Navigating WordPress Evolution

In this episode of WP Minute+, I sat down with Mark Szymanski to discuss the recent buzz surrounding WordPress.com's "content models" experiment. 

This feature, which briefly excited the WordPress community, promised to bring custom post types and fields to the core WordPress experience. However, the excitement was short-lived as Automattic announced that the feature wouldn't be coming to core WordPress after all.

One of the most intriguing parts of our discussion was the broader implications for WordPress.com and WordPress.org. We touched on the potential future of WordPress development, including the possibility of WordPress.com offering enhanced features as a way to differentiate itself and generate revenue. 

This led to an interesting debate about the balance between open-source development and commercial interests in the WordPress ecosystem.

Throughout the conversation, it became clear that this incident highlighted some of the ongoing challenges in WordPress development and communication. While we both expressed hope that the feature might still find its way into WordPress in some form, we agreed that clearer communication and expectation management are crucial for the platform's future.

Key takeaways for WordPress professionals:

• Prototypes and experiments can generate significant community interest and should be communicated carefully.
• The relationship between WordPress.com and WordPress.org continues to evolve and may lead to differentiated features.
• Clear communication is crucial when showcasing potential new features to avoid confusion and disappointment.
• The WordPress community is eager for improvements in custom post types and fields within the core experience.
• The balance between open-source development and commercial interests remains a complex issue in the WordPress ecosystem.
• User experience and ease of implementation are critical factors in the adoption of new WordPress features.
• The future of WordPress development may involve more native app-like experiences, such as WordPress Studio and Playground.

Important URLs mentioned:

• WordPress.com
• GitHub repository for the content models prototype
• WordPress Playground
• WordPress Studio

Chapter titles with timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction and initial reactions to the content models prototype

[00:05:00] The excitement and potential of the new feature

[00:10:00] Confusion and disappointment following Automattic's announcement

[00:15:00] Implications for WordPress.com and WordPress.org

[00:20:00] The future of WordPress development and commercial interests

[00:25:00] Communication challenges in the WordPress ecosystem

[00:30:00] Exploring the prototype and its potential impact

[00:35:00] Closing thoughts and hopes for the future of WordPress