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Exploring WordPress through conversations with leading developers and creatives.
Latest episodes

Apr 1, 2025 • 28min
Understanding the WooCommerce Customers and Community ft. Katie Keith
In this conversation, Brian Coords and Katie Keith discuss the WooCommerce community, its users, and the challenges of marketing plugins. They explore the differences between WooCommerce and Shopify, the importance of user experience, and the need for effective marketing strategies. Katie shares insights on how to gather feedback from customers and the significance of collaboration between developers and marketers. The discussion concludes with advice for developers looking to succeed in the plugin market.
Links
Barn2 Plugins - https://barn2.com/
Katie on X/Twitter - https://x.com/katiekeithbarn2
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to WooCommerce and the Community
02:46 Connecting with the WooCommerce Community
05:25 Understanding WooCommerce Users
08:30 The Complexity of WordPress vs. Simplicity of Other Platforms
11:13 Exploring the Shopify Market
14:08 Marketing Strategies for Plugins
17:02 Feedback and Content Creation
19:27 Twitter vs Other Communities
23:48 Customer Segments
25:56 Parting Wisdom for Developers

5 snips
Mar 11, 2025 • 35min
WordPress Developer Vibe Codes A Laravel App with Claude AI ft. Jonathan Jernigan
Brian and Jonathan Jernigan chat about Jonathan's web development journey, spotlighting his Laravel experiments and AI tool use. They compare Laravel’s structure and features to WordPress, discuss JavaScript-PHP challenges, and explore AI’s role in balancing simplicity and quality. The duo also considers Laravel’s clear purpose versus WordPress’s broader ecosystem and AI’s potential for non-technical users.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:07 Transitioning from WordPress to Laravel
05:59 Exploring Laravel's Structure and Features
09:03 AI Integration in Development Workflow
11:52 Challenges and Learning Experiences
16:59 Navigating AI Tools in Development
20:46 Balancing Simplicity and Quality in Projects
23:10 Understanding Laravel's Framework and Features
25:39 Transferring Knowledge Between Laravel and WordPress
28:16 The Future of Non-Technical Users and AI
32:16 Comparing Laravel and WordPress: Clarity and Focus
Links
Jonathan Jernigan
Laravel

Feb 25, 2025 • 46min
Exploring CMS Options Beyond WordPress ft. Maciek Palmowski
In this conversation, Brian and Maciek Palmowski discuss the evolution of content management systems, focusing on WordPress and its community. Maciek shares his experiences with other CMSs like Astro and Statamic, highlighting their unique features and user experiences. They explore the impact of no-code solutions, the importance of community dynamics, and the future of WordPress in a rapidly changing digital landscape. The discussion also touches on the integration of AI in CMSs and the evaluation of different tools for various needs.
Links
Maciek's Website - https://maciekpalmowski.dev/
Maciak's Review of Drupal CMS - https://maciekpalmowski.dev/blog/trying-out-drupal-cms-10/
Astro - https://astro.build/
Statamic - https://statamic.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Maciek and PatchStack
02:33 Exploring Other CMSs and Their Impact on WordPress
05:02 The Unique Community of WordPress
07:38 User Experience in Open Source vs. SaaS Products
10:05 Diving into Astro and Statamic
12:55 Astro's Content Management Features
15:36 Drupal CMS: A New Perspective
18:13 AI Integration in Drupal CMS
24:32 AI Integration in CMS: A Game Changer
27:45 Evaluating CMS Options: Finding the Right Fit
31:05 Static vs Dynamic Websites: The Jamstack Movement
34:39 Exploring Modern CMS Tools: Beyond WordPress
39:14 The Evolution of Themes: Portability Challenges
44:53 Conclusion: Embracing New CMS Possibilities

11 snips
Feb 11, 2025 • 27min
Adding Automation and AI Skills to Your WordPress Toolkit ft. Brendan O’Connell
In this conversation, Brian and Brendan O'Connell explore the evolving landscape of WordPress, automation, and AI. They discuss Brendan's journey into WordPress, the excitement of building and tinkering online, and the integration of AI with automation tools. The conversation delves into practical applications of these technologies, the future of WordPress in an AI-driven world, and the importance of adapting to new trends in digital marketing and SEO. Brendan shares insights on various automation platforms and emphasizes the need for continuous learning in a rapidly changing environment.
Brendan's Website
Brendan's YouTube
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Automation and AI in WordPress
02:56 The Evolution of WordPress and Personal Journeys
05:30 Understanding Automation and AI Workflows
08:13 Integrating AI with Automation Tools
10:55 Practical Applications of AI in WordPress
13:49 The Future of WordPress in an AI-Driven World
16:22 Navigating the Changing Landscape of Search Engines
19:27 Learning and Adapting to New Technologies
22:14 Conclusion and Resources for Further Learning

Feb 4, 2025 • 34min
Building Etch: Why Does WordPress Need Another Page Builder? ft. Kevin Geary
In this chat with Kevin Geary, he tackles the elephant in the room: does WordPress really need another page builder? Drawing from his experience in the WordPress community, Kevin makes a compelling case for rethinking how we build websites, exploring everything from AI's potential role to the impact of different CSS frameworks. Along the way, he shares candid insights about the current limitations of WordPress development and his ideas for moving the ecosystem forward.

Jan 28, 2025 • 31min
New Accessibility Regulations Coming for WordPress & AI ft. Gen Herres
In this conversation, Gen Herres, an accessibility expert, discusses the importance of web accessibility for developers, particularly in the context of WordPress. She emphasizes the need for developers to integrate accessibility into their processes from the beginning, rather than treating it as an afterthought. The discussion also covers the impact of upcoming legislation on accessibility standards, the role of AI in coding, and practical steps developers can take to improve accessibility in their projects.
Gen Herres on LinkedIn
Gen on YouTube
Easy A11y Guide
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Accessibility in Web Development
04:46 Semantic HTML vs. Complex Solutions
09:42 The European Accessibility Act and Its Implications
18:20 AI in Coding and Accessibility
23:05 Automated Accessibility Checks
26:12 Implementing Accessibility in Processes

Jan 27, 2025 • 1h 2min
Are Matt’s AI Skills Making WordPress Developers Obsolete? ft. Matt Medeiros
Matt shows me his new AI developer skills and I decide if I should be worried about my career. Recently Matt Medeiros published a long piece about software development with AI, and how it's going to affect WordPress. We discussed that and more in this livestream on my YouTube channel.
Matt's Original Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkme4p-aoU0
PulseWP.cc - https://pulsewp.cc/
Replit - https://replit.com/
CMSMinute - https://www.cmsminute.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to AI and WordPress Concerns
02:52 Building an AI App: The Journey Begins
06:12 The Development Process: Challenges and Insights
08:58 PulseWP: A Custom RSS Aggregator
12:03 The Value of WordPress vs. Custom Solutions
14:55 User Authentication and Infrastructure Challenges
18:07 The Emotional Journey of Learning to Code
21:09 Choosing the Right Tools for Development
24:11 The Future of WordPress in an AI-Driven World
26:52 Sustainability and Adaptation in WordPress
31:38 Navigating Infrastructure Challenges
32:07 Leveraging AI for Problem Solving
33:56 Building User Interfaces with AI
35:52 Completing Conversations in Coding
36:55 The Evolution of Prompt Engineering
37:55 Creating a Dashboard for Feeds
40:17 Monitoring AI Processing
42:20 Understanding Costs of AI Development
44:27 The Future of WordPress in an AI World
46:28 Exploring Opportunities for WordPress
48:17 Aligning Open Source with AI
50:42 The Role of AI in Job Displacement
53:00 The Future of AI and Profitability
56:23 The Impact of AI on Daily Life
58:40 Learning AI for Future Preparedness

11 snips
Jan 21, 2025 • 31min
How GenerateBlocks Adds Modern Design Tools to Gutenberg
In this conversation, Ian Svoboda, a developer at GeneratePress, discusses his background in WordPress development and the collaborative approach at GeneratePress. He explains the functionality of GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks, emphasizing their focus on user experience for both low-code and power users. Ian shares insights into the challenges of implementing new features, the extensibility of the block editor, and the integration with ACF for dynamic data. He also touches on the future of cloud features and the importance of community feedback in product development.
https://iansvoboda.com/
https://generateblocks.com/

Jan 14, 2025 • 29min
An AI Crash Course for WordPress Users and Developers ft. Keanan Koppenhaver
Brian chats with AI expert and WordPress developer Keanan Koppenhaver about how AI tools are transforming workflows. They explore AI’s strengths, limitations, and practical uses in coding, brainstorming, and streamlining creative projects, offering a framework for gradually adopting AI in tech workflows.
FloorboardAI.com
Keanan on Twitter
Keanan on Bluesky
Keanan on LinkedIn

Jan 7, 2025 • 43min
Agency Workflows for Building with Full Site Editing ft Amor Kumar
In this conversation, Amor Kumar, a Principal Engineer at WebDevStudios, shares his journey into the WordPress ecosystem, discussing the transition from JavaScript frameworks to WordPress development. They discuss the challenges of working with Gutenberg, full site editing, and the evolving landscape of WordPress as a CMS. The discussion delves into the importance of user experience, the role of starter themes, and the need for better curation of the editor experience for clients. They also chat about the future of WordPress with the rise of no-code solutions and AI-driven platforms.
Amor's Website
WebDevStudios
WDS's Block Starter Theme
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