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";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:7:"version";s:3:"2.0";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:7:"channel";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:61:"
	
	
	
	




















































";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:1:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"WordPress Planet";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:28:"http://planet.wordpress.org/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"language";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2:"en";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:47:"WordPress Planet - http://planet.wordpress.org/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"item";a:50:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: Gutenberg 7.2 Adds Long-Awaited Multi-Button Block and Gallery Image Size Option";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96362";s: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:101:"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-7-2-adds-long-awaited-multi-button-block-and-gallery-image-size-option";s: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:4723:"<p>The Gutenberg team <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/01/09/whats-new-in-gutenberg-8-january/">released version 7.2</a> of the plugin yesterday after a four-week release hiatus for the holidays.  This update includes at least 180 pull requests to the project&rsquo;s repository by 56 contributors. The largest user-facing features include a new &ldquo;buttons&rdquo; block that allows users to add multiple buttons in a row and the ability to define the size of images in a gallery block.  These were two highly-requested features.</p>



<p>The update supports changing the font size in the relatively new navigation block.  Users can also add a link for the image in the media &amp; text block.  A few dozen other minor enhancements across multiple components made their way into the update.  Most enhancements continue to clean up the interface and improve usability.</p>



<p>Many bug fixes are included in version 7.2.  Accessibility improvements include using radio inputs for text alignment, adding an appropriate <code>group</code> role to the block wrapper, adding a label to the social icons block, and more.  Several fixes should improve how pasting content in the editor works, which generally works well already.</p>



<p>The team continued building upon experimental features, which must be activated via the Gutenberg &gt; Experiments screen in the admin. Outside of a handful of bug fixes and enhancements, the most interesting change is the introduction of a new experimental admin screen.  Gutenberg 7.2 now includes an early beta of a full-site editing page.</p>



<h2>Adding Buttons in a Row</h2>



<img />Adding multiple buttons within the Buttons block.



<p><em>If I had a nickel for every time a user asked how to put two buttons next to each other&hellip;</em>You know how the story goes.</p>



<p>One of the most-common website layouts today is a large &ldquo;hero&rdquo; section, a heading, some text, and a button, perhaps two.  An end-user could easily build this with a combination of the cover, heading, paragraph, and button blocks if only a single button was needed.  However, that second button was troubling without some custom code work.</p>



<p>The introduction of the buttons block changes everything.  It is a block that allows end-users to add any number of individual button blocks in a row.  At the moment, the block essentially serves as a wrapper.  The block&rsquo;s only option is the ability to set the alignment of the inner button blocks.</p>



<h2>Image Size Selector for Galleries</h2>



<img />Selecting a custom image size for the Gallery block.



<p>The lack of an option to set the size of gallery images has been one of Gutenberg&rsquo;s largest failures since its inception.  After years of this basic option for the gallery shortcode with the classic editor, the gallery block has always felt incomplete.</p>



<p>For some users, the lack of basic features that have long existed in the classic editor <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-one-year-later#comment-314188">is frustrating</a>.  That frustration is understandable, given the fast-paced movement on newer and shinier features.  It is refreshing to see work being done toward addressing long-missing features such as this.</p>



<p>The gallery block now has a new &ldquo;Images Sizes&rdquo; dropdown select for choosing the size of the images shown.  This option will solve at least a couple of major issues.  By selecting a custom size, the images will utilize less bandwidth for site visitors.  Previously, full-sized images were displayed.  It also allows users to select a consistent size so that galleries with multiple image aspect ratios are better aligned in a grid.  Basically, it can make for prettier galleries.</p>



<h2>Site Editor Screen Beta</h2>



<img />Testing the beta Site Editor screen.



<p>Gutenberg 7.2 introduces a &ldquo;Site Editor&rdquo; screen, which can be enabled by ticking the &ldquo;Enable Full Site Editing&rdquo; checkbox on the Gutenberg &gt; Experiments admin page.  The new screen is an early, bare-bones beta exploration into what will eventually be fully-fledged site editor.</p>



<p>At this point, the screen does not do much.  End-users can insert blocks and little else.  Content on this screen is not stored for later.  There is not even a save button yet.  Mostly, it serves as another step toward site editing, which could possibly land in core WordPress late in 2020.  However, that is an optimistic schedule, and it is far too early to make a solid guess.  There are a lot of open questions that need answers and technical hurdles to jump.  A 2021 release might be more realistic, depending on the pace of development.</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, 09 Jan 2020 20:47:39 +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: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:77:"WPTavern: BobWP.com Shifts Focus to WooCommerce, Rebrands as ‘Do the Woo’";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96305";s: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:81:"https://wptavern.com/bobwp-com-shifts-focus-to-woocommerce-rebrands-as-do-the-woo";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4426:"<img />



<p>BobWP.com <a href="https://bobwp.com/bobwp-is-now-do-the-woo-woocommerce-news-and-community/">announced yesterday</a> that the site and its podcast would be rebranded to &ldquo;Do the Woo at BobWP .&rdquo; After a decade of more generalized WordPress topics and news, it will now focus specifically on the WooCommerce plugin and its community.  The podcast will also be aired weekly, notching up their previous twice-monthly episodes.</p>



<p>For Bob Dunn, founder and co-host, this was move was a natural result of where the community he had built was heading.  &ldquo;Over the last 3 years, we have consistently created content around WooCommerce on our site,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;I saw that this was what our readers wanted, so built that up and in March of last year, made the decision to focus entirely on WooCommerce.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Dunn said he has been a fan of WooCommerce since its launch.  &ldquo;It has always been a favorite of mine, and I have used it to sell a lot of stuff. But oddly enough, never physical products.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Starting in 2020, the podcast will run weekly.  To keep up the brisk pace, the show is bringing on two new co-hosts.  Joining the team is Jonathan Wold, community lead for WooCommerce, and Mendel Kurland, developer advocate a Liquid Web.  Brad Williams, CEO of WebDevStudios, has been a co-host since 2018.</p>



<p>New episodes of the podcast will air every Thursday.  The show is pre-recorded on Tuesday of the same week, so the content should remain timely.</p>



<p>Do the Woo will specifically cater to its WooCommerce audience, but it may delve into the larger eCommerce world from time to time.  However, Dunn recommends listening in on the <a href="https://wpecommerceshow.com/">WP eCommerce Show</a> for topics that explore the larger WordPress and eCommerce landscape.</p>



<p>Dunn does not feel like there will be a shortage of topics to explore every week with WooCommerce-specific content.  &ldquo;At first, yes, it is a bit of a challenge finding topics around it,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;But, expanding it to bring in more of what people are doing in the space, no matter how big or small, opens it up more.&rdquo;  He is optimistic about the show&rsquo;s future.  &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll dig as deep as I need to go.  And, with its growth, it may come to the time where there will always be more [content] than I need.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The podcast&rsquo;s format remains simple.  &ldquo;We basically bring a guest in, learn more about what they are doing and their involvement in the Woo ecosystem,&rdquo; said Dunn.  &ldquo;We wrap it up, typically covering two or three news items. The conversation isn&rsquo;t planned at all.  We just take it where it leads us.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Dunn originally began the Doo the Woo podcast in 2016 but broadened the scope that same year to WordPress and eCommerce.  &ldquo;I missed it, and at the end of 2017, brought it back as more of an interview-style show, with me and a guest,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;For the next few months, I did very few shows and felt I need to change it up to be more conversational.&rdquo;  He brought on Williams as a co-host at that point.  &ldquo;We did a few shows where Brad and I would just chat Woo stuff, and both came to the conclusion it would be fun to bring on a guest, but still keeping it conversational.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The podcast episodes were sporadic until the middle of 2019, which was the start of the bi-weekly schedule.  Today, with three extra co-hosts, the team can rotate who is hosting a particular episode.</p>



<p>Dunn said he still catches a few other podcasts but not as many as in the past.  &ldquo;Always been a fan of and still listen to <a href="https://mattreport.com/">Matt Report</a> and <a href="https://getoptionspodcast.com/">Get Options</a>,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;I am sure I have listened to just about every WP-centric podcast a few times over the years. Without naming each one, there are several good choices depending on what you are looking for. Podcast listening is a very personal choice and I just recommend people dabble in what is out there and find those that click with you.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Listen to <a href="https://bobwp.com/whats-coming-to-the-do-the-woo-podcast-in-2020/">episode 33</a> where the team discusses the show&rsquo;s plans for 2020 and beyond:</p>



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

</div>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Jan 2020 21:07:20 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:76:"WPTavern: Landing Kit for WordPress Maps Any Post or Page to a Custom Domain";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96301";s: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:87:"https://wptavern.com/landing-kit-for-wordpress-maps-any-post-or-page-to-a-custom-domain";s: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:7094:"<img />



<p>Phil Kurth and Jason Schuller launched a new WordPress product named <a href="https://wplandingkit.com/">Landing Kit</a> today.  The plugin allows end-users to map a domain name to any post, page, or custom post type entry.  It includes other features such as SSL support and URL redirecting.  More features like custom templates and Gutenberg blocks are on the way.</p>



<p>Kurth is the director and WordPress product developer at <a href="https://hookturn.io/">Hookturn.io</a>, a premium WordPress plugin company, and runs <a href="https://www.awesomeacf.com/">Awesome ACF</a>, a community hub around the Advanced Custom Fields plugin.  Schuller has several ongoing projects.  He runs <a href="https://rivyt.com/">RIVYT</a>, a website for video creators to share their work.  In October, he <a href="https://wptavern.com/jason-schuller-launches-dsko-a-discovery-network-for-creators-and-brands">launched DSKO</a>, which is a discovery network built on WordPress for creators and brands.</p>



<p><a href="https://leeflets.com">Leeflets</a>, a project Schuller created for building single-page websites, served as the catalyst for the Landing Kit project.  The plugin brings similar functionality to any WordPress install.</p>



<p>Often, WordPress is overkill for single-page sites.  The platform is ideal for larger sites and applications.  For people who need to manage multiple single-page sites, Landing Kit could be a blessing.  By setting up a single WordPress install with the plugin active, users can map any domain to any post or page.  It also works with custom post types.  This keeps site management limited to a single admin interface and point of maintenance.</p>



<p>The plugin should not be confused with domain-mapping plugins built for multisite.  While it will work on multisite, the intent is not to map domains to subsites in a network.  Instead, it is meant to specifically map domains to single posts or pages on single-site installations.</p>



<p>The plugin has two pricing tiers. The lower tier costs $59 per year for support and updates on up to three installations. It will also include access to a single page template in the near future.  The larger pricing tier at $159 per year offers support and updates for unlimited installations and will provide access to all templates as they become available.</p>



<p>Landing Kit is Schuller&rsquo;s first foray in the WordPress product market space since selling his former WordPress theme business, Press75, in 2014.  His return is already making a splash and seems to be a welcome addition to the ecosystem given the feedback on his <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonpatricksc/status/1214574389036900353">Twitter announcement</a>.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It was never a goal of mine to jump back in, but sometimes these things just happen naturally,&rdquo; said Schuller.  &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve consistently used WordPress as a platform to iterate on ideas, and with each new build I end up creating unique functionality to solve specific problems. Landing Kit is the result of one of those problems I had the solve while creating Leeflets.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Kurth was brought in to work on the project because of his experience building WordPress plugins.  He described the first version as not having many technical challenges because they had a working prototype to build from.  &ldquo;The most difficult part was thinking across multiple contexts and maintaining a clear picture of what would be happening across multiple domains at any time,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;I expect more difficult challenges as we start to move deeper into feature territory as we&rsquo;ll have bigger decisions to make and new technical hurdles to face, particularly when we start exploring remote block/template libraries.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>Plugin Features</h2>



<img />Potential book template for Landing Kit.



<p>Version 1.0 of the plugin keeps things simple, which is a signature of Schuller&rsquo;s past work.  The plugin has a domain management screen.  It provides a convenient location to edit and configure all mapped domains for the installation.  Domain mapping is also available through the post-editing screen.</p>



<p>The SSL options allow users to serve individual domains over HTTPS or to do so on a global basis.  The plugin also makes it easy to decide whether a post or page should be available via the main website or if requests to the single view should be 301 redirected to the mapped domain.</p>



<p>There are some technical requirements to make use of the plugin.  Users must be on a host with the ability to add alias or add-on domains, have a dedicated IP address for their website, and be running WordPress 5.0 or above.  End-users should also be familiar with managing DNS records, specifically A-Records, with their web host.  These requirements are necessary to make sure domains are pointing to the correct location.  These are common features and available through many hosts.  Each host should have specific instructions for working with these features.</p>



<p>The big value-add will be the plugin&rsquo;s custom templates and its upcoming Gutenberg blocks.  These will allow users to quickly build out single-page sites that look and feel different from the active theme for their WordPress installation.</p>



<p>&ldquo;In line with the idea of complete niche templates (essentially bundled blocks), it makes sense to break that concept down a level in form of niche specific blocks you could pick and choose to create your own landing pages with a bit more freedom,&rdquo; said Schuller. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much potential with Gutenberg to get creative, especially when you&rsquo;re thinking specifically about landing pages and what creators might need to achieve a specific goal.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Kurth and Schuller plan to release templates aimed at specific product niches.  &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping to get the first template out the door within the next few weeks,&rdquo; said Schuller on <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonpatricksc/status/1214576733669617664">Twitter</a>.  The concept could be interesting as templates could essentially serve as &ldquo;mini themes.&rdquo;  If the plugin gains enough traction and a large user base, there is potential for a larger marketplace to form around single-page template designs.</p>



<p>Take a video tour of the plugin:</p>



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

</div>



<p>Schuller said that they are kicking around some other feature ideas for the future.  Nothing is set in stone yet.  &ldquo;People have also expressed interest in a Leeflets-style front-end experience for managing pages, which would essentially make Landing Kit a SaaS in a box,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure if that&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;ll explore in the near term, but an option at the very least.&rdquo;</p>



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



<p class="has-background has-gray-100-background-color bg-gray-100"><strong>Update &ndash; January 8, 2020:</strong>  Additional quotes from Landing Kit creators added.</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, 08 Jan 2020 03:34:01 +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:68:"WPTavern: Lessons Learned by Stepping Outside WordPress Comfort Zone";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96264";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"https://wptavern.com/lessons-learned-by-stepping-outside-wordpress-comfort-zone";s: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:6861:"<p>It was late summer in 2018. I was an aging developer who wasn&rsquo;t quite sure where I fit into the WordPress world anymore.  I had spent over a decade learning the ins and outs of the platform that launched my career and also served as a hobby for other pet projects I wanted to tackle.</p>



<p>In part, I was bored.  I needed a new challenge.</p>



<p>I love WordPress. More than that, I appreciate what WordPress has allowed me to accomplish over the years. However, I was no longer happy with it for my personal blog.  It was suitable for the job, but I often found it had a lot more gadgets and gizmos than I needed. I had also been writing blog posts in Markdown for many years rather than the classic editor.  WordPress was simply no longer a part of my workflow for my blog.  At times, it was a hindrance.</p>



<p><em>Challenge accepted.</em></p>



<p>Over a weekend, I built a working custom blog system.  I am hesitant to call it a Content Manage System (CMS) because it lacked crucial features, such as an administrative interface, that are at the heart of any CMS.  Nevertheless, I built a working system from scratch in two days.</p>



<p>I had no idea I could accomplish such a feat without relying on the useful functions and tools that WordPress had so generously provided for most of my programming career.  I cannot count the number of times I accidentally typed out <code>esc_attr()</code> or <code>esc_html()</code> only to remember those were WordPress functions.  <em>My WordPress muscle memory was strong.</em>  Without knowing it, everything I had learned through building on top of WordPress pushed me to become a more well-rounded PHP developer.  There are few APIs I had not worked with from core WordPress.  I understood much of the source code and knew the reasons for a lot of the legacy gunk.</p>



<p>My personal project paled in comparison to WordPress&rsquo; power and still does to this day.  However, it moved me outside my comfort zone.  It allowed me to explore old ideas in new ways.</p>



<p>One example was understanding how rewrite rules and routing worked.  Some of my friends and I recently joked that no one really understands the WordPress Rewrite API.  You just tinker with it until something works and the new code no longer breaks your site.  There are many existing libraries out there, but I wanted to understand how this worked for my own edification.  Therefore, I set out to build an HTTP request, router, and controller class.  The end result was an elegant solution, which borrowed heavily from other PHP frameworks.</p>



<p>With a simple line of code, as shown below for setting up a &ldquo;book&rdquo; content type, I could handle incoming requests for a book page, map it to the correct resource, and output the template on the front end. I began to wonder why I had shied away from this foundational website concept for so many years as a developer.</p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>// Create 'example.com/books/book-name'.
$this-&gt;router-&gt;get( 'books/{name}', Controller::class );</code></pre>



<p>There were many other areas where I began to question the &ldquo;WordPress way&rdquo; of doing things.  During this journey of discovery, I was able to learn things that I could bring back for use in my WordPress projects.  By stepping out into the larger world of website development, I was able to better see the flaws in the platform that helped me fall in love with programming.  However, I was also better able to see the beauty in the system that thousands of developers have kept running for the preceding 15 years.</p>



<h2>It Is Not All About Code</h2>



<p>I had the opportunity to study and learn large frameworks like <a href="https://laravel.com/">Laravel</a> and <a href="https://symfony.com/">Symfony</a>.  However, I also studied how other platforms worked from a pure user-experience perspective.</p>



<p>The one thing I knew for certain is that I wanted to test platforms created for people who wrote in Markdown.  I wasn&rsquo;t looking for huge platforms to compete with WordPress&rsquo; power, such as Joomla or Drupal.  Instead, I was looking at lighter-weight solutions like <a href="https://getgrav.org/">Grav</a>, <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll</a>, and <a href="https://gohugo.io/">Hugo</a>.  I wanted to understand how the user experience fit in with my workflow.</p>



<p>Of all the solutions I tested, each had its advantages.  Each also had features or methods of doing things that wasn&rsquo;t to my taste.  The good thing about the experience was that I was able to identify how I wanted my blogging platform to work for me.  Reading thoughts from others in those communities also allowed me to hear from users outside of the WordPress community about why they loved their preferred blogging system.</p>



<p>I soldiered forward.  Using what I learned from those platforms, I built something that I was happy to use.  It wasn&rsquo;t perfect and would likely never be.  Room for growth is not a bad thing.</p>



<p>During this time, I rekindled my love of blogging with WordPress.  While not always the popular opinion, the block editor felt leaps and bounds better than the classic editor.  It was something I could see myself using regularly.  Aside from my personal blog, I began using it on other projects.  I still write in Markdown every day.  However, I find myself enjoying writing within WordPress&rsquo; editor for the first time in years.</p>



<h2>Why You Should Try New Platforms</h2>



<p>From a developer perspective, it is not a good idea to become complacent and rely on a single system.  Instead of calling yourself a &ldquo;WordPress developer,&rdquo; think beyond that terminology.  Instead, you should be a PHP programmer or JavaScript programmer.  Or, better yet, simply call yourself a programmer.  Programmers solve problems.  The tools or languages are what you use to get from Point A to Point B.</p>



<p>On the job market, being a more well-rounded programmer opens up more opportunities.  While most of us can only hope that WordPress will be the leading platform for the next 10, 20, or 50 years, you should be prepared for any future.</p>



<p>Another benefit of working with other platforms from time to time is that you learn ideas that you can bring back into the WordPress ecosystem.  For example, it is interesting to see how the <a href="https://roots.io/sage/">Sage starter theme</a> implements Laravel Blade&rsquo;s templating engine.  These ideas can help shape WordPress&rsquo; future.</p>



<p>Some ideas can be pushed into core WordPress.  Others can improve team workflows within agencies.</p>



<p>Continuing education benefits the WordPress community as a whole.  Don&rsquo;t limit that education to WordPress-specific ideas.  Learn from the outside and bring it back.</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, 06 Jan 2020 21:19:23 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"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: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:45:"BuddyPress: BuddyPress 5.1.2 Security Release";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:32:"https://buddypress.org/?p=309637";s: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:48:"https://buddypress.org/2020/01/buddypress-5-1-2/";s: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:1190:"<p><a href="https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.5.1.2.zip">BuddyPress 5.1.2</a> is now available. This is a security release. All BuddyPress installations are strongly encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible.</p>



<p>The 5.1.2 release addresses one security issue:</p>



<ul><li>Certain REST API requests could result in the exposure of private data. Discovered and reported independently by <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/walbo/">Petter Walbø Johnsgård</a> and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/finebet/">Jacek Suski</a>.</li></ul>



<p>The vulnerability was reported privately to the BuddyPress team, in accordance with&nbsp;<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/testing/reporting-security-vulnerabilities/">WordPress’s security policies</a>. Our thanks to the reporters for practicing coordinated disclosure.</p>



<p>For complete details, visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://codex.buddypress.org/releases/version-5-1-2/">5.1.2 changelog</a>.</p>



<p>Update to BuddyPress 5.1.2 today in your WordPress Dashboard, or by&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/">downloading from the WordPress.org plugin repository</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:36:11 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"Boone Gorges";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:80:"WPTavern: Pods Framework Loses Primary Sponsorship, Seeks Donors To Fund Project";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96194";s: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:90:"https://wptavern.com/pods-framework-loses-primary-sponsorship-seeks-donors-to-fund-project";s: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:8184:"<img />



<p>Scott Kingsley Clark, lead developer of the Pods Framework, <a href="https://pods.io/2020/01/02/pods-needs-your-help-in-2020/">announced the project was seeking new donors</a> on Thursday.  Automattic, the primary sponsor, dropped out after funding the project since 2012.  This has put the team in a position to seek help for maintaining and supporting the project.  Automattic was previously covering around 90% of the costs.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/pods/">Pods Framework</a> is a WordPress plugin that allows end-users or developers to create and extend custom post types, content types, users, media, and comments.  Essentially, it is a complete content management framework for those who need more than the basics that WordPress offers.  It has well over a dozen <a href="https://pods.io/plugins/">add-on plugins</a> for extra functionality and currently has over 80,000 active installations.</p>



<p>There are <a href="https://friends.pods.io/about-the-team/">six primary contributors</a> to the Pods plugin.  They have also brought on a React developer who is just getting started with UI work on Pods 2.8.  Other than work from the team, the project receives patches and contributions from the larger Pods community.</p>



<p>With the loss of funding from Automattic, Pods is receiving around $700 each month from donors. &ldquo;Once we found out that Automattic was going to focus their sponsorship funding towards other priorities of theirs, we put together a plan of action to reduce overall costs,&rdquo; said Clark.</p>



<p>The team&rsquo;s goal is to have at least 200 sponsors.  The average recurring monthly donation is about $17.  Coupled with their current 40 regular donors, they need an additional 160 at the same donation average to cover costs.  This would at least allow the team to be efficient with their time.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Right now our feature/fix development and support efforts will begin to suffer from lack of funding because we&rsquo;ll be spread too thin,&rdquo; said Clark.  &ldquo;I work a full-time job and can&rsquo;t pick up the extra weight entirely on my own.&rdquo;  Clark&rsquo;s job with Modern Tribe gives him some flexibility to work on the project, but it is minimal and only when time is available.</p>



<p>People who are willing to sponsor the project monthly can contribute via the <a href="https://friends.pods.io/donations/become-a-friend/">Friends of Pods</a> sponsorship page.  The project also has a <a href="https://friends.pods.io/donations/one-time-donation/">one-time donation option</a> for those wanting to go that route.</p>



<h2>Automattic Was Crucial to Success</h2>



<p>In his announcement, Clark said Automattic&rsquo;s decision to pull their sponsorship was because the company wanted to put their funds toward native Gutenberg projects.  Pods is a project that spans beyond Gutenberg.  However, it does have some Gutenberg integration and more features in the works.</p>



<p>Since 2012, Automattic has been the largest sponsor of Pods.  Their funding allowed the team to support and continue developing the plugin.  &ldquo;We&rsquo;re so appreciative of Automattic&rsquo;s support,&rdquo; said <a href="https://twitter.com/podsframework/status/1212792297911443456">Clark on Twitter</a>.  &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve sponsored Pods for over 7 years, I know their decision was a tough one for them.&rdquo;</p>



<p>In 2011, <a href="https://wptavern.com/pods-what-happened-after-the-kickstarter-campaign">Pods surpassed its goal</a> in a Kickstarter campaign.  The project raised over $4,000 with a goal of $1,500.  The campaign was intended to fund the development of Pods 2.0.  In hindsight, the dollar amount was far too low to realistically fund such a complex project.</p>



<p>&ldquo;I naively thought that would be enough to accomplish everything and more we wanted to do for our big Pods 2.0 release,&rdquo; said Clark.  &ldquo;I was really wrong. Adding developers at a late stage in a project can take even more time than you anticipate. I also had to work around those developers&rsquo; schedules and spend time coordinating with them instead of building things myself. It was a huge challenge as I hadn&rsquo;t really led a team on a side project while having a full-time job before.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Clark had to reach into his pocket and put money towards the funding problem.  Yet, the team hit more roadblocks getting Pods 2.0 released.  &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when I reached out to Automattic, which they offered to help out here and there to sponsor some more development&rdquo;, he said. &ldquo;I was at the right job and had the right developers in place to really make the most of that arrangement. I had tons of time on the clock at work to build projects with Pods and I could build features/fix problems every day. With the added help of the funding, we were covered for many years to come.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The arrangement was a blessing for the project, propelling it forward for years.  &ldquo;Without Automattic, we surely couldn&rsquo;t have continued on with the huge undertaking that the Pods 2.0 rewrite was,&rdquo; said Clark.  &ldquo;We would have just shelved everything and only added minor fixes/enhancements to Pods going forward.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Clark described the funding as crucial to maintaining a premium product for free.  &ldquo;Given what I know about many other free products out there, I can see why our support for Pods itself has sometimes been compared to premium support because of the people we could keep involved helping everyone with their project challenges and Pods questions,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>After success with Pods 2.0 and several releases, the Pods team reached back out to Automattic.  They were able to secure more funding with the agreement that they would diversify their funding and bring in more sponsors, which they were able to accomplish.</p>



<h2>What the Future Holds</h2>



<p>Clark is hopeful that they can meet their sponsorship goals.  If not, they may have to explore some commercial options.  However, he said Pods and its primary features will remain free of charge.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Development is not cheap,&rdquo; said Clark.  &ldquo;In fact, we&rsquo;ve thought about diversifying our funding for a while, but ironically our sponsorship agreement with Automattic prohibited us from exploring premium add-ons to help fund more growth.&rdquo;</p>



<p>While the funding was a blessing, it may have also been a crutch.  &ldquo;If we had suddenly gotten millions of active installs to support, we would have been in big trouble,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t scale sponsorships with a growing userbase.&rdquo;</p>



<p>Clark said he is committed to making sure the next three major feature releases go out for free as part of the main Pods plugin, regardless of the funding situation.  &ldquo;I believe in making it easy to build projects in WordPress and some of those features are just really crucial to normal projects,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>The team is exploring the potential for premium add-ons.  However, if going that route, the add-ons would be with useful features that go beyond the core needs of the plugin.  &ldquo;We have some really awesome features that we&rsquo;ve always wanted to do and this could be the avenue to build them while giving huge value to our Friends of Pods,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;This could be an added benefit to them for supporting our project, which they&rsquo;d get as a reward for keeping their Friends of Pods membership active.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The future is uncertain.  The project is not in danger of disappearing at this point.  However, the reality is that development and support have real-world costs that need to be met.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s still too early to know exactly what we can do with the funding we have and what we can expect to get from our 2020 fundraising efforts,&rdquo; said Clark.  &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know if those ongoing funding struggles will prevent us from spending time to build new add-ons to generate new revenue either. It&rsquo;s all up in the air right now.&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, 03 Jan 2020 17:59:56 +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: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:57:"WordPress.org blog: The Month in WordPress: December 2019";s: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=8282";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:72:"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/01/the-month-in-wordpress-december-2019/";s: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:8184:"<p>As 2019 draws to a close and we look ahead to another exciting year let’s take a moment to review what the WordPress community achieved in December.</p>



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



<h2>WordPress 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 Releases</h2>



<p>The WordPress 5.3.1 security and maintenance release was announced on December 13. It features 46 fixes and enhancements. This version corrects four security issues in WordPress versions 5.3 and earlier. Shortly afterwards, WordPress 5.3.2 was released, addressing a couple high severity Trac tickets, and includes 5 fixes and enhancements, so you’ll want to upgrade. You can read more about these releases in the announcements for <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release/">5.3.1</a> and <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-2-maintenance-release/">5.3.2</a>.</p>



<h2>Update on the Nine Core Projects for 2019</h2>



<p>At the end of 2018, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/matt/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>matt</a> <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/12/08/9-priorities-for-2019/">announced</a> the nine projects that would be the main focus areas for Core development in the next year. Have we made progress? Yes! <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>chanthaboune</a> <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/12/06/update-9-projects-for-2019/">posted a full update</a> on the team’s work. In brief, two of the projects have been completed and shipped in major releases, four are targeted for release in versions 5.4 and 5.5 of WordPress, and the remaining three have seen significant progress but are not yet slated for completion. These will continue to see progress throughout 2020.</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>WordPress Major Release Calendar</h2>



<p>The Core team has published <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/11/21/tentative-release-calendar-2020-2021/">a tentative release calendar</a> for 2020 and 2021. This is intended to provide the community with more information about what lies ahead.</p>



<p>The schedule is considered tentative because there are always variables that could affect these plans — not least that the Core team may need more time to finish the work planned for a release.</p>



<h2>Initial Documentation for Block-Based WordPress Themes</h2>



<p>The Gutenberg team has started working on <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/18890/files">the initial documentation</a> for what block-based themes might look like, marking a significant change in the way themes are conceptualized. With full-site editing now a realistic goal for WordPress, themes will certainly look different in the future.</p>



<p>Want to help shape the future of block-based themes in WordPress Core? Following <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/">the Core team blog</a> is a good start! You can also join in on the discussion <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2019/12/04/questions-about-the-future-of-themes/">on this blog post</a>, or help out with the work to <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/master/lib/demo-block-templates/index.html">create a demo space for experimentation with the future of themes</a>. As always, contribution to <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/">Gutenberg on GitHub</a> is open to everyone! Join the #core-editor channel in <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/chat/">the Making WordPress Slack group</a> to see what other people are saying, and contribute your own thoughts.</p>



<h2>Gutenberg Updates Abound</h2>



<p>It’s been a busy month for Gutenberg! Version 7.0, including a new navigation block, <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/11/27/whats-new-in-gutenberg-27-november/">was announced</a> on November 27. This was followed by <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/12/11/whats-new-in-gutenberg-11-december/">version 7.1</a>, announced on December 11; it includes 161 merged pull requests that offer a fresh UI to new users, an option to switch between edit and navigation modes, captions for the table block, and many other enhancements.</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>Arrival of the BuddyPress Beta Tester Plugin</h2>



<p>On December 2, <a href="https://buddypress.org/2019/12/bp-beta-tester-1-0-0/">the BuddyPress Beta Tester plugin</a> was added to the WordPress.org plugins directory. This feature is a great way for the WordPress community to provide early feedback on releases.</p>



<p>You can <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-beta-tester/">download the plugin</a> now. If you find that something is not working as expected during your beta tests, let the BuddyPress team know by submitting a ticket on the <a href="https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/newticket">Development Tracker</a> or posting a new topic in the BuddyPress <a href="https://buddypress.org/support/">support forums</a>.​​</p>



<h2>An Update on the Block Directory in the WordPress Editor&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The Design team received lots of excellent feedback on the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/07/11/block-directory-in-wp-admin-concepts/">early concepts for the Block Directory</a>. This feedback was incorporated into a Version 1 update to the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/tag/block-directory/">#block-directory</a> project. The Block Directory is to be included in WordPress 5.5, which is slated for August 2020. To learn more about the Block Directory, check out <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/12/19/block-directory-in-wp-admin-v1/">this announcement post</a> and help out by sharing your feedback. </p>



<p>Want to get involved in building the Block Directory? Follow <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/">the Design team blog</a>. If you have a block you’d like to include in the directory you can <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/12/06/block-directory-plugin-guidelines/">submit it following the information here</a>. </p>



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



<h2>Further Reading:</h2>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/12/06/block-directory-plugin-guidelines/">Guidelines for the Block Directory</a> have been drafted; the team is actively working on them now.</li><li>The<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020-wordpress-global-community-sponsorship-program/"> Global Community Sponsorship Program for 2020</a> has been announced.&nbsp;</li><li>The Theme Review Team <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2019/12/09/do-not-contact-reviewers-outside-of-the-wordpress-org-system-about-your-review/">has published a reminder</a> for developers about the proper way to communicate with reviewers.</li><li>The Community Team is in the process of <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2019/12/05/community-team-reps-for-2020/">selecting new team reps</a>.</li><li><a href="https://meetup.com/pro/wordpress">The WordPress meetup program</a> crossed the 800-group mark this month and includes groups from more than 100 countries.</li><li>The team that helped to create the 2019 State of the Word slide deck <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/state-of-the-word-the-story-of-the-slides/">shared how the slides were created using Gutenberg</a>, powered by the Slides plugin.&nbsp;</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:"Fri, 03 Jan 2020 17:05:16 +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:"Angela Jin";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:22:"Matt: 29 Books in 2019";s: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=50689";s: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:39:"https://ma.tt/2020/01/29-books-in-2019/";s: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:4460:"<p>As a follow-on to my lists in <a href="https://ma.tt/2017/12/books-in-2017/">2017</a> and <a href="https://ma.tt/2019/01/39-books-in-2018/">2018</a>, here are the books I completed this year. I&#8217;ve linked all to the Kindle edition except the Great Mental Models, which is so gorgeous in hardcover you should get that one, and the The World is Sound isn&#8217;t available as an ebook. Bold are ones I particularly enjoyed or found myself discussing with others a lot.</p>



<ol><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKNZG/">The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coehlo</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079WM7KLS/">21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MHHRQG/">No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LJW4G4/">Imagine it Forward by Beth Comstock</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1999449002/">The Great Mental Models Vol. 1 by Shane Parrish</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MPZNG63/">Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079WNQFZQ/">There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSICPW3/">Less by Andrew Sean Greer</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VW3VM7/">Bad Blood by John Carreyrou</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TMKPD67/">nejma by Nayyirah Waheed</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRJB8WJ/">Trust Exercise by Susan Choi</a> (also on <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1211033245812441091">Obama&#8217;s book list</a>, and based on the high school I went to, HSPVA)</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCK206/">Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GFBNSW/">The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BRSFCC/">The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz, Don Jose Ruiz, and Janet Mills</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CWHYVW5/">Empty Planet by Darrell Bricker</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JTYQJ3K/">Brave New World by Aldous Huxley</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GG0MXI/">How to Talk So Kids Will Listen &amp; Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elian Mazlish</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MPXZYJ7/">Make it Scream, Make it Burn by Leslie Jamison</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JAHG98/">A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G13W75M/">Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0892813180/">The World Is Sound: Nada Brahma: Music and the Landscape of Consciousness by Joachim-Ernst Berendt</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R3MHWUE/">The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W3FM4A/">Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079G6KMVS/">Four Soldiers by Hubert Mingarelli</a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L2F9S6H/">Working by Robert Caro</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049H9AVU/">Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075HYVP7C/">Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012271Z5M/">The Devil&#8217;s Financial Dictionary by Jason Zweig</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLNFRGK/">How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell</a> (also on Obama&#8217;s book list)</li></ol>



<p>What&#8217;s interesting is that if you were to purchase every single one of those books, it would be about $349. You could get them all for nothing from your local library, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200747550">even on a Kindle</a>. The money I spend on books is by far and away the best investment I make every year —&nbsp;books expand my mind and enrich my life in a way that nothing else does.</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, 02 Jan 2020 07:00:34 +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: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:43:"WPTavern: Building the Community We Deserve";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96166";s: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:54:"https://wptavern.com/building-the-community-we-deserve";s: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:4338:"<img />



<p>One of our internal discussions about the future of WP Tavern has stuck with me since it wrapped up.  The discussion was centered on pushing comment threads in the right direction.  We often receive comments that border on conspiracy-theory territory (<em>and those that cross over head first</em>).  We also get comments that make statements of fact without backing up those claims with evidence.</p>



<p>Not all those who make such comments have ill intentions.  The issue is often that the ideas presented in a comment are not fully-fleshed out.  Often, the commentator had not taken the time to shape their words into something that births thoughtful responses.  Such is the nature of comments on the web.</p>



<p>WP Tavern&rsquo;s big goal for 2020 should be about shepherding our community.  Going forward, we will take steps toward fostering better discussions.</p>



<h2>Building Our Community in the New Year</h2>



<p>Shepherding the community is about creating a welcoming environment for everyone.  All of our readers should feel comfortable leaving their thoughts on a given topic.</p>



<p>As a new writer in a long-standing community, I sometimes receive uplifting private messages and emails from community members.  They often have kind words or love the coverage of a specific topic.  The trouble is getting some of those people to engage in the comments.  As my grandma, who would welcome anyone into her home, would say, &ldquo;Y&rsquo;all stop by sometime and chat for a while.&rdquo;  Some people are timid about commenting publicly.  Others feel like they will be attacked or their ideas will be dismissed offhand.  Fostering a community they would feel comfortable participating in is the goal.</p>



<p>The first step toward this goal is an <a href="https://wptavern.com/comment-policy">update to our comment policy</a>.</p>



<p>The intention of our policy has remained the same.  In general, be kind to people.  The updated policy includes some new guidelines on what is unacceptable and some clearer language in some areas.  It would be nice to eventually move back to the point where we no longer moderated every comment before publishing them on the site.  We are not there yet, but I remain optimistic.</p>



<p>The other major plan is around integrating community elements into the site design.  Rest assured that this is something being worked on.  Better showcasing recent comments is high on the list.  However, we can go beyond that by showcasing users with the most comments, top comments by the number of likes, and more.  I have some ideas that I hope to implement this year to make our readers feel like they have more of a stake in the site.  This place is as much about you all as it is about our team.</p>



<h2>Ask the Bartender</h2>



<p>We have quietly added an <a href="https://wptavern.com/contact-me/ask-the-bartender">Ask the Bartender</a> form on the site.  This is our idea of an advice column that you might see in traditional journalism.</p>



<p>At this point, it is experimental.  The plan is to publish a periodic article where one of our writers answers questions from our readers.  This will give you all an opportunity to bring up the big questions that you want our community to discuss.</p>



<p>We do not have an official format for how this will work yet.  It will largely depend on the questions that people submit.  We are open to nearly any type of WordPress-related question right now.</p>



<h2>What We All Can Do</h2>



<p>The biggest thing I ask of the Tavern community that we make 2020 the year that we thoughtfully engage with one another. </p>



<p>More than that, when discussing topics with others online, there is no need to feel like you must win an argument.  That usually leads to nowhere good.  Present your ideas and let them stand on their own merit.</p>



<p>With that idea in mind, think about writing responses in the form of a blog post.  Then, let us know about the post here at the Tavern.  Taking the time to write a post allows your ideas to mature.  Doing this lets you build a stronger argument if you rationally think it through.  Also, WordPress is blogging software at heart.  We should use it more often to blog about WordPress.</p>



<p>Happy New Year, everyone!  Let&rsquo;s make this a memorable one.</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, 01 Jan 2020 21:01:09 +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: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:48:"WPTavern: Reflecting on 2019: The Year in Review";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96134";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:58:"https://wptavern.com/reflecting-on-2019-the-year-in-review";s: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:11823:"<img />



<p>Another year is in the bag.  With a project as large and far-reaching as WordPress, there was no shortage of news and controversy.  We covered a lot of stories in 2019 and are gearing up for another exciting year.</p>



<p>I always like to take a moment at the end of the year to look over everything that happened.  Despite how well a website or project performs, it is good to take stock of each success.  It is a time of reflection.  Even in bad years, you should be able to find positive things to remember.  This helps shape how you view your websites, projects, or even life.  Ending the year remembering those positive things can help propel you into the new year.</p>



<p>It is equally important to find areas for improvement.  However, you cannot understand what the next steps are until you have taken a look at where you have been. </p>



<p>With that in mind, let&rsquo;s take a moment to reflect on the past year&rsquo;s journey for WP Tavern and WordPress.</p>



<h2>WP Tavern Stats</h2>



<p>In 2019, WP Tavern published 382 posts.  That is an increase of 52 posts over 2018.</p>



<p>Average words per post are the highest in WP Tavern&rsquo;s history, coming in at 587 words.  I am certain my long-windedness played a small role in that.  We also had fewer quick posts on the whole.  That is a format we should experiment with more.</p>



<p>Total and average comments are down.  Admittedly, we have been a bit heavy-handed with deleting comments that break our comment policy this year.  Average Jetpack-powered &ldquo;likes&rdquo; per post are at an all-time high (6.9 likes per post).  Total likes are the second-highest for a year (2,614 likes).  We are also seeing a lot of engagement on Twitter.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2020 with social media having such a stronghold on how people engage with one another online.</p>



<p>We need to continue improving both the frequency and the quality of comments.</p>



<h2>The Year in WordPress</h2>



<p>WordPress <a href="https://wptavern.com/happy-sweet-16-wordpress">turned 16 years old</a> this year.  <em>It&rsquo;s old enough to drive now.</em></p>



<p>The community enjoyed three major updates throughout the year:</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-1-improves-editor-performance-encourages-users-to-update-outdated-php-versions">Version 5.1 &ldquo;Betty&rdquo;</a> improved editor performance and encouraged users to update PHP.</li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-jaco-released-includes-fatal-php-error-protection-and-a-recovery-mode">Version 5.2 &ldquo;Jaco&rdquo;</a> included PHP fatal error protection and a recovery mode.</li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-3-kirk-released-brings-new-default-theme-editor-improvements-and-ui-tweaks">Version 5.3 &ldquo;Kirk&rdquo;</a> introduced the Twenty Twenty theme and made significant UI tweaks.</li></ul>



<p>Most of the year was focused on the Gutenberg plugin and porting its features and improvements into WordPress.  WP Tavern covered nearly <a href="https://wptavern.com/tag/gutenberg">everything you ever wanted to know about Gutenberg</a>.</p>



<p>Matt Mullenweg&rsquo;s <a href="https://wptavern.com/state-of-the-word-2019-recap-all-roads-lead-to-the-block-editor">2019 State of the Word</a> primarily focused on the work that went into the block editor in the past 12 months.  He also outlined the next phases of the project, which include full-site customization, collaboration between post authors, and multilingual sites.</p>



<h2>Alex Mills (Viper007Bond) Passed Away</h2>



<p>In February, the WordPress community lost one of its greatest members, Alex Mills, as his <a href="https://wptavern.com/alex-mills-ends-his-battle-with-leukemia">battle with leukemia ended</a>.  Alex was a mentor and hero to many of us.  As a developer, I learned more from his work than I may ever be able to pay forward.  We never met in person, but he was one of my early teachers by simply leading the way for people like me.</p>



<p>His <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/regenerate-thumbnails/">Regenerate Thumbnails</a> plugin also saved me countless hours over the years.  I cannot imagine building or testing WordPress themes without it.  <a href="https://wptavern.com/automattic-adopts-alex-mills-plugins">Automattic adopted the plugins</a> Alex built during his WordPress journey.</p>



<p>Alex, thank you for everything you contributed to the WordPress community.</p>



<h2>Favorites From 2019</h2>



<p>The following are various WordPress and Tavern-related things that I found most interesting throughout 2019.</p>



<h3>Posts From Tavern Writers</h3>



<p>We have had numerous well-written stories from everyone who has contributed in 2019.  The following are personal favorites from contributors other than myself that I wanted to highlight before we close the year out.  </p>



<p>These are my favorites for various reasons and presented in no particular order.  Sometimes, I liked the content of the article.  At other times, I appreciated them for how well-written they were.  If you missed them, now is a good time to hop back and check out some stories our team has written this year.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-governance-project-flagged-as-unsanctioned-first-meeting-set-for-january-15">WordPress Governance Project Flagged as Unsanctioned, First Meeting Set for January 15</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/gpl-author-richard-stallman-resigns-from-free-software-foundation">GPL Author Richard Stallman Resigns from Free Software Foundation</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-and-david-heinemeier-hansson-discuss-wordpress-market-share-monopolies-and-power-in-open-source-communities">Matt Mullenweg and David Heinemeier Hansson Discuss WordPress Market Share, Monopolies, and Power in Open Source Communities</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/proposal-to-auto-update-old-versions-of-wordpress-to-4-7-sparks-heated-debate">Proposal to Auto-Update Old Versions of WordPress to 4.7 Sparks Heated Debate</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-tumblr-plans-to-rebuild-the-backend-powered-by-wordpress">Automattic Acquires Tumblr, Plans to Rebuild the Backend Powered by WordPress</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-one-year-later">Gutenberg: One Year Later</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/possibilities-of-a-cms-in-the-spatial-computing-future">Possibilities of a CMS in the Spatial Computing Future </a></li></ul>



<h3>My Articles</h3>



<p>I am closing in on 70 posts since becoming a fulltime contributor to WP Tavern.  This job has allowed me to explore a variety of topics in a few months, and I look forward to continuing this into 2020.  I enjoyed writing many stories, but there were two that I was particularly happy to have the opportunity to cover.</p>



<p>The first was my coverage of the <a href="https://wptavern.com/u-s-supreme-court-denies-dominos-appeal-to-determine-whether-websites-must-be-accessible">U.S. Supreme Court&rsquo;s denial of Domino&rsquo;s appeal</a> to determine whether its website must be accessible to all of its customers.  This story helped me jump far outside my comfort zone of strictly writing about WordPress and development topics.  It was also a stark reminder that we, as a community, need to become better at making the web accessible for all people.</p>



<p>The post I enjoyed working on the most was <a href="https://wptavern.com/chilean-news-publication-el-soberano-first-to-launch-on-newspack">El Soberano&rsquo;s launch on Newspack</a>.  The interesting thing about covering this story was not the actual re-launch of the publication.  It was getting to chat with other journalists, particularly those who were down in the trenches and fighting for justice.  It reminded me that, at the end of the day, journalism is always about people.</p>



<h3>Favorite Theme</h3>



<p>This was an easy pick.  <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwenty/">Twenty Twenty</a> takes the top spot on my list.  There were themes released this year with designs better-suited to my tastes.  There were certainly other themes pushing more limits in terms of functionality.</p>



<p>What I like most about Twenty Twenty is that it seems unafraid to be bold.  It showcases how a theme can have personality while being designed around the block editor.  I am not sure if I would ever use it for my sites simply because it&rsquo;s not my preferred style.  However, I appreciate its artistic merit.</p>



<h3>Favorite Plugin</h3>



<p>While it was not released in 2019, <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/">GiveWP</a> is the most interesting plugin I have used this year.  It is a fundraising plugin that allows WordPress users to accept donations directly from their website.</p>



<p>I worked with the plugin in two capacities this year.  The first was as a plugin developer who was building an integration between it and another plugin.  As a developer, I appreciated how well-written and well-documented the code was.  The team behind the plugin includes top-notch programmers.</p>



<p>I also helped push a couple of friends to set it up for their projects.  Both were pleased with their experiences.</p>



<h2>Top 10 Posts From 2019</h2>



<p>The following posts are the most-commented posts of the year.  Loads of comments typically mean controversy around here, so this list may contain, more or less, the most controversial topics of the year.  Either way, there are some great discussions in some of the comment threads.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wp-taverns-new-design-no-more-wood-grain">WP Tavern&rsquo;s New Design: No More Wood-Grain</a> <em>(91 comments, 32 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/jetpack-7-1-adds-feature-suggestions-to-plugin-search-results">Jetpack 7.1 Adds Feature Suggestions to Plugin Search Results</a> <em>(76 comments, 8 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-one-year-later">Gutenberg: One Year Later</a> <em>(75 comments, 29 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/pluginvulnerabilities-com-is-protesting-wordpress-org-support-forum-moderators-by-publishing-zero-day-vulnerabilities">PluginVulnerabilities.com is Protesting WordPress.org Support Forum Moderators by Publishing Zero-Day Vulnerabilities</a> <em>(64 comments, 10 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/black-friday-banner-gone-wrong-advertising-in-free-plugins">Black Friday Banner Gone Wrong: Advertising in Free Plugins</a> <em>(59 comments, 20 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/justin-tadlock-joins-wp-tavern">Justin Tadlock Joins WP Tavern</a> <em>(52 comments, 45 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/yoastcon-overshadowed-by-twitter-storm-joost-de-valk-seo-industry-leaders-called-out-for-objectifying-women">YoastCon Overshadowed by Twitter Storm: Joost de Valk, SEO Industry Leaders Called Out for Objectifying Women</a> <em>(37 comments, 5 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-poised-to-begin-implementing-proposal-to-auto-update-older-sites-to-4-7">WordPress Poised to Begin Implementing Proposal to Auto-Update Older Sites to 4.7</a> <em>(36 comments, 4 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/rebirth-of-creativity-gutenberg-and-the-future-of-wordpress-themes">Rebirth of Creativity: Gutenberg and the Future of WordPress Themes</a> <em>(33 comments, 41 likes)</em></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-3-kirk-released-brings-new-default-theme-editor-improvements-and-ui-tweaks">WordPress 5.3 &ldquo;Kirk&rdquo; Released, Brings New Default Theme, Editor Improvements, and UI Tweaks</a> <em>(32 comments, 24 likes)</em></li></ul>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 31 Dec 2019 21:06:09 +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: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:85:"WPTavern: WordPress Theme Review Team Announces Alpha Color Picker for the Customizer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96116";s: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:96:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-theme-review-team-announces-alpha-color-picker-for-the-customizer";s: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:5142:"<img />Using the color picker in the customizer.



<p>The WordPress Theme Review Team <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2019/12/30/new-color-alpha-package-available/">announced its color picker control</a> today.  The project is a single package that allows theme authors to include an advanced color control in the customizer.  The control allows users to select a hex color with an optional alpha channel to handle transparency.</p>



<p>The color control is the fourth feature package released by the team in 2019.  The <a href="https://wptavern.com/justin-tadlock-proposes-idea-to-solve-common-theme-issues">idea for feature packages</a> took off in June.  Feature packages are repositories for single features that theme authors may use in their themes.  Their purpose is to standardize common features so that developers do not have to <em>recreate the wheel</em>, so to speak.</p>



<p>Arguably, the color control is the most complex package the team has built.  The bulk of the work was handled by feature packages lead, Ari Stathopoulos.  The project is available via its <a href="https://github.com/WPTRT/control-color-alpha">GitHub repository</a> and <a href="https://packagist.org/packages/wptrt/control-color-alpha">Packagist</a>.</p>



<p>Officially, the team launched version 1.0 in October, but the project has undergone some changes since its release.  Initially, the project utilized the Iris color picker script included with WordPress.  However, the team ran into trouble making it work as they wanted with RGBA colors.  The team refactored the project to use <a href="https://casesandberg.github.io/react-color/">React Color</a> instead.</p>



<p>&ldquo;The main issue with this project was the thing that WordPress is most famous for &mdash; backward-compatibility,&rdquo; said Stathopoulos.  &ldquo;Compatibility is one of WP&rsquo;s greatest assets, but at the same time, a pain for developers. Things don&rsquo;t get updated because they need to work for plugin A/B/C that hasn&rsquo;t been updated in 6 years. So scripts like the Iris picker, things that were great half a decade ago, have been abandoned and are just dead weight. RGBA support could easily have been in WP core&rsquo;s picker.  There was always a demand for it.  But it never happened.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The team decided to move forward without relying on past solutions.   Stathopoulos said the biggest hurdle with building the control to use React Color was making it look native to WordPress.  He described the project as an example for others to see that it was possible to use React in the customizer.</p>



<p>Setting up the control with the basics is relatively easy.  Theme authors should be able to quickly integrate it into their themes by following the <a href="https://github.com/WPTRT/control-color-alpha/blob/v1.1.2/README.md#usage">usage instructions</a>.  Color data is stored as a hex value (e.g., <code>#000000</code>) if there is no transparency or as a RGBA value (e.g., <code>rgba(0,0,0,0)</code>) if there is.</p>



<p>The control does come with more advanced features.  For example, it is possible to store color data as an array, which includes a slew of information, such as:</p>



<ul><li>RGB (red, green, blue)</li><li>HSL (hue, saturation, lightness)</li><li>Alpha transparency</li><li>Hex</li><li>CSS value</li><li>Accessibility properties</li></ul>



<p>The accessibility properties are interesting and may allow theme authors to help to ensure users choose colors that meet accessibility standards.  Some of the included data is the color&rsquo;s luminance, contrast with white and black, max contrast color, and more.</p>



<h2>The Future of Feature Packages</h2>



<p>Currently, the TRT&rsquo;s feature packages are not widely adopted by theme authors.  The overall project is still in its infancy.  In the wake of the news that WordPress will be moving toward full-site editing, the team is not sure what that will mean for the project going forward.</p>



<p>Stathopoulos said that some theme authors are hesitant to do big things at the moment.  It&rsquo;s a tough sell to get developers on board when the future of theme development is in a holding pattern, waiting for the other Gutenberg shoe to drop.</p>



<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been discussing and thinking of what packages we should build,&rdquo; said Stathopoulos.  &ldquo;The problem is that the editor is the centerpiece of WordPress.  Everything else just surrounds the editor.  Gutenberg is expanding, and it looks like it&rsquo;s taking over everything else in WordPress. So we think the next packages should be around the editor too.&rdquo;</p>



<p>He said some of the initial package ideas like a standardized hook system, more customizer controls, and accessible menus may not be the best route.  Those ideas may not make sense in the context of a block-editing world.  The team could see the launch of such packages dead on arrival.</p>



<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tricky, transitional period for themes and theme developers,&rdquo; said Stathopoulos.  &ldquo;We all need to learn how to better leverage the editor.&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:"Mon, 30 Dec 2019 20:28:28 +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: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:52:"WPTavern: What Should an Author Bio Block Look Like?";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=96070";s: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:62:"https://wptavern.com/what-should-an-author-bio-block-look-like";s: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:"<img />Two author bio block mock-ups compared.



<p>Joshua Wold, co-representative for the WordPress design team, <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/12/23/author-card-block-exploration/">shared an early exploration</a> of an author card block.  Community members explored several ideas at the design table during the contributor day at WordCamp US 2019.  In the post, Wold followed up on the original sketches from that melding of design minds.</p>



<p>The original idea for the author block was a <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/1844">GitHub ticket</a> created in July 2017, but it was far ahead of its time.  The Gutenberg project needed to focus on the basics and more common blocks for post content at that point.  Now is the time to shift gears and begin work on these more complex blocks that will likely be a large part of the full-site editing phase of the project.</p>



<p>Currently, there are several proposed components to the author block:</p>



<ul><li>Image/Avatar</li><li>Name</li><li>Description/Biography</li><li>Website Link</li><li>Social Network Links</li><li>Recommended Posts</li></ul>



<p>I am on the fence about a recommended posts option as part of the block.  If they were recommended posts written by that author, it could be an interesting concept to explore.  However, version 1 of the block should focus on the most common elements, which the other components in the list cover.</p>



<p>Wold asked four key questions about the future of the block.  The following are my responses to each.</p>



<h2>What Is the Value of the Block and How Will It Be Used?</h2>



<p>Coming from the theme world, what surprises me is that WordPress has never standardized on this feature at this point.  Author bio sections are commonplace in theme development.  Core should have standardized this feature years ago.  We have a standard search form, comment list, featured image, and more.  Many of the features that WordPress has standardized over the years were born out of theme designers carving the path forward, and author bios are no different.</p>



<p>It has long made sense for an author bio template tag to exist.  However, we are living in a block world.  The concept has merely shifted.</p>



<p>We do not need an author bio block today.  We will need it tomorrow.  As we shift closer and closer to full-site editing, we need to be building, iterating, and testing these types of blocks in preparation for the point of no return.  This block, along with similar blocks, should drop in core at the same time the switch is flipped on full-site editing.</p>



<p>The primary use case will be for end-users to edit their theme&rsquo;s block templates to stick the author bio at the end of their single post views.  However, such a block need not be limited to that scenario.  Users could create a &ldquo;team&rdquo; or &ldquo;authors&rdquo; page on their site.  Some may want to drop these into columns or create some sort of gallery of author bios.</p>



<p>I could see taking this even further and naming it a &ldquo;user bio&rdquo; block.  Use cases do not have to be centered around the concept of an author.</p>



<h2>Where Should the Author Data Come From?</h2>



<p>The primary, or at least initial, source of data should come from user data and metadata stored in the database.  It does not make sense to duplicate efforts by retyping content within the block if it already exists.</p>



<p>One big question will be around social icons.  If these are a part of the block, there is no current source to pull the URLs from.  If automatically generating the data, WordPress will need to add social media contact methods to the user profile screen in the admin.  That can be a slippery slope when deciding which social networks to include.  However, core WordPress could stick to three or four major networks and provide a filter hook for plugin authors to utilize along with a standard for how additional fields are handled.</p>



<p>There is also the possibility that this block could simply be a pre-defined pattern of existing, smaller blocks that pulled in data like a user biography, user social icons, and user avatar.  Then, the site owner could move other blocks in and out as they saw fit.</p>



<h2>What Block Design Options Should Be Available?</h2>



<p>The obvious design options are the standard text color, background color, and font size options.  <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/16848">Border design options</a> would be a bonus, but that goes beyond the scope of this specific block.</p>



<p>The standard alignment options would be welcome, particularly center, wide, and full.  An alignment option for the avatar image to shift it left or right could also be useful.  It could work similarly to the existing Media &amp; Text core block.</p>



<p>I would not go overboard with design options.  Let theme authors create custom block styles for users to choose from.  That is the theme author&rsquo;s job.</p>



<h2>What Additional Features Should the Block Handle?</h2>



<p>Outside of an avatar and biography, a social icon list is the most necessary feature.  It is almost ubiquitous with author bio boxes.</p>



<p>What I would like to see is an author/user &ldquo;gallery&rdquo; block that builds upon this initial idea.  At the moment, I am already imagining the painful user experience of creating a team page and putting individual user bio blocks into columns.  Then, I am further imagining having to update that page and potentially move columns around.  As an end-user, there are times when I want to micro-manage certain aspects of my site.  This would not be one of them.  Just give me a simple block to list user bios in some sort of columnized format.</p>



<p>Such a block could provide an avenue for many types of options.  Maybe an option to list authors of a certain post type.  Perhaps an option to list users by role.  Or, let me list the top users by post count.</p>



<p>This idea may be pushing over into plugin territory.  However, in terms of what I would want to do with my sites, this would be high on the list.</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, 27 Dec 2019 20:00:24 +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: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:18:"Joseph: 2020 Style";s: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:37:"https://blog.josephscott.org/?p=17917";s: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:51:"https://blog.josephscott.org/2019/12/27/2020-style/";s: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:951:"<p>With the year 2020 fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to change up the style on <a href="https://blog.josephscott.org/">blog.josephscott.org</a>.  To that end, I&#8217;m trying out the <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwenty/">Twenty Twenty WordPress theme</a>.</p>
<a href="https://blog.josephscott.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/screenshot-blog-josephscott-org.png"><img src="https://blog.josephscott.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/screenshot-blog-josephscott-org-450x1024.png" alt="" width="450" height="1024" class="size-large wp-image-17932" /></a>blog.josephscott.org
<p>One of the things I&#8217;m really happy to see in the Twenty Twenty theme is the use of <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwenty/pull/163">vanilla JavaScript, without jQuery</a>.  I&#8217;m hopeful that more WordPress themes will follow that pattern ( jQuery has been great, but if you don&#8217;t need it, don&#8217;t use 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:"Fri, 27 Dec 2019 18:02:43 +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:11:"josephscott";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: Rank Math SEO Plugin Adds WordPress Block Editor Support";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=95921";s: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://wptavern.com/rank-math-seo-plugin-adds-wordpress-block-editor-support";s: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:5310:"<p>The team behind the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/seo-by-rank-math/">Rank Math SEO plugin</a> released an update that includes full support for the block editor on December 18.  The update includes around two dozen features, improvements, and fixes.  The biggest feature update was the inclusion of a new plugin sidebar for the block editor.</p>



<p>Some of the new features include a filter for unlimited focus keywords, an email notification each time the plugin is automatically updated, and a warning when using the review Schema type.  It also improved compatibility with the Elementor plugin&rsquo;s sitemap module and added Advanced Custom Fields integration to the sidebar.  A full list of features is available in the plugin&rsquo;s <a href="https://rankmath.com/changelog/">public change log</a>.</p>



<p>The team has a <a href="https://s.rankmath.com/demo">public demo available</a> for end-users to test the plugin without having to install it on their sites.</p>



<p>Bhanu Ahluwalia, co-founder and CMO at Rank Math, said that everyone on the team had been experimenting with the Gutenberg plugin since the first beta was released.  &ldquo;We had some experience with Gutenberg, but working on Rank Math has taught us so many things and helped us on so many levels,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>It was not always a smooth journey.  Ahluwalia said the team wanted to keep the plugin lightweight and not sacrifice speed with new technologies.  &ldquo;We had to learn React, Webpack, ES6, etc.,&rdquo; he said.  &ldquo;In essence, we had to re-learn patterns, practices, and pitfalls of Gutenberg, and we had to do it all with little-to-no documentation available. We had to dive deep into the code and get ourselves familiar with every line of code to ensure nothing interfered with the existing functions of our plugin.&rdquo;</p>



<h2>Testing the Block Editor Sidebar</h2>



<img />Rank Math sidebar as seen in the block editor.



<p>Immediately upon activating the update, I noted the Rank Math button at the top right of the editor.  Admittedly, I was not happy with the space the button took up or its difference in design when compared to other plugin sidebar buttons.  Instead of a simple icon, the button includes both an icon and an SEO score.  As more and more plugins and themes begin adding sidebars of their own, this space could become cluttered quickly.  I would like to see this scaled back to simply be an icon and not take up precious screen real estate.</p>



<p>The plugin manages to pack a ton of options and information into a tight spot.  Once viewing the plugin sidebar, it presents four sub-tabs (General, Advanced, Schema, and Social), each with custom panels or sections.  While I am not generally a fan of complex SEO plugins and prefer solutions such as <a href="https://wptavern.com/slim-seo-keeps-options-simple-and-handles-the-legwork-of-seo">Slim SEO</a>, the plugin handles the interface gracefully.</p>



<p>In comparison to the old meta boxes, the interface is a huge step up.  The meta box system used in previous versions of the plugin or with the current Classic editor is cumbersome at best.  The team had to get more creative to pull off a solution for the sidebar, which forced them to tighten up the interface.</p>



<p>Not all users were happy with the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-really/">narrow space</a> provided by the new sidebar.  The Rank Math team was ahead of the game and included a <a href="https://rankmath.com/kb/filters-hooks-api-developer/#disable-gutenberg-sidebar">filter hook to disable</a> this feature.  Disabling will return the old-style meta box at the bottom of the post-editing area.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Supporting both the Classic Editor and Gutenberg at once with a single plugin is hectic to say the least,&rdquo; said Ahluwalia. &ldquo;We would rather put our energy into a single editing experience, but seeing how WordPress is evolving after Gutenberg, we have to double our efforts to offer a consistent user experience.&rdquo;</p>



<p>At the moment, the team plans to continue supporting the classic editor until at least 2022.  &ldquo;Depending on the user feedback and the acceptance of the Classic editor, we can continue to support it even further,&rdquo; said Ahluwalia.</p>



<p>The Rank Math also team shared a video of block editor support on Twitter:</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#127881; Here's a sneak preview of Rank Math's upcoming major update which adds <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gutenberg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gutenberg</a> support &ndash; now it's even easier for people using the latest version of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WordPress</a> to use Rank Math <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SEO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SEO</a> &#128285;<br /><br />Want to take the Beta for a spin now? Join us on Facebook<a href="https://t.co/Ykfhj2d5Z1">https://t.co/Ykfhj2d5Z1</a> <a href="https://t.co/E1ItpD0b4B">pic.twitter.com/E1ItpD0b4B</a></p>&mdash; Rank Math SEO (@rankmathseo) <a href="https://twitter.com/rankmathseo/status/1198226289129189376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 23 Dec 2019 19:53:12 +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: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:45:"BuddyPress: BuddyPress 5.1.1 Security Release";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:32:"https://buddypress.org/?p=309527";s: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:48:"https://buddypress.org/2019/12/buddypress-5-1-1/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1122:"<p><a href="https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.5.1.1.zip">BuddyPress 5.1.1</a> is now available. This is a security release. All BuddyPress installations are strongly encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible.</p>



<p>The 5.1.1 release addresses one security issue:</p>



<ul><li>A denied of service was fixed that could allow a logged in user to remove another user&#8217;s avatar and also any empty folder. Discovered by <a href="https://hackerone.com/nomnom">nomnom</a>.</li></ul>



<p>Thi vulnerability was reported privately to the BuddyPress team, in accordance with&nbsp;<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/testing/reporting-security-vulnerabilities/">WordPress’s security policies</a>. Our thanks to the reporter for practicing coordinated disclosure.</p>



<p>For complete details, visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://codex.buddypress.org/releases/version-5-1-1/">5.1.1 changelog</a>.</p>



<p>Update to BuddyPress 5.1.1 today in your WordPress Dashboard, or by&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/">downloading from the WordPress.org plugin repository</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 23 Dec 2019 09:45:07 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"Mathieu Viet";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i: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:78:"WPTavern: Version 1 Prototype of the WordPress Admin Block Directory Announced";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=95946";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:89:"https://wptavern.com/version-1-prototype-of-the-wordpress-admin-block-directory-announced";s: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:7139:"<p>Mel Choyce-Dwan shared the first version of the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/12/19/block-directory-in-wp-admin-v1/">WordPress admin block directory prototype</a> the design team has been working on.  The goal is to bring the block directory to the admin in WordPress 5.5, which is currently <a href="https://wptavern.com/progress-on-wordpress-2019-projects-sets-2020-roadmap">set for August 2020 on the roadmap</a>.  The post also outlines reusable components that can be used in other areas of the admin in the long term.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/Y4jCNPkjCuSRiGYEoaAZujhm/Gutenberg-Block-Directory-wp-admin?node-id=1460%3A277&viewport=366%2C373%2C0.25&scaling=min-zoom">Figma prototype</a> is available for those who want to give it a test run.  It is important to remember that this is an early version and many things can change by the time the block directory lands in WordPress.</p>



<p>The prototype was built after feedback from the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/07/11/block-directory-in-wp-admin-concepts/">first round of concepts shared</a> in July on the Make Design blog.</p>



<p>For this admin project to be successful, WordPress plugin developers will need to start submitting blocks to the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/block/">block directory</a> on WordPress.org.  At the moment, there are only 10 blocks listed.  Getting in early will give block authors an edge on the competition.  The block directory has a few <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/12/06/block-directory-plugin-guidelines/">additional guidelines</a> beyond normal plugins that authors should review.</p>



<h2>About Blocks Screen</h2>



<img />About Blocks admin screen.



<p>The About Blocks screen is the primary blocks admin screen.  It appears to be an informational page with resources for users to learn more about using blocks on their sites.  It also has links to development resources for designing and building blocks.  </p>



<p>Making this information directly available, especially to users, would be a smart decision if it makes it into the final design.  As we move toward an entirely new way to build websites with WordPress, it is important to provide learning tools to users.  This seemed to be one of the missing components when the block editor first launched in core.  If done right, it could ease the burden on new users and old users who are transitioning to the new editor.</p>



<p>The above screenshot also shows the new admin screen header proposal.  The page title is followed by a short description of what the screen is about.  Followed the intro are action links on the left and meta-type links on the right.  I am a fan of the generous use of whitespace and extra information.</p>



<h2>Add Blocks Screen</h2>



<img />Add Blocks screen.



<p>The <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/Y4jCNPkjCuSRiGYEoaAZujhm/Gutenberg-Block-Directory-(wp-admin)?node-id=1460%3A2958&viewport=366%2C373%2C0.25&scaling=min-zoom">add blocks screen</a> is similar to the current new plugin screen in the WordPress admin.  The primary &ldquo;Featured&rdquo; tab (the tab opened when first visiting the screen) is broken down into various sections, such as &ldquo;Blocks We Love&rdquo; and &ldquo;Popular Tags.&rdquo;</p>



<p>One of the more interesting sections of this page is the &ldquo;Top Authors&rdquo; list.  This concept would be a great way to give recognition to block authors who are building useful blocks for the community.</p>



<p>There is also a &ldquo;Recent Blocks&rdquo; section near the bottom of the page.  I would rather see a top tab for that.  It feels a bit buried in the current design.  New plugin and theme authors already struggle to break into popular lists.  Recently-added blocks should be higher up the page or have a dedicated tab/page to showcase them a bit more.</p>



<h2>Installed Blocks Screen</h2>



<img />Installed Blocks screen.



<p>The <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/Y4jCNPkjCuSRiGYEoaAZujhm/Gutenberg-Block-Directory-(wp-admin)?node-id=1460%3A2958&viewport=366%2C373%2C0.25&scaling=min-zoom">block installation screen</a> is similar to the existing installed plugins screen in core and lists all of the blocks that are installed.  There are also active and inactive tabs.  Improvements here are primarily around list table design.  On the whole, they are minor adjustments, but the look of the tables is much nicer.  <em>Can we have this in core, across the board, now?</em></p>



<p>A new element is the &ldquo;Instances&rdquo; column, which lists the number of times a block has been used on the site.  By clicking the number, you are taken to a new screen that lists the posts the block has been used in.  It also displays the instances for each post.  This would be a useful feature for deciding whether to deactivate or remove a block.</p>



<p>Side note to this:  I have worked on numerous projects in the past where I was doing cleanup and attempting to figure out if a plugin, especially those with shortcodes, were in use on the site.  Showing the instances count for blocks is brilliant.</p>



<h2>Manage Blocks Screen</h2>



<img />Manage Blocks screen.



<p>Plugins such as <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-options/">EditorsKit</a> have had built-in block management for a while.  However, this feature feels like it should be in core WordPress.  There are numerous core blocks that some users will likely never use.  Having the ability to hide them from the block inserter will reduce clutter and make it easier to find the blocks they need.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/Y4jCNPkjCuSRiGYEoaAZujhm/Gutenberg-Block-Directory-(wp-admin)?node-id=1460%3A14224&viewport=366%2C373%2C0.25&scaling=min-zoom">block management screen</a> will allow users to activate or deactivate any specific block on their website.  Like the block installation screen, it also displays the number of instances a block is in use.</p>



<h2>Reusable Blocks Screen</h2>



<img />Reusable Blocks screen.



<p>The <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/Y4jCNPkjCuSRiGYEoaAZujhm/Gutenberg-Block-Directory-(wp-admin)?node-id=1460%3A15861&viewport=366%2C373%2C0.25&scaling=min-zoom">reusable blocks screen</a> is already available in WordPress.  It does not currently have an admin menu link, so it is not easily discoverable.  You can view it by going to the <code>yoursite.com/wp-admin/edit.php?post_type=wp_block</code> URL or clicking the &ldquo;Manage All Reusable Blocks&rdquo; link under the &ldquo;Reusable&rdquo; tab in the block inserter.</p>



<p>This screen allows users to manage blocks that are stored for reuse within multiple posts.  Like the installation and management screens, the prototype displays an instances column for tracking how often the block has been used.</p>



<p>Users can import and export reusable blocks.  It will be interesting to see if more WordPress users start sharing their block creations with others once this screen has better exposure or if it will be something people simply use to copy blocks from site to site.</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, 20 Dec 2019 21:09:12 +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: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: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:53:"WPTavern: WordPress 5.3.2 Addresses a Handful of Bugs";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=95927";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:64:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-3-2-addresses-a-handful-of-bugs";s: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:2810:"<p>On December 18, less than a week since <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-3-1-includes-security-and-bug-fixes-accessibility-enhancements-and-twenty-twenty-changes">WordPress 5.3.1 security update</a> shipped to the masses, the core team dropped a <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-2-maintenance-release/">version 5.3.2 maintenance release</a>.  No security issues were named in this update.  Instead, 5.3.2 addresses a couple of high-priority bugs along with a few other issues.</p>



<p>Users with automatic updates enabled should already be updated to the latest version or will receive an update soon.  Other users should update as soon as they are able, especially if their installation is affected by any of the following issues.</p>



<p>The first high-priority fix addressed an issue with modified post objects that have an invalid date.  The fix ensures that the <code>get_feed_build_date()</code> function handles this scenario.  The documentation was updated to clarify the function will return <code>false</code> on failure.  This change also led to a comparison-check fix in the test tools when inserting a post with a future or published status.</p>



<p>The second major bug fixed in 5.3.2 was an edge case where unique file names could clash.  On case-sensitive systems, the <code>wp_unique_filename()</code> function failed to rename some files when the uploaded file matched an existing file with an uppercase file extension.  The fix addresses a fatal error in those cases.</p>



<p>Developers tackled another issue with the <code>wp_unique_filename()</code> function.  When a destination directory for an uploaded file was unreadable, WordPress was throwing PHP warnings.  The fix includes only running the final filename-collision test for files that are saved to the user&rsquo;s <code>/uploads</code> directory.</p>



<p>Building off the accessibility work in the previous release, buttons with the <code>.active</code> class are now properly styled in the non-default admin color schemes.  On some screens, particularly the Permalinks admin screen, active buttons had white text on a light gray background, making them unreadable.</p>



<p>Users who wish to do so, can <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-3-2/">view the full release documentation</a> from WordPress.</p>



<p>With the widespread usage of automatic updates, it would be nice to see more of these quicker releases during the development cycle.  Maybe weekly releases are a bit much.  However, shipping a few extra minor releases between major upgrades would be a good opportunity to knock out some of the 6,500 Trac tickets on <a href="https://wptavern.com/progress-on-wordpress-2019-projects-sets-2020-roadmap">WordPress&rsquo; 2020 roadmap</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Fri, 20 Dec 2019 00:19:41 +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: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:55:"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.3.2 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=8275";s: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/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-2-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:2828:"<p>WordPress 5.3.2 is now available!</p>



<p>This maintenance release features 5 fixes and enhancements.</p>



<p>WordPress 5.3.2 is a short-cycle maintenance release. The next major release will be&nbsp;version 5.4.</p>



<p>You can download WordPress 5.3.2 by clicking the button at the top of this page, or visit your<strong>&nbsp;Dashboard → Updates</strong>&nbsp;and click&nbsp;<strong>Update Now</strong>.</p>



<p>If you have sites that support automatic background updates, they’ve already started the update process.</p>



<h2>Maintenance updates</h2>



<p>Shortly after&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release/">WordPress 5.3.1 was released</a>, a couple of high severity Trac tickets were opened. The Core team scheduled this quick maintenance release to resolve these issues.</p>



<p>Main issues addressed in 5.3.2:</p>



<ul><li>Date/Time: Ensure that&nbsp;<code>get_feed_build_date()</code>&nbsp;correctly handles a modified post object with invalid date.</li><li>Uploads: Fix file name collision in&nbsp;<code>wp_unique_filename()</code>&nbsp;when uploading a file with upper case extension on non case-sensitive file systems.</li><li>Media: Fix PHP warnings in&nbsp;<code>wp_unique_filename()</code>&nbsp;when the destination directory is unreadable.</li><li>Administration: Fix the colors in all color schemes for buttons with the&nbsp;<code>.active</code>&nbsp;class.</li><li>Posts, Post Types: In&nbsp;<code>wp_insert_post()</code>, when checking the post date to set&nbsp;<code>future</code>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<code>publish</code>&nbsp;status, use a proper delta comparison.</li></ul>



<p>For more information,&nbsp;<a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&type=!task+(blessed)&resolution=fixed&milestone=5.3.2&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority">browse the full list of changes on Trac</a>&nbsp;or check out the&nbsp;<a href="https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-3-2/">version 5.3.2 HelpHub documentation page</a>.</p>



<h2>Thanks!</h2>



<p>Thank you to everyone who contributed to WordPress 5.3.2:</p>



<p><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/azaozz/">Andrew Ozz</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/rarst/">Andrey &#8220;Rarst&#8221; Savchenko</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/">Dion hulse</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/eden159/">eden159</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/">Jb Audras</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryelle/">Kelly Dwan</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/pbiron/">Paul Biron</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/sergeybiryukov/">Sergey Biryukov</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/tellyworth/">Tellyworth</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, 18 Dec 2019 22:42:26 +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: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: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:64:"WPTavern: One-Time vs. Recurring Payments for WordPress Products";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=95900";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:74:"https://wptavern.com/one-time-vs-recurring-payments-for-wordpress-products";s: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:6248:"<p>Jeff Starr posed the question at Digging into WordPress: <a href="https://digwp.com/2019/12/pricing-model-better/">Which Pricing Model Do You Prefer: One-Time or Recurring?</a></p>



<p>It is not the first time the question has been asked in the WordPress community and will not be the last.  It is important that we keep coming back to it from time to time.</p>



<p>In the early days of the commercial WordPress ecosystem, many shops sold products for a one-time fee.  This was particularly true during the 2007-2010 years, which were what many dub the &ldquo;WordPress themes heyday,&rdquo; a period in which theme shops raked in tons of cash due to lack of competition.</p>



<p>As the market became more saturated, many businesses saw the writing on the wall.  One-time fees for commercial themes or plugins did not make for a sustainable business model.  Of course, some companies pushed forward with that model.  They were either large enough to capitalize on an influx of new customers every year or they continued to push out new products for existing customers to buy.</p>



<p>Today, most theme and plugin shops utilize a recurring business model.  Many of those shops also set up automatic renewals.  From a business perspective, companies need to keep existing customers while bringing in new buyers to continue maintaining, supporting, and building new features for the current product catalog.  Companies also need growth to build new products.  A recurring fee helps ease the burden of supporting and maintaining the existing products.</p>



<p>Pippin Williamson <a href="https://pippinsplugins.com/automatic-license-renewals-twenty-months-later/">saw massive revenue growth</a> over 20 months after turning on automatic renewals across his company&rsquo;s various products.  Other companies have seen similar increases with the same model.</p>



<p>As a former business owner, I <em>dumb-lucked</em> my way into yearly, recurring payments.  When I first launched a theme shop in 2008, that was the model I went with.  I did not know a single thing about running a business except that money exchanged hands.  I was in my early 20s and accustomed to living off minimum wage, digging change from the couch to buy a value meal, and finding creative ways &mdash; short of dumpster diving &mdash; to scrape by.  Anything better than that was a success for me.  Recurring payments just made sense, especially because I was vastly undercutting my competitors in price.  That one decision helped sustain my business for many years.  In hindsight, I would not have had the little success I had with a single-payment model because I never brought in enough new customers.</p>



<p>Having worked on the business end of WordPress for over a decade and being a member of the community for even longer, it is easy for me to say most companies should use a recurring business model.</p>



<p>However, as a software customer in general, I have not always maintained that mindset.  There are many pieces of software that I loathe paying for each year.  This was particularly true before running a business that dealt with software.  There is a part of me that feels some shame for disliking the recurring model with non-WordPress software.  Those businesses need to pay their employees and afford to continue making the product better.</p>



<p>On the other hand, there is always that part of me that simply wants to pay for something once and always have access to it.  Perhaps I am a product of my culture.  Software is unlike other art forms where Version 1.0 is the finished product.  Customers do not always see the work that goes on to maintain, support, and continue building a product.  That is certainly true when I look at non-WordPress software.</p>



<p>For WordPress products, I am always more than happy to pay a recurring fee because I have been on the other side.  I also get to talk with others every day who are trying to run their own companies.  That human variable in the equation changes how I view software in the WordPress ecosystem in a way that is much harder with other software.</p>



<h2>A Middle Ground</h2>



<p>Starr pointed out a middle-of-the-road option that few WordPress companies take but is often the model used for other software products.  Major releases of software carry an upgrade fee while minor and patch releases are included with the initial purchase.  Often, major software releases have years in between.  Customers may not feel like they are constantly having to pay for updates in this system.  Major upgrades also mean feature upgrades.  Features are what sell the product to the average end-user.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview">Scrivener</a>, a writing program for authors, uses this model.  Instead of having to pay yearly, I can upgrade to the new, shiny version when it drops with loads of features.  As a customer, I feel like I am getting something tangible when forking over the cash for an update.</p>



<p>Perhaps I am happy to continue paying for software that helps me pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a novelist.  Perhaps the company simply knows how to sell to its customer base.  Either way, it is one piece of software that I have never complained about renewing.</p>



<h2>What is the Best Option?</h2>



<p>To answer the question posed by Starr, I will always prefer a one-time fee as a customer simply because it is in my nature to want to pay the least amount I can for anything.  However, I would prefer most WordPress businesses to go with whatever model is most sustainable for their specific business.  We are all in this boat together, and I wish growth for the ecosystem.</p>



<p>One of the missing pieces with many WordPress plugin and theme shops is that they need to find creative ways to sell the customer on coming back.  Support and maintenance can be eye-catching for agencies and freelancers, but they are not always selling points for the average consumer after that initial purchase.</p>



<p>Right now, there is a sense of complacency as WordPress-related businesses have stuck with similar recurring options over the last several years.  It might be time for someone to shake things up.</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, 18 Dec 2019 20:37:31 +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: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:76:"WPTavern: Bluehost Launches Premium WordPress Theme Marketplace to Customers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:29:"https://wptavern.com/?p=95726";s: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:87:"https://wptavern.com/bluehost-launches-premium-wordpress-theme-marketplace-to-customers";s: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:5675:"<img />Screenshot of the Bluehost Marketplace from the customer dashboard.



<p>In November, web hosting provider Bluehost <a href="https://www.bluehost.com/blog/bluehost-news/introducing-wordpress-themes-to-the-bluehost-marketplace-12981/">launched a WordPress plugin and theme marketplace</a>.  The company integrated with <a href="https://www.mojomarketplace.com/">MOJO Marketplace</a> to provide access to WordPress products via its customer dashboard.  Currently, the marketplace is open to third-party theme developers.  Plugin authors will have to wait, but they will eventually be able to sell their plugins through the Bluehost Marketplace.</p>



<p>By integrating with MOJO Marketplace, much of the existing infrastructure and products are already in place.  Bluehost can simply offer the products to its customers through a custom-built interface and provide MOJO sellers with another avenue for distribution.</p>



<p>The idea behind the marketplace is for Bluehost&rsquo;s customers to be able to build their websites without ever leaving their control panel.  &ldquo;Ultimately, we are trying to save customers time and energy from having to hunt for these things themselves and instead work within the dashboard to find the themes and plugins that are best fit for their site,&rdquo; said Suhaib Zaheer, general manager for Bluehost.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Our native marketplace also provides our customers with the ability to automatically install the themes and plugins they have purchased, reducing the amount of time and number of steps required to get their site appearance and functionality up and running,&rdquo; he said.</p>



<p>The Bluehost Marketplace currently has over 900 themes and 18 WooCommerce plugins for customers to choose from.  The themes are all viewable via the <a href="https://www.mojomarketplace.com/themes/wordpress">WordPress themes page</a> on the MOJO website.  All themes uploaded by sellers go through a manual review process by the Bluehost Marketplace team before approval.  This includes basic items like design quality, functionality, installation, and documentation.</p>



<p>There is also a &ldquo;Bluehost Certified&rdquo; filter available to users who want to use themes that have been further tested for quality control.  &ldquo;We conduct additional reviews to certify themes for our Bluehost Certified category on a quarterly basis,&rdquo; said Zaheer .</p>



<p>There appear to be 85 themes that are Bluehost Certified based on a screenshot acquired of the marketplace.  However, that number is not verified.  The MOJO Marketplace page does not appear to have a filter to view these, but it is available to users of Bluehost&rsquo;s hosting service.</p>



<h2>Selling on the Bluehost Marketplace</h2>



<p>Theme developers who want to sell themes via Bluehost can apply through <a href="https://mojosupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/200823136-Sellers">MOJO Marketplace</a>.  Authors should note that they would like to be Bluehost Certified.  </p>



<p>Theme sellers who want to get certification must meet the <a href="https://my.bluehost.com/hosting/help/certified-wordpress-themes">Bluehost Certified guidelines</a>.  Some are fairly normal and would be expected in today&rsquo;s market such as responsiveness, browser compatibility, fast load times, and active support from the author.</p>



<p>Others are a bit of a head-scratcher.  </p>



<p>Certification requires that themes support page builders.  It&rsquo;s unclear which page builders need to be supported and what level of support is necessary.  Ideally, this would be the other way around.  Page builders should be built in such a way that they do not need theme-specific support.</p>



<p>Demo content is required.  It is not clear if the requirements simply mean to provide an installable XML file with demo content or for the theme to output demo content in the absence of user content.  Based on the description, it seems like the latter.  If so, I would not want any part of that as a potential theme author.  I could see requiring the use of the WordPress starter content feature in this case but nothing more.</p>



<p>The requirements also list &ldquo;plugins supported&rdquo; with no additional description.  <em>Good luck to theme authors figuring out exactly what that means.</em></p>



<p>Bluehost needs to make its Bluehost Certified page more detailed to be attractive to potential theme authors.  There are far too many unanswered questions.</p>



<p><a href="https://mojosupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001076306-Commission-Rates">Commission rates</a> are the same rates as other themes on the MOJO Marketplace.  Themes sold exclusively through the marketplace earn between 50% and 70% based on the number of sales.  Non-exclusive theme commissions are at a flat rate of 50%.  Both exclusive and non-exclusive authors can distribute their themes through the Bluehost Marketplace.</p>



<p>&ldquo;Theme sellers are welcome to set the price of their item,&rdquo; said Zaheer.  &ldquo;However, we recommend they stay within $49-$69 range. If the review team does not feel the price is uniform with other themes in the same category, they will request a price change in order to be sold on the Marketplace.&rdquo;</p>



<p>The pricing recommendation seems to be a bit on the low end, but it is consistent with the theme industry&rsquo;s race to the bottom.  Quality theme work should be at least double.</p>



<p>Fortunately for theme authors, pricing is based on yearly renewals.  They are required to offer technical assistance within 24-48 hours while a user&rsquo;s yearly support license is up to date.</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, 17 Dec 2019 20:40:48 +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: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:62:"WordPress.org blog: State of the Word: the story of the slides";s: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=8233";s: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://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/state-of-the-word-the-story-of-the-slides/";s: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:8021:"<p>During the State of the Word at WordCamp US 2019, Matt Mullenweg shared that Gutenberg was used to create his slides and the presentation was powered by the Slides plugin. Using WordPress to power a slide deck isn’t an obvious choice, so we wanted to showcase the process and give some tips for making slide layouts using Gutenberg.</p>



<p><em>This post is co-written by Ella and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/karmatosed/">Tammie</a>, who (along with <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/">Mel</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/mapk/">Mark</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/nrqsnchz/">Enrique</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/itsjonq/">Q</a></em> <em>and a cast of supporters) helped create this year’s State of the Word slide deck.</em></p>



<h2>How it Started</h2>



<p><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ellatrix/">Ella Van Durpe</a> was selected to speak at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWNhUPrqB4">JSConf</a> and ReactEurope and wanted slides for her presentation.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the past, she’d used Reveal.js to create slides and enjoyed the freedom to create anything using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. These languages were comfortable, familiar, and also can be published on the web in their native format.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For these new presentations, she wanted to use Reveal.js again but didn’t feel like writing all the HTML by hand. Creating blocks of content visually, without having to actually write any code, which can be published natively to the web, is exactly what Gutenberg was built for.</p>



<p>The plugin was prototyped quickly, with hardcoded styles on the slides and zero options. At the end of each presentation, Ella shared a brief demo of the Gutenberg-based slides and the audience was amazed.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ellatrx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ellatrx</a> any chance you might open source this? <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="