget&rdquo; pattern to their end-users. This would provide users with a choice between what the theme author thinks best and forging their own path &mdash; the best of both worlds.</p>



<img />Simple example of recreating a boxed &ldquo;widget&rdquo; pattern.



<p>And, here is where the beauty of the block system really comes in. Theme authors can create any number of patterns. This provides even more options for users.</p>



<p>Regardless of whether the Gutenberg plugin currently supports patterns for the block-based widget system, the idea was simple to test. In a sidebar on the new widgets screen, I merely needed to add a new Group block with the <code>widget</code> class. Then, I added an H3 Heading block with the <code>widget__title</code> class. Those classes may even be unnecessary in the context of patterns unless theme authors want to directly target them. Outside of the custom classes, I added a simple background to the Group block and changed the text color of the Heading. I also inserted an empty paragraph where the user&rsquo;s custom content would go.</p>



<p>Afterward, it was a simple matter of testing it with various blocks.</p>



<img /><em>Faux</em> block pattern in the widgets block editor.



<p>I would love to know what theme authors and the Gutenberg team think of the idea. I think it has some merit while soothing some of the transitional pains between traditional widgets and block-based widgets.</p>



<p>The biggest issue I see is the discoverability aspect. Will end-users know these &ldquo;widget/block patterns&rdquo; exist if theme authors went this route?</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, 11 Sep 2020 18:56:14 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:72:"WPTavern: AMP Plugin 2.0 Adds Onboarding Wizard and Expanded Reader Mode";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=104487";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:189:"https://wptavern.com/amp-plugin-2-0-adds-onboarding-wizard-and-expanded-reader-mode?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=amp-plugin-2-0-adds-onboarding-wizard-and-expanded-reader-mode";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:4008:"<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/amp/">official AMP plugin for WordPress</a> recently crossed the 2.0 milestone, a major release that <a href="https://github.com/ampproject/amp-wp/milestone/28?closed=1">closed 141 issues and merged 174 pull requests</a>. The release was originally planned for v1.6 but due to the number of major changes the team decided to bump it to 2.0.</p>



<p>One of the most significant updates in this release is the expansion of the Reader Mode. The plugin has a lot of AMP-specific terminology associated with it and unless you are working with it every day, it&rsquo;s easy to get confused by the different modes. Standard Mode is an AMP-first site where all URLs are presented as AMP pages. Transitional Mode uses one theme but canonical non-AMP URLs may offer a separate AMP version. Reader Mode uses two themes with the active one for canonical non-AMP URLs and a separate &ldquo;Reader&rdquo; theme for AMP URLs.</p>



<p>Version 2.0 introduces a new AMP Customizer for customizing the Reader theme. It loads with a mobile view and does not support widgets or homepage settings, as they are not applicable for the AMP version. The AMP Customizer makes it easy for site owners to make tweaks and changes that will only apply to the AMP version of URLs.</p>



<img />



<p>The Reader Mode is especially useful for sites that are not using <a href="https://amp-wp.org/ecosystem/themes/">AMP-compatible themes</a>. Google engineer Weston Ruter described the expanded Reader Mode as follows:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Reader mode now allows for any AMP-compatible theme to be used to serve AMP pages, rather than just the legacy post templates. This allows for long-requested features including nav menus, logos, commenting, and template design variations. It also makes it possible to serve all URLs of a Reader-mode site in AMP, as opposed to just singular posts.&nbsp;</p></blockquote>



<p>One major usability update in version 2.0 is the addition of an onboarding wizard and revamped Settings screen that guides users through the different templating modes when configuring the plugin. Users who are routed to Reader Mode will be presented with a selection of themes for serving AMP pages and the wizard will handle installation. The final step of the configuration process allows users to review their choices in a preview screen.</p>



<img />



<p>Given the complexity of the AMP plugin and its many configuration options, the onboarding wizard was a critical addition if the plugin is going to grow past 500,000 active installs to reach a larger number of non-technical users.</p>



<p>Another notable update in this release includes a feature called &ldquo;Plugin Suppression&rdquo; that allows administrators to turn certain plugins off for AMP pages if they are causing validation errors. It also introduces mobile redirection for Transitional/Reader mode sites where AMP is intended to be the mobile version.</p>



<p>AMP is still far from a plug-and-play experience for WordPress users but the plugin does a lot of the heavy lifting and is evolving towards becoming more approachable for non-technical users. To that end, the AMP plugin team just announced a new video series that will focus on success with WordPress as a content creator, as well as performance and usability.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We are crafting it with an audience in mind that covers both technical and non-technical users,&rdquo; Google Developer Advocate Alberto Medina said. &ldquo;The 2.0 version of the plugin makes an emphasis on providing options for users that are non technical but still want to take advantage of AMP to bring great page experiences to their users.&rdquo; </p>



<p>The series will launch next week on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAMPProject">Google&rsquo;s AMP YouTube channel</a>. Medina is also working on another series geared towards content creators that will cover topics like Web Stories in the first episodes. </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, 10 Sep 2020 22:44:54 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:68:"WPTavern: Start a Recipe Blog With the Recipe Block WordPress Plugin";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=104474";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:181:"https://wptavern.com/start-a-recipe-blog-with-the-recipe-block-wordpress-plugin?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=start-a-recipe-blog-with-the-recipe-block-wordpress-plugin";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:4468:"<p>&ldquo;Organize your quarantine-inspired baking blog with a &lsquo;Recipe&rsquo; block!&rdquo; read the opening description of Kelly Choyce-Dwan&rsquo;s new plugin, <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/recipe-block/">Recipe Block</a>. That was enough to pique my interest. I love food. I love baking &mdash; mostly pizza and bread. Food-related plugins and themes almost inspire me to spin up a recipe blog of my own. <em>Almost.</em></p>



<p>At least with plugins like this, I can dream of building that site. Or, I can vicariously live through those who have the inclination, passion, and drive to post recipes regularly.</p>



<p>For far too long, building a recipe blog has required specialized themes or overly complex plugins. I have been eagerly awaiting a simple recipe block because I have known since Day 1 of Gutenberg&rsquo;s launch that it would be well-suited to such a feature. Choyce-Dwan&rsquo;s Recipe Block plugin makes the complex simple and brings recipe-blogging to any WordPress user.</p>



<h2>Using the Recipe Block</h2>



<ul><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Recipe Block</li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Cover + Recipe Block</li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />EditorPlus + Recipe Block</li></ul>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Within a couple of minutes of installing and activating the plugin, I had a quick pizza recipe set up and published on my test install. It worked well with the several themes I tested it against. I did make a couple of spacing adjustments via CSS for my personal theme, but that is not uncommon for plugins that have front-end output.</p>



<p>Technically, the plugin adds four blocks:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Recipe:</strong> Primary block that houses other blocks.</li><li><strong>Information:</strong> Sub-block for adding servings, time, and difficulty level.</li><li><strong>Ingredients:</strong> Sub-block for listing ingredients.</li><li><strong>Directions:</strong> Sub-block for listing directions.</li></ul>



<p>The Recipe block also makes use of the core Image and Heading blocks. It is as simple to use as nearly any other block. Add the block to a post via the inserter or the <code>/recipe</code> slash command. From there, end-users can customize the output to their heart&rsquo;s content.</p>



<p>Because the Recipe block itself lacks any custom colors or other stylistic options outside of wide and full-width alignment, the easiest way to spruce up the design a bit is to drop it into a Cover or Group block. Doing so provides a wider range of design options. For those users who need even more design control, Munir Kamal&rsquo;s <a href="https://wptavern.com/control-block-design-via-the-editorplus-wordpress-plugin">EditorPlus plugin</a> is a nice addition when wrapping it with the Group block.</p>



<p>One of the best things about the Recipe block is that it is not locked. End-users can move sub-blocks around to their liking. It even allows nesting of other blocks. Not everyone creates the exact same type of recipe cards, so it makes sense to have some extra customizability.</p>



<p>The block is also flexible enough for recipes that have multiple ingredients and directions lists. <em>So, that pie and pie crust recipe you want to share?</em> No problem. You can split the ingredients and directions so that your readers are not accidentally dropping lard into the pie filling.</p>



<h2>Missing Features</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The Recipe Block plugin is by no means ideal for every situation. Some features could make it stand out a bit more. For the most part, I wanted a few additional styling options.</p>



<p>Choyce-Dwan makes it clear in the plugin description that it does not support Schema or structured content. That would make a nice block option for those who want to enable it.</p>



<p>I would like to be able to change the text and background color of the main Recipe block. However, this is easily done by wrapping it with the core Group block. Ultimately, I would like to have the option to add some different styles to it, such as a custom border. Such a feature should probably land in core WordPress first so that there is a standard.</p>



<p>It would be nice to allow users to change the font size and colors within the Information, Ingredients, and Directions blocks similar to how the core Paragraph block works. Again, you can wrap this with the Group block and at least set the colors at a higher level.</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, 10 Sep 2020 21:00:10 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:91:"WPTavern: Deque Systems to Host Axe-Con Virtual Accessibility Conference, March 10-11, 2021";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=104433";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:223:"https://wptavern.com/deque-systems-to-host-axe-con-virtual-accessibility-conference-march-10-11-2021?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=deque-systems-to-host-axe-con-virtual-accessibility-conference-march-10-11-2021";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:3263:"<p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.deque.com/" target="_blank">Deque Systems</a>, a widely respected accessibility firm that has <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-accessibility-team-to-host-hackathon-with-deque-systems-at-wordcamp-us-2018">contributed</a> to setting up automated accessibility testing for WordPress core, will be hosting a new &ldquo;<a href="https://www.deque.com/axe-con/">Axe-con</a>&rdquo; virtual conference focusing on digital accessibility. Axe-con is named for the company&rsquo;s <a href="https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core">axe-core</a> project, an open source library and accessibility testing engine that can be customized to integrate with all modern browsers and testing frameworks. It&rsquo;s happening March 10-11th, 2021, and tickets are free.</p>



<p>Learning how to create accessible experiences for the web is challenging. Axe-con will bring together experts from around the world who can accelerate that journey for developers, designers, business owners, accessibility professionals, and anyone involved in the team effort required to make digital experiences accessible. The event will feature multiple tracks with a variety of topics, including sustainable accessibility, compliance, best practices, and case studies from organizations leading large-scale accessibility efforts.</p>



<p>For those interested in obtaining or maintaining IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) certification, attendance at Axe-con sessions can count towards <a href="https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/content.asp?contentid=395">IAAP continuing education (CE)</a> credits.</p>



<p>The event will also include a hackathon where attendees will have the opportunity to network with each other while coding and collaborating on accessibility projects. A few examples include testing open source component libraries and logging issues, building new axe integrations, and working on personal projects.</p>



<p>Deque Systems is hosting this new conference the same week as the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. The company is has attended and sponsored the event in the past but sees the need for a conference focused more on building accessible digital experiences. Deque could no longer meet this need by tackling those topics in a single sponsorship room limited to 100 people. When its CSUN 2020 sessions were forced to go virtual, the team discovered that thousands were able to join in on topics more related to digital accessibility.</p>



<p>Organizers anticipate that attendees will join both CSUN and axe-con in 2021. By scheduling the events in the same week, they are hoping to help attendees make more efficient use of their time that would normally be set aside for traveling to an in-person conference.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.deque.com/axe-con/register/">Registration</a> is open and last week organizers reported there were already <a href="https://twitter.com/dboudreau/status/1301610760951431168">more than 2,000 people signed up</a>. The Call for Papers will be open until 8:00PM ET&nbsp;Friday, October 23rd, 2020, and speakers will be notified by November 23. Talks will be broadcast in the Eastern timezone but international speakers are welcome.</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, 10 Sep 2020 05:23:40 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:71:"WPTavern: Exploring Seedlet, Automattic’s Block-First WordPress Theme";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=104405";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:179:"https://wptavern.com/exploring-seedlet-automattics-block-first-wordpress-theme?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=exploring-seedlet-automattics-block-first-wordpress-theme";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:5580:"<img />



<p class="has-drop-cap">On August 26, Automattic <a href="https://wordpress.com/blog/2020/08/26/seedlet-wordpress-theme/">launched a new theme titled Seedlet</a> that focused on integrating with the WordPress block editor. A few days later, it was also <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/seedlet/">live in the WordPress.org theme directory</a>. The theme development team wanted to produce a theme that would be in a good position to transition to full-site editing later this year as WordPress 5.6 lands.</p>



<p>Seedlet makes wide use of features that integrate with the block editor. It does so in what is the simplest of ways, which is a testament to how much easier theme development is becoming in the dawn of the block-based themes era. The theme makes liberal use of theme-supported features like custom font sizes, colors, and gradients. It takes its integration an extra step by registering block styles and patterns.</p>



<p>Seedlet almost feels like a skin around the block editor. It is a prime example of the future that we&rsquo;re hurtling toward, which will mean less focus on code and more focus on design configuration. Themes will not be <em>themes</em> in the traditional sense. I use the term &ldquo;skin&rdquo; because it harkens to various systems in days gone by where designers simply added CSS to skin a site. WordPress themes will always be a bit more complex than a simple stylesheet but not much more so. We will be getting back to the basics of CSS and HTML.</p>



<p>That is what I see when I look through the Seedlet theme&rsquo;s code. While it still has copious PHP, there is an unmistakable structure that clearly says that that theme development is changing &mdash; and here is what it looks like as we transition.</p>



<p>I have seen many themes that developers have built to work with the block editor. However, I have seen only a few that have taken a block-editor-first approach. It is almost subtle, and unless you have been neck-deep into theme development for years, you may miss it. Automattic&rsquo;s theme team is riding the winds of change. Theme authors who want to ride along should pay attention to where this project goes in the coming months.</p>



<p>The one thing I do not understand is why Automattic did not choose to add the &ldquo;Block Editor Styles&rdquo; tag to the theme. It clearly adds such styles. This is a missed opportunity to help users find themes compatible with the block editor.</p>



<p>The theme will not suit everyone&rsquo;s taste. It is a basic blogging theme at its core. However, its wide-open canvas makes it suitable for a variety of sites. The theme&rsquo;s typography is on point, creating a comfortable reading pace for longer-form work. There is a lot to like about the theme, but I am primarily interested in what the development team has built for the block editor.</p>



<p>Kjell Reigstad, the primary designer on the theme, also <a href="https://themeshaper.com/2020/08/31/introducing-seedlet/">announced the team is working</a> on a completely block-based version called <a href="https://github.com/Automattic/themes/tree/master/seedlet-blocks">Seedlet Blocks</a>. The current plan is to continue iterating on it and launching it as a separate, standalone theme in the future.</p>



<h2>Experimenting With Block Patterns</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">While Seedlet includes only three block patterns, they immediately stood out to me. The patterns are not overly complex, but they are unique designs that make use of core blocks with a mixture of the theme&rsquo;s presets, such as custom gradients and block styles.</p>



<p>The &ldquo;Group with Split Background&rdquo; pattern uses a Group block with the theme&rsquo;s preset diagonal gradient to create a background for an Image block. It is not a particularly groundbreaking design. However, the beauty is in the simplicity. It shows that theme authors can create interesting designs without adding extra CSS code.</p>



<img />Group with Split Background pattern in the editor.



<p>The theme&rsquo;s &ldquo;Group with Image Overlap&rdquo; pattern kicks it up a notch in complexity. Starting with the same concept of a Group block with another custom gradient preset, it throws in a Columns block. In the left column, users can add two images, stacked. In the right column, users can add one image. The end result is a custom layout &mdash; primarily because of the gradient background &mdash; where the two images from the left column overlap the solid background.</p>



<img />Front-end output of the Group with Image Overlap pattern.



<p>The technique is simple in terms of code, but it takes a good designer to create the concept. We are just now scratching the surface of what theme designers will be able to accomplish when they begin thinking about applying various techniques to the block system. Seedlet has some of that sort of outside-the-box thinking with its use of gradients. We need to see more of that from the theming community.</p>



<p>Admittedly, I am not a fan of the third pattern the theme adds. &ldquo;Alternating Grid of Latest Posts&rdquo; inserts the Latest Posts block into the editor with the theme&rsquo;s custom &ldquo;Alternating Grid&rdquo; style. Mostly, I just do not care for the layout, but that is simply based on my personal taste.</p>



<img />Alternating Grid of Latest Posts pattern in the editor.



<p>On the whole, I love what the theme is doing with block patterns. This type of exploration is exactly what the WordPress community needs right now.</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, 09 Sep 2020 21:10:31 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:127:"WPTavern: Jetpack Launches Email Marketing Tools with Creative Mail Integration, WooCommerce-Triggered Store Emails Coming Soon";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=104350";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:297:"https://wptavern.com/jetpack-launches-email-marketing-tools-with-creative-mail-integration-woocommerce-triggered-store-emails-coming-soon?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jetpack-launches-email-marketing-tools-with-creative-mail-integration-woocommerce-triggered-store-emails-coming-soon";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:6173:"<p>Jetpack is firing up a new suite of email marketing tools in partnership with Endurance International Group&rsquo;s Constant Contact brand. Last week <a href="https://wptavern.com/jetpack-8-9-adds-donations-block-newsletter-form-and-social-previews">version 8.9</a> of the plugin introduced a new newsletter signup form inside its Form block, based on an integration with the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/creative-mail-by-constant-contact/">Creative Mail</a> plugin that Constant Contact recently launched as a solution tailored specifically to WordPress and WooCommerce. </p>



<img />



<p>The release post highlighted the ability to add WordPress posts and WooCommerce products into email marketing campaigns, but today the Jetpack team <a href="https://jetpack.com/2020/09/08/introducing-creative-mail-for-jetpack/">elaborated</a> on where they are taking the integration. The features Creative Mail has on deck for future releases are heavily geared towards e-commerce stores. The initial launch includes the ability for store owners to sync their contacts to their email lists in order to market to them directly. Curt Raffi, Senior VP of Product Innovation at EIG, said WooCommerce-triggered store emails are on the way.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Soon, we&rsquo;ll add automated customer lifecycle marketing journeys that are geared toward more advanced marketers and eCommerce seller,&rdquo; Raffi said. The planned features include the following: </p>



<ul><li>Create triggered, multi-step customer lifecycle marketing journeys</li><li>Send WooCommerce abandoned cart emails</li><li>Send post-purchase follow-up emails</li><li>Send emails about related products</li></ul>



<p>Email marketing is a critical piece of the puzzle for online store owners looking to connect to customers, as they adapt to the pandemic with reduced foot traffic for brick and mortar locations. Stats from Campaign Monitor show that email send volumes <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2020/05/best-times-to-send-email-during-2020-pandemic/">increased by 31%</a> for a random selection of their customers with mid-sized email lists during the 30-day period after March 17 versus the 30 days prior to that. Despite a sizeable increase in send volumes, average open rates for these decreased only slightly, from 31% to 30%, while click-through rates remained the same at 4%. </p>



<p>Even with all the perfunctory messages acknowledging &ldquo;these uncertain times,&rdquo; email is still an important channel for reaching customers. As social networks are becoming increasingly hostile and unfavorable environments for advertising, email stands as one of the few remaining direct lines where content won&rsquo;t get instantly buried by potential customers doomscrolling their news feeds.</p>



<p>Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg commented on Twitter last month about the value of having a follower&rsquo;s email address vs a connection on a social network. &ldquo;So many of these people with newsletters should really be blogging,&rdquo; Mullenweg said.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I do think that a follower you have an email address of and a direct relationship with is worth 1,000x a follower on a social network. Maybe it&rsquo;s just about making things more website-first than email-first, especially for younger audiences that don&rsquo;t use email.&rdquo;</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jetpack needs to make it much easier to blog and newsletter at the same time :)</p>&mdash; Stephane Boisvert (@stephBoisvert) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephBoisvert/status/1295794679754174464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>One response to his tweet caught my attention &ndash; a suggestion that Jetpack make it more convenient to manage a website-first solution for email marketing. It looks like this idea was already in the works with Creative Mail and the Constant Contact partnership.</p>



<p>Although Constant Contact already had an <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/constant-contact-forms/">official plugin</a> for WordPress, it only has 40,000 installs. Compare that with MailChimp, which is far and away the <a href="https://www.datanyze.com/market-share/email-marketing--13/mailchimp-market-share">market leader</a> when it comes to email marking providers. Mailchimp has many third-party plugins for WordPress, which collectively have more than a million users, including an official <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/mailchimp-for-woocommerce/">Mailchimp for WooCommerce</a> plugin, with 800k+ active installs. Constant Contact stands to have a better chance penetrating the WordPress market by partnering with a highly successful plugin like Jetpack.</p>



<p>Email marketing is not an easy plugin niche to break into, which is evident by the slow growth of newcomers like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/newsletter-glue/">Newsletter Glue</a>. The plugin is marketed as a <a href="https://mattreport.com/building-a-substack-alternative-with-wordpress/">Substack alternative</a>, with its &ldquo;Send as newsletter&rdquo; feature inside the WordPress editor. It connects to different emails services, provides easy-to-share past issues, and creates a search engine-friendly newsletter archive. Despite all the promotion and buzz on social networks, the plugin only has ~30 active installs after one month in the official directory.</p>



<p>With its deep integration with Jetpack and WooCommerce, Creative Mail has the chance to quickly become a contender among established WordPress email marketing plugins like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/mailchimp-for-wp/">MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress</a> (1 million+ installs), <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/mailpoet/">MailPoet</a> (100k), <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/email-subscribers/">Email Subscribers</a> (100k), and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/newsletter/">Newsletter</a> (300k). Creative Mail has a broader scope of features that it will be supporting, but it may be able to find success on the basis of Jetpack&rsquo;s ubiquity.</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, 09 Sep 2020 05:20:24 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:66:"WPTavern: More Power in the Hands of WordPress Support Forum Users";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=104352";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:177:"https://wptavern.com/more-power-in-the-hands-of-wordpress-support-forum-users?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=more-power-in-the-hands-of-wordpress-support-forum-users";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:6013:"<p class="has-drop-cap"><em>What level of control should users have over their WordPress support forum topics?</em> That is the question at the heart of a <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/support/2020/09/talking-point-allowing-self-archival-of-topics/">recent discussion opened</a> by Mika Epstein on the Make Support blog. The goal is to grant more power to users, particularly when they post private or privileged information to the public forums.</p>



<p>The proposal is twofold. One idea is to give users total control over deleting or &ldquo;archiving&rdquo; topics they create. This would remove it from public view at least. The second part of the equation would extend the amount of time users have to edit their topics.</p>



<p>Currently, users can edit topics for one hour after posting. For the most part, this is reasonable. However, there are some cases where users inadvertently post sensitive data and need to remove it later. After their hour is up, the only solution for editing is to contact a forum moderator, increasing the burden on the WordPress support team. The easiest solution is to increase the length of time to edit.</p>



<p>The big downside to editing topics is that they can be changed so much that replies are out of context. This can make discussions, particularly, lengthier ones with more replies, hard to follow. However, given the nature of the WordPress forums being for support instead of long-form discussion, increasing the time-to-edit should not hurt. It should help users fix mistakes and lighten the load on forum moderators. There are proposals for increasing the limit between three to seven days.</p>



<p>In general, I am supportive of increasing the time-to-edit for forum topics. There is some room for abuse of the system, but such abuse will not likely outweigh the benefits. However, the ability to delete a topic does not sit well with me.</p>



<p>I see the problem. WordPress&rsquo;s user base has changed over the past decade. The average user from 10 years ago was tech-savvy enough to not drop private info &mdash; or info they are not legally allowed to share &mdash; into public forums. The game has changed. Users are no longer webmasters, running every aspect of their sites. They are using one-click installs to launch software they have no technical knowledge of. They do not know the difference between a debug log and server info. This is not a bad thing &mdash; the more WordPress users the more we inch toward that democratize-publishing goal. However, the makeup of WordPress&rsquo;s users has shifted drastically to a point where many may not realize they are posting information they shouldn&rsquo;t.</p>



<p>The burden ultimately falls on forum moderators. They do all the cleanup, and it is likely overwhelming at times to keep up. It is a decision that should probably fall into their hands.</p>



<p>One of the catalysts for this discussion was a forum topic from last week. &ldquo;Someone had posted information that isn&rsquo;t exactly &lsquo;private&rsquo; but could land them in legal trouble for sharing,&rdquo; wrote Epstein. &ldquo;They did so by posting a debug log that had information that probably should not be public.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The WordPress support system has had a long-standing, in-house rule of not deleting posts except under extreme circumstances. However, the proposal would allow users to delete their own topics at any time.</p>



<p>I dislike the idea of removing support forum topics. The best form of support is to already have a question answered. This gives others the ability to search and find the answer to their own questions. It allows moderators to link to existing answers for repeat questions. Allowing users to remove topics means that others could miss out on free knowledge.</p>



<p>I ran a plugin and theme support forum for over a decade. It racked up hundreds of thousands of posts. I personally answered every question or made sure that each was answered by someone else. Over the years, the forums became a wealth of knowledge because, except in those extreme circumstances, no topic was ever deleted. Granted, my support burden was far lighter than that of the WordPress support moderators. However, past forum topics were an important tool in the arsenal.</p>



<p>Moreso than my time running support, I have relied on past support forum topics for my edification throughout the years. Rarely has there been a time I have needed an answer that I could not find through a basic support search. No need to hassle others with my already-answered questions.</p>



<p>I dislike the idea of deleting knowledge.</p>



<p>Of course, we must weigh this against privacy. I doubt many users would take advantage of the ability to delete their topics. In those rare cases when they do, I imagine they will have a good reason for doing so, such as hiding information they no longer want to share publicly. Still, the idea does not sit well with me. I want a balance of retaining knowledge while removing personal data.</p>



<p>I do have respect for privacy. There are steps WordPress.org could take. Users should absolutely be able to remove their own accounts from WordPress.org. Currently, they can remove any personal data from their profile, which is essentially the same thing. The one problem with this is if their username, which cannot be changed, identifies the person (e.g., I use <code>justintadlock</code> for many online accounts).</p>



<p>I would still take this the extra step and allow users to completely delete their accounts. This would be a clean sweep, ensuring they did not accidentally miss something when clearing out their profile. After doing so, their former topics in the forums should simply be assigned to an anonymous account. It doesn&rsquo;t matter who created a particular topic, only that the content still exists.</p>



<p>What steps do you think WordPress.org should take to provide end-users more agency over their support topics?</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, 08 Sep 2020 21:24:33 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WPTavern: iThemes Enters the WordPress Membership Plugin Market, Acquires Restrict Content Pro";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=104095";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:231:"https://wptavern.com/ithemes-enters-the-wordpress-membership-plugin-market-acquires-restrict-content-pro?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ithemes-enters-the-wordpress-membership-plugin-market-acquires-restrict-content-pro";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:6902:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Last Tuesday, iThemes announced it had <a href="https://ithemes.com/restrict-content-pro-is-joining-ithemes-family/">acquired the Restrict Content Pro plugin</a> from Sandhills Development. iThemes is part of the Liquid Web family of brands.  Pippin Williamson, Managing Director at Sandhills, said the company had no <a href="https://sandhillsdev.com/2020/09/a-long-bright-future-for-restrict-content-pro-with-ithemes-and-liquid-web/">intention of selling the plugin</a> last October when talks of the acquisition began. However, moving forward has created some opportunities for his company and narrowed its focus to its existing products.</p>



<p><a href="https://restrictcontentpro.com/">Restrict Content Pro</a> will remain an independent product with its own website. However, iThemes will include it as part of its Plugin Suite and Toolkit product bundles from the iThemes website. The Plugin Suite bundle runs at $249 per year, which is the same as the regular Restrict Content Pro price. However, the bundle includes other products such as the company&rsquo;s popular BackupBuddy plugin. The Toolkit bundle runs between $700 and $997 per year. It includes the Plugin Suite, a themes package, training, and more.</p>



<p>This structuring of product sites falls directly within the company&rsquo;s long-term plans. &ldquo;Earlier this year we actually started down a number of avenues experimenting with moving some of our products off ithemes.com and over to their own sites,&rdquo; said AJ Morris, the Product Innovation and Marketing Manager at iThemes. &ldquo;When COVID became a pandemic, we paused a lot of those projects to provide relief and help to the WordPress community. Now that things have calmed down for us a bit, we&rsquo;re going to continue on that path.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Outside of the change of ownership, end-users should not see much change with the plugin or the site. Users should expect some admin-side changes in the future as the new development team refreshes the plugin.</p>



<h2>The Membership Plugin Space</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Membership plugins represent a slice of the overall WordPress market that still has no true dominant player. There are several solutions out there, but it is still an emerging area that any company can dive into and see returns on with a solid product. It is a niche that will undoubtedly continue growing along with WordPress and has plenty of untrodden ground just waiting for the right people to take their first steps across. There will always be a need for more fine-tuned control over users and permissions than what WordPress offers out of the box. </p>



<p>&ldquo;We are always in the market looking at other plugins that make sense for our business,&rdquo; said Morris of why they made the acquisition. &ldquo;Our audience is primarily freelance developers that are building a wide range of sites for clients. Over the years, we&rsquo;ve focused on a number of non-utility products (like iThemes Exchange) and we learned a lot during that time. We&rsquo;ve also learned a lot over the years of running our own membership site. For us looking at a membership plugin played with into the iThemes strategy and really the Liquid Web strategy as a whole.&rdquo;</p>



<p>I spent nine years developing and maintaining a membership-related plugin but sold it in 2019. If there is one lesson I learned during that time, it&rsquo;s that no two sites have the exact same membership needs. There is always room for individual companies to build a product that meets specific user needs in the membership space.</p>



<p>&ldquo;What I feel like is everyone is currently trying to create the best Swiss Army knife,&rdquo; said Morris. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that anyone sets out saying I want to be good at all things, but when you&rsquo;re developing a plugin that has so much possibilities for the market it serves, you have to feel out where you want to play and claim stake to that area. You become the best you can in that area and work at making sure you succeed there. Then you can start to properly branch out to other segments of the space that are within close proximity to where your core is.&rdquo;</p>



<p>iThemes is stepping into the game at an ideal time. Restrict Content Pro is currently a $500,000+ per year product, according to Williamson. In the right hands and with continued growth, it could become the go-to solution for memberships in the WordPress ecosystem. iThemes has a solid history in the plugin space. This is a good opportunity to see where they take the project.</p>



<h2>The Future of Restrict Content Pro</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Morris said that Sandhills Dev already had a solid short to mid-term plan for the plugin. These plans are providing iThemes with a head-start on features and ideas, some of which are already in progress. The team&rsquo;s plan is to continue down this path, which matches some of the areas the company wanted to address.</p>



<p>&ldquo;After that, we&rsquo;ve got some ideas, but we also want to get to know the community around Restrict Content Pro,&rdquo; said Morris. &ldquo;[Matt Danner] has mentioned in several places that the RCP community is more developer-centric while the iThemes community is historically not. Right now we&rsquo;re in listening mode. We&rsquo;re starting conversations all over the web with RCP customers to get a sense of what they are looking at and apply those learnings with where we want to take RCP in the membership space. Right now, I think it&rsquo;s a bit premature to talk about specific features we&rsquo;re including or what direction we&rsquo;re fully going.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The one area that is currently lacking is the free <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/restrict-content/">Restrict Content plugin</a>. Its user base is still relatively small (10,000 active installs). Its average 3.7 star-rating from end-users does not spell confidence, but it could be brought up with some active work.</p>



<p>Restrict Content Pro has long had the benefit of being associated with Williamson and Sandhills Development&rsquo;s other products like Easy Digital Downloads and AffiliateWP. All of these projects fit well together &mdash; often a user of one plugin needs at least one of the others. The pro plugin has likely not relied on the traffic from WordPress.org for success. However, it would not hurt to bring those numbers up. While the install count from the free version does not always directly correlate to success with commercial versions, it is usually a good indicator. Putting some resources behind beefing up the free plugin could translate to better returns in the long term.</p>



<p>Morris said that iThemes will be sharing news about the free Restrict Content plugin soon. However, he is remaining tight-lipped about what those plans are for now.</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, 07 Sep 2020 21:35:36 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WP Mobile Apps: Where are the rest of the post options?";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:33:"http://apps.wordpress.com/?p=4148";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://apps.wordpress.com/2020/09/06/where-are-the-rest-of-the-post-options/";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:442:"<p>When you are making a new post or editing the existing one, click on the &#8220;Options&#8221; button in the top right that looks like this:</p>
<p><img /></p>
<p>That will open the menu shown below:</p>
<p><img /></p>
<p>Click on &#8220;Post Settings&#8221; to see the settings for your post. Inside the &#8220;Post Settings&#8221;, you can set tags and categories, add a featured image, set a publish date,  and more.</p>
<p><img /></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, 06 Sep 2020 16:41:32 +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:7:"logosom";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WP Mobile Apps: How do I make a new page?";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:33:"http://apps.wordpress.com/?p=4145";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:63:"https://apps.wordpress.com/2020/09/06/how-do-i-make-a-new-page/";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>To make a new page, tap the <img /> icon and select your site, select “Pages” in the Android Dashboard, then tap the <img /> icon in the bottom-right corner. You can edit any page by selecting it from the “Pages” screen.If you are looking for your drafts or your scheduled pages, check the menu across the top of the page and select the &#8220;Drafts&#8221; or &#8220;Scheduled&#8221; tab to access the list of the pages.</p>
<p><img /></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, 06 Sep 2020 15:53:24 +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:7:"logosom";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WP Mobile Apps: How do I make a new Post?";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:33:"http://apps.wordpress.com/?p=4136";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:63:"https://apps.wordpress.com/2020/09/06/how-do-i-make-a-new-post/";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:565:"<p>To make a new post, tap the <img /> icon and select your site, select “Blog Posts” in the Android Dashboard, then tap the <img />icon in the bottom-right corner. You can edit any post by selecting it from the “Blog Posts” screen.  If you are looking for your drafts or your scheduled posts, check the menu across the top of the page and select the &#8220;Drafts&#8221; or &#8220;Scheduled&#8221; tab to access the list of the posts.</p>
<p><img src="https://apps.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/screen-shot-2019-10-09-at-15.10.06.png?w=640&h=1021" /></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, 06 Sep 2020 15:47:22 +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:7:"logosom";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:97:"WPTavern: WordPress Support Team Seeks to Curb Support Requests for Commercial Plugins and Themes";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=104255";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:239:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-support-team-seeks-to-curb-support-requests-for-commercial-plugins-and-themes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-support-team-seeks-to-curb-support-requests-for-commercial-plugins-and-themes";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:7049:"<img />



<p>WordPress&rsquo; Support Team contributors are <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/support/2020/09/talking-point-handling-support-for-commercial-users-on-the-wordpress-forums/">discussing</a> how they can curb support requests for commercial products on the official WordPress.org forums. Users sometimes seek help for commercial product upgrades on the forums of the free version, not knowing that the moderators&rsquo; official policy is to refer them to the extension&rsquo;s commercial support channel. In other instances, it is not immediately clear whether the issue is with the free version or a paid upgrade that the user has installed. </p>



<p>&ldquo;This has come up a few times the past weeks, mostly in relation to plugins that have a free base product on&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress.org</a>, but sell addons on their own site, and where the line is drawn on who can get supported where,&rdquo; WordPress contributor Marius Jensen said during the team&rsquo;s most recent meeting. &ldquo;Authors are not allowed to support their paid products on&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress.org</a>&nbsp;as is, but where do you draw the line, for example, when a base plugin causes issues with a paid addon, should then support be allowed for the base product on&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress.org</a>, since that&rsquo;s the root issue, or should it be shipped off to the author&rsquo;s own site, since it affects a paying user?&rdquo;</p>



<p>This type of issue is common among products where WordPress.org is the main distribution channel for a popular free theme or plugin. The support relationship between the free and commercial products often intersects in an ambiguous way.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The goal is to ensure that paying customers and free users get the best support they can, from the ones that can give it,&rdquo; Jensen said. Volunteers do not have access to the commercial products, nor is it their job to support them. This is the crux of the matter.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an unacceptable misuse of volunteers time to support a product someone else has been paid to support,&rdquo; Jensen said.</p>



<p>Contributors discussed how they can handle different scenarios where it&rsquo;s unclear where the root of the problem is, in order to move the burden away from the support moderators, allowing the extension&rsquo;s author to discern if the problem is with the free version or commercial add-on. Volunteers should not have to familiarize themselves with the minute distinctions between the features that are offered for free or as an upgrade.</p>



<p>On the other side of these support scenarios, where it isn&rsquo;t clear where the problem originates, plugin and theme authors can be inconvenienced when support topics are hastily closed.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just that the closing of topics seems counter productive for those (users and devs alike) that get it wrong,&rdquo; plugin developer Arnan de Gans said. &ldquo;Since&nbsp;plugin/theme makers do not have any control over these forums we can&rsquo;t do a thing after topics get closed. Which works against the user experience by creating confusion.&rdquo; He suggested the team consider a grace period where the developer has a day or two to respond.</p>



<p>Ben Meredith, head of support for a freemium&nbsp;plugin, chimed in on the discussion, urging the support team to consider how closing issues can sometimes create a bad user experience:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p> An issue related to premium products is raised, and summarily closed by forum mods for being about a premium product. This creates a &ldquo;googleable&rdquo; record of the error message/problem that then attracts other visitors. Once the issue has been closed, we get copy-cat issues &ldquo;I am having the same problem (link to closed post)&rdquo; We get those replies in both followup forum posts and internal tickets. To the layperson who has no idea the distinction between &ldquo;WordPress&nbsp;core&nbsp;volunteer&rdquo; and &ldquo;Company I just paid money to,&rdquo; this creates a bad experience all around.</p><p>Premium users are treated like second-class citizens on the forums. They don&rsquo;t know the guidelines, and reached out for help. This may be their first interaction with the WordPress community, and sometimes a well-meaning forum moderator can come across as wrist-slapping the exact people we want to give white-glove service to (they just paid us!).</p></blockquote>



<p>Michelle Frechette, Head of Customer Success at GiveWP, also shared this sentiment regarding the user experience. </p>



<p>&ldquo;Something I&rsquo;m not seeing addressed much here is how alienating it can feel to be corrected by the mods (or even the&nbsp;plugin&nbsp;authors) to be directed from the forums back to the paid support page,&rdquo; she said. </p>



<p>Ben Meredith said that despite sticky posts telling users not to post questions about commercial products, notes in the readme file, website notices, and canned replies, users will inevitably end up posting in the forums anyway. Steering them away to commercial support channels should be done in a way that does not make seeking help on WordPress.org an unwelcoming experience.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I want for the forums to feel as welcoming as a&nbsp;WordCamp,&rdquo; Meredith said.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The current enforcement of the &lsquo;premium plugins can&rsquo;t get support here&rsquo; is not in line with that overarching goal: users using and enjoying WordPress. Currently, premium users (who are potential community members and community leaders!) are getting a first impression of the community that is &lsquo;You&rsquo;re doing it wrong!&rsquo;</p>



<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather their first impression be &lsquo;Happy to help! heads up, for questions like this in the future, we need you to go here.'&rdquo;</p>



<p>In trying to ease the burden placed on volunteer support forum moderators, it&rsquo;s important to consider how any new policy might also negatively impact developers hosting their plugins and themes on WordPress.org, and what kind of vibe the response gives to users in search of help. There are more suggestions for solutions in the comments on the post, and the discussion is open until&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20200913T0000">Saturday, September 12, 2020, 07:00 PM CDT</a>. The Support Team is seeking to get a wider range of viewpoints from plugin and theme authors before making a final decision on new guidelines for addressing requests for support on commercial products. Make sure to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/support/2020/09/talking-point-handling-support-for-commercial-users-on-the-wordpress-forums/">jump in on the comments</a> within the next week if you have something to add to the discussion.</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:"Sat, 05 Sep 2020 02:03:55 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:80:"WPTavern: Gutenberg 8.9 Brings Block-Based Widgets Out of the Experimental Stage";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=104238";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:205:"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-8-9-brings-block-based-widgets-out-of-the-experimental-stage?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gutenberg-8-9-brings-block-based-widgets-out-of-the-experimental-stage";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:6765:"<p class="has-drop-cap">On Wednesday, September 2, <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/03/whats-new-in-gutenberg-2-september/">Gutenberg 8.9 launched</a> with a set of new features, enhancements, and several bug fixes. The development team took the block-based widgets system out of its experimental stage, making it the default experience for all plugin users.</p>



<p>Block-based widgets have taken months upon months of work. The team has surpassed some of my expectations by essentially sticking a square peg into a square hole, granting the power of blocks to the sidebars/widgets system. On the whole, the system works. However, the team still has a lot of work to mold this feature into the shape it needs to be in for the upcoming WordPress 5.6 release in December. It is important that the community at large test, provide feedback, and contribute where possible.</p>



<p>Gutenberg plugin users who have not yet enabled block-based widgets via the experiments screen in past versions will be in for a surprise. The new system will have some of the familiarity of the block editor. However, it is a much different experience than traditional widgets.</p>



<p>The big questions we must answer is whether the feature is currently usable and whether it can be ready for WordPress 5.6.</p>



<h2>New Widgets Screen</h2>



<img />Block-based widgets screen.



<p class="has-drop-cap">Gutenberg completely replaces the old Appearance &gt; Widgets screen in the WordPress admin. The plugin no longer has an option for end-users to disable it, which was expected. The goal is to begin getting users accustomed to building their sidebars with blocks rather than traditional widgets.</p>



<p>For the most part, the new widgets screen handles block-based widgets without issue from a usability perspective. Adding blocks is little different from working with the post-editing screen. It should feel relatively natural for users who are accustomed to the block editor. If anything, the experience seems scaled down in comparison.</p>



<p>Unlike widgets in the past, blocks cannot be collapsed (the sidebars themselves can be). As a long-time WordPress user, this feels uncomfortable. However, it is the sort of uncomfortableness that will simply take some adjustment time.</p>



<p>Core legacy widgets worked well. However, I could not get legacy widgets to work from several third-party plugins. Sometimes, they disappeared from the editor. Then, they would later appear, seemingly at random. Eventually, during testing, I completely broke the page to the point where it did not display anything. Fortunately, I was able to fix it by clearing out a few widget-related rows from the database.</p>



<p>As a developer, I want to simply wipe the slate clean and leave the old widgets system in the dust of history. However, doing so may very well alienate many end-users. For this feature to be successful, we need to carry them along and allow them to easily transition from their current tools to the new system.</p>



<h2>Widget Blocks in the Customizer</h2>



<img />Widget blocks section in the customizer.



<p class="has-drop-cap">While the primary widget blocks screen was generally solid, that was not the case with widget blocks in the customizer. At best, it was sub-par.</p>



<p>We may finally be at that point where I agree with all those earlier complaints of the customizer control panel being too narrow. The most obvious issue was that the block toolbar was too wide for the control panel, hiding pieces of it off-screen. For some blocks, there are buttons that users cannot access.</p>



<p>That is not the end of the issues. Block options are unavailable, so users cannot even add something as basic as an image alt attribute. The core legacy widget blocks are not editable. The &ldquo;more options&rdquo; button popup has a transparent background, making the text unreadable and, for all intents and purposes, not worth attempting a use.</p>



<p>I understand that WordPress is still far from launching widget blocks in the customizer, but the feature was practically unusable. It is still very much in an experimental state and probably should have remained optional for another plugin update or two or three. I cannot recommend using this within any sort of production environment. Stick with the widgets screen in the admin.</p>



<h2>Widgets/Blocks Styling Issues for Theme Authors</h2>



<img />No structured grouping of &ldquo;widget&rdquo; HTML.



<p class="has-drop-cap">One of the largest changes that theme authors need to be aware of is that blocks in sidebars do not have the typical widget HTML wrappers. This could present some issues with styling widgets in the traditional fashion. For example, themes usually register a widget wrapper element and a wrapper for the widget title. This allows theme authors to build consistent styles for each widget. With blocks, this becomes much tougher because the theme author loses that control &mdash; this control is passed to the end-user.</p>



<p>The great part of this system is that users can do some really interesting things and have the flexibility to style their sidebars in any way they want. The bad part is that if a theme author has any sort of intricate styles, such as a boxed widget design, there is no easy way for the end-user to simply drop <em>widgets</em> into place and have them all use that boxed design. There is no standard class name for the theme author to target with CSS, which is what is required for consistently-styled widgets.</p>



<p>This is not necessarily a good or bad thing in and of itself. It is simply different.</p>



<p>With that said, I would have much preferred the Gutenberg development team created a new and separate system from the old sidebars/widgets system. Leave that in place, then build and promote &ldquo;block areas&rdquo; as a new system for theme authors to take advantage of. In the long run, it would allow theme authors to make the transition and even potentially support both systems in their themes. Theme authors are down in the trenches, working with their users on a day-to-day basis. They are in a much better position to handle the transition from old to new.</p>



<p>Theme authors who are not prepared to go <em>all in</em> with block-based widgets in WordPress 5.6 can add the following line of PHP to their theme&rsquo;s setup code to disable the widgets block editor:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>remove_theme_support( 'widgets-block-editor' );</code></pre>



<p>Over time, theme authors will want to fully transition to the new system. However, this will provide additional time for them to make any adjustments that may be needed with how widgets are handled.</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, 04 Sep 2020 17:05:15 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:97:"WPTavern: Sunlit 3.0 for iOS Released, Featuring New Post Editor and Improved Discovery Interface";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=103996";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:237:"https://wptavern.com/sunlit-3-0-for-ios-released-featuring-new-post-editor-and-improved-discovery-interface?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sunlit-3-0-for-ios-released-featuring-new-post-editor-and-improved-discovery-interface";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:3794:"<p><a href="https://sunlit.io/">Sunlit</a> 3.0 was released this week and is now <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sunlit/id1334727769">available in the App Store</a>. The free photoblogging app is a companion app to the <a href="https://micro.blog/">Micro.blog</a> indie microblogging platform. Sunlit has some similarities to Instagram minus the deadweight of ads and algorithms. Users can follow each other, comment on posts, and timeline photos are displayed in chronological order.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>&ldquo;The idea is to get more people posting photos to their own blogs, whether that&rsquo;s hosted on Micro.blog,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://wordpress.com/" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a>, or a self-hosted WordPress,&rdquo; Micro.blog creator Manton Reece said. Publishing to WordPress does not require any extra plugins, because&nbsp;the app uses the built-in XML-RPC support.</p>



<p>Sunlit uses Micro.blog&rsquo;s infrastructure for the social aspect (replies and mentions). Users must be signed into a Micro.blog account (either paid or free) to view the timeline or reply to posts. In the current version, users are required to go to Micro.blog on the web to register first but Reece said his team is aiming to make this more seamless in the future so users can start using all the features in Sunlit right away.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Some people use Micro.blog for their blog exclusively, and some people have a mix of a microblog or photoblog on Micro.blog, as well as a full blog on WordPress,&rdquo; Reece said. </p>



<p>Sunlit also has <a href="https://www.manton.org/2020/08/31/countdown-to-sunlit.html">support for following Tumblr photoblogs</a>. In the app&rsquo;s Discover tab, users can enter a Tumblr subdomain like &ldquo;username.tumblr.com,&rdquo; and then follow the blog even if the user is not on Sunlit. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>&ldquo;Micro.blog is based on blogs and IndieWeb standards so that it can integrate well with the rest of the web, not be walled off like a silo,&rdquo; Reece said. &ldquo;One aspect of this is that you can follow many blogs in Micro.blog even if the author of the blog hasn&rsquo;t registered on Micro.blog yet, similar to how you can subscribe to blogs in a feed reader like NetNewsWire or Feedbin.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Sunlit 3.0 has been redesigned with a new Discover interface and a faster, more flexible posting screen. Users can publish a quick photo or even a full blog post with text and photos uploaded to the users&rsquo; blog, along with the HTML layout for the post. This version also includes user search and support for mentions when replying to conversations.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>Micro.blog is currently supporting the app&rsquo;s development, and Reese said he has no plans to add any commercial upgrades into Sunlit.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We support Sunlit as part of running Micro.blog,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Sunlit makes an existing Micro.blog subscription more useful, so it helps with the overall platform sustainability, even if not everyone using Sunlit is paying for a subscription. We hope that more people will sign up for a paid Micro.blog subscription, but it&rsquo;s not required.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Sunlit does not have an Android app but the teams would like to support Android in the future. The app is open source and <a href="https://github.com/microdotblog/sunlit">available on GitHub</a> under the MIT License.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Because Sunlit for iOS is open source, this [Android support] might be something that comes from the community or it might be something we take the lead on. I personally have much more experience with iOS, so we started there.&rdquo;</p>



<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, 03 Sep 2020 23:15:44 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:82:"WPTavern: WordPress Plugin Authors Should Avoid Confusing Users When Naming Blocks";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=104091";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:209:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plugin-authors-should-avoid-confusing-users-when-naming-blocks?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-plugin-authors-should-avoid-confusing-users-when-naming-blocks";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:7172:"<p class="has-drop-cap">On May 4, the StudioPress development team made a small but significant user-facing change to its Atomic Blocks plugin (now <a href="https://wptavern.com/atomic-blocks-rebranded-to-genesis-blocks-migration-path-to-new-plugin-coming-soon">rebranded to Genesis Blocks</a>). It <a href="https://github.com/studiopress/atomic-blocks/commit/af4a4aa30b05537bc93baa48d932ab9407c8eb7f">removed the &ldquo;AB&rdquo; branding</a> from its block titles. This minor update changed block titles such as AB Accordion and AB Button to Accordion and Button, respectively. On the surface, this change probably seemed of little consequence to the developers on the project. However, for at least one user, it created a massive workload.</p>



<p>Unless users religiously followed the GitHub code commits, they would have missed this update. Stacked with several other code changes for a seemingly unrelated ticket, the team left a message that read, &ldquo;Remove unnecessary &lsquo;AB&rsquo; from block titles.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The change made it into version 2.8.2 of the plugin, which launched a day later.</p>



<p>The problem was that there was no message in the change log that noted this. Users had no indication that the blocks from the plugin were being renamed. Typically, this would not be a big deal since the plugin team had merely dropped the &ldquo;AB&rdquo; prefix from the otherwise unchanged titles. However, what happens when one of those blocks&rsquo; titles matches a core block title?</p>



<p>That was the issue that Marcus Tibesar ran into. The AB Button block suddenly became the Button block. Thinking he was using the core WordPress Button, he made liberal use of it throughout his site. Throw in his decision to drop the plugin after StudioPress rebranded its plugin to Genesis Blocks, it became a bit of a disaster to clean up.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I have been using the Button block for months now only to discover that I&rsquo;m actually using the Atomic Blocks button block!&rdquo; <a href="https://wptavern.com/atomic-blocks-rebranded-to-genesis-blocks-migration-path-to-new-plugin-coming-soon#comment-340105">wrote Tibesar in a comment</a> on the Atomic Blocks rebranding post.</p>



<p>Theoretically, he should have needed to update only any lingering blocks from Atomic Blocks that he had knowingly used. But, he was stuck with blocks that he had unknowingly added to his posts and pages through no fault of his own.</p>



<p>This particular scenario was made worse because WordPress 5.4, released on March 31, introduced a new Buttons (plural) block. The old single Button block was removed from the normal inserter. While not all block-naming issues are so convoluted, it still begs the question: how can plugin authors avoid causing these types of user-experience issues?</p>



<p>It is easy to throw blame toward StudioPress &mdash; and the team could perhaps use a scolding for not being clear about the change when it happened. However, this brings forth a couple of things the greater WordPress community needs to figure out. The first is whether plugin authors need to use a consistent, prefixed naming scheme for their blocks. The second is what can WordPress do to help mitigate issues.</p>



<h2>Prefix All the Things</h2>



<img />Buttons, buttons, and more buttons.



<p class="has-drop-cap">That is the common saying in the WordPress development world, <em>right</em>? Prefixing and namespacing guidelines generally apply to the actual code, which is where conflicts arise. However, there are times when prefixing public-facing text is warranted.</p>



<p>And those times are when plugins utilize a shared space.</p>



<p>The block editor is one such shared space. With more and more block plugins landing in the directory, it is time that plugin authors consider how block-naming schemes affect end-users. The issue is certainly not limited to Atomic/Genesis Blocks. This has been an ongoing trend with several block library plugins. Some do better than others, but it&rsquo;s a toss-up each time a user installs such a plugin.</p>



<p>The easiest route is for plugin authors to simply prefix all custom blocks with their company branding (e.g., AB Button). On the other hand, not every block shares a title with one of the core blocks. For example, a block titled Product Carousel may not need to distinguish itself further from other blocks. It is unlikely that end-users are running multiple eCommerce plugins with blocks that share the same title.</p>



<p>&ldquo;All, repeat all, should have a prefix,&rdquo; said Tibesar.  &ldquo;The prefixes eliminate any confusion as to whether we users are selecting a core block or a third-party block. The most popular plugins appear at the top of the list, and it&rsquo;s confusing from whence they came when prefixes are absent.&rdquo;</p>



<p>At the very least, third-party blocks should have a prefix if their titles match one of the core blocks. End-users should not see two different Cover blocks in the block inserter, for example. Instead, they should see the core Cover and a second, uniquely-titled block. Prefixing is an easy way to do that. But, I could live with anything that does not cause user confusion.</p>



<h2>Locating Instances of Block Usage</h2>



<img />Manage Blocks screen.



<p class="has-drop-cap">In late 2019, the Gutenberg team released the <a href="https://wptavern.com/version-1-prototype-of-the-wordpress-admin-block-directory-announced">first prototype</a> of a potential block management area for the WordPress admin. The Manage Blocks screen from the prototype showcased an area that would allow users to manage every block on their site. One of the more important bits of information on this screen was an &ldquo;Instances&rdquo; count, which displayed the number of times a block was in use. It further linked to a screen with every post that had a particular block.</p>



<p>One of the reasons this feature is important is that it would allow end-users to locate posts that they may want to clean up. Using the Atomic/Genesis Button block as an example, Tibesar could track down all those old uses and make any changes he wanted.</p>



<p>He said he would absolutely welcome this feature in WordPress.  &ldquo;New users are tempted to load up on zillions of block plugins all to be forgotten later.  Also, maintainers would use this tool when cleaning up broken sites. Just being able to see an overview of&nbsp;<em>what</em>&nbsp;blocks were used&nbsp;<em>where</em>, will allow publishers to dial back the number of block plugins installed on their sites, especially when new plugins and technologies emerge.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Because this feature is not in core yet, he had to turn to the <a href="https://wptavern.com/find-my-blocks-plugin-shows-all-blocks-in-use-on-a-wordpress-site">Find My Blocks</a> plugin, which helped him identify 22 posts and pages where he had unknowingly used the Button block from Atomic/Genesis Blocks. In the long term, this is something that needs to be handled directly in WordPress. It is unlikely to be the last time a user needs to clean house and get rid of old blocks.</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, 03 Sep 2020 19:41:32 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:82:"WPTavern: WordPress 5.5.1 Released with Backfill for Deprecated JavaScript Globals";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=104101";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:209:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-5-1-released-with-backfill-for-deprecated-javascript-globals?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-5-5-1-released-with-backfill-for-deprecated-javascript-globals";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:4766:"<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2020/09/wordpress-5-5-1-maintenance-release/">WordPress 5.5.1</a> was released yesterday with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=5.5.1&group=status&col=id&col=summary&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=status&col=priority&order=priority" target="_blank">34 bug fixes, 4 enhancements</a>, and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24828" target="_blank">5 bug fixes</a>&nbsp;for the&nbsp;block&nbsp;editor. </p>



<p>Version 5.5 <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/05/more-support-for-javascript-i18n-in-wordpress-5-5/">removed 19 legacy&nbsp;JavaScript&nbsp;localization objects</a>, in favor of using the new functions and utilities found in the i18n package&nbsp;introduced in WordPress 5.0. One of the most notable changes in this maintenance release is the inclusion of <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/01/deprecated-javascript-globals/">a backfill for these now deprecated JavaScript globals</a>, which were causing errors with many popular plugins and themes. </p>



<p>&ldquo;If we only count plugins or themes with more than 100k installs or more, some of these already have an incredible impact, which is why we decided to&nbsp;patch&nbsp;this as fast possible.&rdquo; Joost de Valk said in an update compiling a list of <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vho7hJR4DMRyns38xcUMvVUj8SBov_J8_X4a7zwpmzo/edit?usp=sharing">affected extensions</a>, with the the help of Omar Reiss. </p>



<p>Themes impacted include Astra (1 million+ installs), Storefront (200k+), Hestia (100k+), and dozens more. A small selection of the popular plugins that were impacted include Advanced Custom Fields (1 million+), SiteOrigins Widgets Bundle (1 million+), AMP for WP, (100k+),  WooCommerce Services (1 million+), Ocean Extra (600k+), and Rank Math SEO (400k+). </p>



<p>Theme and plugin developers still need to update their code to use&nbsp;<code>wp.i18n</code> but in the meantime the legacy code will not block JavaScript execution. De Valk said the new plan is to remove this fallback code in two major versions, so developers need to have their code updated by the time WordPress 5.7 rolls around in 2021.&nbsp;</p>



<p>&ldquo;It sounds like a question that also ought to be addressed is how such wide-spread breakage could happen, and how it can be prevented in future,&rdquo; David Anderson commented on the announcement regarding the backfill. &ldquo;What part of the release process ought to have flagged up that this was about to happen, how did that part fail, and how can future similar failures be prevented.&rdquo; Jake Spurlock suggested a retrospective on WordPress 5.5 might be a good idea.</p>



<p>Three weeks after WordPress 5.5 was released, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-jquery-migrate-helper/">Enable jQuery Migrate Helper</a> has more than 100,000 active installs. The plugin is available as a stopgap for users who experience problems with jQuery after updating to WP 5.5. Although several bumps along the road are expected for users during WordPress&rsquo; process of updating to use the latest version of jQuery, the official support forums were inundated with&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/search/5.5?in=support_forums">reports of broken sites</a> after 5.5 was released. Many users found out about the plugin after hours of troubleshooting and hunting for a fix. This is another issue that would be helpful to address in a 5.5 retrospective.</p>



<p>This maintenance release also <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/27/wordpress-environment-types/">removes the ability to alter the list of environment types</a> in the new&nbsp;<code>wp_get_environment_type()</code> function. Contributors decided that introducing new types wasn&rsquo;t the intention of the feature and that it makes it so that theme and plugin developers cannot rely on a set, predictable list of types. They are now limited to production, staging, development, and local, with definitions for each available in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/27/wordpress-environment-types/">announcement</a>.</p>



<p>&ldquo;By limiting the set of environment types in this way, WordPress&nbsp;core, plugins, and themes can change their behavior depending on this setting,&rdquo; Joost de Valk said.</p>



<p>WordPress 5.5.1 also fixes XML sitemaps paginating incorrectly, adds the site environment to debug information, and improves a number of other features that shipped with defects. The <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-5-1/">full list of changes</a> is available on the release page.</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, 02 Sep 2020 18:45:43 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:80:"WPTavern: Jetpack 8.9 Adds Donations Block, Newsletter Form, and Social Previews";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=104088";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:201:"https://wptavern.com/jetpack-8-9-adds-donations-block-newsletter-form-and-social-previews?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jetpack-8-9-adds-donations-block-newsletter-form-and-social-previews";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:4689:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Jeremey Herve, a Jetpack developer at Automattic, <a href="https://jetpack.com/2020/09/01/jetpack-grow-subscribers-collect-donations/">announced the release of Jetpack 8.9</a> earlier today. The update brings several major features to the plugin&rsquo;s users. Jetpack now sports a new social preview option in the block editor, a newsletter signup form type, and a block for handling donations.</p>



<p>Version 8.9 also adds support for the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/amp/">AMP plugin</a>. Herve noted that Google and Automattic have worked together over the past six months to make this integration happen. He also announced that the team would release an in-depth post on the <a href="https://jetpack.com/blog/">Jetpack blog</a> on how end-users can use the tools available.</p>



<p>Overall, the update seems to be a solid release. I have not run into any issues with the features I make use of thus far.</p>



<h2>Social Network Preview for Posts</h2>



<img />Social Previews popup modal.



<p class="has-drop-cap">The latest version of the plugin adds a new Social Previews tab under the Jetpack sidebar panel in the block editor. It lists a few social icons and a preview button. Clicking the button pops up a modal window that allows users to preview what their post will look like in various places.</p>



<p>Currently, only Google Search, Facebook, and Twitter previews are integrated. However, the announcement post noted that LinkedIn previews are in the works.</p>



<p>Social Previews is not a particularly groundbreaking feature. However, it is a nice value-add for Jetpack users and almost a given in today&rsquo;s climate that is led by social networking sites. The feature is similar to what some SEO plugins, such as <a href="https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/social-previews/">Yoast SEO Premium</a>, offer.</p>



<h2>Newsletter Sign-up Form</h2>



<ul><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Select Newsletter Sign-up Form</li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Form Appears with Necessary Fields</li></ul>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Jetpack 8.9 introduces a Newsletter Sign-up form type via its Form block. When creating a new form, users will see the new option. It works as you might expect, adding a name and email field along with a message that the visitor is granting permission to send emails.</p>



<p>It might not be immediately apparent for some users is that they will need to install and activate the third-party <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/creative-mail-by-constant-contact/">Creative Mail</a> plugin for newsletters to work. Jetpack&rsquo;s Newsletter Sign-up merely handles the form. The newsletter aspect requires an account through the <a href="https://www.creativemail.com/plans/">Creativ.eMail website</a>. The free plan allows up to 5,000 emails per month, but you will need to upgrade to a paid tier after that, which will cost at least $4.95 each month.</p>



<p>If this sounds a bit convoluted, it&rsquo;s because it is. Without reading the docs or opening the Newsletter Integration tab in the block options, some users may be wondering how this feature works.</p>



<p>The integration itself works fluidly. Users can install and activate the plugin directly from the block editor. However, they will need to run through the setup and signup steps to begin using email campaigns, such as a newsletter.</p>



<h2>Donations Block</h2>



<img />Donations block and options.



<p class="has-drop-cap">Requiring yet another third-party service is Jetpack&rsquo;s new Donations block. Users will need to be on a <a href="https://jetpack.com/pricing/">paid Jetpack plan</a> to use the block, which allows them to integrate their Stripe account for collecting payments.</p>



<p>The Donations block is a simple affair. With a paid account in place, it is pretty much a plug-and-play system. The block options should be straightforward for the average end-user.</p>



<p>At this point, the Donations block and system may be too limited for some campaigns. This feature seems to more squarely target users who are looking to accept basic donations without all the features that a more mature donation plugin would provide. For anything beyond accepting a few small donations each year, I would lean toward the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/">GiveWP plugin</a>. Its team is hyper-focused on making a great donation experience that scales to larger campaigns.</p>



<p>For users who are already using Jetpack and want to start small, it wouldn&rsquo;t hurt to give this block a spin. It is always possible to move up to a dedicated donation plugin down the road.</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, 01 Sep 2020 21:06:50 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:52:"HeroPress: Consistency Gets You Where You’re Going";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:56:"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=3263";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:150:"https://heropress.com/essays/consistency-gets-you-where-youre-going/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=consistency-gets-you-where-youre-going";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:6947:"<img width="960" height="480" src="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/imran_sayed.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Imran Sayed" /><p>The Tech Industry has given many gifts in my life. It has been an exciting journey so far. So today I decide to pen down my story as a self-taught Software Engineer and share it with the world.</p>
<p>The story of my journey to WordPress really begins about two years ago.</p>
<p>At the time, I was working a comfortable, well-paying job as a Team Lead at Tech Mahindra, one of the largest tech consultancy MNC’s in India. Through the 10 years that I worked at Tech M, I wore different hats &#8212; client representative, mentor, certified trainer &#8212; and collected several performance awards including mobile phones, televisions, a digital camera, microwave oven, a PlayStation and best of all, all-expense paid trip to <a href="https://codeytek.com/portfolio/trip-to-london/">London</a> <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.0/72x72/1f60e.png" alt="?" class="wp-smiley" /></p>
<p>I thought that programming will give me an ability to express my creative skills through code. The idea of how my work and my knowledge can benefit others is thrilling and something that I love.</p>
<p>And the hero of my story is my very own brother, Sayed Taqui. Sayed is an experienced WordPress Developer and a core contributor, who gave me insights into this different world I had no idea about.</p>
<a href="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/image2.jpg"><img /></a>Sayed Taqui and Imran Sayed
<h2>A new direction</h2>
<p>This did not happen overnight. This was a big risk to change track and move from my job to this new world of WordPress and it actually took me two years to make up my mind.</p>
<p>I started with saving money so I could quit my job and learn new skills. I started with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and then moved on to WordPress. I also learned to use the tools like Webpack, Babel &amp; Grunt.</p>
<p>My brother Sayed was always around to help me and guided me with some great inputs:</p>
<ul>
<li>learn the basics instead of specific frameworks (vanilla JS before jQuery)</li>
<li>build games to get good at JS. I built my <a href="https://github.com/imranhsayed/shooting-game">first game</a> in JavaScript, and in 2 weeks it was on <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imranhsayed.birdshootinggame&hl=en">PlayStore</a>.</li>
<li>Hack away at the WordPress Core as a way to understand it deeply. He also suggested building a CMS in PHP to mimic WordPress, with CRUD functions, posts, pages and taxonomies, inspired by the WP Core.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>It all pays off!</b><br />
After 7 months of rigorous self-training, I applied for a job in a startup called <a href="https://myrl.tech/">Myrl Tech</a>. Myrl Tech was like a hardcore wrestling ground for me (देसी अखाड़ा), where I learnt to build and deploy applications from scratch.</p>
<p>After years’ worth of experience writing code, learning &amp; applying new technology, giving &amp; receiving training and even being involved with hiring, I got the opportunity to apply to <a href="https://rtcamp.com/">rtCamp</a>, where I currently work.</p>
<p><a href="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/image4.jpg"><img /></a></p>
<p>rtCamp is a dream job for me. While the perks are great, what I identify most with is their importance on ethics, a friendly culture, and open-source community.</p>
<h2>Giving back</h2>
<p><a href="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/image3.jpg"><img /></a></p>
<p>During my learning journey, I realized a lot of topics can only be understood by digging into the WP Core. And while many learning resources are available online and on WordPress.org, there are not enough tutorials or blogs available for beginners.</p>
<p>So I made a promise to myself that no matter how busy I get in future I will never forget my origin as a beginner and do what I can to help others. Knowledge is power and I feel it&#8217;s my responsibility to share what I know.</p>
<p>So I’ve started a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ImranSayedDev">YouTube</a> channel, written tons of blog posts and put together several tutorials through my own open source learning platform. I am proud to have been a speaker at over 6 WordCamps across India. I am also a co-organizer of the local WP meetup group, and have organized 8 meetups last year.</p>
<p>I have also spoken at several international events &#8212; <a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/22feb20WPstream/2">Matt’s Popup Livestream</a> on <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ImranSayed12/fastest-way-of-creating-gutenberg-blocks-with-minimal-javascript-knowledge-popup-livestream-22nd-feb-2020">Gutenberg</a>, <a href="https://wpsessions.com/sessions/wordsesh-apac-2020/">Wordsesh</a> on <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ImranSayed12/why-progressive-apps-for-wordpress-wordsesh-2020">PWA</a>, <a href="https://javascriptforwp.com/conference/#schedule">JavaScript for WP Conference</a> on <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ImranSayed12/harness-the-power-of-acf-for-gatsby-and-wordpress">Gatsby</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/imranhsayed/status/1243498037604827138">WordPress VIP Webinar</a> and many more.</p>
<p>I feel that there are many developers who have amazing knowledge but need a little push since they have never spoken in public. So while all of the above have been high points of my past couple of years, I also enjoy motivating <a href="https://www.meetup.com/Pune-WordPress-Knowledge-Exchange/events/270630113/">new speakers</a> to share what they know.</p>
<p><a href="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/image1.jpg"><img /></a></p>
<h2>Consistency is what got me here</h2>
<p>Switching career paths has been very fulfilling. Having a supportive brother from the technical field was a blessing, and the skills I gained from the previous role like effective communication, public speaking etc, really helped. However, I’ve had to be patient, consistent and put in the work to make it happen. The advice I’d give to anyone pondering a similar switch is to focus on being consistent.</p>
<p>I also feel that the best way to learn is to teach. Small positive steps ( teaching, helping others etc ) that we take today can make a big difference in a long run, not just in our life, but also the ones that directly or indirectly get influenced by our work.</p>
<p>I encourage you to contribute to open-source, not just code but any way possible. Many of us have the potential to do better than what we are doing already. What’s important is we start and be consistent.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://heropress.com/essays/consistency-gets-you-where-youre-going/">Consistency Gets You Where You&#8217;re Going</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" 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:"Tue, 01 Sep 2020 20:30:48 +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:11:"Imran Sayed";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: WordPress 5.5.1 Maintenance 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:34:"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=8979";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:71:"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/09/wordpress-5-5-1-maintenance-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:8938:"<p>WordPress 5.5.1 is now available!</p>



<p>This maintenance release features&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=5.5.1&group=status&col=id&col=summary&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=status&col=priority&order=priority" target="_blank">34 bug fixes, 5 enhancements</a>, and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24828" target="_blank">5 bug fixes</a>&nbsp;for the&nbsp;block&nbsp;editor. These bugs affect WordPress version 5.5, so you’ll want to upgrade.</p>



<p>You can <a href="https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.5.1.zip">download WordPress 5.5.1 directly</a>, or visit the<strong>&nbsp;Dashboard → Updates</strong> screen&nbsp;and click&nbsp;<strong>Update Now</strong>. If your sites support automatic background updates, they’ve already started the update process.</p>



<p>WordPress 5.5.1 is a short-cycle maintenance release. The next major release will be <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-6/">version 5.6</a>.</p>



<p>To see a full list of changes, you can browse the&nbsp;<a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=5.5.1&group=component&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority">list on Trac</a>, read the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/27/wordpress-5-5-1-rc1/">5.5.1 RC1</a> and <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/31/wordpress-5-5-1-rc2/">5.5.1 RC2</a> posts, or visit the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-5-1/">5.5.1 documentation page</a>.</p>



<h2>Thanks and props!</h2>



<p>The 5.5.1 release was led by <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>audrasjb</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/azhiyadev/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>azhiyadev</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>davidbaumwald</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>desrosj</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnbillion/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>johnbillion</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/planningwrite/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>planningwrite</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sergeybiryukov/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>sergeybiryukov</a> and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/whyisjake/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>whyisjake</a>.</p>



<p>Thank you to everyone who helped make WordPress 5.5.1 happen:</p>



<a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpamitkumar/">Amit Dudhat</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/afercia/">Andrea Fercia</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/rarst/">Andrey &#8220;Rarst&#8221; Savchenko</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/afragen/">Andy Fragen</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/akissz/">Angel Hess</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/avixansa/">avixansa</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/bobbingwide/">bobbingwide</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/brianhogg/">Brian Hogg</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/chunkysteveo/">chunkysteveo</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/claytoncollie/">Clayton Collie</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald/">David Baumwald</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dlh/">David Herrera</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/">dd32</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/demetris/">demetris</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ocean90/">Dominik Schilling</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dushakov/">dushakov</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/elrae/">Earle Davies</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/nrqsnchz/">Enrique Sánchez</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/fjarrett/">Frankie Jarrett</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/fullofcaffeine/">fullofcaffeine</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/garrett-eclipse/">Garrett Hyder</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/garyj/">Gary Jones</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/gchtr/">gchtr</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/azhiyadev/">Hauwa</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/herregroen/">Herre Groen</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/howdy_mcgee/">Howdy_McGee</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ipstenu/">Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/">Jb Audras</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeremyfelt/">Jeremy Felt</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeroenrotty/">Jeroen Rotty</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/joen/">Joen A.</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/johannadevos/">Johanna de Vos</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnbillion/">John Blackbourn</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnjamesjacoby/">John James Jacoby</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/psykro/">Jonathan Bossenger</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/">Jonathan Desrosiers</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/jonathanstegall/">Jonathan Stegall</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/joostdevalk/">Joost de Valk</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorgefilipecosta/">Jorge Costa</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/justinahinon/">Justin Ahinon</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/akabarikalpesh/">Kalpesh Akabari</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/khag7/">Kevin Hagerty</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/knutsp/">Knut Sparhell</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/kbjohnson90/">Kyle B. Johnson</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/landau/">landau</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/laxman-prajapati/">Laxman Prajapati</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/gamerz/">Lester Chan</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/mailnew2ster/">mailnew2ster</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/clorith/">Marius L. J.</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/markjaquith/">Mark Jaquith</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/mapk/">Mark Uraine</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/gothickgothickorguk/">Matt Gibson</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/tw2113/">Michael Beckwith</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikeyarce/">Mikey Arce</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/batmoo/">Mohammad Jangda</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/mukesh27/">Mukesh Panchal</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/nabilmoqbel/">Nabil Moqbel</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/krstarica/">net</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/oakesjosh/">oakesjosh</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/nosolosw/">O André</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/omarreiss/">Omar Reiss</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ov3rfly/">Ov3rfly</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/paddy/">Paddy</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/casiepa/">Pascal Casier</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/pbiron/">Paul Biron</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/peterwilsoncc/">Peter Wilson</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/rajeshsingh520/">rajeshsingh520</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ramiy/">Rami Yushuvaev</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/rebasaurus/">rebasaurus</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/riaanlom/">riaanlom</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/youknowriad/">Riad Benguella</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/kreppar/">Rodrigo Arias</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/rtagliento/">rtagliento</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/salvoaranzulla/">salvoaranzulla</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sanzeeb3/">Sanjeev Aryal</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sarahricker/">sarahricker</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sergeybiryukov/">Sergey Biryukov</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sabernhardt/">Stephen Bernhardt</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sterndata/">Steven Stern (sterndata)</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/webzunft/">Thomas M</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/timothyblynjacobs/">Timothy Jacobs</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobiasbg/">TobiasBg</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobifjellner/">tobifjellner (Tor-Bjorn Fjellner)</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/twentyzerotwo/">TwentyZeroTwo</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/planningwrite/">Winstina</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/wittich/">wittich</a>, and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/yoavf/">Yoav Farhi</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:"Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:13:53 +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:9:"Jb Audras";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"Post Status: iThemes has acquired Restrict Content Pro from Sandhills Development";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:"https://poststatus.com/?p=79593";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:65:"https://poststatus.com/ithemes-has-acquired-restrict-content-pro/";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:3361:"<p><a href="https://restrictcontentpro.com/">Restrict Content Pro</a> has been <a href="https://sandhillsdev.com/?p=621">acquired</a> by <a href="https://ithemes.com/">iThemes</a>. Originally built by Pippin Williamson in 2012, RCP was early to the membership space and kept its promise of simplicity and stability throughout its tenure to date.</p>



<p>A couple of years ago, the <a href="https://sandhillsdev.com/">Sandhills Development</a> team put new energy into RCP, and <a href="https://sandhillsdev.com/2020/01/2019-year-in-review/">in 2019</a> the product made nearly $500,000 in revenue. 2020 is set to outpace those numbers. While the sale price is not disclosed, it is a seven-figure deal, likely somewhere between two and four times annual revenue. No members of the Sandhills team are moving over to iThemes and <a href="https://www.liquidweb.com/">Liquid Web</a> (the iThemes parent company), but there is a multi-month transition plan in place.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">

</div>



<p>In our interview, we talked a lot about the process of the deal, the transition expectations, the past and future of the product, and the emotions surrounding the sale — particularly for Pippin.</p>



<p>Strategically, selling RCP enables Sandhills to better focus on their other products and free up several team members' energy. RCP was profitable and fun for them to work on, but they knew it was the right fit with iThemes and were excited to be able to better share the workload on Easy Digital Downloads, AffiliateWP, and their other products. Pippin compared it to hiring multiple full time team members, by simply transitioning what they are working on.</p>



<p>Additionally, the sale enabled them to put some cash in the bank, a comforting thing for a relatively small company in an extraordinarily uncertain time. Sandhills is very much an employee-first company, and this safety net lets them approach the future with confidence.</p>



<p>For iThemes, Matt tells me that the acquisition excites them in part because it gets them on the front-facing part of websites once again. For years now they have focused on the utility side through backups, security, etc. Now they can offer more than peace of mind to their customers by helping them make money.</p>



<p>Restrict Content Pro makes a lot of strategic sense for both Liquid Web and iThemes. Sandhills has always had a great audience, but it is most popular among developers and tinkerers — people ready to get their hands dirty a bit. iThemes opens up a much more user-centric audience, and it expands the base of potential customers through cross-marketing. Liquid Web has put a lot of energy into optimizing for eCommerce, and RCP offers a much more niche eCommerce product for their eCommerce audience that is not selling physical goods.</p>



<p>All around, this deal just makes sense. Thanks to recent energy reviving the product, website, and RCP community, Pippin and his team were able to receive a compelling offer for Restrict Content Pro. Thanks to a well-established marketing plan, and a well-established roadmap for furthering the product's success, iThemes should be able to nicely capitalize on the opportunity.</p>



<p>I'm glad to see a win-win and the opportunity for two companies I admire to take a new step in their respective journeys.</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, 01 Sep 2020 17:06:47 +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:"Brian Krogsgard";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: The Month in WordPress: August 2020";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:34:"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=8983";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/2020/09/the-month-in-wordpress-august-2020/";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:9603:"<p>August was special for WordPress lovers, as one of the most anticipated releases, WordPress 5.5, was launched. The month also saw several updates from various contributor teams, including the soft-launch of the Learn WordPress project and updates to Gutenberg. Read on to find out about the latest updates from the WordPress world.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator" />



<h2>WordPress 5.5 Launch</h2>



<p>The team launched <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2020/08/eckstine/">WordPress 5.5</a> on August 11. The major release comes with a host of features like automatic updates for plugins and themes, enabling updates over uploaded ZIP files, a block directory, XML sitemaps, block patterns, inline image editing, and lazy-loading images, to name a few. WordPress 5.5 is now available in 50 languages too! You can update to the latest version directly from your WordPress dashboard or <a href="https://wordpress.org/download/">download</a> it directly from WordPress.org. Subsequent to the 5.5 release, the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/27/wordpress-5-5-1-rc1/">5.5.1 release candidate</a> came out on August 28, which will be followed by its official launch of the minor release on September 1.</p>



<p>A record 805 people contributed to WordPress 5.5, hailing from 58 different countries. <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>audrasjb</a> has <a href="https://jeanbaptisteaudras.com/en/2020/08/wordpress-5-5-core-stats-contributions-by-country-company/">compiled many more stats like that</a> and they’re well worth a read!</p>



<p>Want to get involved in building WordPress Core? Follow<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/"> the Core team blog</a>, and join the #core channel in <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/chat/">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>



<h2>Gutenberg 8.7 and 8.8</h2>



<p>The core team launched Gutenberg <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-august-5/">8.7</a> and <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/19/whats-new-in-gutenberg-august-19/">8.8</a>. Version 8.7 saw many improvements to the Post Block suite, along with other changes like adding a block example to the Buttons block, consistently autosaving edits, and updating the group block description. Version 8.8 offers updates to Global Styles, the Post Block suite, and Template management. The release significantly improves the back-compatibility of the new Widget Screen, and also includes other important accessibility and mobile improvements to user interfaces like the Toolbar, navigation menus, and Popovers. For full details on the latest versions of these Gutenberg releases, visit these posts about <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-august-5/">8.7</a> and <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/19/whats-new-in-gutenberg-august-19/">8.8</a>.</p>



<p>Want to get involved in building Gutenberg? Follow <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/">the Core team blog</a>, contribute to <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/">Gutenberg on GitHub</a>, and join the #core-editor channel in <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/chat/">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>



<h2>Check out the brand new Learn WordPress platform!</h2>



<p><a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/">Learn WordPress</a> is a brand new cross-team initiative led by the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/">WordPress Community team</a>, with support from the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/training/">training team</a>, the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/tv/">TV team</a>, and the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/meta/">meta team</a>. This platform is a learning repository on <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/">learn.wordpress.org</a>, where WordPress learning content will be made available. Video workshops published on the site will be followed up by supplementary discussion groups based on workshop content. The first of these discussion groups have been scheduled, and you can join an upcoming discussion <a href="https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-discussions/events/">on the dedicated meetup group</a>. The community team invites members to contribute to the project. You can apply to <a href="https://wordcampcentral.survey.fm/learn-wordpress-workshop-application">present a workshop</a>, <a href="https://wordcampcentral.survey.fm/learn-wordpress-reviewer-application">assist with reviewing</a> submitted workshops, and <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A6BYIZAtqk3alBFtJBg-7Q7Y7NBLRnoRFbRTGho2rfI/edit">add ideas for workshops</a> that you would like to see on the site. You can also apply<a href="https://wordcampcentral.survey.fm/learn-wordpress-discussion-group-leader-application"> to be a discussion group leader</a> to organize discussions directly through the <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org">learn.wordpress.org</a> platform. We are also creating a dedicated Learn WordPress working group and have <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/08/24/learn-wordpress-working-group-call-for-volunteers/">posted a call for volunteers</a>. Meetup organizers can use <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/">Learn WordPress</a> content for their meetup events (without applying as a discussion group leader). Simply ask your meetup group to watch one of the workshops in the weeks leading up to your scheduled event, and then host a discussion group for that content as your event.</p>



<p>Want to get involved with the Community team? <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/">Follow the Community blog</a>, or join them in the #community-events channel in <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/chat/">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>. To organize a local WordPress community event, <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/virtual-events/welcome/applying-for-a-virtual-event/">visit the handbook page</a>. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator" />



<h2>Further Reading:</h2>



<ul><li>As <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/03/11/all-women-release-squad/">proposed previously</a>, WordPress 5.6 will have an all-women release squad. The team has <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/13/wordpress-5-6-release-planning/">started work on the 5.6 release planning</a>.</li><li>The community team has decided to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/08/04/announcement-flagship-events-in-2021/">cancel in-person flagship WordPress events</a> in 2021. While new applications for flagship events in 2021 will not be accepted, organizers of existing flagship events (such as WordCamp US, Europe, and Asia) will have the option to move their event online. </li><li>The core team is working on <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/37110">updating the jQuery version</a> that comes with WordPress. As the first step, the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/06/29/updating-jquery-version-shipped-with-wordpress/">team removed the jQuery Migrate 1.4.1 script </a>from WordPress 5.5. Those who wish to use jQuery migrate for maintaining plugin compatibility can install the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-jquery-migrate-helper/">Enable jQuery Migrate Helper plugin</a>, which has currently reached the 100k installs mark. </li><li>The WordPress documentation team is continuing its discussion on modifying the external linking policy. The conversation is taking place on a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i0ipOTmKPShSIMoFuEXnI3gkOOUrPJb9t4HMf30JWC0/edit#heading=h.l0cppyl5zvhs">shared Google doc</a>. Feel free to add comments if you have any thoughts on the topic. </li><li>WordPress will <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/51043#comment:7">not drop support for PHP 5.6</a>, as initially decided, in order to maintain better version compatibility. The team has additionally come up with a <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/24/proposal-dropping-support-for-old-php-versions-via-a-fixed-schedule/">proposal to drop support for old PHP versions via a fixed schedule</a>.</li><li>The maiden edition of <a href="https://doaction.org/event/india-2020">do_action India online</a> was held from August 15 to 23. The event, which was held online with collaboration tools, had 94 participants who built fully functional websites for five NGOs from across the country. You can read more about 2020 do_action events <a href="https://wordpressfoundation.org/2020/charity-hackathons-august-2020-report/">on the WordPress Foundation blog</a>.</li><li>The Accessibility team has <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/2020/08/25/accessibility-teams-goals-for-wordpress-5-6-and-beyond/">published their goals for WordPress 5.6 and beyond</a> and has started working on them.</li><li><a href="https://minneapolis.wordcamp.org/2020/">WordCamp Minneapolis/St. Paul</a> was held successfully on August 21. The event, which sold over 1400 tickets, had 18 speakers and 12 sponsors.</li><li>The Polyglots team has completed the translation <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2020/08/19/polyglots-handbook-reorganization-update/">handbook structure organization</a>. The handbook now has clear guides for translators, PTEs/GTEs, global mentors, and Plugin/Theme authors.</li></ul>



<p><em>Have a story that we should include in the next “Month in WordPress” post? Please </em><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/month-in-wordpress-submissions/"><em>submit it here</em></a><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:"Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:32:47 +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:"Hari Shanker R";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:93:"WPTavern: WordSesh EMEA 2020 Kicks Off September 2, Featuring Short Talks and Micro-Tutorials";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=104024";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:229:"https://wptavern.com/wordsesh-emea-2020-kicks-off-september-2-featuring-short-talks-and-micro-tutorials?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordsesh-emea-2020-kicks-off-september-2-featuring-short-talks-and-micro-tutorials";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:4862:"<p>The second edition of <a href="https://wordsesh.com/">WordSesh EMEA</a> (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) is happening in less than 48 hours on September 2. The virtual event&rsquo;s schedule is tailored to attendees living in the Eastern hemisphere. In its first year running, WordSesh EMEA attracted a solid turnout of close to 1,000 attendees and was the proving ground for future regional WordSesh events. With WordCamp Europe <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-europe-goes-virtual-for-2021-in-person-conference-to-resume-2022">cancelling in-person events until 2022</a>, WordSesh EMEA is another way to highlight voices in the European WordPress community with a global audience.</p>



<p>&ldquo;There were definitely enough people at the inaugural WordSesh EMEA event that it was clear I needed to do it again, and expand into an APAC event,&rdquo; organizer Brian Richards said. </p>



<p>Richards had WordSesh APAC (Asia/Pacific) on the schedule for the end of March, right when the pandemic was breaking out. WordCamp Asia had just been cancelled the month before, as he was preparing to announce speakers for the WordSesh.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I worked with the WCAsia organizers to invite as many speakers to speak as I could,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;I ended up helping run a Feb 22 pop-up livestream event to host several of them and invited the remainder to join me on a second full day of sessions at WordSesh.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Six months later, many WordCampers have had their fill of online events after months of mandated lockdowns and voluntary quarantining. Any new virtual event announced is immediately in competition with outdoor activities and hobbies that attendees could be engaging in away from the computer. Nevertheless, Richards has seen a threefold increase in signups over the previous year.</p>



<p>&ldquo;There are 3,200 folks registered currently, and we&rsquo;re on track to have 3,500 by the time things kick off on Sept 2nd,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been extremely mindful of virtual event fatigue for this one. This time around, the event is designed to fit inside an 8-hour span, inclusive of breaks, and no single session is longer than 20 minutes (plus Q&amp;A).&rdquo;</p>



<p>Whereas the previous WordSesh events were somewhat novel in that they gave attendees 24 hours of free live streaming WordPress presentations, pandemic era virtual events are evolving to eat up less of attendees&rsquo; free time. Organizers are now opting for scheduling fewer speakers for more manageable sections of time, or requiring them to give more condensed versions of their presentations.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I worked with the speakers to compress their talks into 20 minutes instead of the historical 40 minutes of years past,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been developing a theory that case studies and micro-tutorials are the most optimal format for a conference talk, though, and I&rsquo;m going to test that idea more thoroughly in future events.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The schedule features 13 sessions on topics ranging from plugin development to client management to marketing with multisite networks. Whether you are a PHP developer learning how to navigate the world of blocks or an event planner seeking resources for the pandemic pivot, there&rsquo;s a session for everyone.</p>



<p>The talks will be a mix of live and pre-recorded, all broadcast live at their set times with speakers joining for Q&amp;A after each session.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Most will be pre-recorded to eliminate any technical risks during the event (e.g. internet outage, power outage, and all the many various life emergencies),&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;This also offers a nice bonus of the speaker being able to interact with the chat&nbsp;<em>during</em>&nbsp;their talk.&rdquo; </p>



<p>WordSesh EMEA will introduce a temporary job board, reminiscent of the kind one might find on a whiteboard in the hallway at a traditional WordCamp.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Attendees can share whether they are hiring or looking for work in an entirely free-form format,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;The entire board will be accessible to attendees throughout the live event only. After the event has ended I will capture the final state of the board and share that with everyone who actually attended so they can have a semi-permanent record. I think this is the first time there has ever been anything that only exists for live attendees and nobody else.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Richards will also be delivering virtual swag to attendees&rsquo; inboxes again this year, with substantial discounts to various WordPress shops, hosts, and service providers. If you haven&rsquo;t signed up yet, you are not too late. <a href="https://wordsesh.com/register/">Registration</a> is still open until the last minute, and tickets are free. </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, 01 Sep 2020 04:00:30 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:"WPTavern: One Year After Beta, Elmastudio’s Aino Blocks Plugin Lands in the Plugin Directory";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=104014";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:225:"https://wptavern.com/one-year-after-beta-elmastudios-aino-blocks-plugin-lands-in-the-plugin-directory?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=one-year-after-beta-elmastudios-aino-blocks-plugin-lands-in-the-plugin-directory";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:6853:"<p class="has-drop-cap">One year ago today, Elmastudio <a href="https://www.elmastudio.de/en/beta-release-test-our-aino-free-theme-and-aino-block-collection/">launched a beta version</a> of its <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/aino/">Aino</a> WordPress theme and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/aino-blocks/">Aino Blocks</a> plugin. While the team pushed the theme live in the theme directory earlier this year, it wasn&rsquo;t until a couple of weeks ago that they officially released their blocks plugin.</p>



<p>Elmastudio&rsquo;s beta launch was one of the first pieces of news I noted when I began writing for the Tavern &mdash; I was already lining up stories a couple of weeks before I <em>officially</em> started. But, the story fell down the list over time. After seeing Aino Blocks land in the plugin directory two weeks ago, I thought it would be interesting to check out what the plugin looked like today.</p>



<p>Aside from a few minor styling issues, the Aino theme is a solid offering for users who are looking for a block-ready theme that provides an open canvas. I am generally a fan of Elmastudio&rsquo;s work with themes. However, most of the blocks from the Aino Blocks plugin are not particularly impressive. At best, they are par for the course for these types of block library plugins. I tend to install them to see if I can find a gem of an idea or two, some missing element that would solve one of the various problems I have. No such luck this time.</p>



<h2>The Plugin&rsquo;s Blocks</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The one block that caught my eye the most was the Grid block. I am still hopeful that core WordPress adopts some sort of <a href="https://wptavern.com/should-the-block-editor-have-a-grid-system">grid layout block</a> or system. Therefore, I test every such block I come across.</p>



<p>The Grid block in the Aino Blocks plugin works well enough for people who have a background in CSS code. The terminology for the block options may be hard to understand for average users. On the whole, it does not feel intuitive enough for me to recommend it over better options.</p>



<img />Using the Grid block.



<p><a href="https://wptavern.com/diving-into-automattics-block-experiments">Layout Grid</a> by Automattic still holds the title for best grid block plugin thus far. Yes, its options can be confusing too, but it does provide dragging capabilities that will autofill those settings for less tech-savvy users. <a href="https://wptavern.com/build-versatile-layouts-with-the-generateblocks-wordpress-plugin">GenerateBlocks</a> also has a powerful Grid block that is far easier to use.</p>



<p>The most complex block and the one that seemingly pushes some boundaries is the Hero block. It is essentially a block that combines content, buttons, and media in a specific layout. The problem is that there may not be a need for the block in every case. It is far better suited as a block pattern, and because the plugin already introduces a custom pattern, there is little reason not to move along the same route with the Hero block.</p>



<p>Within a couple of minutes, I was able to recreate the default Hero block output with core WordPress blocks. The only exception to this was the use of the Badge block included with the Aino Blocks plugin.</p>



<ul><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Aino Hero Block</li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img />Core Media &amp; Text Block</li></ul>



<p>To recreate the Hero block, an end-user merely needs to add a Media &amp; Text block. In the content/text panel for the block, they can add the Badge, Heading, Paragraph, and Buttons blocks. After adding an image in the media section, they would have recreated the Hero block. Because of the multiple inner blocks involved in this, it can be a bit complicated for some users. That&rsquo;s where patterns come into play. By using a pattern, the plugin would have:</p>



<ul><li>Used less JavaScript.</li><li>Used less CSS.</li><li>Mostly used core blocks.</li></ul>



<p>Users may be stuck with an unnecessary block in this case. And, if this is their first foray into the world of blocks, they are unlikely to learn that there was a better way.</p>



<p>The one thing the Hero block brings to the table is its custom grid settings. It provides end-users with control over the placement of content and media columns. That is the only thing it has going for it as an individual block, but such a feature might be better as custom block options, such as those provided through <a href="https://wptavern.com/control-block-design-via-the-editorplus-wordpress-plugin">EditorPlus</a>.</p>



<p>Aino Blocks does include a single block pattern. It is called Hero Aino. It is a customized version of the Hero block in pattern form and showcases what users can accomplish with a few adjustments of the block options.</p>



<img />Aino Hero block pattern.



<p>This pattern is the one area where the plugin shines.  It will be interesting to see if the developers continue with more patterns in the future.</p>



<p>The plugin also adds Badge, Card, Author, Testimonial, Buttons, and Arrow Button blocks. The Badge block allows users to add a small bit of text with an inline background. The Arrow Button is essentially a link with an arrow icon next to it. Everything else feels like it has been done before by a plethora of other block collection plugins.</p>



<h2>Final Verdict</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">I question whether most of these types of block library plugins are necessary at this point. Few of them feel like they are pushing any limits, raising the bar beyond what has already been done. My fear is that we will continue to see more and more of these collections packaged from every plugin and theme shop to the point where everyone is simply building the same blocks in-house.</p>



<p>This is why the block directory needs to be integrated into core. Instead of downloading an entire collection of blocks for something like a plain ol&rsquo; testimonial block, end-users can simply download a single testimonial block.</p>



<p>Perhaps I am being a bit harsh on Aino Blocks. Maybe it appeared in the plugin directory too late. Bigger plugins have already carved the path that Aino is trekking. I want to see more than <em>yet another block collection by yet another theme/plugin company</em>. I want to be dazzled.</p>



<p>For the most part, the plugin works well. I did not see anything technically wrong with it. I just do not see it appealing to many people outside of Elmastudio&rsquo;s current theme users, not when there are more mature plugins of its type out there.  There is still room to grow.  The company&rsquo;s best bet is to focus on building patterns.  Its first pattern shows some promise.  I am holding out hope for more interesting work to come.</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, 31 Aug 2020 22:09:25 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:50:"WPTavern: WordCamp Austin Opens Call for Musicians";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=103599";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:145:"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-austin-opens-call-for-musicians?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordcamp-austin-opens-call-for-musicians";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:4365:"<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>WordCamp Austin 2020 is putting out a <a href="https://austin.wordcamp.org/2020/call-for-musicians/">call for musicians</a>, alongside its call for speakers. The event&rsquo;s organizers are rising to the challenge of creating a unique experience for attendees, while working within the constraints of a virtual format. Because the city prides itself on being &ldquo;the live music capital of the world,&rdquo; due to its abundance of music venues, the camp&rsquo;s organizers are inserting a little local Austin flavor into the schedule.</p>



<p>English poet Robert Browning, in his poem <em><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Balaustion%27s_Adventure/I">Balaustion&rsquo;s Adventure</a></em>, wrote, <strong>&ldquo;<em>And who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once.</em>&rdquo; </strong>Music has a way of bringing a human aspect to virtual events where people are sitting alone behind glowing screens, hoping to connect with others during this protracted time of isolation. WordCamp Austin&rsquo;s organizers are aiming to pepper the schedule with a diverse selection of performances for attendees to enjoy. </p>



<p>Musicians from anywhere in the world are invited to send an audition video (or schedule a live audition) for the opportunity to perform 2-5 songs at WordCamp Austin between sessions. Those who are selected will have the choice of performing live (with technical support from the organizers) or submitting pre-recorded performances. Organizers are also accepting auditions from singers, beat-boxers, rappers, and anyone who plays a non-traditional instrument.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We want WC ATX to be put on the map so that it will drive more attraction when we can get back together in person,&rdquo; co-organizer Ben Moore said. &ldquo;Like all other major events, 2020 will be the catalyst for more virtual events. Virtual, in-person, and a hybrid mix of the two will emerge after all of this.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordCamp Austin organizers are planning to use <a href="https://hubs.mozilla.com/">Hubs Virtual Rooms</a> by Mozilla to create a unique environment for attendees. </p>



<p>&ldquo;I think it will be a lot of fun and allow everyone who is burnt out on Zoom to get something different,&rdquo; co-organizer Cousett Hoover said. &ldquo;We have a lot of dedicated folks but venues in Austin are super expensive which makes it hard to coordinate a WordCamp. This allows us to get more support and with a star group of organizers we can come back even better next year.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordCamp Austin&rsquo;s use of Hubs Virtual Rooms will be an interesting experiment to follow, as most other virtual WordPress events have opted for Zoom.</p>



<p>&ldquo;One of the more exciting parts of Hubs is the spacial audio feature,&rdquo; Moore said. &ldquo;We hope this can create a more interactive experience for people as opposed to everyone having to hear everything being said. People will be able to &lsquo;walk&rsquo; around, gather in groups, and have smaller conversations without the need for a moderator to designate breakout rooms. We hope to imitate an &lsquo;in-person&rsquo; environment but remain virtual.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordCamp Austin has been running since 2012, with a few gaps in between when they were not able to make it happen. Most other city-based WordCamps are on hold right now, but Hoover said she sees an opportunity in the present circumstances for newer community members to attend virtually.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I think it is a beautiful opportunity for so many who might otherwise not know about WordCamps or not have one close by to be able to attend,&rdquo; Hoover said. &ldquo;Personally, I work with a lot of Mompreneurs who use WordPress daily for their livelihoods just like many other WordPressers but so many do not know about the incredible community that WordPress has and these events are an opportunity to save on travel and time and still be able to participate a bit.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Organizers are planning two tracks, with 8-10 sessions separated by musical interludes. Applications for WordCamp Austin&rsquo;s musicians are <a href="https://austin.wordcamp.org/2020/call-for-musicians/">due by September 4</a>. The deadline to submit auditions is September 11 and performers will be notified of acceptance by September 15.</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:"Sat, 29 Aug 2020 21:39:04 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:88:"WPTavern: Stepping Into a Market With Major Players, Mario Peshev Acquires WP-CRM System";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=103830";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:219:"https://wptavern.com/stepping-into-a-market-with-major-players-mario-peshev-acquires-wp-crm-system?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stepping-into-a-market-with-major-players-mario-peshev-acquires-wp-crm-system";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:5799:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Mario Peshev, the CEO of WordPress agency DevriX, <a href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/renowned_wordpress_core_contributor_mario_peshev_acquires_wp_crm_system_to_drive_business_development_on_worlds_largest_web_platform/prweb17328749.htm">officially announced</a> he had acquired the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-crm-system/">WP-CRM System</a> plugin this week. Formally, his company Premium WP Support is taking the reins for the project. Scott DeLuzio, the creator and previous owner of the plugin, <a href="https://scottdeluzio.com/wp-crm-system-acquired-by-mario-peshev/">published the news</a> on his blog last month.</p>



<p>DeLuzio originally built the plugin in 2015 after dissatisfaction with the solutions available on the market and having no control over the data, which was hosted on third-party services. He made the plugin available through his brand Amplify Plugins. Since then, his company has shifted focus to add-ons for eCommerce plugins in the WordPress space.  Therefore, he decided to sell his CRM project.</p>



<p>Peshev began his career as an engineer with enterprise-grade development. He said he was already familiar with CRMs after having worked with them long before he switched to WordPress development. It shaped the focus of DevriX toward small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and growing businesses using WordPress as an application framework.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Over the past few years, we&rsquo;ve built a number of integral solutions in-house for our brands &mdash; including our business process management system or our time tracking software,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I stumbled upon a tweet by Scott DeLuzio disclosing the sale of a couple of plugins, I got hooked almost immediately.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Peshev described WP-CRM System as being closely aligned with his company&rsquo;s goal, which is to support WordPress-driven businesses given clear metrics for maximum ROI.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s powerful, integrates seamlessly with most form plugins (intercepting leads through Contact Form 7 or Gravity Forms), comes with Slack callbacks when leads come in, provides multiple views for different use cases, and gets the job done through a single, yet powerful dashboard,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Working with an existing customer base is also a great opportunity to refine the rest of our product offerings and work closely with businesses eager to evolve without having to migrate away from WordPress.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>The Future of WP-CRM System</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">For the short term, Peshev said his quality assurance team is doing extensive testing for performance opportunities. It is also testing to see how the plugin can integrate with other popular business plugins. However, the main goal is to push out some usability improvements.</p>



<p>&ldquo;In the long term, we will be expanding into several verticals &mdash; adding industry-specific features that better serve groups of businesses, such as accounting firms, creative studios, and event management companies,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The product is customer-led and we rely a lot on existing customers to improve usability even further.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The CRM market is becoming more competitive. Peshev said the contract on this acquisition was already signed by the time Automattic publicly announced its <a href="https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-zero-bs-crm-considers-rebranding-it-as-jetpack-crm">acquisition of Zero BS CRM</a> (now <a href="https://wptavern.com/zero-bs-crm-rebrands-and-relaunches-as-jetpack-crm">Jetpack CRM</a>) last year. However, he feels like there is plenty of room for growth for both plugins in the space.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Larger businesses have to scale with certain constraints in mind &mdash; both from a managerial standpoint, and when it comes to responsibility,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is how startups emerge and quickly acquire certain industries or niche markets. Automattic is known to spread across other business segments, such as the hosting or eCommerce ecosystems. I certainly don&rsquo;t believe it sets the right tone, but I&rsquo;m also not concerned about yet another CRM solution entering the space. In this case, it&rsquo;s a mutual effort toward strengthening the position of WordPress in the SME space, bringing more opportunities to matured businesses, and preventing businesses from &lsquo;outgrowing&rsquo; WordPress as a business platform.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The major player in the CRM market is HubSpot, but it pushes users to an app that is hosted off-site, which is the opposite approach of both WP-CRM System and Jetpack CRM.</p>



<p>Peshev said his company used to be a HubSpot agency partner between 2017 and 2019. However, they terminated the partnership because HubSpot&rsquo;s focus was on building an opinionated business ecosystem that was cluttered and incompatible with other solutions. The goal seemed to be to push users toward other CMS-type software that they owned.</p>



<p>&ldquo;WP-CRM System feels native to the WordPress user,&rdquo; said Peshev. &ldquo;With simpler sales cycles, it doesn&rsquo;t feel overwhelming. You don&rsquo;t need to spend forever sifting through options and filling out complex forms. WP-CRM System is designed for growing businesses that used to rely on group chats, emails, and spreadsheets, and can&rsquo;t justify the administrative overhead (or pricing) of the giants in the CRM space. The market is indeed saturated, especially outside of WordPress, and segmentation is the best strategy here: evolving a CRM for a specific segment (WordPress users) and audiences (mostly service businesses) in our case, and developing separate extensions for verticals that reach out more frequently.&rdquo;</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, 28 Aug 2020 18:23:56 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:52:"WPTavern: MotoPress Acquires Gutenix WordPress Theme";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=103914";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:149:"https://wptavern.com/motopress-acquires-gutenix-wordpress-theme?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=motopress-acquires-gutenix-wordpress-theme";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:2654:"<p>MotoPress, a theme and plugin shop in operation since 2013, has <a href="https://motopress.com/blog/motopress-acquires-gutenix-wordpress-multipurpose-theme/">acquired the Gutenix WordPress theme</a> and its commercial <a href="https://zeguten.zemez.io/">ZeGuten</a> blocks plugin for Gutenberg. The free theme currently has more than 700 active installs after nine months on <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/gutenix/">WordPress.org</a>.</p>



<p>MotoPress already has a number of successful niche WordPress themes and plugins but Gutenix fills the gap for a multipurpose theme. It was developed to work well with popular page builder plugins, and includes dedicated starter template libraries for Elementor, Brizy, and the block editor. The theme&rsquo;s commercial upgrades bundle the GutenixPro premium plugin, 30+ starter sites, and the ZeGuten plugin.</p>



<img />



<p>MotoPress is more well-known for its <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://motopress.com/products/hotel-booking/" target="_blank">Hotel Booking plugin</a> and its associated add-ons. The company also develops a block collection plugin called&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/getwid/" target="_blank">Getwid Gutenberg blocks</a>, which has more than 10,000 active installs and is growing in popularity. Getwid is unique in that the collection is aimed at developers. The plugin comes with a free style kit that includes theme support snippets and CSS classes to accelerate the development process of building custom themes. Its accompanying <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/getwid-base/">Getwid Base Theme</a> has more than 2,000 active installs.</p>



<p>Even though MotoPress is already developing its own block collection and base theme, the company saw value in acquiring a more multipurpose theme aimed at users of popular page builders.</p>



<p>&rdquo;Such a multipurpose theme is something we always wanted to create &ndash; but have never had the time resource to invest in such a multidimensional and complex thing,&rdquo; MotoPress CEO Alexander Matienko said.</p>



<p>&ldquo;After a fruitful exchange of experiences and visions with the Gutenix creators,I realized one thing. Not only are our companies aligned in our Gutenberg-driven passion, but we both have realistic views on the current WordPress market demands, where Elementor and other builders have been great value for people.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Gutenix is MotoPress&rsquo; first acquisition and the company plans to keep it as a separate product that is independent of <a href="https://motopress.com/membership/">MotoPress Club</a> membership.</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, 28 Aug 2020 04:34:51 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: Elementor 3.0 Allows Users to Create a Personalized Design System";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=103574";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:195:"https://wptavern.com/elementor-3-0-allows-users-to-create-a-personalized-design-system?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=elementor-3-0-allows-users-to-create-a-personalized-design-system";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:5838:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Elementor version 3.0 was <a href="https://elementor.com/blog/elementor-3-new-professional-features/">launched on Tuesday</a>. This release is the first major update to the plugin in over two years and is one of the largest upgrades in its history. The new version focuses on a design system, a new theme builder, and performance improvements. The driving motivation behind this release was to create global design tools, which is a shift from the plugin&rsquo;s roots as a mere page builder.</p>



<p>One of my biggest complaints about <em>builder</em> plugins is that they have often approached design on the individual page level first. However, web design is not about how you can fancy up a page. It is about taking a holistic approach to the overall design of the site. When building single pages, users of such plugins far too often create more work for themselves, much of it better handled on a global scale. One of the cornerstones of development is to not repeat work you have already done. Builder plugins can too easily push those who use them toward such bad habits.</p>



<p>Design should handle the foundational, global features first. Then, drill down to the atomic level when necessary. Builder plugins have almost exclusively gotten this backward in the past.</p>



<p>Elementor 3.0 seeks to solve this problem by introducing its design system and a new theme builder. The latter is part of its pro offering. The design system is essentially a global style creator and is available in both the free and pro versions. This is a welcome addition to the plugin and should create a solution for those foundational elements that the plugin has been missing.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Creating a site with a design system in mind (i.e. style guide, colors, and typography) is how professionals approach building websites,&rdquo; said Ariel Klikstein, the co-founder and CTO of Elementor. &ldquo;For many creators, this is an integral part of building the site as it helps them, their teams, and their clients to align and communicate around a consistent vision.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The Elementor team is coming to terms with the principles that have long guided web designers. The goal is to apply these principles to a user interface, breaking outside the confines of code.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Design system capabilities are among the pillars of building professional websites, as they give the ability to view and control the site elements from a centralized hub and apply sitewide changes to overall colors, typography, and layout,&rdquo; said Klikstein.</p>



<h2>Elementor&rsquo;s Design System</h2>



<img />Editing global colors with Elementor&rsquo;s design system.



<p class="has-drop-cap">Elementor is pitching its new design system as revolutionary. However, such design systems have long existed in the WordPress ecosystem. Theme developers have created similar systems for well over a decade, and they have since capitalized on WordPress&rsquo;s built-in customizer to do it in real time.</p>



<p>The question is whether this new system ups the ante, creating a new baseline in which others must compete.</p>



<p>That will be for users to decide. However, it does offer a plethora of options under its Site Settings menu. It allows end-users to customize colors, typography, and several other elements across the site. Current plugin users will have tools in their hands to do some more amazing things with Elementor, and they will be able to do them in a much more streamlined manner. Ultimately, it should save time and make it possible to update the site over the long term without re-editing old work.</p>



<p>It is not particularly revolutionary, but it is something that should be standard for any sort of visual design system.</p>



<p>&ldquo;While it&rsquo;s true that applying global styles was always possible using custom CSS code and themes, in Elementor V3.0 we made these options truly global,&rdquo; said Klikstein. &ldquo;Today they are independent of a theme, plugin, or widget as part of the element-based web design paradigm. The design system features are integrated into the editor workflow, without the need to use a single line of code. This will let the user implement global colors and fonts across any site element &mdash; be it a button, heading, or background. Then, if the user decides to change the color or a font style, he or she can change it once and apply it wherever it was previously placed in the global setting.&rdquo;</p>



<p><em>To not mislead readers, note that most themes that have implemented such systems have also not required custom CSS or other code.</em></p>



<p>Perhaps the bigger question is whether this new design system will be better than the upcoming <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/focuses/global-styles/">global styles</a> feature in Gutenberg and core WordPress. The aims of the two are similar, but WordPress will undoubtedly launch its feature with a much more limited set of options. WordPress will also need buy-in from theme authors.</p>



<p>Klikstein did not directly respond to the question of how WordPress&rsquo;s global styles feature impacted any decision that went into Elementor&rsquo;s design system feature. However, when cutting through the marketing cruft, he did say, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see that Gutenberg/WordPress is also moving in this direction because we believe this is the best way to create consistent and maintainable websites.&rdquo;  He also said this feature was on the roadmap since the plugin&rsquo;s earlier theme builder concept.</p>



<p>Gutenberg may not be much of a consideration for Elementor&rsquo;s development team. They are clearly carving their own path to success and outpacing others in the race to building websites through a visual interface.</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, 27 Aug 2020 20:35:46 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:93:"WPTavern: Atomic Blocks Rebranded to Genesis Blocks, Migration Path to New Plugin Coming Soon";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=103809";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:229:"https://wptavern.com/atomic-blocks-rebranded-to-genesis-blocks-migration-path-to-new-plugin-coming-soon?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=atomic-blocks-rebranded-to-genesis-blocks-migration-path-to-new-plugin-coming-soon";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:4941:"<p>StudioPress, which was acquired by WP Engine in 2018, is <a href="https://studiopress.blog/announcing-genesis-blocks/">rebranding</a> its popular <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/atomic-blocks/">Atomic Blocks</a> plugin to <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/genesis-blocks/">Genesis Blocks</a>. WP Engine also acquired Atomic Blocks in 2018, growing the plugin&rsquo;s user base from 3,000 active installs to more than 60,000 over the past two years. The purpose of rebranding is to more tightly align the block collection with the Genesis brand.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We decided to elevate the Genesis brand to be the parent brand for all of our block and theme products moving forward,&rdquo; WP Engine VP of web strategy David Vogelpohl said. &ldquo;While we could have changed the title of the Atomic Blocks plugin, we wanted the slug to represent the Genesis brand so we decided to create a new plugin to achieve that outcome.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Unfortunately, in order to get the preferred slug for the plugin, WP Engine has to create a new plugin, instead of renaming the existing one. The company is creating a migration tool to move the plugin&rsquo;s 60k users over to  Genesis Blocks.  &nbsp;</p>



<p>&ldquo;Based on initial prototypes, the migration path will be automated for most users of the plugin,&rdquo; Vogelpohl said. &ldquo;We believe that migration technology will be available at the end of our next two-week sprint (starting next week), but we aren&rsquo;t able to commit to a date until more work has been completed.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The new Genesis Blocks plugin will now be explicitly developed in support of StudioPress themes and the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://studiopress.com/genesis-pro?__hstc=141311597.cfcc56073bf7750c2817e395dcab7eff.1598463759872.1598463759872.1598463759872.1&__hssc=141311597.1.1598463759872&__hsfp=1755708871" target="_blank">Genesis Pro package</a>. This doesn&rsquo;t mean the blocks cannot be used with other themes. Rather, it&rsquo;s more clear to users that the collection is designed to look best with WP Engine&rsquo;s products.</p>



<p>Genesis Blocks contains the same 22 free blocks found in its predecessor but can be upgraded via a Genesis Pro subscription to add more blocks, full page layouts, and pre-built sections. The subscription also includes access to advanced block-level user permissions as well as support for the Genesis Framework and its commercial child themes.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<a href="https://cloudup.com/ci12kCBu6zy"><img src="https://cldup.com/0-CWURP7ZY.gif" alt="Pro" width="1198" height="794" /></a>
</div>



<p>Moving forward, all new features will be added to the new Genesis Blocks plugin, while support for Atomic Blocks gets scaled back to security releases and updates necessary for compatibility with WordPress.</p>



<p>&ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/wpdavidv"></a>In time, it will be deprecated, but only after enough users have migrated over,&rdquo; Vogelpohl said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have a date for that yet and any future decisions will be based on the percentage of people who have migrated and the effects of that decision on the users who have not migrated at that time. It&rsquo;s important for us to make decisions that are respectful of the users of any of our products and the sites they manage. We will clearly communicate future plans and dates for deprecation, but for now, users of Atomic Blocks will have plenty of time to migrate. We will continue to update Atomic Blocks for security releases and functionality relative to updates in WordPress until the plugin is officially wound down.&rdquo;</p>



<p>When WP Engine acquired StudioPress and the Genesis Framework, the company said it planned to integrate it tightly into the the WP Engine Digital Experience Platform so it performs better there than anywhere else. It&rsquo;s an interesting trend among WordPress hosting companies, similar to <a href="https://wptavern.com/godaddy-acquires-themebeans-coblocks-block-gallery-and-block-unit-tests">GoDaddy&rsquo;s acquisition of CoBlocks and Themebeans</a>, where the company is gradually refining its product acquisitions to provide its own flavor or &ldquo;experience&rdquo; of WordPress.</p>



<p>WP Engine also plans to rebrand the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-lab/">Block Lab</a> plugin as Genesis Custom Blocks. The plugin will also have a similar migration path for its 8,000 active installs. WP Engine&rsquo;s goal with the rebranding effort is to make page building with the block editor more streamlined, as well as an extension of its current product lines.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Genesis Blocks will play a big role in how we deliver value under Full Site Editing in the future, so this is the first step in helping the Genesis community and anyone in WordPress build better sites faster with the block editor,&rdquo; Vogelpohl said.</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, 27 Aug 2020 00:41:33 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: WordPress Should Bump PHP Support on a Transparent and Predictable Schedule";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=103828";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:215:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-should-bump-php-support-on-a-transparent-and-predictable-schedule?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-should-bump-php-support-on-a-transparent-and-predictable-schedule";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:4504:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Juliette Reinders Folmer <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/24/proposal-dropping-support-for-old-php-versions-via-a-fixed-schedule/">released a proposal</a> for WordPress to drop old PHP version support on a fixed schedule. She wrote the proposal after Matt Mullenweg, WordPress co-founder and project lead, reached out to discuss solutions. This was after he closed a <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/51043">Trac ticket</a> last week that sought to <a href="https://wptavern.com/no-minimum-php-version-bump-this-year-wordpress-to-support-php-5-6-for-a-while-longer">drop support for PHP 5.6</a> and bump the minimum version to 7.1 for the next major WordPress release this year.</p>



<p>The proposal lays out a position that many in the WordPress community could get behind. It is a clear-cut, transparent path for the platform&rsquo;s future PHP support.</p>



<p>Folmer essentially put forward two roadmaps in the proposal. The first roadmap decides at what stage WordPress would drop support for a particular PHP version. The platform would remove support for a PHP minor release that is more than five years old each December. This would coincide with whatever major release of WordPress is upcoming. The following schedule lays out the minimum-supported PHP version each year:</p>



<ul><li>December 2020 &ndash; PHP 7.1</li><li>December 2021 &ndash; PHP 7.2</li><li>December 2022 &ndash; PHP 7.3</li><li>December 2023 &ndash; PHP 7.4</li><li>December 2024 &ndash; PHP 8.0</li></ul>



<p>The second part of the proposal creates a rolling schedule for backporting security updates to WordPress. Currently, WordPress releases security updates all the way back to the version 3.7 branch. If adopted, Folmer&rsquo;s recommendation would support only the previous four years of WordPress releases.</p>



<p>Such a change would mean that when WordPress 5.6 is released in December 2020, the WordPress project would be committed to backporting security fixes as far back as WordPress 4.7, released in December 2016.</p>



<p>Folmer also proposes backporting PHP upgrade notices from the site health project to the currently-supported older versions of WordPress. This measure would inform users of PHP version issues before they make the jump to a newer version of WordPress.</p>



<p>The overlap of bumping the minimum PHP support into the future and backporting security fixes gives users a potentially huge window of nine years in which they could stay on whatever version of PHP they are currently on. Nine years may seem like a lifetime on the web with its constantly-changing technology, and it was a point of contention from some people in the comments of the post. However, it is a plan of action, something the WordPress community has not had the pleasure of experiencing with regards to PHP support. Developers will undoubtedly argue over the dates and versions, but that is secondary to actually having a predictable timeline.</p>



<p>A fixed version bump schedule is welcome. It puts everyone from developers to end-users to web hosts on the same page. This level of transparency is necessary if we ever intend to move forward without rehashing the same arguments.</p>



<p>The system of waiting around to see when a specific PHP version&rsquo;s usage stats drop below a certain percentage just muddies things. The result is typically a long-winded argument that does not move the needle. Each side picks its stats. Each side digs its heels in. And each side has plenty of good points to make. Ultimately, everyone wants the same thing &mdash; to move the entire project forward and use up-to-date tools. However, they always disagree on how we get there. Eventually, the minimum PHP version gets bumped and the community gears up for the next round. It leaves us in a constant state of tug of war between those who want quicker advancement and those who do not want to leave users behind.</p>



<p>The truth is that no one is ever completely right in these arguments. There is no roadmap to follow. We have no guiding principle other than &ldquo;this has what&rsquo;s been done before.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordPress needs to set clear expectations.</p>



<p>This is not just a problem with the minimum PHP version &mdash; many want a more-detailed roadmap for the entire project. However, minimum PHP support is one problematic area that we could have a solution for, and Folmer has carved out a path. We need only follow it.</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, 26 Aug 2020 23:08:24 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:33:"HeroPress: Discovering Your Place";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:56:"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=3253";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://heropress.com/essays/discovering-your-place/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=discovering-your-place";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:8563:"<img width="960" height="480" src="https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082120-min.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Pull Quote: I was incredibly lucky to count myself as one of the happy WordPress business stories." /><p>I remember watching a dog I used to have jump without a thought into a river from the edge. I’ve never been someone to do that. I am cautious by nature, considered and ponderous. I plan, ponder, observe, I was always the child that watched and learnt through seeing. My introduction into the WordPress community like so most of my life experiences started with a circling on the edges, a gradual involvement, slowly acclimatising to the waters.</p>
<h3>From DIY roots</h3>
<p>It was the time when everyone was creating their own system from scratch, without asking if they could or should. PHP was fresh, smelt like newly baked cookies, delicious, tasty and often insecurely held together with hope, well-meaning wishes. I was riding the blogging community waves happy and fulfilled, yet frustrated by my own solution that was more a wish than an option. My blogging surf board was more a plank of wood well painted, but really close to breaking. Someone casually mentioned WordPress and after trying it, I was sold. This was pretty early in the life of the system we all enjoy now, but it had enough to show me that this was the way forward.</p>
<p>What truly sold me was how I could customise and theme my site so easily. This really was at that time all I cared about.</p>
<blockquote><p>With so many events like reboots and online refreshes, sites would change their themes more often than socks.</p></blockquote>
<p>I could embrace this with the ease of creating a theme. Style switchers were all the rage, I could change my theme as much as I wanted, with pretty minimal effort and leaving my content alone. It also meant I didn’t have to worry about security, which to be honest I avoided incidents previously out of luck over my code.</p>
<p>Each release saw rapid improvements, bugs were easy to report and whilst I was very much on the edges, I was slowly moving a few more rings deeper into the experience, testing the water as I went. Reporting a bug, asking a question, joining an IRC chat. My contribution circles were increasing as I moved deeper within the project.</p>
<h3>A timeline of sorts</h3>
<p>It would be easy to get stuck on small details in this story, the problem is I want to tell as much of my journey as possible and I’ve been lucky it’s been so long so far. The temptation to expand is heavy, so I’ll try and focus on some points over a timeline.</p>
<p>I am not sure when you say you joined a community, as I noted I sort of circled, dipping my toe in for a while. However, my first self noted contribution would be with the theme team. Working on building the &#8216;core&#8217; of WordPress itself was a hard place to find my start. It was noisy and as I mentioned I needed a quieter on-boarding. Within this space I could work through themes, learn slowly and participate in a smaller group. It was there I stayed for a while, growing my confidence as a contributor.</p>
<h3>Following my passion</h3>
<p>Time moved on and my freelance business grew from an acorn to a flourishing seedling and I made a choice to put my full bet on WordPress. By this time I had discovered not only WordPress, but begun to explore more fully BuddyPress too. It was there I found a place to thrive, grow and for a long time find my contribution space.</p>
<p>Community and specifically enabling people to create, manage and build open source communities, was and always will be a passion of mine. Particularly in this day and age, the potential for empowerment from this type of software can’t be ignored. I count myself lucky to have been able to focus on this for the time I did.</p>
<h3>Growing achievements with help</h3>
<p>My passions were growing along with my business thanks to this project. It was incredible to not only run my own company, but thrive in this space and grow in confidence. I began to travel to WordCamps, speak at them, make connections and then in leaps and bounds grow my business. This continued for a number of years. I was incredibly lucky to count myself as one of the happy WordPress business stories.</p>
<p>I got to focus on communities and as a result got to write a book about BuddyPress theme development.</p>
<blockquote><p>Writing a book was powerful for me as a dyslexic.</p></blockquote>
<p>Whilst not uncommon, for someone who is, writing a book can feel like quite a mountain and you likely are told you won’t achieve that at some point in your life. Never tell anyone they won’t do anything, because there’s a strong possibility given the chance they will, try giving them the opportunity instead.</p>
<p>WordPress has given me some incredible opportunities in life and I count writing a book as one of them. I didn’t do it by myself though, just like I haven’t done anything in this community alone. I got to write through networking, connections, the people I met. Without the community, I wouldn’t have had the business or written the book. Behind every publication is the community, the network that helped create it.</p>
<h3>WordPress has given me options</h3>
<p>One thing this story so far hasn’t covered is the personal side of my life. It’s told you my WordPress journey, yet the tale of any person always has a personal side. Every single commit, every single contribution has a heart, a life behind it. Each contribution has their own ebbs and flows.</p>
<p>Talking about myself isn’t easy because well I have a lot of privilege and right now in this world I know I am so very lucky to work remote, to have the job I do. Being able to be a full time contributor has given me a quality of life and empowerment I daily am grateful for.</p>
<blockquote><p>It meant I could be the sole earner when my partner was too ill to work.</p></blockquote>
<p>It’s allowed us to move to the best location for medical care and support. I am not unique, so many contributors care, support and hold up so many others. It’s not just the contributor behind the contribution, it’s their families, those that depend on them.</p>
<h3>Trying on contribution hats</h3>
<p>If someone asks me where they should contribute, I always suggest they try a number of areas. This is motivated by my own journey. Your place can also change depending on where you are in your contribution adventure, mine did. Just because you enter one area, that doesn’t mean you should stay there. Often the project is enriched by you moving around, spreading your skills and activating. You have to go where you both are the most comfortable and effective, this could be a surprising place to you and others.</p>
<p>A lot of the new contribution hurdles that once existed have been lowered, however for anyone joining it’s never easy. Remembering those first steps every single one of us took is crucial to keep projects alive. Once you forget how hard contribution is, you set yourself up to not have contributions.</p>
<h3>You got this</h3>
<p>If I could time travel there is probably a whole lot I’d do. In relation to my WordPress journey, if I could travel back through the many years to me as I click that first download of WordPress, I’d probably say this quote which I think is attributed to Winnie the Pooh.</p>
<blockquote><p>“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”</p>
<p><small>― </small><span class="authorOrTitle"><small> A. A. Milne</small><br />
</span></p></blockquote>
<p>It’s so easy for us all to think we aren’t good enough. We can’t contribute. We can’t make a difference. We will never find our place. Nobody will ever want us in their project. I can’t lead. I am not good enough to be a team rep. I can’t speak on stage. I can’t lead a release. I can’t be a committer. A designer can’t write code. Sound familiar? I am sure one of those comments you’ve said to yourself, I’ve said them all to myself.</p>
<p>Maybe in this complicated year, we all should take a moment to be a little gentler, kinder and more compassionate to ourselves. Take a moment to recognise that you can contribute, you can make a difference.. and you do.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://heropress.com/essays/discovering-your-place/">Discovering Your Place</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" 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:"Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:00:09 +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:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"Tammie Lister";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:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:109:"WPTavern: Privacy-First Gravatar Replacement, Pixel Avatars Module Released for the Toolbelt WordPress Plugin";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=103447";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:261:"https://wptavern.com/privacy-first-gravatar-replacement-pixel-avatars-module-released-for-the-toolbelt-wordpress-plugin?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=privacy-first-gravatar-replacement-pixel-avatars-module-released-for-the-toolbelt-wordpress-plugin";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:5538:"<img />



<p class="has-drop-cap">Ben Gillbanks decided to put an old idea into motion. After the discussion over Gravatar <a href="https://wptavern.com/local-avatars-in-wordpress-yes-please">privacy concerns and local avatars</a> in WordPress reignited a couple of weeks ago, he went to work building <a href="https://www.binarymoon.co.uk/2020/08/pixel-avatars-a-privacy-first-gravatar-replacement/">Pixel Avatars</a>, a generated avatar solution that requires no connection to a third-party service.</p>



<p>Gravatar solves a huge problem. It creates a global avatar so that users need to upload an image to only one site and carry it around the web with them. To use the service, sites must pass email addresses back to Automattic-owned Gravatar.com, such as when a visitor leaves a comment. The typical local avatar solution suffers because it forces users to sign up and upload an image for that specific site. Neither option is ideal for every site owner. And, both options tend to add heavily to the page load speed, depending on the number of avatars loaded.</p>



<p>That is where Pixel Avatars come into play. The script has all the privacy benefits of local avatars while maintaining a light footprint.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Initially, I just liked the idea of making dynamic images that can follow you around the internet,&rdquo; said Gillbanks. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t even considered the privacy implications of using Gravatar &mdash; although in hindsight they are obvious.&rdquo;</p>



<p>He is launching Pixel Avatars as a module in <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-toolbelt/">Toolbelt</a>, a WordPress plugin that he <a href="https://wptavern.com/toolbelt-a-new-jetpack-inspired-plugin-with-a-focus-on-speed-and-privacy">launched in 2019</a>. The plugin is a privacy-focused alternative to Jetpack, another project of Automattic that relies on connecting to a third-party server.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The last few years have made a lot of people more aware of privacy online and so I want everything I build to have privacy as a priority,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>Gillbanks had not put much thought into the Gravatar vs. local avatar discussion until the WP Tavern coverage of it. <em>It is nice to see that we are least in part responsible for some innovative ideas.</em></p>



<p>&ldquo;It is accepted that using Gravatar is how you add avatars to WordPress sites,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;However, Gravatar is owned by Automattic and it has the potential for them to generate a lot of data about what sites people view (comment on), and how popular websites are. I have no reason to be suspicious here. I doubt it&rsquo;s being used in this way, but the potential is there and we&rsquo;d have no way of knowing if it was being used for data collection.&rdquo;</p>



<p>He further explained that he believes Gravatar would be better as an optional plugin. &ldquo;Even a bundled plugin would be better than having it on by default,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In my opinion, the default should be local avatars with a fallback similar to what I have made for non-registered users (or just a blank image). I&rsquo;ve offered my code to the core privacy team &mdash; my plugin is GPL and the <a href="https://github.com/BinaryMoon/wp-toolbelt/tree/master/modules/avatars">code is on Github</a>, so they are welcome to use it if they wish.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>How the Pixel Avatars Feature Works</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Pixel Avatars are completely local to the site. Using 5kb of JavaScript, which is smaller than a single avatar image on average, the code generates a pixelated avatar. For each user, the plugin creates a hash string using their email address. This method also ensures that the avatar is consistent regardless of what site it is used own.</p>



<p>One of the reasons this is much faster than traditional avatar systems is that the avatars are generated. They are not images that must be loaded, which can be especially problematic when loading a blog post with 100s of comments, each with its own avatar.</p>



<p>&ldquo;If you use external or local avatars then you will still need to load additional image files and no matter how good your content delivery system (server, CDN, third-party avatar service, etc.), this will mean more data transfer, so a slower page load than my Javascript system,&rdquo; said Gillbanks.</p>



<p>From a technical perspective, the script is relatively simple. It short-circuits the core WordPress <code>get_avatar()</code> function and returns an HTML canvas element with a unique data property containing the hash of the user&rsquo;s email address. Once the page is loaded, the JavaScript code generates a unique image for each of the canvases.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Since I am filtering a core function, this will work everywhere that function is used,&rdquo; said Gillbanks. &ldquo;Comments in the admin, the little avatar in the admin bar, and any other pages or blocks that make use of the <code>get_avatar()</code> function. It&rsquo;s not just for comments.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Some site owners may want to use Toolbelt to handle guest commenter&rsquo;s avatars while serving a local avatar for logged-in users. This system could be the best of both worlds &mdash; local avatars for those who have them and not sending any data from site visitors to a third-party site. Gillbanks has tested against 10up&rsquo;s <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-local-avatars/">Simple Local Avatars</a> plugin, but it should work with other local avatar plugins.</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, 25 Aug 2020 18:16:06 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:98:"WPTavern: Automattic Tangles with Apple Over Lack of In-App Purchases in the WordPress for iOS App";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=103709";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:241:"https://wptavern.com/automattic-tangles-with-apple-over-lack-of-in-app-purchases-in-the-wordpress-for-ios-app?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=automattic-tangles-with-apple-over-lack-of-in-app-purchases-in-the-wordpress-for-ios-app";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:8239:"<p>Over the weekend, Matt Mullenweg announced on Twitter that Apple&rsquo;s App Store had blocked Automattic from shipping updates to WordPress&rsquo; official iOS app.  Automattic doesn&rsquo;t sell anything for WordPress.com or Jetpack inside the mobile apps, but the app included external purchasing methods that bypassed Apple&rsquo;s requirement of selling via in-app purchases. </p>



<p>On the surface it seemed Apple was forcing a free app to add in-app purchases solely to extract its 30% cut of the revenue. The problem was if users drilled down deep enough into web help pages, they could <a href="https://twitter.com/mysk_co/status/1296914225718267907">find a window to escape the walled garden</a>. While this seems like an unlikely way that a user would purchase an upgrade, Apple held the app&rsquo;s updates hostage in order to gain full compliance from Automattic.</p>



<p>&ldquo;There are a few convoluted ways you can get to our web app from within previews, documentation, etc.,&rdquo; Mullenweg said in the Twitter conversation. &ldquo;We offered to block based on user agent server-side, but that was not deemed sufficient.&rdquo;</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Update: <a href="https://t.co/aCqKGxE7qL">https://t.co/aCqKGxE7qL</a></p>&mdash; Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/photomatt/status/1297334622506737664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>In a rare congenial response from Apple, the company apologized and reversed course 24 hours later, but not before Automattic had already acquiesced to adding in-app purchases. In a statement provided to <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/21/wordpress-ios-app-apple-blocked-updates/">MacRumors</a>, Apple said the issue has been resolved, although it did not specify if this happened weeks ago:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em>We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved. Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a&nbsp;free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases. We have informed the developer and apologize for any&nbsp;confusion that we have caused.</em></p></blockquote>



<h2>The Official WordPress Apps Need to Be Separate from Automattic&rsquo;s Commercial Interests</h2>



<p>Automattic&rsquo;s control of WordPress&rsquo; official mobile apps has long been a controversial issue in the open source community. Since the company heavily subsidizes the apps&rsquo; development, its agenda for the apps goes completely unrivaled. This is why the official apps contain WordPress.com and Jetpack-specific features that are unnecessary for many self-hosted site owners.</p>



<p>Although the apps are open source, historically, they have <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-for-android-5-7-adds-path-to-upgrade-wordpress-com-plan">rarely received contribution</a> from developers outside Automattic due to the complexity of the code. <a href="https://twitter.com/danroundhill/status/1296941098393190401">This hasn&rsquo;t changed</a>. In 2016, when <a href="https://apps.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/wordpress-for-android-version-5-7/">version 5.7 of the apps came out for iOS</a> and Android, it looked like Automattic was pushing forward on building <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-for-android-5-7-adds-path-to-upgrade-wordpress-com-plan">an upgrade path for WordPress.com plans</a>. At that time, features for self-hosted sites began to lag behind significantly. Automattic mobile engineer Maxime Biais said the commitment to support both was equal.</p>



<p>&ldquo;WordPress.com features are not prioritized over self hosted,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When we can implement things for both we do it, but when we can&rsquo;t (like when we don&rsquo;t have the XMLRPC endpoint) we do it for WordPress.com and usually ask Core to do the changes so we can implement the same feature for self-hosted users.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Developing the app for self-hosted users and Automattic&rsquo;s customers at the same time was always a delicate balance. This situation with the App Store underscores the need for the official open source apps to be separate from the control of any commercial entity, but the reality is that these apps would not exist without Automattic. Their continued maintenance is entirely funded by the company. Attracting outside contributions from the broader community has been difficult. Matt Mullenweg said no company has ever submitted contributions for having their products built into the apps, despite invitations and the code bases being open source.</p>



<p>Prior to Apple backing off of its requirement for Automattic to add in-app purchases, the company had presumably exhausted every other option before giving in to Apple&rsquo;s demands. At that point Mullenweg started crowd sourcing ideas from his followers on Twitter to look for a way forward for the community. This seemed to mark a new era for the apps where Mullenweg was willing to consider adding other companies&rsquo; products into the apps alongside his own and then passing the revenue along.</p>



<p>&ldquo;New name: The app has always done a ton of work to support WordPresses hosted anywhere, using the XML-RPC API included in core WP since WP 2.6 was released in 2008,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we called it &lsquo;WordPress&rsquo; and not &lsquo;WordPress.com&rsquo; or &lsquo;Jetpack.&rsquo;</p>



<p>&ldquo;I am a big believer in the sanctity of licenses. (Open source relies on licenses and copyright.) We agreed to this license when we signed up for (and stayed in) the app store, so going to follow and abide by the rules. Not looking to skirt it, hence doing what they asked us to.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Allow others IAP: All of the code is open source, if other hosts or plugins wanted to support in-app purchases for their plans we could accept patches and have Automattic pass through the revenue.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The idea of Automattic becoming the arbiter of which companies have access to selling through the official mobile apps introduces even more conflicts of interest into what was already a murky entanglement. This setup would be wholly objectionable to many in the open source community. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, WordPress&rsquo; official mobile apps need to be free from commercial interests.</p>



<p>John James Jacoby suggested Automattic build a new app for its own products if the company wants to add in-app purchases. Mullenweg seemed open to considering the idea.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We can do that but would probably need to spin up new app under a new developer account, and disable webviews.</p>&mdash; Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/photomatt/status/1296915015845388288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>At the moment, given Apple&rsquo;s apology, the liberation of the mobile apps is no longer a matter of immediate necessity. Mullenweg seems satisfied with the outcome for now, but the original conflicts of interest in the app remain.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I did not expect the previous tweet to get attention outside the WP community,&rdquo; Mullenweg said. &ldquo;My understanding was the previous decision was final, and we had already made many of the arguments people suggested privately over the several weeks the app was locked.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We will continue to be responsive and do our best to be within both the spirit and letter of the app store rules, including closing any webview loopholes that pop up. This also made me appreciate the freedom of the open and independent web.&rdquo;</p>



<p><strong>CORRECTION:</strong> <em>At the time of publishing, this article incorrectly stated that Automattic is the only company whose products are allowed to be built into the official WordPress apps. The previous statement has been removed and updated to reflect the fact that no company has ever tried to submit their products for inclusion in the apps, despite invitations.</em></p>



<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:"Mon, 24 Aug 2020 23:53:42 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:67:"WPTavern: New Plugin Displays WordPress Environment Type for Admins";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=103676";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:179:"https://wptavern.com/new-plugin-displays-wordpress-environment-type-for-admins?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-plugin-displays-wordpress-environment-type-for-admins";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:3118:"<p>One of the minor but useful additions to WordPress 5.5 is the new <code><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/24/new-wp_get_environment_type-function-in-wordpress-5-5/">wp_get_environment_type()</a></code>&nbsp;function. It makes it possible for plugin and theme authors to do some interesting things based on whether a site is identified as staging, development, production, or some other custom environment type. In discussion on the original trac ticket, Marius Jensen suggested a few ways this function could be useful: </p>



<ul><li>It&rsquo;s a function used for grabbing the current environment, this is to ensure everyone fetches the values the same way (to avoid using different terms and such).</li><li>Outbound emails could be filtered, and if&nbsp;<code>get_environment()</code>&nbsp;isn&rsquo;t set to&nbsp;<code>production</code>&nbsp;then send them to the developer, allowing for legitimate email tests in stage setups without worrying about emails reaching end users.</li><li>API endpoints where you want to use a test endpoint when not in production to prevent data pollution.</li><li>Providing a wp-admin notice for non-production sites so it&rsquo;s much clearer that what you are doing now will/won&rsquo;t affect the site your business relies on.</li></ul>



<p>The new function is already getting put to use in WordPress developer Roy Tanck&rsquo;s new plugin called <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/display-environment-type/">Display Environment Type</a>. It adds a prominent red notice to the top of the admin for Production. Custom environment types will be set to blue with a lightbulb icon. (The colors used in the plugin are fixed and not configurable to help avoid confusion across servers.)</p>



<img />



<p>The environment type only displays for admin users. Tankck&rsquo;s plugin also adds the current environment type to WordPress&rsquo; At-a-glance widget:</p>



<img />



<p>This is the first plugin on WordPress.org to make use of the new function, but developers are planning to use in other unique ways.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We are adding our own custom environment vars here at Pantheon so plugin authors have the option of doing this but it would be so nice to have this in core so plugin authors don&rsquo;t need to write host specific code,&rdquo; Pantehon developer advocate John Richards commented on the original ticket for the new function.</p>



<p>WordPress plugin developer Rene Hermenau said he will be implementing this new concept in his <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-staging/">WP Staging</a> plugin in the next update. WP Staging, which is currently active on more than 50,000 installs, allows users to quickly create an exact copy of their sites for staging or development purposes. </p>



<p>WordPress.com has also <a href="https://lobby.vip.wordpress.com/2020/08/20/environment-type-support/">added support for environment types</a> in VIP Go, allowing developers to run different code for their sites depending on if it&rsquo;s in production, development, or any other custom environment type configuration.</p>



<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:"Fri, 21 Aug 2020 21:16:26 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:40;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:76:"WPTavern: WordPress: A Year in Review, New Project to Fill the WordCamp Void";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=103672";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:193:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-a-year-in-review-new-project-to-fill-the-wordcamp-void?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-a-year-in-review-new-project-to-fill-the-wordcamp-void";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:6439:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Joe Casabona, a freelance web developer and educator, launched <a href="https://wpyearinreview.com/">WordPress: A Year in Review</a> last week. The project was born out of his passion for helping others and a longing for attending WordCamp US, which <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2020-canceled-due-to-pandemic-stress-and-online-event-fatigue">has been canceled</a> because of the stress of the pandemic and online event fatigue. He wanted to do something to fill in the void.</p>



<p>His goal is to offer online content that members of the WordPress community may have missed out on in the year. The project will provide learning resources in e-book, print book, video, and audio form. The content will be free, but he is asking community members to chip in and sponsor the project, covering the hard costs of putting it together.</p>



<p>&ldquo;After WordCamp US got canceled, I started thinking about all of the work that went into it and the amazing amount of content that now wouldn&rsquo;t be created,&rdquo; said Casabona of why he decided to begin this project. &ldquo;I am a big WordCamper and go to between 7-10 per year depending on my schedule, so I&rsquo;ve definitely missed that experience. My main hope is that this can fill in some of the missing content from those canceled WordCamps. I know there are other efforts too, like the workshops the WordPress Foundation is hosting.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>What the Project Offers</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The plan for the project is to offer three types of content to the WordPress community for free:</p>



<ul><li>An e-book that reviews how WordPress changed in 2020, including a print edition.</li><li>An interview series with WordCamp speakers.</li><li>A video tutorial series that focuses on new things added to WordPress in 2020.</li></ul>



<p>Casabona plans to run between 15 and 20 interviews with people on a special series via his How I Built It podcast. Instead of a formal talk, he wants to provide interviewees an opportunity to explore their own topics. The <a href="https://howibuilt.it/wcus-2020-interviews/">interview application</a> process is open to those who were scheduled to speak at the canceled WordCamp US through August 31.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The interview series was the first aspect of this project that I thought of,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Basically, I will interview people who applied to speak at WCUS 2020 about their talks &mdash; each episode will have 3 interviewees who have the opportunity to talk for about 10 minutes each about their topic. I&rsquo;ll ask them who they are, what their talk was going to be about, and highlight the main points. I&rsquo;m definitely open to ideas depending on who applies and how many people apply.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Currently, Casabona has booked only a few podcast interviews. He said he plans on reaching out to more contributors, depending on how funding goes and the finalized outline for the e-book and videos.</p>



<p>He got the idea for the e-book from <a href="https://www.macstories.net/">MacStories</a>. &ldquo;Every year, Federico Viticci puts out an iOS review in conjunction with the iPhone release, exclusively for his members,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s such a great resource and feel something like it would really benefit the WordPress community. Since this is the first one I might have some backstory, but it will mainly be a practical reference for people wondering how the popular CMS changed from January to December &mdash; things they might have missed or overlooked.&rdquo;</p>



<p>If the e-book goes well this year, he will seek to publish it in the following years. The same would hold true for the printed book, which would essentially be the same as the e-book. A print edition would be a nice keepsake for members of the WordPress community. It is something physical, a tangible item that is not made up of bytes stored on a computer, destined for an eventual digital waste bin.</p>



<p>Casabona plans to run 10 video tutorials. He will release one video each week, starting in mid-October, through the end of the year. At the moment, he is planning to run all of the videos himself but may reach out to others who are better-suited for particular topics.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The video series isn&rsquo;t a huge departure from the content I put on my YouTube channel right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m targeting mostly users and implementors, but there were some cool developer additions in 5.5.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>Funding and the Future</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The biggest holdup for the project is funding. Casabona has a goal of $3,000 to cover the hard costs, such as transcripts, editing, and out-of-pocket expenses. Those willing to donate can give a custom amount or make a pledge for one of three tiers  with each tier building upon the other:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Support &ndash; $5:</strong> Gets your name in the e-book, progress updates, and behind-the-scenes content.</li><li><strong>Early Access &ndash; $5:</strong> Early draft of the e-book, early access to interviews and videos, and e-book of podcast transcripts.</li><li><strong>IRL! &ndash; $19:</strong> A printed copy of the e-book.</li></ul>



<p>&ldquo;I basically wanted to give the community a chance to pledge and support the project, as well as get a print book if they want it,&rdquo; said Casabona.</p>



<p>He is also asking for <a href="https://wpyearinreview.com/sponsor/">sponsors</a> to help fund the project on top of the initial goal of $3,000, which would only cover the minimum to produce content on his own. &ldquo;Sponsorship will allow me to put more of my time and resources into the project,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;All of this money is going into production &mdash; the more funding I&rsquo;m able to secure, the more time and resources I can put behind it. For example, this could enable me to hire contributors, editors for each medium, etc.&rdquo;</p>



<p>While it may be a bit early, Casabona is already thinking about the future of the project and has plans if he exceeds his funding goals.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Excess funding will allow me to find and pay more contributors and better position the project for 2021,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d also like to set up a fund to send someone who can&rsquo;t afford it to a WordCamp&hellip;once we start having in-person events again!&rdquo;</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, 21 Aug 2020 20:09:27 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:41;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:134:"WPTavern: WordPress Documentation Team Discusses Modifying External Linking Policy Following Opposition to the Ban on Commercial Links";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=103625";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:313:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-documentation-team-discusses-modifying-external-linking-policy-following-opposition-to-the-ban-on-commercial-links?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-documentation-team-discusses-modifying-external-linking-policy-following-opposition-to-the-ban-on-commercial-links";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:4311:"<p>Last month the WordPress Documentation Team <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-documentation-team-bans-links-to-commercial-websites">announced a ban</a> on links to commercial websites within the official docs. These include the&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/support/">HelpHub</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/">Code Reference</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/">Plugin</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/">Theme</a>&nbsp;Developer Handbooks,&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/">Block Editor Handbook</a>, and&nbsp;the <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/apis/">Common APIs Handbook</a>. The reason behind the ban was that heavily policing commercial links placed too much responsibility on the documentation team, when they are already working with limited time and resources.</p>



<p>The decision was instantly controversial, igniting a heated discussion in the comments. A blanket ban on links to commercial sites, without a clear outline of what that includes, was confusing. </p>



<p>&ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t clarity what will/won&rsquo;t be allowed, you state that the rules are expected to change in the future (more lax after some trial and error), and end users lose in the end as a result of excluding&nbsp;<em>actually helpful information</em>&nbsp;because it&rsquo;s&nbsp;free but at a domain that has non-free content,&rdquo; Core contributor Clifford Paulick commented on the ban announcement.</p>



<p>The level of opposition seemed to indicate that there may not have been enough discussion up front and that other branches of the WordPress contributor community, including commercial entities who are also contributors, were not considered.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Discussion on [the] external linking policy is going in the way we wanted to avoid,&rdquo; Milana Cap said during the July 13th docs team meeting. &ldquo;I was thinking to explore a different approach.&rdquo; She gave more background on why the team is reconsidering the ban:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>The reason we didn&rsquo;t want to allow &lsquo;commercial&rsquo; links is to avoid abuse and make it &lsquo;fair&rsquo; for everyone and not promote any product. We also wanted to save time for our members in a matter of maintenance and sort of automate the process. The further and deeper discussion goes I&rsquo;m realizing this will not be possible. It won&rsquo;t be fair, we won&rsquo;t save time because we&rsquo;ll have to do through discussion every time someone suggest &lsquo;commercial&rsquo; link and I&rsquo;m pretty sure we&rsquo;ll never come to agreement on what&rsquo;s &lsquo;commercial.&rsquo; Personal blogs, services, products.. all of it is mixed now. So my suggestion is to allow them all, make process transparent and set strict rules about the actual &lsquo;content.&rsquo;</p></blockquote>



<p>A Google <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i0ipOTmKPShSIMoFuEXnI3gkOOUrPJb9t4HMf30JWC0/edit?usp=sharing">document</a> is now home to a collaborative effort on a new policy that Cap says is &ldquo;fundamentally different from&nbsp;previous discussions.&rdquo; The new approach proposes a set of criteria for allowing external links, banning things such as product promotion within the tutorial, affiliate links, paywalls, and tracking. The specific criteria and wording of the new policy are still under active discussion.</p>



<p>Sometimes it pays to speak up, if you have a strong opinion about a decision. Reconsideration of this external linking policy is the direct result of feedback on the initial controversial decision, even after it seemed to be final. This may result in a better solution for all stakeholders involved in this discussion. </p>



<p>Next week the Documentation Team will be hosting a Zoom call to discuss the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i0ipOTmKPShSIMoFuEXnI3gkOOUrPJb9t4HMf30JWC0/edit?usp=sharing">proposal</a> they have been collaborating on in Google docs. This meeting is for anyone who is interested, not just Documentation team members. If you want to get in on the discussion, check out the <a href="https://doodle.com/poll/v8yy7auidw3mm6q2">Doodle poll</a> for the proposed dates and times.</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, 20 Aug 2020 23:37:37 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:42;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: No Minimum PHP Version Bump This Year, WordPress to Support PHP 5.6 for a While Longer";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=103611";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:235:"https://wptavern.com/no-minimum-php-version-bump-this-year-wordpress-to-support-php-5-6-for-a-while-longer?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=no-minimum-php-version-bump-this-year-wordpress-to-support-php-5-6-for-a-while-longer";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:6967:"<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>We should be leading the users, not following them.<br />We should be guiding the users, not coddling them.<br />We should carve out the road to the future, not continue to fix a broken road to the past.<br />We should say what we do and do what we say.</p></blockquote>



<p>Juliette Reinders Folmer wrapped up her final thoughts on a <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/51043">ticket she had opened</a> a mere three days ago. She had opened the ticket in anticipation of movement on WordPress&rsquo;s minimum supported version of PHP. She had opened it after seeing the plan to no longer support PHP 5.6 in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/13/wordpress-5-6-release-planning/">WordPress 5.6 release plans</a> (note that initial release plans are not necessarily set in stone).</p>



<p>There is no denying the symmetry of dropping support for PHP 5.6 with the release of WordPress 5.6. Fate seemed to be calling down, saying that it was time to move past the platform&rsquo;s support of a version that reached End of Life in December 2018. It would be a nice sendoff, a farewell that could usher in a new era of maintaining some semblance of staying up to date with the latest and greatest the programming language has to offer.</p>



<p>But the excitement was cut short. WordPress developers, especially those who have longed for WordPress to be more proactive in updating its PHP requirements, will have to continue pushing for modernization into 2021. It does not look like it will happen this year.</p>



<p>Matt Mullenweg, WordPress co-founder and project lead, <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/51043#comment:7">closed the ticket</a> a few short hours after its opening. &ldquo;Just so we don&rsquo;t cherry-pick stats to make a point, it&rsquo;s worth noting that the PHP distribution across all WP sites we track is the same as when that post was made in 2018: 85% are 5.6 or above,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;Only about 66% are 7.1 and above.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordPress has required a minimum of PHP 5.6 since its version 5.2 release. Of the WordPress installs on versions 5.2 through the current 5.5 only 10.69% of those are running PHP 5.6, according to Sergey Biryukov, a core committer for WordPress. This percentage is even lower than when the team flipped the switch to PHP 5.6+.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Given that we&rsquo;re still releasing security updates for WP 3.7 (released almost 7 years ago), it&rsquo;s not like we&rsquo;re leaving PHP 5.6 or 7.0 users without security updates, they just won&rsquo;t have some latest and greatest features of WP 5.6+, which seems fair,&rdquo; <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/13/wordpress-5-6-release-planning/#comment-39483">he said in the comments</a> on the WordPress 5.6 announcement.</p>



<p>&ldquo;This is <em>obviously</em> a key philosophical decision that should be made by the project lead,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/nacin/status/1296323839379402752">tweeted</a> lead developer Andrew Nacin. &ldquo;And for what it&rsquo;s worth, our philosophies and standards on this have been consistent for more than a decade. The numbers strongly suggest it&rsquo;s too early to drop PHP 5.6.&rdquo;</p>



<p>While there are certainly arguments to looking at the data in different ways, one of WordPress&rsquo;s guiding philosophies has been making the platform accessible to as many users as possible over the years. This has meant taking a slow, deliberate approach while also reaching out to web hosts and users alike. Dropping support for old versions of PHP has not been nearly as fast as some &mdash; including me &mdash; would like.</p>



<p>The need for updating the minimum version of PHP is not simply about developers wanting to use the newest and shiniest tools. There are practical concerns. PHP 8.0 is slated for release on November 26, 2020. Regardless of WordPress&rsquo;s minimum required version, it must also work with the most up-to-date version of PHP. The wider the range of versions that the platform supports, the harder it is to test.</p>



<p>Such is the case with PHPUnit, a testing framework for PHP applications like WordPress. PHPUnit 8 supports a minimum of PHP 7.2.  Technically, it has syntax that requires PHP 7.1 &mdash; hence, the need for the WordPress version bump.  PHPUnit 9 requires a minimum of 7.3 and is necessary for testing PHP 8.0 compatibility. There is an <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/46149">open ticket</a> for solving issues with PHPUnit testing where the team is exploring options to support the range of PHP versions.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We also need to work on our messaging around these PHP and core upgrades, so we don&rsquo;t cry wolf and cause these notices to be ignored,&rdquo; continued Mullenweg in his explanation for closing the ticket, pointing to the current site health messaging in WordPress. &ldquo;They do not say what version it is currently on. They do not provide a good way to contact the host. They do not give accurate information about security, as most hosts run backports that patch security on older versions separate from what is officially supported by the core PHP project. These are not free upgrades, and I think the cost vs what we are able to deliver to users, vs the hard caused by leaving so many people behind, needs to be seriously weighed. Right now it feels like we&rsquo;re a bit trigger happy on these requirements, and I&rsquo;d even be open to rolling some back.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WordPress may be joked about in &ldquo;real&rdquo; programming circles. Its reliance on outdated tools may be the punchline from developers who are building sites with the <em>Next Big Thing</em>. However, maybe in spite of or maybe because of the platform&rsquo;s reluctance to quickly drop support for older versions of PHP, it has swallowed up 38% of the web. Any project lead would question meddling too much with its leave-no-users-behind formula that was part of the journey getting here.</p>



<p>It is a tough call for a project lead to make. It is also tough because developers like Folmer have put a ton of work into PHP coding standards tools and do the often thankless job of advocating for pushing WordPress into modern-day coding practices.</p>



<p>WordPress is in a position where it has some leverage. If the software demands an upgraded PHP experience, it can put its massive user base to work by forcing web hosting companies to cater to their needs. Money talks, and if enough users begin looking for greener pastures, perhaps those web hosts will make some adjustments. That is at least the theory that some in the community share. &ldquo;If there are no consequences to user/host (in-)action, why would they ever bother to take action?&rdquo; asked Folmer.</p>



<p>It is also a gamble that the WordPress project does not look to be taking, at least for the version 5.6 release.</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, 20 Aug 2020 20:13:51 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:43;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:74:"WPTavern: WooCommerce 4.4 Updates Blocks and Centralizes Coupon Management";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=103580";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:193:"https://wptavern.com/woocommerce-4-4-updates-blocks-and-centralizes-coupon-management?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=woocommerce-4-4-updates-blocks-and-centralizes-coupon-management";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:3507:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Yesterday, Automattic <a href="https://woocommerce.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/woocommerce-4-4-is-now-available/">dropped version 4.4</a> of its popular WooCommerce plugin. The new release is a minor update with the biggest changes around the plugin&rsquo;s blocks and coupon management in the admin. Two dozen people made 450 contributions to the release.</p>



<p>The WooCommerce team brought several updates to the plugin&rsquo;s blocks. The biggest user-facing change is that the blocks will now use the WooCommerce thumbnail size instead of loading the full-sized image. This change means that images will respect the product image size settings that users can set via the WooCommerce &gt; Product Images section in the customizer. This change will make sites using blocks more performant.</p>



<p>The block editor should be slightly speedier with this update. The team removed front end scripts that were not needed from the post-editing screen.</p>



<p>WooCommerce also updated its flagship theme, Storefront, yesterday. There is nothing in the <a href="https://woocommerce.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/storefront-2-6-0-release-notes/">release notes</a> to suggest that the update corresponds with changes in WooCommerce 4.4, but it is a good idea for users to stay updated regardless.</p>



<h2>Coupon Management Moved to the Marketing Hub in the Admin</h2>



<img />WooCommerce Coupons admin screen.



<p class="has-drop-cap">In WooCommerce 4.1, the team added a new Marketing section in the WordPress admin. When it was initially launched, some users felt like WooCommerce had added a top-level menu item for little more than the purposes of upselling its extensions. The single admin screen also offered links backed to the WooCommerce knowledge base. Many comments on the <a href="https://woocommerce.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/coming-soon-woocommerce-marketing-hub/">launch of the marketing hub</a> asked the team to reconsider making it a top-level menu item, at least until it offered something more than upsells and links back to the WooCommerce website.</p>



<p>Having a centralized marketing location in the WordPress admin makes sense for eCommerce websites though. Creating an online shop is only one part of the process. Successful stores need to have a marketing focus, and WooCommerce is seeking to create an experience that helps more store owners become successful.</p>



<p>While it is a minor change, <a href="https://woocommerce.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/centralized-coupon-management-available-for-testing/">moving the coupons screen</a> to the marketing hub makes sense. For those end-users who make use of coupons, it should very much be a part of their marketing plan.</p>



<p>WooCommerce 4.4 still has the legacy coupons screen beneath the standard WooCommerce menu. However, clicking on the old link will generate an admin notice that migrates users to the new location. The notice provides a button to remove the legacy admin menu item.</p>



<p>Gary Murray, the Product Focus and Lead for WooCommerce, said the team had larger plans beyond the initial marketing hub in the announcement post. Coupons are merely a second stage in the longer-term roadmap. &ldquo;Think automations, campaigns, customer segmentation, coupon management, marketing focused analytics, and reporting,&rdquo; he wrote. While the roadmap for the marketing hub is not public, it will be interesting to see what tools the team adds in future iterations of the plugin.</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, 19 Aug 2020 21:13:31 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";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:44;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:72:"WPTavern: Enable jQuery Migrate Helper Plugin Passes 10K Active Installs";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=103537";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:189:"https://wptavern.com/enable-jquery-migrate-helper-plugin-passes-10k-active-installs?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=enable-jquery-migrate-helper-plugin-passes-10k-active-installs";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:4207:"<p>In just one week since WordPress 5.5 was released, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-jquery-migrate-helper/">Enable jQuery Migrate Helper</a> plugin has passed 10,000 active installs, as users look for a fix for broken sites. The plugin was developed by the WordPress Core team to mitigate jQuery-related problems users may face after updating to 5.5. WordPress has removed jQuery Migrate 1.4.1, but many themes and plugins are now broken because they use outdated/deprecated jQuery functions that relied on the script. </p>



<p>The official support forums are inundated with <a href="https://wordpress.org/search/5.5?in=support_forums">reports of broken sites</a> after updating to 5.5, as most users who don&rsquo;t follow core development are not aware that jQuery Migrate has been deprecated. Because it&rsquo;s related to jQuery, many of the sites have very visible problems or broken functionality that prevents users from doing things like viewing and editing content. Those who are still using the Classic Editor have been particularly <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/5-5-classic-editor-text-view-add-media-not-working/">hardest hit by the 5.5 update</a>, since older plugins that hook into the old editor are more likely to be using deprecated jQuery functions. </p>



<p>The Enable jQuery Migrate Helper plugin has racked up 34 five-star reviews, as it instantly fixes most users&rsquo; problems:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>&ldquo;After updating to 5.5 my hero slider images disappeared and this plugin fixed the problem immediately.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;After updating to WordPress 5.5 my edit a post page and several other things ended up breaking despite having all plugins and my theme updated. This plugin fixed my issue!&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;As a newspaper, not being able to see the content of our posts is a pretty big deal. This fixed it. Thank you.&rdquo;</p></blockquote>



<p>The plugin gives users time to figure out which themes or plugins are causing the problems and request the authors of those extensions to update them for compatibility with the latest version of WordPress.</p>



<p>One user, David Halchester, reported a problem with a <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/navigation-menu-vanishes/">vanishing navigation menu</a> to the support forums before discovering the Enable jQuery Migrate Helper plugin. </p>



<p>&ldquo;Voila,&rdquo; Halchester said in his <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/enable-jquery-migrate-helper/">review</a>. &ldquo;It worked like magic. My beautiful custom page is working again. That said &mdash; if WP does not want to lose customers, it needs to make sure its updates are compatible with older sites.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Thank you to the people who created this plug-in. I just saved myself about $300 or more in fees to have someone &lsquo;fix&rsquo; it.&rdquo;</p>



<p>He makes a solid point about the plugin saving users&rsquo; money that might otherwise have gone to developers to fix the problem. For those who discover the plugin as a fix, it only costs them the time and frustration of seeking help from their hosting company or volunteers on the support forums. Others who may not be as persistent will likely have to pay for professional troubleshooting.</p>



<p>Justin Tadlock published a <a href="https://wptavern.com/major-jquery-changes-on-the-way-for-wordpress-5-5-and-beyond">post</a> last week that outlines WordPress&rsquo; three-stage plan for updating jQuery to the latest version.  The plan outlines how a new version of jQuery Migrate will be added in WordPress 5.6 to help users update from jQuery 1.12.4 to 3.5.1 (or later). The tentative plan is to remove the script once more in WordPress 5.7, which is expected in 2021.</p>



<p>In the meantime, the Enable jQuery Migrate Helper plugin functions as a temporary bandaid. Looking ahead towards the prospect of opt-in automatic updates for major Core releases, which is expected to land in WordPress 5.6, it will be important to consider how wide-reaching these breaking changes can be along to path to updating jQuery, especially for those hanging back with the Classic Editor plugin. </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, 19 Aug 2020 05:11:45 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:45;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:26:"Matt: Second-Order Effects";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:22:"https://ma.tt/?p=52013";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:43:"https://ma.tt/2020/08/second-order-effects/";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:1234:"<p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/derek-thompson/">Derek Thompson&#8217;s writing for the Atlantic</a> has been some of the most interesting this year. His latest, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/just-small-shift-remote-work-could-change-everything/614980/">The Workforce Is About to Change Dramatically</a>, is worth a close read. He gives good arguments for and against how remote working will change real estate, entrepreneurship, and something I&#8217;ve been meaning to write about but he did a much better job, how the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/american-migration-patterns-should-terrify-gop/598153/">great migration happening away from superstar cities could reshape politics</a>. </p>



<p>I sincerely hope that all the people <a href="https://www.usa.gov/change-voter-registration">moving to new places are registering to vote in their new home</a>, as I did when I moved from San Francisco back to Houston in 2011. The following year was 2012 and in Harris County (Houston) with 4.263 million people, Obama <a href="https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/texas/">won</a> by <strong>585 votes</strong>. I was one of those votes.</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, 18 Aug 2020 21:15:50 +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:46;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:66:"WPTavern: WP Rig Starter Theme Project Looking for New Maintainers";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=103406";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:177:"https://wptavern.com/wp-rig-starter-theme-project-looking-for-new-maintainers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wp-rig-starter-theme-project-looking-for-new-maintainers";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:9640:"<img />



<p class="has-drop-cap">A couple of years ago, Morten Rand-Hendriksen launched <a href="https://wptavern.com/wp-rig-a-wordpress-starter-theme-and-build-process-in-one">WP Rig for WordPress</a>. The goal was to bring a modern <a href="https://wprig.io/">starter theme and build process</a> to the theme development community. Now, he and the current team are hoping to find someone new to keep the project moving. Whoever is chosen will gain outright ownership of the project.</p>



<p>Rand-Hendriksen will be hosting a <a href="https://linkedin.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rc-mhqj4rGtbwM7UB7NL7_bOY50qkMIJ9">Zoom meeting</a> on Friday, August 21 at 8 am PST. The meeting is planned to last 30 minutes with a possible additional 30 minutes for a Q&amp;A session. He will update the <a href="https://wprig.io/news/">WP Rig blog</a> with the format and agenda for the meeting this week. Anyone interested in WP Rig&rsquo;s future is free to attend.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The ideal candidate is someone who has the interest, time, and drive to keep the project going,&rdquo; said Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;Future owners, maintainers, peers, etc. will be expected to adhere to the established <a href="https://github.com/wprig/docs/blob/master/GOVERNANCE.md">governance model</a>, which outlines roles, responsibilities, powers, and how to &lsquo;climb the ladder&rsquo; if you will.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Before taking the reins, candidates will meet with Rand-Hendriksen and other legacy maintainers of the project. The goal is to sort out the logistics of the handover.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Once the project is handed over to new owners and maintainers, the project becomes their project,&rdquo; said Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;That means they can take it in whatever direction they feel is meaningful and valuable for the community. This is a true handover: we, the legacy maintainers, are not imposing our view of what WP Rig should be in the future onto the new owners and maintainers. We will impart our knowledge and vision, and let the next generation of the WP Rig team lay down their own path into the future.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Ideally, the official WordPress Themes Team would take on the WP Rig project or at least its own version of a starter theme. However, the team lacks the resources to make it happen. Some members are interested but no one has the time to contribute to it at the moment, according to Themes Team representative William Patton.</p>



<p>&ldquo;If the TRT wants to adopt the project, they take precedence over all other interested parties,&rdquo; said Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;The intent of WP Rig was always to donate the project to the larger WordPress Open Source project, and the TRT would be the ideal group to hand the keys to.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>The Unexplored Future of Full-Site Editing</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Whoever takes on the WP Rig project will be in a position to explore the great unknown of full-site editing. An early version of the feature is expected to land in WordPress 5.6 later this year. This could mean overhauling the project and taking it in an entirely new direction than originally envisioned. It is a tall order and will require someone with the time and ability to keep up with drastic changes in the coming months.</p>



<p>Rand-Hendriksen and the team did some experimental work with <a href="https://github.com/wprig/block-areas">Block Areas</a> and <a href="https://github.com/wprig/wprig-blockade">WP Rig Blockade</a>, a variant of the original WP Rig theme that explored blocks outside of the content area. However, the repositories have seen little work in the last year and a half. Rand-Hendriksen said they got too caught up in releasing version 2.0 of WP Rig to see either of those projects come to fruition.</p>



<p>&ldquo;As the WordPress community starts exploring what <em>blocks everywhere</em> means, it is more important than ever to have this unifying base to start from so everyone is talking the same language and using the same tools,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I had to step away, this was my deepest regret: that I wouldn&rsquo;t be part of shaping this next evolution of the platform and wouldn&rsquo;t be able to help the community develop this unifying baseline.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Rand-Hendriksen believes that full-site editing will only be successful with buy-in from the existing theme development community. Without active participation from these developers, full-site editing could split the community into traditional vs. modern theming.</p>



<p>&ldquo;There is a lot of money at stake, and a lot of developers deeply invested in and financially dependent on the status quo of themes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;To bring them on board and explore the future of themes, there needs to be a unified baseline to start from, and this is the opportune time to introduce modern code, tools, and standards. WP Rig can be a catalyst for this project and can also be the foundation on which such a project is built. What is it open source evangelists always say? &lsquo;Decisions are made by those who show up.&rsquo; This is a chance to not just show up but actively guide the community into a collaborative future.&rdquo;</p>



<p>He feels like WP Rig&rsquo;s new owners will be in a position to answer one of the questions looming over the WordPress project: <em>What should full-site editing look like?</em></p>



<h2>Modern Tooling</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">WP Rig is far more advanced than the starter themes of yesteryear. However, it is not alone. Of the many starter themes available throughout the WordPress development community, many of them have moved on to include modern build systems and tooling that were not a part of earlier projects such as <a href="https://underscores.me/">Underscores</a> (_s), which is the closest thing to an &ldquo;official&rdquo; starter theme project WordPress has ever seen.</p>



<p>&ldquo;When I first came up with the idea of WP Rig, it was because I&rsquo;d been maintaining a very popular LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) course on building themes from scratch using _s for years, and I noticed _s and WP themes, in general, were lagging further and further behind the general trends of web development,&rdquo; said Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;WordPress themes are by and large still built as if it&rsquo;s 2012, not 2020, and many of the most important advances of the web dev space are not generally in use in theme development. As the project evolved from my personal experiment to a team, we made a decision to start from scratch and say &lsquo;if someone were to build a theme today, in 2018, with today&rsquo;s tools and best practices, what would that look like?&rsquo; The result is a theme building tool using modern build processes and tooling to make theme development easier. Yes, it looks nothing like the standard starter themes, but like I said, the standard starter themes look like the web in 2012.&rdquo;</p>



<p>There is still some sentiment within the WordPress community that web development is shifting too far from its roots of understanding the basics of HTML, CSS, and entry-level PHP. Have we moved past the point where those simple foundations were enough to build WordPress themes in the modern world?</p>



<p>&ldquo;Is this harder to understand for beginners?&rdquo; asked Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;If you start from the assumption that anything other than the good old way of building themes is &lsquo;harder,&rsquo; then yes, absolutely. If you start from the perspective of WordPress themes being many people&rsquo;s first hands-on experience with web development, and WordPress having a responsibility to introduce people to current and forward-thinking web tooling, then I think the answer is no.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Rand-Hendriksen says that WP Rig makes many parts of modern theme development much easier and that the more complex pieces are extensively documented. From performance improvements to modern JavaScript to object-oriented PHP, the theme covers a wide range of practices that old-hat theme developers may need to start coming to grips with, sooner rather than later. &ldquo;For most standard theme development, WP Rig is as easy as with any other dev tool,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It is just different from how WordPress themes normally do things. Which from my perspective is not only good but necessary if WordPress themes want to stay current with the rest of the web.&rdquo;</p>



<p>WP Rig also gives theme authors a leg up with accessibility out of the box. Rand-Hendriksen has long been a vocal supporter of pushing for accessibility standards in themes, so it makes sense that the starter that he spearheaded approaches development with accessibility at the forefront.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve developed themes for 15+ years and taught theme development for over a decade,&rdquo; said Rand-Hendriksen. &ldquo;One of the major roadblocks for theme development is the lack of an official unified tool to start from. _s served that role for a while, but it is now poorly maintained, sluggish in development, and lagging significantly behind where standards and modern tooling is concerned. WordPress needs something similar to <a href="https://reactjs.org/docs/create-a-new-react-app.html">&lsquo;create react app&rsquo;</a>  has had for a long time. WP Rig was created to serve as a base, or as inspiration, for such a project: provide an official starting theme and build process to give people a unified place to work from and a unified base to contribute back to and improve so the community can lift itself up together.&rdquo;</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, 18 Aug 2020 19:43:42 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:47;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:128:"WPTavern: Apple to Enforce 1-Year Limit on SSL/TLS Certificate Lifetimes on September 1, 2020, Mozilla and Google to Follow Suit";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=103455";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:297:"https://wptavern.com/apple-to-enforce-1-year-limit-on-ssl-tls-certificate-lifetimes-on-september-1-2020-mozilla-and-google-to-follow-suit?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=apple-to-enforce-1-year-limit-on-ssl-tls-certificate-lifetimes-on-september-1-2020-mozilla-and-google-to-follow-suit";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:4866:"<img />image credit: &nbsp;<a href="https://stocksnap.io/author/134">Sylwia Bartyzel</a>



<p>Beginning September 1, 2020, Apple&rsquo;s Safari browser will no longer trust SSL/TLS certificates issued for longer than 398 days, which is the equivalent of one year plus the renewal grace period. Apple cited its &ldquo;ongoing efforts to improve web security&rdquo; in the <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211025">announcement</a> earlier this year. The change affects the full lineup of Apple platforms: </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>This change will affect only TLS server certificates issued from the Root CAs preinstalled with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Additionally, this change will affect only TLS server certificates issued on or after September 1, 2020; any certificates issued prior to that date will not be affected by this change.</p></blockquote>



<p>Apple will begin enforcing the change immediately, which means it will deny connections to TLS servers that don&rsquo;t meet the new requirements. After Apple&rsquo;s announcement, both <a href="https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/ae4d6809912f8171b23f6aa43c6a4e8e627de784">Google</a> and <a href="https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/issues/204">Mozilla</a> contributors moved to propose their own implementations that cap certificate validity at 398 days. </p>



<p>All of the major certificate authorities are falling in line, changing their offerings to conform with the new one year limit. This includes CA market leader <a href="https://www.identrust.com/sites/default/files/resources/IdenTrust_TLS_%20One_%20Year_%20Max_Validity_June_2020_Communication_0_0.pdf">IdenTrust</a>, which accounts for roughly <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/ssl_certificate">52%</a> of SSL certificates. DigiCert, a CA that captures 20% of the market, <a href="https://www.digicert.com/blog/position-on-1-year-certificates/">published</a> a dry note of compliance, emphasizing the burden it places on certificate users:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Why did Apple unilaterally decide to enforce a shorter certificate lifetime? Their spokesperson said it was to &ldquo;protect users.&rdquo; We know from prior CA/B Forum discussions that longer certificate lifetimes proved to be challenging in replacing certificates, in the case of a major security incident. Apple clearly wants to avoid an ecosystem that cannot quickly respond to major certificate-related threats. Short-lived certificates improve security because they reduce the window of exposure if a TLS certificate is compromised. They also help remediate normal operational churn within organizations by ensuring yearly updates to identity such as company names, addresses and active domains. As with any improvement, shortening of lifetimes should be balanced against the hardship required of certificate users to implement these changes.</p></blockquote>



<p>The idea behind the change is that certificates with shorter life cycles are more secure, as compromised keys would expire on shorter timeframes. The new one-year expiration forces hosts and certificate providers to make automation a high priority. In fact, this is one of the reasons Let&rsquo;s Encrypt&rsquo;s free certificates already have a short <a href="https://letsencrypt.org/2015/11/09/why-90-days.html">90-day life cycle</a>. It was put in place years ago to encourage automation so that shorter lifetimes are no less convenient than longer ones.</p>



<p>Let&rsquo;s Encrypt recommends subscribers renew every sixty days and may even consider recommending shorter lifetimes once automated renewal tools are more widely adopted. This may be happening sooner than anticipated now that Apple&rsquo;s policy is forcing change across the industry.</p>



<p>Many WordPress users make use of Let&rsquo;s Encrypt certificates using a plugin like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-force-ssl/">WP Force SSL &amp; HTTPS Redirect</a> (100k+ active installs), <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ssl-zen/">SSL Zen</a> (20k+ installs) or <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-letsencrypt-ssl/">WP Encryption</a> (20k+ installs). Some plugins have automatic renewal built in, but some offer it as part of a commercial upgrade. Others rely on hosts to perform renewals.</p>



<p>Although most website owners will not need to take action, the shorter certificate life cycle may can become a hassle without automated certificate management in place. It may also affect client billing with different options available from hosts and certificate authorities. If you manage websites for clients whose sites previously relied on certificates with longer life cycles, you will want to make sure to have some form of automated certificate management set up when the change goes into effect.</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, 17 Aug 2020 23:08:43 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:48;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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: Exploring the First Block Patterns to Land in the WordPress Theme Directory";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=103449";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:215:"https://wptavern.com/exploring-the-first-block-patterns-to-land-in-the-wordpress-theme-directory?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=exploring-the-first-block-patterns-to-land-in-the-wordpress-theme-directory";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:7623:"<p class="has-drop-cap">For months, I have eagerly awaited the official release of <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-5-eckstine-introduces-block-directory-block-patterns-and-automatic-updates-for-themes-and-plugins">WordPress 5.5</a>, an update that promised to put the long-awaited block patterns system into the hands of theme designers. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but patterns have the potential to <a href="https://wptavern.com/block-patterns-will-change-everything">revolutionize WordPress theme development</a>, even more so than the upcoming full-site editing.</p>



<p>The feature should drastically change how developers create WordPress themes. If used to its full potential, theme authors can rid themselves of dozens of theme options and drop most of their page templates. They can focus less on programming and more on designing, which is what themes are really all about.</p>



<p>To understand why patterns are so revolutionary, you must understand the underlying issue that it solves for theme authors and, ultimately, end-users. Throughout all of WordPress&rsquo;s theming history, there has been a single overarching issue that has caused untold numbers of issues. This is an issue that has been the root cause of multiple guidelines added to the WordPress.org theme review system.</p>



<p>This single issue can almost exclusively trace its roots back to the big question: how can theme authors build custom homepages and easily allow end-users to recreate them?</p>



<p>Whether it is a slider or columns of info boxes or a call-to-action section, WordPress has never truly provided a solution that theme authors could rely on. To be fair, many developers have built creative and unique systems around the limitations of the platform. However, those systems were specific to a single theme or a set of themes from a single company. There was no standard. There was nothing that would guide theme designers to simply design whatever interesting thing they had in their minds and allow users to simply fill in the content.</p>



<p>While I say that the homepage of the site is the underlying issue here, the problem is really extended to any page on the site. The homepage design is a bit like the theme author&rsquo;s signature. It allows designers to showcase their talents and draw users in. And for over a decade, theme authors have tried a thousand different methods just to get this one page right.</p>



<p>Patterns are so much more. The system does not require that theme authors become PHP ninjas to piece together beautiful designs. It does not limit users to a theme options panel for building their homepage &mdash; they can build out any page on their site with the patterns their themes offer.</p>



<p>The big thing is that it renders the &ldquo;how do I build a custom homepage&rdquo; question moot. Theme authors never need to think about that question again, at least not in the way that they have in previous years. Theming is moving away from building designs on a page level and toward designing individual blocks and sections (patterns). The focus is much more <em>atomic</em>, which provides users with more flexibility and freedom.</p>



<p>Because I could not wait for weeks or months longer to see what theme authors built within this system, I wanted to take a peek at what the current themes in the official theme directory were doing. There was not a lot to look at, but at least some theme authors are willing to be the pioneers in this new era of theming.</p>



<p>Currently, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/tags/block-patterns/">Block Editor Patterns</a> feature filter for the directory is not working. Technically, theme authors are not allowed to add the <code>block-patterns</code> tag to their themes, but there is a <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/theme-check/pull/272">patch available</a> which should fix the issue soon.</p>



<h2>Patterns So Far</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Right now, the theme directory only has three themes with block patterns. It is not much to go on, but it is interesting to see what theme authors are building so far.</p>



<p>UXL Themes recently updated its <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/cordero/">Cordero</a> theme with several blocks. One of the things I like about how Cordero added its patterns is that it created a custom &ldquo;Cordero&rdquo; block pattern category. Patterns can exist in multiple categories, but having all of the theme&rsquo;s custom patterns consolidated to a single group made discovering them much easier. This is a practice that I would like to see more of going forward.</p>



<p>Cordero&rsquo;s patterns are primarily geared toward the typical business layout. It includes a couple of hero-type patterns, some features/services boxes, and pricing tables.</p>



<ul><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img /></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img /></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img /></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img /></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><img /></li></ul>Cordero theme block patterns.



<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/inclusive/">Inclusive</a> theme by Themes Team representative Carolina Nymark has several patterns (it is also a solid theme if you&rsquo;re in the market for a good accessibility-ready option). The most interesting patterns of this theme are its two-column patterns with <em>sidebars</em>. Nymark has essentially created the &ldquo;body&rdquo; of a page with patterns. One adds a sidebar on the left and the other pattern adds it to the right. Both patterns have a main column for adding custom content. The sidebar column is decorated with widget-type blocks by default.</p>



<img />Inclusive theme pattern with sidebar and content columns.



<p>What makes these patterns unique is that they are almost like a stepping stone toward full-site editing &mdash; all that they are missing is a header and footer. Admittedly, I was unprepared for this sort of pattern and expected patterns to be used for smaller sections, but I am a fan of the experimentation in the Inclusive theme.</p>



<p>Nymark has two of the current three themes with block patterns in the directory. Her <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/deejay/">Deejay</a> theme adds a single pattern, which allows the user to create a DJ profile section on their site. It combines columns, social icons, the latest posts list, a video embed, and more.</p>



<img />Deejay theme profile pattern.



<p>Overall, I like the early exploration of this new feature. It is never easy being the first to try things out, so I applaud the theme authors for paving the way. We&rsquo;re only a week into the WordPress 5.5 release, but I am excited to see more.</p>



<h2>How Well Do Patterns Transfer Between Themes?</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">One of the promises of the block system is that it allows users to switch between themes and maintain their content. The idea is that each theme will style all the blocks in such a way that the front end output does not look broken.</p>



<p>While there is merely a small sample size of three themes, I did hit some content styling issues when switching between them.</p>



<p>Generally, the more complex a pattern and whether the pattern employs custom classes decides how well it would transfer from theme to theme. Images could present an interesting problem too if the user decides to not replace a pattern&rsquo;s image with its own. Because the image would exist in the theme folder, if the theme is deactivated and uninstalled, it would no longer exist.</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, 17 Aug 2020 21:24:32 +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:"Justin Tadlock";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:49;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";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:74:"WPTavern: WordPress 5.6 Development Kicks Off with All-Women Release Squad";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=103314";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:193:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-6-development-kicks-off-with-all-women-release-squad?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-5-6-development-kicks-off-with-all-women-release-squad";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:4051:"<img />photo credit: <a href="https://stocksnap.io/photo/people-girls-N444PJYUP9">Brodie Vissers</a>



<p>WordPress 5.5 has already been downloaded more than 4 million times after its release earlier this week, and it&rsquo;s time to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/13/wordpress-5-6-release-planning/">kick off work on 5.6</a>. Josepha Haden will be leading the release alongside coordinator Dee Teal, with additional leads for Triage (Tonya Mork), Core Tech (Helen Hou-Sand&igrave;), Editor Tech (Isabel Brison), Design (Ellen Bauer and Tammie Lister), and several more women managing documentation, accessibility, marketing, testing, and other important aspects of the release. The full squad includes 46 women so far with a couple of roles left to be decided.</p>



<p>When Josepha Haden officially <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/03/11/all-women-release-squad/">proposed</a> the idea of having an all-women release squad, she emphasized that this doesn&rsquo;t mean the release can only include contributions from women. In addition to the general objective of shipping a stable and enhanced version of the WordPress, Haden outlined a few more goals for this historic release:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>My hope is that with a release squad comprised entirely of people who identify as women, we&rsquo;ll be able to increase the number women who have that experience and (hopefully) become returning contributors to&nbsp;Core&nbsp;and elsewhere. This doesn&rsquo;t mean the release will only contain contributions from women. And if our current squad training process is any indication, it also doesn&rsquo;t mean that we&rsquo;re asking a squad to show up and do this without support.</p></blockquote>



<p><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/francina/">Francesca Marano</a>, who worked as release <a href="https://wptavern.com/a-non-technical-release-leads-journey-to-becoming-a-mentor-for-wordpress-core-development">co-lead for WordPress 5.3</a>, published a post announcing the squad as well as the scope of the release. Two major items are already complete: <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/13204">conversion of the widget-editing areas</a> and removal of support for PHP 5.6.x. The squad plans to deliver an impressive array of new features that are still in development:</p>



<ul><li>Navigation menus&nbsp;block&nbsp;in Core</li><li>Automatic updates for major WordPress Core releases (opt-in)</li><li>New features from the block editor upgrades.</li><li>Widgets-editing and&nbsp;Customizer&nbsp;support in Core</li><li>Default theme, including an FSE compatible version</li><li>PHP 8 support</li><li>Public&nbsp;beta&nbsp;of Full Site Editing</li></ul>



<p>A recent <a href="https://twitter.com/kaydacode/status/1293302599542874177">tweet</a> from a woman who works as an iOS developer at Quicken Loans, asked if there have ever been women in software development working in leadership roles. Although many projects and organizations have women in such roles for many years (as seen in the replies to the tweet), the question demonstrates why representation still matters. WordPress 5.6 is an opportunity to make many more women leaders visible for people who need to see others like themselves in leadership roles.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lead developer for 38% of the internet let&rsquo;s goooooo who else is out there <a href="https://t.co/bCq8iFdf3I">https://t.co/bCq8iFdf3I</a></p>&mdash; Helen &#20399;-Sand&iacute; (@helenhousandi) <a href="https://twitter.com/helenhousandi/status/1293621808088985602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>So far the community has been very <a href="https://twitter.com/SergeyBiryukov/status/1294324969133035522">supportive</a> of the plan for an all-women release squad and is rallying around the idea. WordPress 5.6 is the last release planned for the year and is expected to land on December 8, 2020. </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, 14 Aug 2020 22:17:29 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:42:"Requests_Utility_CaseInsensitiveDictionary":1:{s:7:"*data";a:8:{s:6:"server";s:5:"nginx";s:4:"date";s:29:"Wed, 16 Sep 2020 18:53:31 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Wed, 16 Sep 2020 18:30:09 GMT";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:4:"x-nc";s:9:"HIT ord 2";s:16:"content-encoding";s:2:"br";}}s:5:"build";s:14:"20200501235608";}