Post Status Happiness Hour | Session Nineteen

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Taco Verdonschot from Progress Planner, a tool designed to gamify WordPress website maintenance. They highlight the tool's features, including its free and upcoming pro versions, and emphasize its role in making website upkeep engaging and fun. Taco announces a limited-time pre-launch sale, offering the planner at a discounted rate. They also discuss the importance of user feedback and community engagement, and preview upcoming content, including a discussion with Stephanie Hudson about Stellar Pay. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to try the Progress Planner.

Top Takeaways:

• Gamification for Website Management: Progress Planner uses a gamified approach to motivate users to maintain and improve their websites. By assigning points for tasks like updating content, writing new posts, or fixing technical SEO issues, the plugin makes website management engaging and enjoyable. This concept mirrors successful apps like Duolingo, which transform routine tasks into rewarding challenges.
• Practical Features with Growth Potential: The plugin focuses on high-impact tasks that enhance website performance, such as setting up foundational site elements or optimizing content. It also plans to introduce integrations with third-party tools like JIRA and onboarding wizards, offering users more flexibility. Future features may include personalized task recommendations, progress tracking for agencies managing multiple sites, and expanded customization options, making it even more versatile.
• Community Feedback and Accessibility:User feedback is central to the development of Progress Planner. The team actively invites suggestions and critiques to refine the tool and better address user needs. Additionally, its pricing model—offering a pre-launch discount and a free tier—makes it accessible to a wide audience. With its colorful bird-themed branding, the plugin presents an approachable and motivating experience for website owners.

Mentioned In The Show

• Progress Planner
• Joost van Valk
• Marieke van de Rakt
• Fitbit
• Duolingo
• WordCamp Asia
• Marcus Burnette
• TheWPWorld
• wordpress.org
• Gravatar
• WPSpeakers.com
• Hero Press
• Stephanie Hudson
• StellarWP
• StellarPay

🙏 Sponsor: A2Hosting

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🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:

• Taco Verdonschot (Founder, Progress Planner)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

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