The WP Minute

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute Eric Karkovack looks at the freedom afforded by running a freelance WordPress business. Along the way, he examines the process of finding your place in the industry and finding happiness. Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute Our Matt breaks down Matt Mullenweg’s keynote at WordCamp US 2025! Get the highlights and honest reactions to the most important moments, including: Whether you missed the keynote or want a thoughtful recap, this episode covers the key takeaways and what they mean for the future of WordPress. Subscribe to The WP Minute for more insights, news, and community updates! Matt's video on Telex AI by Automattic https://youtu.be/t5dRm70FnSg Mullenweg's Keynote WCUS https://youtu.be/45HRzzc0waU?si=DIhxDiqwGNzAPWTL Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute Register for FREE. Monday August 18th at 1PM EST The Dog Daze of Agency Summer is a live, interactive webinar for WordPress agency owners looking to beat the late-summer slump. Matt Medeiros, Kurt von Ahnen, and Toby Cryns will share strategies to keep momentum high when client decisions slow down, contracts stall, and teams drift into vacation mode. We’ll explore how to use this seasonal downtime to prepare for a strong fall season. From internal planning to energizing your team and sharpening your sales pipeline. Key Takeaways + Turn downtime into prep time – Use the summer lull to refine processes, update proposals, and revisit client strategies. + Reignite team motivation – Tactics to keep staff engaged and productive before the busy fall rush. + Jumpstart stalled sales – How to nurture leads and tee up contracts so they’re ready to sign after Labor Day. + Plan for Q4 success – Align your marketing, sales, and project delivery for a strong close to the year. + Engage with peers – Live Q&A and open dialogue with other agency owners facing the same seasonal challenges. \ Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute In this episode of The WP Minute Podcast, Eric Karkovack welcomes Zachary Hamed and Matthew Achariam, co-founders of Clay, a personal relationship management tool recently acquired by Automattic. They examine how Clay unifies fragmented contact data from various platforms, like Gmail, iMessage, Notion, Facebook, and ChatGPT, into a beautifully designed and user-owned system for managing relationships. Zachary and Matthew discuss Clay’s origin story, their strong focus on design, data ownership, and privacy, and how AI features like Nexus are transforming personal outreach. They also share how their deep-rooted history with WordPress and open-source culture helped make the acquisition by Automattic feel like a natural evolution. Looking ahead, they tease potential WordPress integrations focused on people and relationships, and how Clay can amplify identity and CRM use cases across the Automattic ecosystem. Key Takeaways: Important Links: The WP Minutethewpminute.com/subscribeClay’s Website Accelerating Clay’s mission with Automattic Automattic Welcomes Clay Play With Clay Matthew Achariam Zachary Hamed Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe It’s a tough time to be a WordPress freelancer. The entire ecosystem seems to be shifting beneath us, as we’ve witnessed legal battles and community drama. Not to mention a newfangled technology – artificial intelligence (AI) – taking over the planet. None of this is good for stability or our confidence. It’s natural to wonder what it all means for the future of freelancing. Are we doomed or just in a time of transition? I know my business has changed in the past year. Leads for new site builds have morphed into requests for maintenance. It feels like we’ll never get back to the way things were. Perhaps that’s true. It doesn’t mean the future isn’t bright, though. There’s still value in what we do. Recognizing it is the first step to finding success in a new era. So, consider this a pep talk for you, my fellow freelancer. Let’s have a collective mental reset to help us focus on what’s next. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, I unpack the big announcement behind FAIR — the Federated and Independent Repository — a new package manager initiative under the Linux Foundation. Scooped by The Repository and launched during WordCamp Europe week, FAIR promises decentralized plugin and theme distribution for WordPress, reducing reliance on wordpress.org and introducing a new governance model for the ecosystem. On paper, that’s a huge shift. But I’ve got more questions than answers. Why the Linux Foundation? Is this really just for WordPress? And what does “a replacement for the ecosystem” even mean? For freelancers, agency owners, and power users like you and me, the pitch feels abstract. FAIR might offer technical insurance, but what does it actually do to help us build faster, better, more sustainable sites today? This episode is less about hot takes and more about critical thinking — exploring FAIR from the lens of a working professional in WordPress, not someone living in contributor Slack channels. I want to know how this changes our day-to-day, and whether FAIR will drive real innovation… or just become another layer of complexity. Key Takeaways: URLs Mentioned: FAIR press release from the Linux FoundationThe Repository's FAIR coverageAspirePressWPCCAlt Ctrl Org livestream ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe founder of 10up and now a Partner at Fueled, to talk about a major agency evolution. Jake shares the journey from founding 10up in 2011 to its merger with Fueled in 2023, culminating in a rebrand that sees the combined entity operating under the Fueled name. He explains the motivations behind the merger, including the desire for diversification, access to broader resources, and positioning for enterprise-level digital transformation projects. Jake also discusses the continued investment in open-source plugins such as ElasticPress, ClassifAI, and Distributor, which reflect Fueled’s commitment to supporting the WordPress ecosystem while solving real client problems. The conversation touches on the shift toward full site editing (FSE), the agency’s custom internal toolkit, and how AI and no-code tools are transforming the web development landscape. Jake’s new role allows for a better work-life balance and a renewed focus on brand storytelling and strategic initiatives. Key Takeaways: Important Links: Fueled Fueled Merges with 10up To Deliver Superior Customer Experiences Fueled for the Future: A Renewed Brand How Fueled Built Its New Website in 8 Weeks ClassifAI Distributor ElasticPressJake Goldman on LinkedIn ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe Being a freelance web designer often means dealing with disruption. Sometimes, it’s a client who needs a new feature built ASAP. But it can also come from a shakeup in the technology we use. Artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly been a disruptive force. It has upended our workflows and made some of us wary of its presence. Are these apps here to help us or replace us? Perhaps AI site builders are the most cringe-inducing tools of them all. They claim to take the guesswork out of website creation. You don’t need to know code or how to pick a font pairing. Provide a few details, and you have a functioning website. Several companies have released AI-based site generators; WordPress.com is among the latest. Our own Matt Medeiros took it for a spin. He “chatted” with a friendly bot that wanted to know more about his website needs. Within minutes, he had a website powered by WordPress. These tools aren’t producing top agency-level websites just yet. Maybe they’re a novelty for the time being. But they’ll improve. With that comes the worry of their impact on freelancers. Will our potential clients choose a bot over a seasoned expert? Let’s explore what AI site builders could mean for the future of freelancing. Do they signal the end of an era? Or are they just another tool for the DIY crowd? ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe The web was once a bastion of free and cheap things. Free tools and services catering to professionals and novices were abundant. And even things that cost money were relatively affordable. This climate has been a boon to freelancers, agencies, and clients. WordPress and its ecosystem are prime examples of this in action. A free content management system (CMS) with a thriving market for themes and plugins has boosted many businesses. Meanwhile, third-party services like hosting and APIs allowed us to do more without spending a fortune. That meant lower costs to pass on to clients. It helped keep our services more affordable to small and medium-sized organizations and created the expectation of cheaper websites. Those days appear to be ending (if they haven’t already gone the way of the dodo). WordPress product pricing continues to increase, as do the other services we rely on. It’s all making for a difficult conversation with clients. No one wants to pay more for the same thing. But it’s an unavoidable part of the current landscape. So, how do you approach clients with the bad news? It’s all about preparation and communication. Let’s explore ways to take the sting out of the discussion. ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe Freelancers have plenty of options for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). It seems like a new tool or five comes out each week. And that doesn’t include existing products with bolted-on AI features. The hype train has morphed into a rocket ship. This is great for OpenAI and other product makers, as they rake in cash and tons of publicity. But what about the rest of us? Specifically, those of us who make a living with WordPress. Are we gaining anything more than a few dog-and-pony tricks? Most importantly: Can AI help us make more money? There’s some debate to be had on that last question. Some fear that AI will replace humans or devalue what we do. That using the technology will lead to our untimely demise as designers and developers. But maybe there’s another way. Perhaps we can use AI to empower us rather than weaken our industry standing. I believe it’s possible. Let’s look at ways AI might help build our businesses. ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe The web design industry is maturing. New projects used to be the lifeblood of freelancing, and companies spent money on feature-packed websites to establish themselves online. But those opportunities seem fewer and farther between these days. Don’t get me wrong. New projects will continue to be a money-maker. But there are fewer gigs to go around and competition is fierce. Relying solely on this strategy is more challenging than ever. I’ve seen evidence of this in my business. Prospective clients are more likely to ask me about maintaining their existing WordPress site rather than building a new one. It’s a disappointing development on one hand. Building a new site is the “fun” part of this business as opposed to the messiness of working with one built by someone else. Even dealing with a site you built years ago is no picnic. This shift could have some long-term benefits, though. It may be key to a freelance business that thrives into the future. Let’s talk about why maintenance matters. ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe As consumers, we are trained to crave what’s new and improved. It’s all about that massive feature launch or the illusion of getting more for your money. I can understand the appeal. Having the latest and greatest product gives us bragging rights – and maybe more productivity. That’s why a new iPhone comes out every few months. Who wouldn’t want that? Well, bigger isn’t always better. I believe that theory applies to the evolution of WordPress. Big changes can be clumsy and require us to adapt. That can temporarily negate any advantage we’re supposedly gaining. Think about the switch from the Classic Editor to Gutenberg in WordPress 5.0. Everyone from users to developers to product makers felt the impact. You could cut the anxiety with a chainsaw. Not to mention that it took years for many of us to adapt. Things are great now, but still. It does offer a renewed appreciation for the smaller (AKA ‘boring’) improvements, though. The little things that enhance accessibility, performance, security, and stability. That’s what professionals need. They help us get more done and provide peace of mind. Let’s discuss how these little things can add up and why we may see them more often. ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe Technical debt is an inevitable challenge for WordPress freelancers who have been in the industry for an extended period. Websites, tools, and services age, while outdated code, incompatible plugins, and inefficient workflows can accumulate. That creates obstacles that hinder progress. The key to success is proactively managing and minimizing technical debt to improve stability and efficiency. Eric Karkovack outlines several strategies for mitigating technical debt, including creating a maintenance plan for websites, monitoring third-party dependencies, and regularly reviewing business tools and processes. By proactively addressing potential issues—such as updating software, selecting reputable service providers, and modernizing workflow systems—freelancers can prevent disruptive surprises and maintain client trust. The goal is to make strategic decisions prioritizing stability while preparing for inevitable technological changes. That ensures a smooth path forward in an ever-evolving technical landscape. ★ Support this podcast ★

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe You can use WordPress to build all kinds of websites. There are no hard limits when it comes to looks or functionality. That freedom is powerful. You can build sites that handle eCommerce, memberships, and large databases. You can tie in with third-party APIs and create headless front ends. However, such power may be overwhelming to freelancers. Each type of site has its intricacies – learning them can be difficult. And some are more profitable and relevant to your business than others. That’s a good reason to find a niche. Developing preferences for site type, client type, and price range helps narrow your focus. From there, you can find projects that fit you best. The result is a leaner, more efficient freelance business. In addition, you’ll become an expert in your field. How does it work? And how do you find your niche? We’ve got some tips for discovering and doing what you like best with WordPress. Be Open to Different Types of Projects If you’re new to freelancing or don’t have a niche yet – don’t worry. Determining your path is part of the fun. You might as well treat it as an adventure. Keep an open mind as you look for new projects. Pay particular attention to the types of sites you haven’t built before. The same goes for plugins and clients in different industries. Don’t be afraid to consider the unfamiliar. Perhaps that sounds counterintuitive. How can you develop a niche and be open-minded at the same time? It’s all about gaining experience. If you’ve only built brochure-style sites – how will you know if eCommerce is a good fit? You’ll only learn by rolling up your sleeves and trying. The trick is to find projects that won’t overwhelm you. For example, a site that sells a single product could be the perfect match for a beginner. Avoid sites that require a heavy dose of expertise. The more types of projects you complete, the more data you’ll gather. Use it to understand your pros, cons, likes, and dislikes. Look for Opportunities That Match Your Preferences For this section, we’ll assume you have some experience building different kinds of websites. And perhaps you’ve found a potential niche. The next step is to look at the market and identify opportunities to make it work. Dedicating yourself to a niche is great – but it must be sustainable. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck working on projects that don’t match your preference. They might also get in the way of booking ideal gigs later on. Let’s look at a few examples: Medical-Related Websites In this scenario, we’re focusing on a specific industry: the medical field, which is large and has a variety of potential niches. That includes doctor’s offices, suppliers, non-profit organizations, etc. It might make sense to pick one or two of these subgenres to start. But which ones? Here are some things to consider: Geography:Connections:Features:Budget: Competition:The above factors will help you determine whether the niche fits and give you ideas for standing out in the marketplace. Membership Websites and Online Communities Next, we’ll focus on a particular type of website. This niche is all about building online communities designed to serve members. The need for membership sites spans across industries and non-profit organizations. The factors in our first example still apply. However, some extra considerations revolve around technology: Plugins:extensionsThird-party services:Organizational size:The technical side of a niche is challenging and subject to change. But having a solid plan provides a great place to start. To Expand Your Niche or Not? There are a few reasons why you might want to expand your niche. Sometimes they’re too narrow and don’t generate enough revenue. In addition, the skills you’ve acquired in one area might also apply to others. It’s an opportunity for growth in either case. The...

There are a lot of advantages to being a freelancer. One of them is that you can work from anywhere. No need for a brick-and-mortar location means saving money. It’s also pretty nice that WordPress is free to use. A savvy business owner can get started without spending a lot. Even so, there are some significant costs involved. A quality web host isn’t cheap. And the WordPress ecosystem is known for its wealth of subscription models. You’ll also pay out the nose for internet service, hardware, and experts like accountants. Your spending can add up quickly – more than you realize. And keeping track can be cumbersome. Subscriptions renew on different dates and vendors don’t always alert you. Prices go up – including those tempting promotional deals you signed up for. Before you know it, your bank account is running low. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to save money. A little research will help you identify unnecessary costs and ways to cut corners. The result is a boost to your bottom line with minimal sacrifice. It’s easier than you think! Let’s look at ways to cut costs for your WordPress freelance business. How Much Are You Spending? The first step to cutting costs is to understand how much you spend. That will let you know where you stand and you can compare the totals after you’ve made some budget cuts. It requires keeping track of what you spend. Accounting software or a spreadsheet will help you stay informed. Short of that, you can look through bank statements for the details. Look for any purchases related to your business, such as: The WP MinuteThose are the basic costs coming out of your pocket. However, there may also be items that aren’t so obvious. For example, consider payment gateway fees. Services like PayPal and Stripe collect a fee each time you receive a payment. The bigger the payment, the more they take out. The cost can be significant, so it’s something to be aware of as you consider spending. Dig deep to learn how much money is leaving each month. You might be surprised at what you find. Look for Corners to Cut and Places to Save Once you have a list of items that cost you money, you might find a few that are no longer needed. That could be anything from an app you don’t use to an add-on to your hosting account. For instance, themes and plugins often collect virtual dust. Pay particular attention to items you purchased during Black Friday or similar sales. If you don’t actively need them, they’re raiding your bank account. Cancel them before their next renewal. You might also find products or services you can cut back on. Many subscriptions are tiered and offer more features for a higher fee. Do you need the level of service you’re paying for? If not, that’s a good place to save cash. Web hosting is a common area in which to overspend. If you don’t need the storage and bandwidth allotted to your account, it’s OK to downgrade. Oh, and don’t forget about any domains you own. They’re easy to buy when an idea pops into your head. But what if you didn’t follow through with the project? Each renewal is just a yearly reminder of our procrastination. You might as well cancel or try to resell them. It’s easy to collect items you don’t need. Maybe they once served a purpose. Or perhaps you were waiting for the right time to use them – and the time never came. The good news is that you can eliminate them just as easily. Find Cheaper Ways to Get What You Need There are also ways to save money on the things you need. Sometimes, it requires a little work or patience, but it is often well worth the effort. Product bundles are a good example. Some WordPress plugin authors will give you a deal when licensing multiple items. It makes sense when you’re working within ecosystems like WooCommerce. Just be sure that you’ll use everything that’s included. Timing also matters when it comes to making a purchase. As we mentioned, Black Friday deals can tempt us to...

Click here to follow the WP Minute+ podcast. It's where all of the podcast episodes have been going. In today's episode I'm sharing additional thoughts on Automattic vs WP Engine and where I stand with covering it. ★ Support this podcast ★

Imagine if Wix invested in open source? Imagine if Wix gained on WordPress? Imagine if Wix conquered our beloved CMS? Imagine if Wix focused on one area in WordPress: Data Liberation. I don’t think the closed-source CMS will supplant tens of thousands of WordPress professionals 1-click installing WordPress for their clients any time soon, even with their aggressive marketing tactics. With a whole section devoted to their open source initiative documented at wix.engineering, including a behind the scenes look at how they scale their platform for 100’s of thousands of users, it’s obvious they know the importance of connecting with developers. So why not call the bluff? Matt Mullenweg just mentioned in his summer update at WordCamp Europe that the Data Liberation initiative isn’t moving as fast as he’d hoped. He wants to unlock customer website content (and other data) proprietary CMS’s like Wix hold hostage from their users, if they decide to migrate away. What an amazing opportunity for Wix (and others) to take part in for the greater good of WordPress, open source, and all users of the web! I agree with one of Kevin Geary’s points: I don’t believe there’s a master plan coming from the sidelines at Wix. They are a product and profit first company, their core product isn’t open source. Automattic on the other hand, “started” with an open source product and now it’s trying to build the profit first part of their business. More of that in my last post, What Would We Do with the Keys to the Kingdom? Open source winning doesn’t mean that WordPress wins at every front. It shouldn’t. It can’t, really. We’ve lost the plot if we think that our goal is to build a defense against these other CMS platforms. Instead of devising a timeline where WordPress must win at all costs, we should be advocating and demonstrating the WordPress way to these commercial entities. Look, I don’t think it’s an easy task, but if anyone from Wix is listening — spending a few $100k in engineering time to create a plugin that sync’s data to/from a WordPress install is probably money well spent — much more than sponsoring a YouTuber. In the end, users win, which is the ultimate goal. The optimist in me hopes that the more proprietary brands sees the value in this type of portability, the more they might be enticed to go deeper investing in other parts of open source. Heck, imagine if you could install the Gravity Forms plugin on your WordPress site AND a Wix site — what a world that would be. But I’m not foolish, I know that these are epic challenges and largely not part of mainstream software’s agenda, or Automattic’s for that matter. I also know that the idea of wanting other platforms to look more attractive for developers means that WordPress could certainly look less appealing through the same lens. There’s a model here that we’ve halfway unearthed. It’s worked for 21 years. Instead of the goal to have WordPress installed everywhere, maybe it’s the impression of our community that should be spread first. Do we need to be more than 50% of the web? Can Wix and others have their share so long as they become good stewards of open source? My fear isn’t that other platforms will conquer WordPress, but that open source WordPress in collaboration with Automattic can’t move fast enough to find its footing. Loose terrain not just built on the rough edges of UI & UX decisions, but the lack of deep bonds threaded throughout the community. The stuff that gets challenged every day. More transparency from leadership, Automattic truly investing in partnership with us, and community members treating everyone with respect and integrity — across the board. Finally, a problem AI can’t solve, WordPress thriving because of humans. In the battle for a dominate CMS, it’s hard to pick a winner or a loser, because the real fight should be for more choice, everywhere. ★ Support this podcast ★

I wonder if people are generally upset that Mullenweg has control of “WordPress” or that he has control over a large chunk of the “open web.” Placing his irresponsible reactions aside for a moment, I think we should abstract why we might feel the way we do. The fight “for WordPress” is futile. It’s a distraction really. One must stop vying for shared control over the decision making, the features, and the direction. You either choose to participate and leave your mark in the direction it’s being lead (contributing, debating, communicating, etc), or just simply observe. There is no clawing away ownership. What would you do if you had shared control? What would we all do? Vote in Github for every single feature? “Hey you got a few minutes to hop on a Zoom call?” How long would that process take? Who gets to vote in the process? If you serve clients now, you already know how painful design by committee is — is that what thousands of people would do in order to choose the next default theme? The point I’m making is: I’ve yet to hear a real solution to the perceived problem, just complaints that we’re not in control and it’s mostly an Automattic driven project. I’ve worked too many jobs where “the company gets to decide the direction.” And guess what happens? No one does, because they don’t want to challenge the boss, rather have a stable paycheck, and just want to move on with their lives. Which might be happening at Automattic, but certainly would be the case if leadership ceded control to “us.” A great product needs a single leader to set the vision and guide the organization. If not Matt Mullenweg, who? Anne McCarthy? Rich Tabor? Matias? Fact of the matter is, you can still enjoy everything WordPress has to give you regardless of who holds the reigns: 4 freedoms, a career, an open source app to publish with, and a community to share in all of that. It’s too challenging, near impossible, to make any large changes to the overall direction of WordPress if we the people had control. In other words, the community most likely won’t have their “Gutenberg” moment. We can, certainly try to influence others to be the change, and that’s our best approach. Facing Goliath head-on isn’t the smart play. Influencing others around the community is. We need to be more open and communicative to the core contributors and decision makers throughout the project. Support them, provide great feedback loops — have some empathy. Being a keyboard warrior around every design decision you don’t agree with doesn’t help anyone. So why aren’t more people up in arms about this leadership thing? It’s the lack of demand. The demand is there to improve WordPress, and that’s what is happening regardless of how you feel about its current iteration or Mullenweg as a leader. Even with all of the flagrant fouls he’s tossed around, he remains in control of WordPress and that’s that. I’m not saying any of these issues are okay — but that it hasn’t rippled throughout the community enough to cause more people to stand up, and walk out. GoDaddy could always start their own WordPress. It’s a bitter taste, I get it. I see WordPress as a critical link in the open web’s infrastructure. As much as I enjoy being a critic on the product side of WordPress, I’m much more interested in its survival for the open web’s sake. WordPress is getting better, its existence encourages a more open web and decentralized approach for publishers. It’s the best tool with mass appeal to compete with closed source systems. And I generally believe that Mullenweg wants an open web, which is great in the longterm for all of us. As DHH put it, open source is neither a community nor a democracy. People show up to do the work, for the benefit of us all. And I say: Reap those benefits! Be a good steward of WordPress, help it thrive — we all continue to gain net positive. We’re moving in the direction of a more clear business model for Automattic over the next few years: WordPress.com vs...

Get all the links here. With the beta of WordPress 6.6 releasing, and seeing the advancements being made with site building features like Overrides for Synced Patterns — I can’t help but be excited for where WordPress is headed. And I know you might have your druthers with it all, but I’m hoping you invest now because the future is bright for our favorite platform. Building websites with AI isn’t convincing me all that much, even if our Pillar sponsor Bluehost promises me a robot friend to help me build whatever I want with WordPress. Seriously, check it out. I like to be in control of the process, tune the things I need, craft a layout that hits the right marks for my brand. Give me a bunch of patterns, blocks, and some ready-made templates and I’ll adjust the 10% that’s leftover. The Rockbase theme does a great job at this. I recently used it on a new project, Our Beloved Medium, a 6-part audio documentary highlighting the impact of radio throughout history. Coming soon. Blocks, patterns, templates, all jiving together in your new web development canvas — the browser. It’s the no code process users have been longing for since Visual Composer left your site with a bunch of unhinged shortcodes. This is an exciting time, and it’s something we should be sharing with others. We need to keep WordPress thriving, even if you’re using some other tool to build your pages — WordPress remains your foundation. Rocio Valdivia highlighted that even with the number of in-person events on the rise, new attendees to WordPress events have declined. In the post, she prompts us with these 4 questions: 1. What motivated you to attend your first WordPress event? What were you hoping to gain or experience? 2. If you’ve organized an event in the past couple of years, what relevant feedback have you heard from new to WordPress attendees? 3. What unique value or benefit do you find at other non-WordPress events that you think could bring value to our WordPress events? (for attendees, organizers, and sponsors) 4. What type of new event or content do you think would be great for attracting and keeping new WordPress users (of any level) to WordPress events? If you look at the graph, which starts to decline in 2017 (and putting aside COVID; though a massive contributor) I feel this follows the same dip of WordPress burnout — exhaustion? — that we felt when Gutenberg was first announced. I’ve talked about this in the past, but the roll-out of Gutenberg came with a perfect storm: In tech years WordPress was already ancient. There was a rise in proprietary tools like Shopify and Wix that satisfied the lizard brain a lot of us early adopters in tech are looking for. The communication of it all was highly criticized (including yours truly), but looking back, I couldn’t use the classic editor to build pages or write blog posts ever again. Then you thrust the whole industry into warp speed with COVID and lockdowns — yeah, I’m still trying to gather my braincells too. Take a step back and ask yourself: Are you NOT excited for this software? Or are you just fighting the current because you don’t like change? I’m not talking about the politics of it all, I think it’s something you can abstract from WordPress the software, but to deeply evaluate the enjoyment of building a site with WordPress. When Wordpress events were at their height, WordPress was fresh & exciting. But most importantly, we needed a place to learn more about it. The advancements of the site editing experience can be that revival moment for WordPress events. Get people excited about building & publishing with WordPress again. A place to incorporate the real essence of the open source project, where we can stake our claim at the table to provide the necessary feedback to improve the tool. Maybe loosen up the stuffiness of local meetups, encouraging (and promoting) education & awareness at a local level. Linux opened my eyes to open source. Drupal showed me how to feel powerful...

WordPress Media Corps — you might even chuckle when you hear the phrase. This experimental initiative is a team that replaced the WordPress Marketing Team. Not commercial WordPress, mind you, but the open source dot org side of the house. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you don’t need me to spell out how important this initiative could be. A chance to legitimize the work only a handful of people across the entire globe have dedicated their professional careers towards — myself included. Before we dive deeper into what the Media Corps could accomplish, lets take a look at the outgoing struggles with the Marketing team: How could a volunteer-lead marketing team accomplish the fundamental responsibilities of marketing with no access to website traffic data, survey results, or have a stake in the product? That’s right, it’s nearly impossible. I know some of the people that were leading the charge with that effort, and lead it with great care and intention — but they were handcuffed. Lets face it: Open source WordPress doesn’t function like a commercial product, because it isn’t, which is why it has succeeded. Marketing has to come organically. With no budget or access, you’re basically building out tasks for a team to accomplish. Tick the box, keep moving, but don’t you dare critically think about how you can impact the brand sentiment of WordPress. In my previous post, Who is Responsible for WordPress Marketing, I reported on the Media Corps initiative stating that I’d reserve my opinion until I saw the process mature a bit more. Consider the rest of this my reaction as the dust settles on the Media Corps contributor kickoff call. A North Star I’ve been following is how do we keep WordPress thriving? This was a call to action put out by Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of WordPress in the State of the Word 2023. It’s recognized that in order for WordPress to escape a growth plateau, that the community needs to go beyond code quality and features. Humans need to recognize WordPress core worth, importance, and benefits for the greater open web. Simply put: People need to recommend WordPress more. If you can’t do it with a volunteer marketing team, forge a bond with the people that have been the biggest cheerleaders for WordPress — WordPress Media. But this is open source WordPress, why do we need an official team to wrangle the media? What even is WordPress Media? I’ve been covering WordPress for well over 10 years and whenever I needed anything, I reached out to the person and asked. If dot org was releasing something new, I read about it, decided if it was newsworthy for my audience, and then reported on it or shared my opinion. Yes, something like the WordPress Media Corps helps galvanize the work I’ve been doing here at the WP Minute and my previous podcast Matt Report, but the approach has been opaque at best. Starting with the initial WordPress Media Kick Off Call. Based on the call to action to comment if you want to be involved from the Initial Roadmap post, I was under the impression that the kickoff call was going to include media folk and the contributing team. I wasn’t alone on that assumption, check the comments. The kickoff commenced in a private call with the contributing team — and Bob Dunn founder of Do the Woo, who somehow found himself with the "Media Liaison" title. record scratches. Where did that come from? Was it voted on? Did WordPress media folks put Bob’s name in a hat? I have nothing against Bob, everyone loves Bob, he oversees some solid content that helps WordPress thrive. That said, this was the Media Corps first shot at launching a meeting and threw transparency out of the window. We’ll get to the Media Corps media partnership requirements in a minute, so hold that thought, but there’s another issue at hand that I’ve talked about ad nauseam: “WordPress media” is tiny, impossible to turn into a sustainable business, and largely depends on in-kind...