On May 27, 2023, WordPress will celebrate its 20th birthday. It’s hard to fathom that the software has been around for so long. Yet some of us may struggle to remember what the web was like without it.Just think of the designers, developers, and users that have come along during these past two decades. A whole generation has had easy access to content management and nearly-endless customization. Lucky them!As a more experienced (ahem, old) freelancer, I can recall the challenge of building advanced websites pre-WordPress. Thus, I believe the software has been transformative. It has impacted virtually every aspect of a web designer’s job.To celebrate this incredible milestone, let’s take a look at what WordPress means to freelancers. We’ll explore how its features and philosophy have empowered web professionals the world over.A Reliable Foundation for Any ProjectA typical WordPress project starts like this:Install WordPress.Add a theme and any necessary plugins.Optionally add custom code as needed.Add content.Launch!There’s more to it – but you get the idea. The amazing part of this process is that it doesn’t matter what type of website you are building. WordPress and its ecosystem make it possible.This wasn’t always the case. Previously, content management systems (CMS) had been either built for niche usage or were severely limited in capability.Themes existed for some systems, but nowhere near the breadth of what we see today. And the same goes for plugins.For freelancers, this often meant scouring the web for a suitable solution. If you were a particularly gifted coder, you could build a tool from scratch. But either way, there were obstacles at every turn.WordPress brought a new level of flexibility to the masses. We may spend time picking out the perfect plugins. But the foundations of what we need are already there.This doesn’t mean WordPress is the perfect fit for every project. But we can be confident that what we want to build is at least possible. That’s a big deal.Plenty of Opportunities for MonetizationWhen you think about it, the concept behind WordPress is revolutionary. It’s free, open-source software that can be used for any purpose.To put this into perspective: there’s no separate license for commercial use. You don’t need to buy anything. You don’t even have to send co-founders Mike Little or Matt Mullenweg a “thank you” note.When I first started using WordPress, I was taken aback by this ethos. I was even a bit suspicious of it. Surely, they would pull the rug out from under us at some point? The software will inevitably cost money, right?Well, that hasn’t happened. Quite the opposite. As people around the world have discovered, WordPress is a vehicle for making money.Freelancers can use it to build websites for clients – and charge whatever the market will allow. Developers can sell their creations as well. The past 20 years have seen the rise of a strong commercial plugin and theme market. And web hosts have tailored their services around it.This also means that starting a freelance web design business is incredibly affordable. Anyone willing to learn WordPress can begin serving clients with minimal (or even zero) monetary investment.It provides us with the opportunity to start small and evolve as needs change. How many other industries can say that?Advanced Features That Are Within Everyone’s ReachWordPress helped to resurrect my career. I began using it regularly around 2010. And I was in a major rut at the time.My specialty had been hand-coded HTML and CSS. I still consider them essential skills. But I was limited in the type of websites I could build. Implementing advanced features seemed impossible.I wasn’t sure where my business was going. Then I started experimenting with WordPress. In a way, it was like rediscovering my passion for web design.The software and its ecosystem allowed me to expand my capabilities. Complex functionality was no longer a pipe dream. I could enlist plugins like WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and Advanced Custom Fields to help me build bigger and better.Suddenly, I didn’t need to be a senior-level PHP or JavaScript developer. And I didn’t need to turn down projects that seemed too dense. Plugins provided the main features I needed. From there, I could use the skills I had to add further customization.And my skill level also increased. Diving into more advanced projects made me curious. They put me on a path of learning that I still enjoy to this day. WordPress helped to make it possible.Part of WordPress’ mission is to democratize publishing. But one can argue that it has done the same with design and development.A Community To Share Knowledge and KinshipAs software, WordPress is wonderful. But the community it inspired is even more amazing. It’s something each of us benefit from.For freelancers, the WordPress community has been an invaluable resource. It has provided opportunities to connect, share, and grow.That’s because community members are all-too-happy to share what they’ve learned. Whether it’s a handy code snippet or business advice, there is so much knowledge out there.At our best, we genuinely enjoy lifting each other up. That’s what makes events like WordCamps so powerful. But it’s also something we see every day on social media and other platforms.Freelancing is often about individuality. We run our businesses in a way that best suits us. But the WordPress community helps to bring us together. Regardless of background, identity, or geography.For all of its faults, it’s also worth remembering the good that this community has done. I think there are people from all corners of the globe that would agree.For Many Freelancers, WordPress Is a LifelineI don’t have the statistics in front of me. Perhaps they don’t exist. But it’s safe to say that WordPress has had a major impact on freelancers.And 20 years has been a good long run. That’s especially relevant in tech, where big ideas come and go all the time.Thankfully, WordPress has become something freelancers can rely on. That says a lot about the software – and even more about the people behind the project. Those that contribute in ways both official and unofficial.Milestones are a great time to look back at what was. But it’s also an important reminder to never take what we have for granted.What WordPress has done for freelancers, and countless others, is worth celebrating. Let’s hope for another 20 years and beyond. ★ Support this podcast ★

It looks like the days of automatically sharing WordPress.com content to Twitter are over. Automattic announced that customers will no longer be able to auto-publish to Twitter via the Jetpack Social plugin.You may recall that WordPress.com’s access to the Twitter API was suddenly suspended in April. While it eventually came back online, changes to Twitter’s policies have made the continued use too expensive.Automattic says that Twitter’s price increase is “prohibitive for us to absorb without passing a significant price increase along to you, and we don’t see that as an option.” Bye bye birdie.Links You Shouldn’t MissThe Beaver Builder page builder plugin has been on the market for 9 years. The WordPress landscape has changed dramatically in that time. For instance, page builders are now seen as competitors to the native Block Editor. What does that mean for the future? Matt Medeiros spoke with Robby McCullough of Beaver Builder for an in-depth discussion of the topic.There’s news to report regarding this summer’s WordCamp US. The first round of ticket sales started on May 1 and quickly sold out. Another round of sales will be coming soon. Meanwhile, there will be a different approach to event programming. Organizers are targeting “experienced, seasoned, professional speakers at the top of their industries who are not currently active members of our unique community.” They’ve put out a survey for suggested speakers and topics. A traditional call for speakers will also be announced in the near future. The event will take place from August 24-26th in National Harbor, MD.WordPress community member Michelle Frechette has launched WP Speakers. It’s a free resource that connects speakers and event organizers within the WordPress ecosystem. In a press release, Frechette notes that "As well-connected as I am in WordPress, I couldn’t even imagine how much more difficult it might be for someone who didn’t know a lot of speakers personally. So WP Speakers was born."WordPress agency Human Made has recently published articles detailing their experimentation with AI. Now they’re hosting a virtual event to examine how this technology will impact the content management system (CMS). Word on the Future is a virtual event and will take place on May 25. ★ Support this podcast ★

Managed WooCommerce hosting is a growing segment within the WordPress ecosystem. And it has a new entrant: WooCommerce. The Automattic-owned eCommerce provider recently launched WooExpress.The service is hosted by WordPress.com. It aims to be a one-stop shop for building and maintaining an online store. Packages start at $40 per month with discounts for paying annually. A selection of pre-installed extensions and themes are included.Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports that WooExpress’ starting price is higher than entry-level products from GoDaddy and Bluehost. However, the most expensive package ($70 per month) comes in below GoDaddy’s premium tiers.Beyond its name recognition, WooExpress may enjoy a few advantages over competitors:As we reported last week, the price of WooCommerce extensions is going up. Bundling popular titles built by WooCommerce is likely to attract value-conscious store owners.Meanwhile, its beefed-up hosting infrastructure was already in place. WordPress.com has been offering packages that include WooCommerce for some time. That’s likely to cut down on growing pains.Lastly, ownership’s vast internal knowledge of WooCommerce and WordPress is a win for customers.How will WooExpress fare? How will its competitors respond? The WP Minute will keep you posted.Links You Shouldn’t MissSEO plugin maker Yoast announced the departure of former CEO Marieke van de Rakt. Under her watch, the company was acquired by Newfold Digital in 2021. van de Rakt will now turn her focus to investing in open source, sustainable, and female-led companies via Emilia Capital. In a related note, Yoast founder Joost de Valk announced that he too is stepping away from Newfold to focus on entrepreneurship.Security firm Sucuri published a detailed report regarding the abuse of an abandoned WordPress plugin. The Eval PHP plugin hasn’t seen an update in a decade, but it’s being leveraged by malicious actors to install malware. The report also questions the wisdom of leaving similar plugins in the official repository long after abandonment.WordPress.com launched a website building service back in 2021. It was a controversial topic at the time, with some freelancers wondering if their businesses would be impacted. The service initially aimed for the mid-range market, with prices starting at $4,900. Now they appear to be targeting the lower end of the market as well, with a $499 Built By WordPress.com "Express" package. The package promises a 5-page website built within 4 business days. Thanks to WP Minute Member Paul Lacey for reporting this development.From the Grab BagNow it’s time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors.   CertifyWP has launched the WordPress Management and Design Credentialing Exam. The $150.00 exam aims to certify those knowledgeable in front-end WordPress development. The organization also offers an optional course to help learners prepare for the exam. There have long been calls for a well-organized notification system for WordPress. Project core contributor Joe Bailey-Roberts provided an update on such efforts over on the Make WordPress blog.How can WordPress developers leverage AI tools? WP Engine Builders will hold a virtual event on April 28 to discuss the possibilities.Big changes to Twitter’s verification system have been in the news. Users who haven’t purchased the Twitter Blue service are now missing those famous blue checks next to their name. WordPress co-founder and Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg recently explained why he’s now a Twitter Blue subscriber.Mark Westguard, founder of the WS Form plugin, shared some thoughts about the cost of sponsoring WordCamps. Westguard has questioned the affordability for small businesses.When it comes to SEO, page experience has been mentioned as a factor in recent years. However, Google recently removed it from their ranking systems page.What does a “power user” think of Gutenberg in its current form? Torque Magazine’s Nick Schäferhoff published a review that points out the good and bad.We’ve all seen software and services that use urgency as a marketing tool. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has offered advice pointing out what is and isn’t permissible. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s the WP Minute! Support independent WordPress news like this, join the Slack membership, or purchase a classified listing in the weekly newsletter at thewpminute.com/support  And now a word from our sponsor. You know how it goes, everything I mention here will be linked up in the newsletter and the blog post. Check out thewpminute.com for the links.Most ImpactfulThe uncertainty surrounding social media providers like Twitter has sparked interest in alternatives. Mastodon and other Fediverse networks have received a look. But longtime WordPress users may recall a self-hosted option: BuddyPress.The venerable plugin can turn any WordPress website into a social hub. It still boasts over 100,000 active installs. And even if you haven’t heard much about it lately, it’s still very much in development. Version 11.1 was released back in February.And as Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports, a Virtual Contributor Day will be held on April 20. It coincides with French WordPress Community Contributor Day in Paris.Taking the current social media climate into account, BuddyPress may have an opportunity to grow. That’s not to say it will overtake Twitter or Facebook anytime soon. But it could become an attractive option for those who want to build smaller, tight-knit communities.Links You Shouldn’t MissIf you’ve purchased (or are planning to purchase) any commercial extensions from the WooCommerce Marketplace, you may notice some price increases. The WP Minute has confirmed that emails are being sent to customers announcing higher costs for yearly renewals. In an email exchange, a WooCommerce support representative stated that “Only a subset of extensions had their prices changed.” We’ve reached out to WooCommerce’s official press channels but have not yet received any comments. Have you been impacted by a price hike? Let us know on Twitter @thewpminute.WordCamp Europe is all about the kids! Sarah Gooding at WP Tavern reports that the event, held from June 8-10 in Athens, Greece, will feature free childcare. This will allow attendees of the conference and Contributor Day to bring their children along. And a special workshop for kids will take place on June 8.Last week, we told you about Joe Hoyle’s integration of AI within the WordPress block editor. The Human Made co-founder and CTO has posted a follow up that demonstrates some new features. Content streaming and content-aware editing add a new level of convenience to the tool. As Hoyle says, “small incremental improvements make a large difference to productivity and quality of life.” These experiments are worth keeping eye on.From the Grab BagNow it’s time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors.In acquisition news, WP Minute member Justin Ferriman reports that plugin developer SnapOrbital has been scooped up by writer and entrepreneur Andrei Tapalaga. SnapOribital is known for their premium add-ons for LearnDash.The 4th annual Atarim Web Agency Summit will take place from April 25-28. The virtual event will feature 40+ sessions aimed at helping agencies grow their business. WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy is listed among the presenters this year.If you’re a WordPress product maker seeking investment, Emilia Capital is encouraging you to make an in-person pitch at WordCamp Europe. The firm is run by Marieke van de Rakt and Joost de Valk of Yoast SEO.Developing WordPress plugins within the browser may soon become a reality. Automattic developer and WordPress Playground creator Adam Zielinski shared three examples of how it could work over on the Make WordPress blog.WordPress Playground relies in part on the SQLite database engine. Core contributor Ari Stathopoulos has posted an update on the proposal to add official support within WordPress.The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on in-person events - including WordPress Meetups. They’re slowly starting to come back. That now includes Boston, which will reconvene on April 24.Thanks to all of the members who shared these links today: Justin FerrimanOutroThanks to you, dear listener, for tuning in to your favorite 5-minutes of WordPress news every Wednesday.You can support independent content like this by purchasing us a digital coffee at thewpminute.com/supportOr join the #linksquad membership for $79/year to support the show and become a producer of the WP Minute at thewpminute.com/supportThat’s it for today’s episode, if you enjoyed it, please share it wherever you do social media and jump on the mailing list at thewpminute.com. ★ Support this podcast ★

Do you remember what made WordPress 5.6 so historic? It was the first version of the software produced by an all-woman and non-binary release squad. And it looks like history is about to repeat itself.WordPress 6.3 is scheduled to be released in July and will once again feature an all-women and non-binary squad. Project Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy made the announcement and shared an outline for those interested in contributing.The momentum for this reprisal can be traced back to Matt Mullenweg’s 2022 State of the Word. During the Q&A portion, project contributor Laura Byrne asked Mullenweg to commit to another such release. The result is another step forward for inclusion and diversity in the WordPress community.Next up (listen to the podcast for more): Michelle Frechette with the Community Minute!Links You Shouldn’t MissAI experimentation continues in the WordPress community. This time around, Human Made’s Joe Hoyle has demonstrated a generative AI plugin that’s natively integrated into the block editor. The plugin works with ChatGPT and allows users to enter prompts. Content is then generated based on that input. But there’s more to the story. The WP Tavern’s Sarah Gooding took a deeper look at this and other AI experiments currently taking place.Block Visibility is a WordPress plugin with over 9,000 active installs. Developer Nick Diego recently made the decision to convert his freemium product into a free one. He spoke with The WP Minute’s Eric Karkovack about the change and his WordPress journey so far.Guildenberg, a new organization geared towards WordPress product founders, is up and running. The aim is to help with product monetization, accelerate adoption, and standardize compatibility. CEO Jonathan Wold has put out a call to founders who are interested in learning more.What’s the state of workplace culture within the WordPress ecosystem? The Team Experience Index aims to find out. It’s an anonymous survey for employees designed to gather feedback that can be shared with emplo ★ Support this podcast ★

After a time formatting bug caused a 24-hour delay, WordPress 6.2, code-named “Dolphy”, was released on March 29th. According to core contributor Jean-Baptiste Audras, 607 people from at least 50 countries were part of the release squad.Perhaps the biggest development in 6.2 is that the “beta” label has been removed from the Site Editor. The feature was first added in WordPress 5.9 and has undergone steady improvements. A new interface has been implemented this time around.Other enhancements include a revamped UI for both the Block Inserter and individual block controls. Direct access to Openverse media has also been added, allowing users to search, download, and insert openly-licensed content into their sites.For a rundown of key features, check out a handy guide from GoDaddy’s Courtney Robertson. Links You Shouldn’t MissWordPress.com alerted users that its access to the Twitter API was suspended on April 4. No specific reason was provided by Twitter. As Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports, the API powers Jetpack’s Social Sharing feature. The situation was in limbo for a few hours, but service was eventually restored. During the outage, users couldn’t automatically tweet out new content from their websites. Ironically (or not), Twitter recently announced a “new era of transparency” at the company.WordPress core contributor Mario Santos recently posted a proposal outlining the Interactivity API. This would enable developers to build blocks that are interactive on the front end. Santos notes examples including the ability to “heart” a post and performing an instant search. The project is currently experimental. A plugin is available for testing.The makers of Beaver Builder have announced the launch of Assistant Pro. It’s a cloud storage and community template platform. Free page builder templates available for download. In addition, a marketplace allows users to both buy and sell. Templates can also be stored in the cloud and shared with team members.A couple of popular commercial plugins have released critical security fixes. Elementor Pro patched a vulnerability that impacted sites running the page builder in conjunction with WooCommerce. Meanwhile, Advanced Custom Fields PRO patched a PHP object injection vulnerability. If you use either plugin, be sure to update to the latest version.The name iThemes has long been recognizable in the WordPress ecosystem. The maker of popular plugins like BackupBuddy and iThemes Security Pro has undergone a name change. In order to better reflect their products, the company has announced a rebrand to SolidWP. iThemes customers shouldn’t notice any pricing changes or support disruption during the transition.Links You Shouldn’t MissWordPress.com alerted users that its access to the Twitter API was suspended on April 4. No specific reason was provided by Twitter. As Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports, the API powers Jetpack’s Social Sharing feature. The situation was in limbo for a few hours, but service was eventually restored. During the outage, users couldn’t automatically tweet out new content from their websites. Ironically (or not), Twitter recently announced a “new era of transparency” at the company.WordPress core contributor Mario Santos recently posted a proposal outlining the Interactivity API. This would enable developers to build blocks that are interactive on the front end. Santos notes examples including the ability to “heart” a post and performing an instant search. The project is currently experimental. A plugin is available for testing.The makers of Beaver Builder have announced the launch of Assistant Pro. It’s a cloud storage and community template platform. Free page builder templates available for download. In addition, a marketplace allows users to both buy and sell. Templates can also be stored in the cloud and shared with team members.A couple of popular commercial plugins have released critical security fixes. Elementor Pro patched a vulnerability that impacted sites running the page builder in conjunction with WooCommerce. Meanwhile, Advanced Custom Fields PRO patched a PHP object injection vulnerability. If you use either plugin, be sure to update to the latest version.The name iThemes has long been recognizable in the WordPress ecosystem. The maker of popular plugins like BackupBuddy and iThemes Security Pro has undergone a name change. In order to better reflect their products, the company has announced a rebrand to SolidWP. iThemes customers shouldn’t notice any pricing changes or support disruption during the transition. ★ Support this podcast ★

March 28th was supposed to mark the release of WordPress 6.2. But a date formatting bug has delayed release for a day. The new target is Wednesday, March 29 at 1pm EST.The issue could potentially impact core features like date-based permalinks. But it might also negatively affect other functionality that relies on the correct date – think event bookings and eCommerce transactions. Over at WP Tavern, Sarah Gooding provided a summary of the issue and the ensuing discussion it stirred among developers.When WordPress 6.2 is released, you’ll find plenty of new features to experiment with. The Block and Site Editors will receive a boost with the Style Book, support for sticky blocks, and an easier to use Navigation block.For more details on WordPress 6.2, check out the official Field Guide, and a handy reference provided by Dan Knauss over at iThemes.Links You Shouldn’t MissWordPress developers are starting to implement artificial intelligence (AI) into their products and using it to write code. That has raised a few concerns. Last week, we reported on the WordPress Plugin Review Team’s reminder that AI-generated code must be GPL compatible. Sarah Gooding recently dove further into the subject at WP Tavern. Even though we’re in the early stages of this AI revolution, Gooding says “it’s not too early to establish some best practices for using code generators.”The ever-popular Yoast SEO plugin is looking to reduce the web’s carbon footprint. This week they integrated their crawl optimization feature into the free version of the plugin. The WP Minute’s Eric Karkovack spoke with Yoast’s Taco Verdonschot about the feature and how bot traffic negatively impacts the environment.MasterWP’s Rob Howard published a look at WordPress plugin pricing over a six month period. Howard tracked a handful of popular plugins by taking daily screenshots of their pricing pages. The report shows that some plugins may be using deceptive pricing practices. For instance, stating that a product is on sale when it may have never been sold at the quoted “regular” price. Howard also shared some disagreement with The WP Minute’s recent editorial regarding tactics used by development firm Awesome Motive.WordPress Developer and core contributor Nick Diego recently announced that his Block Visibility plugin is now completely free. As of version 3.0, all premium features have been merged into the free version. Be on the lookout for more coverage of this story from The WP Minute.Classifieds listings buy yoursBuddyBoss Brace yourself for an exciting update to WordPress! Big changes are coming, and you won’t want to miss it. Stay tuned for the big reveal!CastAsync Too Busy to produce audiobooks, podcasts, or any audio content? With CastAsync, you can do it by spending only 5 minutes per day.From the Grab BagNow it’s time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors.Gutenberg project head Matias Ventura has outlined the next phase of development: collaboration.Development firm iThemes is set for a rebrand. They recently posted a teaser video on Twitter and are set to make an announcement in the near future.The WordPress Community Team has shared highlights from its Contributor Working Group Inaugural Mentorship Chat. The group’s focus is to develop a project-wide mentorship program.Looking for a new block theme to experiment with? Mike McAlister of tutorial site Ollie has released a free theme of the same name.New Members This WeekAnne-Mieke Bovelett, follow @BovelettIf you’re not a member yet, go to thewpminute.com/support/ to join.Thanks to all of the members who shared these links today: Jeff ChandlerCourtney Robertson ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode Matt shares his opinion on the recent Awesome Motive irritation witnessed within the vocal minority of the WordPress community. Click here for the full article. ★ Support this podcast ★

well-represented. Over at WP Tavern, Sarah Gooding reports that a Hackathon event has led to some innovative WordPress projects.For instance, there’s an in-browser development environment that uses the VS Code editor and allows developers to see changes in real-time. Meanwhile, the Wapuugotchi project uses the familiar Wapuu character to display notifications and unlock features. On the more serious side, Eco-mode for WordPress aims to reduce outgoing server traffic, thus saving energy.But that’s not all. March 20 saw the first-ever WordPress Day event. Several presentations were given on topics ranging from security and performance, to “The Automattic advantage”.Links You Shouldn’t MissOrganizational changes are underway at SEO development firm Yoast. CEO Thijs de Valk announced that he has stepped down from the role, effective March 16. de Valk has been with the company since 2012 and is leaving to pursue “other dreams”. The search for the next CEO has begun.A few weeks ago, we reported on ThemeKraft's open letter critiquing the WordPress plugin review process. This time around, WordPress developer Alan Fuller has posted a letter thanking plugin reviewers for their “hard work and dedication in reviewing new plugins and ensuring the security of WordPress websites”. Fuller also points out steps that plugin developers can take to ensure a smoother process, while acknowledging the challenges reviewers face.Mika Epstein of the WordPress Plugins team posted a reminder regarding the use of AI-generated code. Any code hosted on the official plugin repository, regardless of how it was written, still needs to be GPL compatible. As more developers are using tools like ChatGPT to generate plugins, this is becoming a relevant issue. Epstein noted that AI tools may simply be copying code from an existing plugin without crediting the original author.From the Grab BagNow it’s time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors.The final countdown to WordPress 6.2 is underway. The last scheduled Release Candidate (#3) is now available for testing.Congratulations to WordPress community member Michelle Frechette on being named as a finalist for the RochesterFirst.com Remarkable Women awards. Frechette holds many roles, including the Director of Community Engagement at StellarWP, along with co-founder of Underrepresented in Tech.As part of WordPress’ 20th anniversary celebration, volunteers have been busy triaging old Trac tickets. You’re invited to take part in the next session, happening on Thursday, March 23.The WordPress Documentation team needs your help writing docs for WordPress 6.2. A call for volunteers has been published that details how to get involved.Talent recruitment website The Org recently published its list of the 50 Most Transparent Companies. WordPress.com owner Automattic was included at #27.Developer Nico Mercado wrote an opinion piece on the complex relationship between WordPress and PHP. Mercado opines that WordPress is a driver of PHP’s market share, but may not be providing the best developer experience.How hard should it be to cancel a WordPress plugin subscription? WebDevStudios CEO Brad Williams tweeted a product flowchart that might just blow your mind.Is WordPress giving too much layout control to end-users? There’s a lively debate on Reddit worth checking out.Building a successful WordPress product team is challenging. TeamWP’s James Giroux joined the Do the Woo podcast to discuss the subject.ChatGPT's new GPT-4 model can pass standardized tests. But does that make it any closer to replacing human professionals? Not so fast, says one essay.The WP Minute+ Interview: Zack KatzSubscribe at https://thewpminute.com/plusZack Katz of GravityKit & TrustedLogin joins the show to talk about running multiple products in the WordPress space. The conversation explores the ups-and-downs of doing a product rebrand, plus, what it's like to build a business in the Gravity Forms (and WordPress!) ecosystem.Listen at:https://wpminuteplus.transistor.fm/episodes/gravitykit-rebranding-a-wordpress-product ★ Support this podcast ★

Blocks are now a key part of the WordPress experience. But what if they were platform-agnostic? That’s the idea behind the Block Protocol. Founded in 2022, the organization recently released a WordPress plugin.In its initial release, the Block Protocol plugin adds over a dozen new blocks to WordPress. Included in the package you’ll find blocks to display common items such as addresses, how-to lists, and countdown timers. There are also AI-powered blocks for generating images and text.The blocks work on any platform that supports the Block Protocol. And additional blocks are in the works.To learn more, The WP Minute’s Eric Karkovack sat down with HASH CEO David Wilkinson to discuss the project, along with its potential to enhance WordPress and other platforms. https://youtu.be/oY2-lBUrz9o Next up (listen to the podcast for more): Amber Hinds of Equalize Digital discusses the pre-seed investment her company received from Emilia Capital and what it means for their Accessibility Checker plugin.Links You Shouldn’t MissArtificial Intelligence is increasing its presence within WordPress. Last week, we reported that OpenAI has made its API available to developers wanting to integrate ChatGPT into their applications. It didn’t take long for the WordPress community to dive in. One example: the recent launch of DocsBot AI. The product allows you to create a custom chatbot based on your website’s content and documentation. It’s free to try, with paid plans also available.Meanwhile, an open-source alternative called OpenChatKit has also been announced.Speaking of ChatGPT, The WP Minute’s Eric Karkovack recently used the AI tool to build a simple WordPress plugin. He wrote about the experience and the unexpected lesson he learned.WordPress security is getting better. According to Patchstack’s State of WordPress Security In 2022 report, 328% more security bugs were reported year over year. The firm opines that, because more vulnerabilities are being reported and patched, the ecosystem is becoming more secure. They also note that 93% of security flaws originate from plugins. Thus, keeping your installs up to date is as important as ever.Automattic is increasing its presence in the Fediverse. The company has purchased the ActivityPub plugin, which allows WordPress websites to integrate with Mastodon and other decentralized platforms. Sarah Goo ★ Support this podcast ★