The WP Minute+

In this episode of the WP Minute+, Matt Medeiros interviews Rafal Tomal, co-creator of the new Rockbase WordPress theme. Tomal, a renowned designer in the WordPress community, discusses his journey from working at Copyblogger and StudioPress to founding his own agency and eventually creating Rockbase with his partner, Chris Hufnagel. Tomal shares his experiences working with clients, noting that the industry has evolved to better understand the distinctions between design and development. He highlights the importance of providing a complete service to clients, rather than just delivering a final product. The conversation also touches on the rise of AI tools and their impact on the WordPress ecosystem. Tomal believes that while these tools are valuable for smaller websites and businesses just starting out, there will always be a need for custom design and development services as companies grow and require more advanced functionality. Tomal explains the concept behind Rockbase's "playbooks," which are designed to provide users with a complete mini-website rather than just a child theme. He also shares his hopes for the future of the WordPress editor, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and user experience improvements without overloading the core with unnecessary features. Key Takeaways: Important URLs Mentioned: https://rockbase.co/ ★ Support this podcast ★

In a recent interview on the WP Minute+ podcast, host Matt Medeiros sat down with Chris Vano, Senior Director of Product Management at Bluehost, to discuss the company's latest offering: Bluehost Cloud, a WordPress hosting solution powered by WP Cloud. Vano shared insights into the development process and key features of this new product, which targets agencies, freelancers, and professionals. Vano emphasized the importance of customer feedback in shaping the Bluehost Cloud offering, revealing that the company conducted interviews with agencies and professionals to understand their specific needs and pain points. This research led to the decision to partner with Automattic, leveraging their proven WP Cloud platform to deliver a high-performance, WordPress-optimized hosting solution. Key features of Bluehost Cloud include dedicated resources for each site, scalability, a global CDN, and a choice of data center locations with automatic failover. The solution also boasts a 100% guaranteed network uptime, backed by a promise to refund customers if they experience downtime. Additionally, Bluehost Cloud incorporates Jetpack features such as backups and malware scanning at no extra cost. Vano also discussed the role of Bluehost's core contributor team in optimizing the Cloud solution and the company's plans to expand the offering to cater to enterprise customers in the future. The product launch is supported by a dedicated WordPress expert support team, setting it apart from competitors in the market. Episode Takeaways: - Bluehost Cloud is a WordPress hosting solution powered by WP Cloud, targeting agencies, freelancers, and professionals. - Customer feedback played a crucial role in shaping the product's features and offerings. - The solution offers dedicated resources, scalability, a global CDN, and multiple data center locations with automatic failover. - Bluehost Cloud guarantees 100% network uptime and includes Jetpack features like backups and malware scanning. - The company plans to expand the offering to cater to enterprise customers in the future. - A dedicated WordPress expert support team is available to assist Bluehost Cloud customers. Important Links: - Bluehost Cloud landing page: https://bluehost.com/hosting/cloud - Webinar recording with Chris Vano and Devin Sears (to be added to show notes) - Matt Medeiros' interview with Jesse Friedman about WP Cloud (to be added to show notes) - Chris Vano's Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/tallkidzdad ★ Support this podcast ★

Matt Medeiros, host of the WP Minute+ podcast, recently had an engaging conversation with Adam Zielinski, the creator of WordPress Playground, a revolutionary tool that allows users to run WordPress entirely in their browser without the need for a server or hosting environment. The discussion delved into the technical aspects, potential use cases, and future prospects of WordPress Playground. The conversation highlights the significant potential of WordPress Playground in shaping the future of WordPress development, education, and user experience. As the tool continues to evolve and gain traction within the community, it may well become an essential resource for WordPress professionals and enthusiasts alike. Key points from the conversation: 1. WordPress Playground is a browser-based tool that enables users to run a fully functional WordPress instance without the need for a server or hosting environment. It operates using static files and can even function offline once loaded. 2. The tool is designed to make WordPress more accessible and to streamline the learning and development process. It allows users to experiment with themes, plugins, and code without the hassle of setting up a local development environment. 3. Adam Zielinski envisions a future where WordPress Playground could synchronize data with actual WordPress instances, enabling seamless staging and deployment workflows. He also foresees the possibility of running WordPress on edge servers and exchanging data between instances in real-time. 4. WordPress Playground offers a range of features, including the ability to switch between different PHP and WordPress versions, import and export content from GitHub, and share instances through pull requests. 5. The tool has the potential to revolutionize WordPress education by providing interactive examples and hands-on learning experiences directly within the browser. 6. Adam Zielinski emphasizes the importance of making WordPress more accessible and user-friendly for newcomers, especially in light of the increasing competition from other website builders and CMS platforms. Important links mentioned: - WordPress Playground: https://playground.wordpress.net - WordPress Playground community space: https://wordpress.org/playground - Adam Zielinski's Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamzielin - WordPress Playground GitHub repository: https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground ★ Support this podcast ★

Matt and Mark debate WordPress in 2024. Why open source, who is WordPress for, and should we care? Tune in to listen to the whole "debate!" Follow Mark @markjszymanski WP Tutorials @WPMinute Join the newsletter https://thewpminute.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the WP Minute! 00:06 Expanding the WP Minute Audience 00:44 Upcoming Live Stream with Sam Harrison 01:33 Mark's Streamathon and Learning in Public 03:09 The WordPress Journey: Learning, Sharing, and Caring 05:11 Exploring WordPress: CMS, Open Source, and Community 12:18 The Open Source Debate: WordPress vs. Paid Tools 18:35 Contributing to WordPress and the Open Source Ecosystem 22:48 Understanding WordPress Politics and Open Source Challenges 27:23 The Evolution of WordPress and Its Community 27:48 Jetpack's Role and Community Reactions 28:35 Governance and the Push for WordPress Project Bylaws 30:00 The Importance of Open Source and Potential Threats 31:25 The Power of Forking in Open Source 32:00 Commercialization Concerns and the Future of WordPress 33:22 The Debate on Open Source Philosophy and Its Impact 37:18 The Future of WordPress: Predictions and Possibilities 44:24 The Significance of Open Source for Users and Developers 46:51 Closing Thoughts on Open Source and WordPress's Future ★ Support this podcast ★

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In this episode of WP Minute+, Matt Medeiros sits down with Mark Szymanski, the owner of FindIT Tech Agency, to discuss Mark’s journey into the WordPress space, his experience with page builders like Elementor and Bricks, and his thoughts on the future of WordPress. Mark shares his background, starting his agency in 2019 and diving into the world of WordPress. He discusses his early experiences with themes and page builders, eventually settling on Elementor before discovering Bricks. The conversation then shifts to the WordPress community and the challenges of catering to such a diverse group of users with varying needs and objectives. Matt and Mark discuss the importance of getting involved in the community, attending WordCamps, and contributing to the platform’s development. They also touch on the sometimes contentious nature of page builder communities and the importance of focusing on providing value to clients, regardless of the tools used. Throughout the episode, Mark offers his unique perspective as a relative newcomer to the WordPress space, while Matt provides insights from his years of experience in the community. Key Takeaways: Important Links: Mark Szymanski’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@markjszymanski Mark Szymanski’s Website: https://markjosephszymanski.com/ FindIT Tech Agency ★ Support this podcast ★

Read the show notes here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=15514 ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the WP Minute+ podcast, host Matt Medeiros sits down with Ben Ritner, the creator of the popular Kadence WordPress theme. Ben shares his journey from building websites for clients to creating the Virtue theme, which gained over 300,000 active installs at its peak. He discusses the evolution of the Kadence brand, which has been around for 10 years, and the launch of the Kadence theme four years ago as a Gutenberg-ready solution. Ben and Matt delve into the challenges faced by theme developers when adhering to WordPress.org guidelines while trying to meet user demands. They explore the idea of allowing users to choose their site-building foundation, whether it be core WordPress or a third-party solution like Kadence or Elementor, to simplify the onboarding process and improve user experience. The conversation also touches on the role of hosting companies in providing streamlined WordPress experiences and the difficulties in onboarding non-WordPress users. Ben shares his thoughts on the Kadence ecosystem, which includes a range of plugins focused on front-end performance, design, and marketing. He also discusses the integration of AI into Kadence products as an assistant to help users create content more efficiently. Matt and Ben explore the topic of AI in the WordPress space, discussing the concept of AI credit fatigue and the importance of trust in centralized AI platforms. They also touch on the potential of open-source AI models and their integration into WordPress products. Key Takeaways: Important Links: https://www.kadencewp.com/https://twitter.com/BenjaminRitner ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of WP Minute+, Matt interviews Angela Jin, the Head of Programs and Contributor Experience at Automattic. They discuss Angela’s work overseeing community training and events like WordCamps. Angela shares her perspective on making WordPress thrive, not just as a CMS but also as an open source community. They talk about bringing younger generations into the WordPress world through education initiatives and pathways for contribution. Matt and Angela also discuss some of the challenges facing the community events, including rising costs and the increasing need for official roles like an incident response team. Here are some key takeaways: ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode of The WP Minute+ podcast features host Matt Medeiros in conversation with guest Marc Benzakein. Marc is currently involved with two WordPress-related businesses – MainWP, a self-hosted WordPress site management plugin, and Site District, a managed WordPress hosting company. Matt opens the show recapping his previous interview with Marc on The Matt Report podcast, where they discussed Marc’s former business ServerPress which has now shut down. Marc shares what he has been up to since closing ServerPress, including taking a 6 month sabbatical away from WordPress, before getting involved again working with smaller bootstrapped companies in the WordPress space. Topics Discussed: Key Takeaways: ★ Support this podcast ★

Matt Medeiros interviews Vik Patel, General Manager of Pressable, a managed WordPress hosting company that is part of Automattic. They discuss Pressable’s startup culture within the larger Automattic organization, how the various Automattic hosting brands work together, and the importance of WordPress being open source software. Vik talks about Pressable’s focus on agencies and developers as their target customer base, and how they aim to provide a fast, unopinionated hosting platform. He mentions some updates coming to Pressable in 2024 like improved staging/production syncing, a UI for agencies to run mass actions across their sites, and security-focused auto updates. Key Takeaways: ★ Support this podcast ★

Host Matt Medeiros interviews Brent Lundell, an IT innovator at Bluehost, about optimizing WordPress performance and scaling on Bluehost’s infrastructure. They dive into the challenges of supporting a diverse WordPress landscape, from outdated plugins to complex WooCommerce stores. “I came through those days and it wasn’t our best period. We’re better now and we’ve really put the work in to make that experience a lot more effective.” Brent LundellWith over 15 years at Bluehost’s parent company Newfold, Lundell provides unique insights into their cross-functional approach to WordPress optimization. If you run a WordPress site on Bluehost or are considering the platform, you won’t want to miss Lundell’s candor regarding their past struggles and recent improvements. Tune in to understand Bluehost’s dedication to the individual WordPress user’s experience. Key Takeaways: ★ Support this podcast ★

Cory Miller and I discuss how the WordPress community is impacted when “big issues” clash with Matt, Automattic, and other community members. How should we handle these moments of passion and strife? It’s easy to label these issues as WPDrama, but in my opinion that’s not doing the WordPress community any favors. From the exterior, it’s categorized and shrugged off as “yet another drama issue” in WordPress land. Aren’t we all tired of that? Inside the community, or interior, it takes away from the actual pain or strife someone is experiencing. Today’s episode unpacks how Cory and I decipher these issues and how Post Status + WP Minute members handle it when it comes up. We’ll also discuss how we deal with Matt Mullenweg at the center of issues, leading the product, and leading the community. Important links - Cory Miller - Post Status - Matt Medeiros - WP Minute ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Panagis, CEO of digital growth agency Scalemath, on my podcast The WP Minute+. As a leader in the WordPress space with deep roots in the ecosystem, Alex had plenty of insightful perspectives to share. A big topic we dug into was WordPress vs. closed platforms like Webflow. As you might expect, Alex is firmly in the open source WordPress camp. He sees the flexibility of WordPress as superior for most uses, allowing users to control more of their site without getting locked into a proprietary ecosystem. That said, Alex doesn’t believe Webflow is necessarily bad if it enables someone to build a better site than they could with WordPress. The choice comes down to what works best for each user and their goals. The concern is more about avoiding vendor lock-in down the road. We also discussed the impact of AI on digital marketing and content creation. While useful in certain applications, Alex believes AI raises the bar in terms of the quality and originality needed from human creators and strategists. Essentially, it forces everyone to up their game, which is ultimately a good thing. Several other highlights that WordPress professionals may find interesting: It was a wide-ranging and insightful chat with Alex! Chapter Markers ★ Support this podcast ★

The concept of being an online “creator” has exploded in popularity over the last decade. Spurred by platforms like YouTube and Substack, millions of people now aspire to build audiences around their content and make it a business. However, sustainably monetizing content and turning casual hobbyists into full-time creators is easier said than done. I know better than anyone… In an attempt to consolidate the creator toolset, Automattic recently launched a packaged offering called Jetpack Creator. For $119.40 the first year, it bundles relevant parts of Jetpack into an all-in-one product targeting creators. To learn more, I spoke with one of the leads behind Jetpack Creator – Mike Stott. His startup produced a simple CRM plugin for small businesses called Zero BS CRM which was eventually acquired by Automattic. After being folded into Jetpack’s offerings, Mike now oversees product direction for various components like Jetpack CRM and the new Creator package. We had an insightful discussion on the goals, competition, and differentiation of Jetpack Creator compared to other options creators have available. We also debated the level of effort required for creators to successfully monetize content through WordPress, even with streamlined offerings available on the market. Key Takeaways: 3 Reasons to Listen: Chapters: ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had an insightful discussion with Rytis Lauris, co-founder and CEO of the email marketing platform Omnisend, on the WP Minute+. Even after nearly 10 years in business, Rytis described Omnisend as still being in "startup mode." He credits staying bootstrapped with helping maintain their agility to pivot based on customer feedback, rather than getting bogged down in bureaucracy like many older companies. Omnisend is a Pillar Sponsor of the WP Minute. Part of the sponsorship agreement is to host an interview like this, in an effort to have a candid conversation about their company. We covered a wide range of topics relevant to any WordPress Professional, from competition to company culture to leveraging new technologies like AI. Here are 5 of my key takeaways from our conversation: Beyond the key insights, here are 5 reasons why you should tune into our conversation: I thoroughly enjoyed my talk with Rytis - his uniq ★ Support this podcast ★

Read the full blog post and get the transcript here. Here are 5 key takeaways from the interview with Adrian of Groundhogg: Important links Adrian on Twitterhttps://groundhogg.io ★ Support this podcast ★

Read the full show notes and get the link here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=13199 Chapter Markers: ★ Support this podcast ★

From the early days of WordPress Media to the high-stakes game of balancing life, work, and passion; journey with us into the world of two WordPress veterans. Join Matt and Dustin as they reminisce about their beginnings, discuss the ever-evolving landscape of WordPress, and share insights about maintaining successful long-term projects. So buckle in, it’s time to dive deep into the riveting realm of WordPress. Matt asks Dustin about his consistent content contributions to the WordPress community and the non-monetary benefits he derives from it. They delve into the challenges of balancing content production with a full-time job, family responsibilities, and other life events. Dustin discusses his aspiration to monetize his YouTube channel to generate enough income to upgrade his personal Apple devices. He explores the idea of sponsorships and generating income indirectly by optimizing his wife’s online businesses. They also talk about the struggles of dealing with website management, as exemplified by Dustin's pain points in transferring their data from Sensei to LearnDash. Matt also commends Dustin for his maintenance of the Website Engineer brand and its informative value to the WordPress users. Toward the end, they soothe their creator challenges by reminiscing about the joy of being recognized and how they're influencing others because of what they do. Here are some key links they referenced: yourwebsiteengineer.comyoutube.com/yourwebsiteengineer Three key takeaways: ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently caught up with Pippin Williamson, who as many of you know was a prominent figure in the WordPress world for over a decade. He founded Sandhills Development and created popular plugins like Easy Digital Downloads before selling to Awesome Motive a couple years back. (Watch my previous interview on YouTube.) I was curious to hear what Pippin’s been up to and also get his thoughts on the WordPress ecosystem since his exit. A few things stood out that I thought would interest you all: First off, Pippin was very clear that his reason for moving on from WordPress boiled down to prioritizing time with family. After so many years of plugin development, he felt burnt out from being on that relentless “hamster wheel” of building and maintaining products. He had zero regrets about leaving. When it came time to sell Sandhills Development, Pippin made finding the right steward for his team and products a top priority over price or other factors. He felt confident Awesome Motive was the best fit given their product focus. Although he does wish there had been less team turnover resulting from the acquisition. And while Pippin keeps a very casual eye on WordPress these days, he did note how interesting it was to return to using it purely as an end user rather than a developer. Even being removed for a couple years, he immediately noticed some of the lingering friction between core, plugins, and the overall user experience. Anyway, those were just a few WordPress-related nuggets I wanted to share. Let me know if you have any other thoughts or reflections on Pippin’s time in our community! Visit Pippin’s Brewery: Sandhills Brewing ★ Support this podcast ★