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#721 WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & SaaS, We Interview Dennis Dornon Brand Manager and Cofounder of MainWP Is It Possible To Build a Successful WordPress Business With A Totally Free Core Product? #721 WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & SaaS, We Interview Dennis Dornon, Brand Manager and Cofounder of MainWP More About Dennis I’m always trying to find the right work-life balance, so when I’m not working on MainWP, I’m a husband to a wonderful and incredibly patient woman and father to three exceptional children. When I do find free time, it’s at the beach or chasing the younger ones around the backyard. Even though I am the co-founder of MainWP, I am neither a coder nor a designer. I develop ideas and help connect all the moving parts to create software that helps other WordPress enthusiasts. Main Questions of The Interview   #1 - Dennis, can you give us some more detailed background info on how you got into the semi-crazy world of web development, mainly WordPress, compared to your initial intro? #2 - So you have a robust free plugin/platform, and then you sell paid add-ons, so based on your experience, what are the good and bad things connected to this particular business model? #3 - You seem to use partnerships connected to third-party interrogations into your central plugin/platform as a key way of adding value and also a way to market MainWP what are some key things you have learned connected to building these partnerships? #4 - Is MainWP entirely bootstrapped, or have you taken angle investment, or is it a mixture of both what are some of your plans connected to growing MainWP? #5 - So if you had a time machine and could go back to the beginning of developing MainWP, what would you tell yourself would be really helpful? #6 - What are some of the people and companies in the WordPress or SaaS area that you admire the most connected to how they run their businesses? https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisdornon/ https://mainwp.com

Every Friday at 8:30 am PST, we host the WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & Tech round-table show, where we discuss the latest WordPress and the general web news of the week. You can also watch the show LIVE on our WP-Tonic’s Facebook Group Page & YouTube channel. This Weeks Special Guest Panelists James Giroux of Stellarwp - https://stellarwp.com/ Steven Sauder of Hustlefish - https://hustlefish.com/   This Week's Articles That We Discuss During The Show #1 -WordPress Leadership has a Public Relations Problem https://masterwp.com/wordpress-leadership-has-a-public-relations-problem/ #2 - Malcolm Gladwell says it’s ‘not in your best interest to work from home.’ Nearly 20 years ago he said he ‘hates desks’ and writes from his couch https://fortune.com/2022/08/08/malcolm-gladwell-slammed-after-criticizing-wfh-policies-despite-having-worked-remotely-for-decades/ #3 - Who’s winning on the WooCommerce Marketplace? https://getellipsis.com/blog/whos-winning-on-the-woocommerce-marketplace/ #4 - Andreessen Horowitz backs WeWork co-founder’s property venture https://www.ft.com/content/8d12cee7-6921-40fa-8455-d0f400db4fae #5 - Newsletter Glue Closes Free Plugin on WordPress.org https://wptavern.com/newsletter-glue-closes-free-plugin-on-wordpress-org #6 - CEO CRIES BECAUSE HE FIRED PEOPLE | #grindreel Braden Wallake https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradenwallake/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqfH8zil_Zs

What Are The Main Opportunities & Challenges That WordPress Faces in 2022 Josepha Haden Chomphosy Executive Director, WordPress project | Open Source Division Josepha Haden Chomphosy has been the Executive Director of the WordPress project since 2019. Her work to coordinate and guide volunteer efforts spans 21 teams and involves thousands of volunteers. She is sponsored by Automattic, where she leads the open source division that focuses on all aspects of open source contribution, including design, development, volunteer engagement, sponsorship relations, and the health of the overall WordPress ecosystem. Josepha is well-versed in conflict mediation tactics and knows how to explain complex topics clearly and respectfully. https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephahaden/   Main Questions of The Interview   #1 - I personally get the feeling that the WordPress project is facing a critical period (18 months) that will see either a semi-rebirthing of the project or the start of a significant decline; what are your own thoughts, and do you feel that I might be onto something here? #2 - What do you see as some of the significant opportunities and challenges that WordPress is facing at the present moment? #3 - Do you feel the present leadership structure at both WordPress and Automattic is up to the challenges that the project is facing at the present moment? #4 - Matt Mullenweg, "your boss," has declared publicly that he sees himself as the "benevolent dictator" of the WordPress project. I know myself and many in the WordPress community that is deeply unhappy with this particular statement and philosophy; however, we don't want WordPress to be managed by a committee is there an effective middle way? #5 - I'm frustrated with the Gutenberg project. I can see all the promises and opportunities that will come from a semi-finished and improved WordPress editor and website builder; however, the whole process has been painful and extremely slow. Do you feel lessons have been learned, and how can we together improve the situation? #6 - What personally excites you connected to being a key team player in the WordPress project, and what has it been like working closely with fantastic entrepreneurs and visionary like Matt Mullenweg?

#718 WP-Tonic "This Week In WordPress & Tech" 12th of August, 2022 at 8:30 am PST Every Friday at 8:30 am PST; we host the WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & Tech round-table show, where we discuss the latest WordPress and the general web news of the week. You can also watch the show LIVE on our WP-Tonic’s Facebook Group Page & YouTube channel. This Weeks Special Guest Panelists Vito Peleg: Joint Founder and CEO of Atarim - https://atarim.io/about/ Brian Coords of MasterWP - https://masterwp.com/   This Week's Articles That We Discuss During The Show #1 - New Twenty Twenty-Three Default Theme Now in Development https://wptavern.com/new-twenty-twenty-three-default-theme-now-in-development #2 - Amazon’s One-Stop Shop for Identity Thieves https://theintercept.com/2022/08/07/amazon-registry-identity-theft/ #3 -New Proposal Calls for Contributors to Stop Merging Experimental APIs from Gutenberg to WordPress Core https://wptavern.com/new-proposal-calls-for-contributors-to-stop-merging-experimental-apis-from-gutenberg-to-wordpress-core #4 - What the heck is a LinkedInfluencer? https://thehustle.co/08102022-LinkedInfluencers/ #5 - Five for the Now: Why WordPress mentorship contribution should extend beyond WordCamps https://masterwp.com/five-for-the-now-why-wordpress-mentorship-contribution-should-extend-beyond-wordcamps/ #6 - Stark wants to make it easier to design accessible websites and software https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/10/stark-wants-to-change-the-way-companies-make-websites-and-software-accessible/ How Our Organization Improved Web Accessibility (Case Study) https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2022/08/organization-improved-web-accessibility-case-study/

How Do You Compete in a Competitive WordPress Plugin Market Sector? Mark's Bio Mark offers a unique mix of entrepreneurial business experience coupled with a broad scope of I.T. knowledge. His career has primarily focused on the web industry. He is a high-energy business management and technology professional with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. His clients have included Sony, KPMG, SAP, Condenast, Hearst Corporation, Safeway, Ericsson, Google, Community Coffee, PR Week, Icom, BBC, British Telecom, and Wembley Stadium. His experience boasts work on over 250 web projects. His career started in 1996 when he formed Absolute Internet, one of the U.K's fastest-growing web agencies. In 2003 he joined Londonlaunch Ltd working alongside John Broome CBE to produce London's premier online destination for event professionals. In 2008 he started Simple.com, L.L.C, a venture-backed company specializing in providing software to industry leaders in the wedding industry. His contributions to the web community include authoring a book about CGI programming and submissions to numerous Internet focussed publications. https://wsform.com/ The Interview Main Questions   #1 - So Mark, can you give us the whole story connected to how you got into the semi-crazy world of web development, mainly WordPress? #2 - Why did you decide to enter the Form WordPress plugin market, which is a pretty competitive sector? What was your business logic connected to this decision? #3 - What has been the most successful way that you have found to market WS Forms, and what makes the WordPress market a bit different from other markets you have worked in? #4 - You have worked with some major international brands and have got any insight or advice from agencies trying to get similar clients? #5 - Everybody makes mistakes. What are some of the biggest lessons you learned from your business mistakes? #6 - What are some of your biggest heroes, and why?

Every Friday at 8:30 am PST; we host the WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & Tech round-table show, where we discuss the latest WordPress and the general web news of the week. You can also watch the show LIVE on our WP-Tonic’s Facebook Group Page & YouTube channel.   This Weeks Special Guest Heather Wilde - http://thedifferenceconsulting.com/   This Week's Articles That We Discuss During The Show   #1 -Is What’s Good for Gutenberg Also Good for WordPress? https://thewpminute.com/is-whats-good-for-gutenberg-also-good-for-wordpress/ #2 - Alex Jones concedes that the Sandy Hook attack was '100% real' https://www.npr.org/2022/08/03/1115414563/alex-jones-sandy-hook-case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLlel7cT6rs #3 - Are WordPress hosting companies ready for full site editing? https://masterwp.com/are-wordpress-hosting-companies-ready-for-full-site-editing/ #4 - Rights Groups Demand DOE Take a Stand on 'Invasive' Student Surveillance Software https://gizmodo.com/surveillance-software-schools-computers-1849365527 #5 - What I Learned from Building a Multilingual WordPress Website https://speckyboy.com/building-multilingual-wordpress-website/ #6 - Tinder steps back from Metaverse dating plans as business falters https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/3/23290152/tinder-metaverse-tinderverse-coins-disappointing-earnings

We Interview Laurent Maillard of Adoraweb A New & Exciting Way To Organize Your Agency For Max Profit & Freedom   Main Interview Questions #1 - Hi Laurent, can you give some insight connected to what the Luxembourg and European markets are like connected to digital marketing? #2 - How important is WordPress connected to your digital agency, and do you use or have been looking at a replacement for WordPress. #3 - We might a WordCamp Europe 2022 (Porto), and you did a presentation on how you reorganized how your agency does work with clients. Can you give an extensive picture outline of the main elements of this change? #4 - What were some of the significant problems you and your team had to deal with connected to a massive change in the way your agency works? #5 - What are some of the things you think you and the team can improve on connected to working with clients? #6 - If you had a "time machine" at the beginning of starting your agency, what critical advice would you give yourself that you feel you can share with the audience?   https://adoraweb.lu/

#714 WP-Tonic "This Week In WordPress & Tech" 29th of July, 2022 at 8:30 am PST   Every Friday at 8:30 am PST, we host the WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & Tech round-table show, where we discuss the latest WordPress and the general web news of the week. You can also watch the show LIVE on our WP-Tonic’s Facebook Group Page & YouTube channel. This Weeks Special Guest Panelists  This Weeks Special Guests Jonathan Wold & Andrew Palmer Jonathan Wold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanwold/ Andrew Palmer: Joint Founder of Bertha.ai - https://bertha.ai/       This Week's Articles That We Discuss During The Show #1 - WordPress Contributors Consider Renaming Full-Site Editing https://wptavern.com/wordpress-contributors-consider-renaming-full-site-editing #2 - Tesla driver using Autopilot kills motorcyclist, prompting another NHTSA investigation https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/27/23280461/tesla-autopilot-crash-motorcyclist-fatal-utah-nhtsa #3 - Solving WordPress Dashboard Spam and Contributing to WordPress https://masterwp.com/solving-wordpress-dashboard-spam-and-contributing-to-wordpress/ #4 - Resolving Conflicts Between Designers And Engineers https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2022/07/resolving-conflicts-designers-engineers/ #5 - Review Signal Publishes 2022 WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting Performance Benchmarks https://wptavern.com/review-signal-publishes-2022-wordpress-and-woocommerce-hosting-performance-benchmarks #6 -Shopify is laying off 10 percent of its workers. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/business/shopify-layoffs.html

From The CIA To Cybersecurity & Hacking Expert Mr. Elliott is CEO of Comar Cyber, Inc., a Washington, DC-based company that specializes in government and corporate training in cybersecurity. He created the award-winning “Learn by Hacking” TM online cybersecurity course, with distribution deals in the US and Japan. Mr. Elliott served for almost two decades at the CIA, where he worked in the Directorate of Operations as a Case Officer and ops leader in field assignments. He has extensive experience at the intersection of HUMINT operations and technology. As a manager at CIA Headquarters, he worked with companies, investors, and other elements of government to identify, purchase, and create technologies for the CIA’s operational use. He used his training and experience in assignments in Europe, South Asia, and Africa, as well as at HQS, to identify and counter nation-state cyber threats to protect enterprise and operational systems. Mr. Elliott, in coordination with various stakeholders, created the Agency’s requirements for operational technology in the foreign field. Interview Questions   #1 - What do you see as some of the new and biggest Cybersecurity threats at the present moment? #2 - WordPress and open-source software are not as secure as proprietary software; what are your general views on this? #3 - What are some critical things website developers and designers need to understand to make their websites more secure? #4 - We seem to be in an age of Surveillance Capitalism, as popularized by Shoshana Zuboff. what are your own views on this? #5 - There has been a lot of talk TikTok about it being a significant security threat; what are your own views on this? #6 - What are your personal views on Edward Snowden and his revelations connected to the NSA?

Every Friday at 8:30 am PST, we host the WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & Tech round-table show, where we discuss the latest WordPress and the general web news of the week. You can also watch the show LIVE on our WP-Tonic’s Facebook Group Page & YouTube channel.  This Weeks Special Guest Chris Badgett Joint Founder & CEO of LifterLMS: https://lifterlms.com/  This Week's Articles That We Discuss During The Show #1 - WordPress.com Ends Recent Pricing Experiment, Reverts to Previous Model https://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-ends-recent-pricing-experiment-reverts-to-previous-model   #2 - Everything About Twitter v. Musk Is Utter Nonsense https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/07/twitter-musk-deal-fallout-nonsense/670512/   #3 - Is WordPress bigger than Wal-Mart? https://masterwp.com/is-wordpress-bigger-than-wal-mart/   #4 - The Great Fiction of AI https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper   #5 - WordPress Design Contributors Propose Shipping a Curated Set of Style Variations Instead of a New Default Theme https://wptavern.com/wordpress-design-contributors-propose-shipping-a-curated-set-of-style-variations-instead-of-a-new-default-theme   #6 - UK heat wave causes Google and Oracle cloud outages https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/uk-heat-wave-causes-google-and-oracle-cloud-outages/?fbclid=IwAR3j-CJo8dwYQd19K9H7zF4EBFrJ-jSNXVmEEsKGtn3WmhyyC2Q2YbUTZMg