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(239, '_transient_feed_d117b5738fbd35bd8c0391cda1f2b5d9', 'a:4:{s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:3:\"rss\";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:3:\"\n\n\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:7:\"version\";s:3:\"2.0\";}}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:7:\"channel\";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:61:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:16:\"WordPress Planet\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"http://planet.wordpress.org/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"language\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2:\"en\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"WordPress Planet - http://planet.wordpress.org/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"item\";a:50:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 12.9 Adds Block Locking UI, Automatic Pattern Registration, and Full Theme Exports\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132214\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:111:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-9-adds-block-locking-ui-automatic-pattern-registration-and-full-theme-exports\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9940:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Gutenberg 12.9 landed in the WordPress.org plugin directory today, and it is a beefy release, packed with a little something for everyone. Even after tinkering with new features over the last few days, I have yet to explore everything as much as I would like. Given the practical limitation of time, I will not be able to dive into everything in this post, but I will attempt to introduce you all to some of the highlights.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following are some selected items that I was unable to dive into, but I still encourage readers to check out:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The selected <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39386\">color&#8217;s name now appears</a> in the color picker.</li><li>Users can now <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39209\">choose from a suggested list</a> of date formats or add a custom one for the Post Date block. These are internationalized, so the suggestions will be locale-specific.</li><li>Themes can add blocks to a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38806\">No Results container block</a> when a Query returns no posts.</li><li>The Tag Cloud block now has <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/37311\">minimum and maximum size controls</a>.</li><li>The Separator block <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38428\">supports the newer color control</a>, allowing users to select transparent colors.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block Locking UI</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Customizing a locked block.\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 12.9 introduces a new <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39183\">UI for locking blocks</a>. Under the &#8220;more options&#8221; dropdown in the toolbar, users can select the lock option, which will bring up a screen with two options:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Disable movement:</strong> Disallows moving the block itself. However, sibling blocks can be moved around it.</li><li><strong>Prevent removal:</strong> Prevents the block from being deleted.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrei Draganescu noted the following in the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/30/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-9-30-march/\">12.9 announcement post</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>When a block is locked, users are either unable to move it, remove it, or both. This is particularly useful with site level blocks like Post Content which many themes will want to lock down.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>However, that definition does not entirely explain block-level locking. There is a caveat: this new UI hands end-users the key to the lock. Technically, they already had this capability via the code editor, but it is now available through the interface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>From a theme dev perspective, block-level locking merely requires additional steps of the user to move and/or remove blocks. It is not a &#8220;forced&#8221; or &#8220;permanent&#8221; lock. It is a welcome feature, but themers should understand its limits and that this new UI offers more power to users, not less.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block Gap Support for Galleries…<em>Sort Of</em></h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Block spacing for the Gallery block.\n\n\n\n<p>One of the features I was most excited about with this release was the addition of support for <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38164\">spacing between Gallery images</a>. Theme authors have relied on specialized block styles to give users choices, usually limited to default and a &#8220;no gap&#8221; options. The latter would remove any spacing between the images.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, the feature is broken in 12.9 when users manually set a gap. Checking the source code, it is outputting an <code>Array</code> instead of valid CSS. On the front end, the following warning displays:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Warning: preg_match() expects parameter 2 to be string, array given in ...wp-content/plugins/gutenberg/build/block-library/blocks/gallery.php on line 51</code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p>I am sure this will be corrected in 12.9.1. Until then, I suggest not using the &#8220;Block Spacing&#8221; control.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Theme author warning:</strong> This is a breaking change for themes that target the <code>--gallery-block--gutter-size</code> to control the default gap for galleries. This previously-reliable CSS custom property no longer exists in the code. It is unclear why this variable was removed altogether, and there was no mention of it in the ticket.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new <code>--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap</code> variable seems to do a similar job. However, as the <code>unstable</code> part of its name suggests, it may not always be around. It is also defined on the <code>.wp-container-*</code> class instead of the gallery itself. I have yet to do enough CSS testing to figure out how to overwrite it for the default gap. If anyone has a solution, please post it in the comments for others.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Children Collapsed by Default in List View</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Opening a collapsed set of nested blocks in the list view.\n\n\n\n<p>I have often shied away from the list view in the editor for most real-world scenarios, at least for pages with many nested blocks. With every level open by default, it was a bit of a nightmare to browse through and locate a specific block. It was easier to take my chances clicking around in the content canvas.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the latest Gutenberg release may just change my usage of it. Version 12.9 <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39611\">collapses all child blocks by default</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Automatic Pattern Registration for Themes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors can now let Gutenberg <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/36751\">handle pattern registration for them</a>. They only need to follow a few rules:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Add block patterns inside PHP files in a <code>/patterns</code> folder.</li><li>Add pattern data to the file header.</li><li>Add pattern content, of course.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Individual pattern files should look like the following:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>&lt;?php\n/**\n * Title: A Pattern Title\n * Slug: namespace/slug\n * Description: A human-friendly description.\n * Viewport Width: 1024\n * Categories: comma, separated, values\n * Keywords: comma, separated, values\n * Block Types: comma, separated, values\n * Inserter: yes|no\n */\n ?>\n &lt;!-- some-block-content /--></code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the <code>Title</code> and <code>Slug</code> header fields are required. Each option matches a <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/register_block_pattern/\"><code>register_block_pattern()</code> function argument</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors who want to use this feature now but provide backward compatibility with WordPress 5.9 can check for the existence of the <code>gutenberg_register_theme_block_patterns()</code> function. That is the function name for the moment, at least.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This change further builds on top of the existing standards for block themes. 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It will also continue simplifying the WordPress.org theme review system.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Theme Exporting and Template Building</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of lowering barriers, creators can now build an entire theme from the site editor. Well, assuming they start from an existing block theme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 12.9 introduces two vital features to the site-building process. The first allows users to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39202\">export a copy of their active theme</a> directly from the editor:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Exporting the active theme with customizations.\n\n\n\n<p>The downloaded ZIP file from this export is a fully-functioning theme. It includes all user customizations alongside every file that already exists in the original.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are still a few things that are not yet possible from the editor, and these will need to be manually adjusted before public release. The theme name and other data in <code>style.css</code> will remain the same as the original theme. There is also no method for snagging a screenshot of the customized version and bundling it in the ZIP.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a leap forward for democratizing design, but other flows will need to be considered. Users should be able to export as a child theme with only their customizations or even as a <code>*.json</code> file (global style variation).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, there is a more immediate and practical use case. Users can download their customized themes and upload them to another site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second crucial update for development within the site editor is <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39353\">support for more templates</a>. Users can now create the following from the templates management panel in addition to the existing ones;</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Author</li><li>Category</li><li>Date</li><li>Tag</li><li>Taxonomy</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<img />Adding a new Author template.\n\n\n\n<p>The new templates are welcome additions, but the template-creation feature still has limits. There is no way to create variations on those templates via the UI, such as <code>category-wordpress</code>, <code>taxonomy-genre</code>, or the dozens of other possibilities. However, it will happen one day.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 31 Mar 2022 03:38:57 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:1;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"Post Status: Post Status Excerpt (No. 52) — Improving Your Live Video Self\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94877\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:80:\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-excerpt-no-52-improving-your-live-video-self/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4689:\"<h2 id=\"more-important-than-being-responsive-is-setting-expectations-dave-rodenbaugh\">“Embrace Progress Over Perfection” — Roshanda Pratt</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In this episode of Post Status Excerpt, David meets <strong>Roshanda Pratt</strong> and welcomes her to the WordPress community. Soon, Roshanda will be speaking at the upcoming <a href=\"https://wpcareersummit.com/\">WP Career Summit</a> on “<a href=\"https://wpcareersummit.com/roshanda-pratt/\">Secrets to Being on Camera in Live Video</a>.” Roshanda has been a television producer for a number of years and shares some tips to improve your image and confidence in video calls or at conferences and job interviews. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to stand out <em>and</em> express yourself professionally, you\'ll want to hear Roshanda\'s advice and attend <a href=\"https://wpcareersummit.com/roshanda-pratt/\">her WP Career Summit talk</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why This Is Important: </strong>Many companies in the WordPress space are distributed or have a remote workforce. This means they\'re likely to interview job candidates remotely too, via live video. </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\">Every week <strong><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/\">Post Status Excerpt</a></strong> brings you insightful guests and timely conversations about WordPress, the WordPress community, and the WordPress business ecosystem. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f310.png\" alt=\"🌐\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br /><br />You can listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/\">past episodes</a> of <strong>The Excerpt</strong>, <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/\">browse all our podcasts</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe on <a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/1m3xwXbe0MG5BzFVPtB0A7\">Spotify</a>, Amazon Music, <a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA\">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008\">iTunes</a>, <a href=\"https://castro.fm/podcast/c53552c6-1ee0-4fc4-9de4-08ed6bf1ee4d\">Castro</a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus\">YouTube</a>, <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast\">Stitcher</a>, <a href=\"https://player.fm/series/wordpress-post-status-podcasts\">Player.fm</a>, <a href=\"https://pca.st/05rR\">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/\">Simplecast</a>, or by <a href=\"https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P\">RSS</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3a7.png\" alt=\"🎧\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-mentioned-in-the-show\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f517.png\" alt=\"🔗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Mentioned in the show:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wpcareersummit.com/\">WP Career Summit</a></li><li><a href=\"http://www.therepnetwork.com\">REP NETWORK</a></li><li>Follow Roshanda on <a href=\"http://wwww.linkedin.com/roshandaepratt\">Linkedin</a>, <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therosholive/\">Instagram</a>, and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/therosholive\">Twitter</a>.</li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Bisset</a> (Twitter)</li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Post Status</a> (Twitter)</li></ul>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_138506-a0 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_138506-a0\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"sponsor\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Sponsor: <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/stellarwp\">StellarWP</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We are a collective of WordPress innovators, empowering business owners and creators with plugins and tools to help them thrive. We build great plugins, but we don’t stop there; we continually challenge ourselves to keep innovating and improving.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our solutions include the most trusted names in WordPress, with more than 2.5 Million installs. Since 2021, we’ve grown to encompass seven brands and dozens of plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>StellarWP is part of the Liquid Web family of brands.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_ad0578-69 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_ad0578-69\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-transcript\"><strong>Transcript</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>(coming soon)</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 23:30:07 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:2;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"WPTavern: Snow Monkey Editor Plugin Adds Custom Styles to WordPress Core Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132205\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:90:\"https://wptavern.com/snow-monkey-editor-plugin-adds-custom-styles-to-wordpress-core-blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3709:\"<p>In the early days after the block editor landed in WordPress, block collection plugins exploded on the scene and were quick to rack up hundreds of thousands of users. Plugins like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/coblocks/\">CoBlocks</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/kadence-blocks/\">Kadence Blocks</a>, and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg/\">Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg</a> offer dozens of blocks in one package, focusing mostly on blocks not offered in core. WordPress.org&#8217;s Block Directory gave some incentive for creating single-block plugins, allowing users to search for and install them inside the block editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a href=\"https://richtabor.com/a-new-era/\">block themes generally include less custom CSS than traditional themes</a>, some plugin developers are experimenting with applying interesting styles to WordPress&#8217; core blocks. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/snow-monkey-editor/\">Snow Monkey Editor</a>, created by developer Takashi Kitajima, is one such plugin that doesn&#8217;t include any custom blocks. Instead, it extends the block editor to give unique styles to core blocks, giving them the appearance of custom blocks. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Snow Monkey Editor will take a simple paragraph and transform it into various alert styles, post-it, speech, etc. </p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to paragraphs, the plugin has extra styles for image blocks, including different fluid shapes and shadowed.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The List block also includes several different pre-set styles to make lists more interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin puts a monkey icon inside the block toolbar that offers more formatting options for text, including background color, badge, font size, highlighter, letter spacing, line height, and text color.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Snow Monkey Editor also includes some utility and display settings for all blocks, including the following:  </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Hide on smartphone size or tablet size or PC size. (Using media query)</li><li>Hide by user roles. (Using <code>render_block</code> filter hook. If it does not pass this filter, it is ignored)</li><li>Scroll animation</li><li>Publish date time settings</li><li>Unpublish date time settings</li><li>Edit lock by user roles. (Only administrators can set it)</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These settings essentially allow editors to do things like disappear selected blocks on a set date, hide content depending on device display size, and lock content from being edited by different user roles. Some of these could be helpful when building websites for clients.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The collection of styles for different blocks reminds me of the old days before the block editor when users would create similar formatted text using shortcodes. This new block-based approach is far less clunky and allows users to quickly preview the styles as they are working in the editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/snow-monkey-editor/\">Snow Monkey Editor</a> plugin is available on WordPress.org, and has more than 10,000 active installs. It can be used with any theme, as the styles are mostly subtle and harmonious. If the plugin is deactivated, the block styles revert to the default core styles. Takashi Kitajima has also created a <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/snow-monkey-blocks/\">Snow Monkey Blocks</a> plugin with ~3 dozen custom blocks, a <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/snow-monkey-forms/\">Snow Monkey Forms</a> plugin with 13 blocks, and a <a href=\"https://snow-monkey.2inc.org/\">Snow Monkey theme</a> for those who want more complimentary extensions designed to work with Snow Monkey Editor.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 22:32:34 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:3;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"Post Status: This Week at WordPress.org (March 28, 2022)\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=95192\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"https://poststatus.com/this-week-at-wordpress-org-march-28-2022/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8089:\"<p>Each week we are highlighting the news from WordPress.org that you don\'t want to miss.  If you or your company create products or services that use WordPress, we\'ve got the news you need to know. Be sure to share this resource with your product and project managers.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-news\">News</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/get-creative-with-the-all-new-pattern-creator/\">Get Creative with the All-New Pattern Creator</a></li></ul>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_a98156-c2 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_a98156-c2\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<h2 id=\"h-core\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core\">Core</a> </h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/28/enabling-webp-by-default/\">Enabling WebP by default</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/23/migrating-wordpress-e2e-tests-to-playwright/\">Migrating WordPress E2E tests to Playwright</a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/07/the-performance-lab-plugin-has-been-released/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/07/a-week-in-core-march-7-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/14/a-week-in-core-march-14-2022/\"></a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-community\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community\">Community</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/03/2022-community-team-goals-summary/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/14/meetup-organizer-newsletter-march-2022/\">Meetup Organizer Newsletter: March 2022</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/23/return-to-events-blue-sky-thinking/\">Return to In-Person Events: Blue Sky Thinking</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/17/discussion-revisiting-in-person-regional-wordcamps/\">Discussion: Revisiting In-person Regional WordCamps</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-docs\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs\">Docs</a>:</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2022/03/23/working-on-wordpress-release-6-0-selecting-trac-tickets-for-devnotes/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2022/03/28/onboarding-sessions-live/\">Onboarding sessions – live!</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-support-articles\">Support Articles:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/submit-your-block-pattern-to-the-directory/\"></a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-content-block/\">Post Content Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/submit-your-block-pattern-to-the-directory/\"></a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/pinterest-embed/\">Pinterest Embed</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-meta\">Meta</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2022/03/16/coming-soon-block-pattern-directory-submissions/\">Coming soon: Block Pattern Directory Submissions</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-photos\">Photos</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/photos/2022/03/23/announcement-photo-directory-team-reps-2022/\">Announcement: Photo Directory Team Reps 2022</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-polyglots\">Polyglots</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2022/03/22/polyglots-monthly-newsletter-march-2022/\">Polyglots Monthly Newsletter: March 2022</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-plugins\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins\">Plugins</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/22/plugin-review-team-21-february-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/28/plugin-review-team-update-28-feb-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/15/plugin-review-team-14-march-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/22/plugin-review-team-21-march-2022/\">Plugin Review Team: 21 March 2022</a></li></ul>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<h2 id=\"h-project\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project\">Project</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/03/16/proposal-to-remove-spam-dormant-five-for-the-future-pledges/\">Proposal to remove spam/dormant Five for the Future pledges</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-themes\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes\">Themes</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/02/themes-team-update-march-02-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/15/themes-team-update-march-15-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/22/themes-team-update-march-22-2022/\">Themes team update March 22, 2022</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-training\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training\">Training</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/28/whats-new-on-learnwp-in-february-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2022/03/03/march-2022-team-sprint/\">March 2022 Team Sprint</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2022/01/31/faculty-program-structure-proposal/\">Faculty Program: Structure Proposal</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-lesson-plans\">Lesson Plans</h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/lesson-plan/how-to-add-and-remove-logo-and-site-icon-in-site-editor/\">How To Add and Remove Logo And Site Icon in Site Editor</a></li><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/lesson-plan/how-to-use-and-contribute-to-the-wordpress-photo-directory-and-openverse/\">How to Use and Contribute to the WordPress Photo Directory and Openverse</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-workshops\">Workshops</h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/adding-a-site-tagline-to-block-themes/\"></a><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/taking-advantage-of-query-loops/\">Taking Advantage of Query Loops</a></li><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/adding-a-site-tagline-to-block-themes/\"></a><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/using-plugin-favorites-on-wordpress-org/\">Using Plugin Favorites on WordPress.org</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-social-learning-spaces\">Social Learning Spaces:</h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/social-learning/\">Calendar</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-support\">Support</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/support/2022/03/health-check-troubleshooting-upcoming-release-of-version-1-5-0/\">Health Check & Troubleshooting – Upcoming release of version 1.5.0</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-openverse\">Openverse</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2022/03/10/openverse-frontend-v3-1-1-release/\">Openverse Frontend v3.1.1 Release</a></li></ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile has-background\"><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/\"><img src=\"https://cdn.poststatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vertical-post-status-logo-250.png\" alt=\"Post Status\" class=\"wp-image-85823 size-full\" /></a><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-normal-font-size\" id=\"h-get-ready-for-remote-work\">You — and <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/business-membership/\">your whole team</a> can <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-membership-club/\">Join Post Status</a> too!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size\"><strong>Build your network. Learn with others. Find your next job — or your next hire.</strong> Read the <strong>Post Status</strong> <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter/\">newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/2709.png\" alt=\"✉\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">podcasts</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status/\">@Post_Status</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f426.png\" alt=\"🐦\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:32:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:4;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"WPTavern: #20 – Oliver Sild on the State of WordPress Security\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=131983\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/20-oliver-sild-on-the-state-of-wordpress-security\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:62232:\"<p>On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://twitter.com/OliverSild\">Oliver Sild</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oliver has been working in the WordPress space for many years, and specifically with WordPress security, as one of the founders of Patchstack, formerly called WebARX.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patchstack is a product which is designed to help you identify plugin vulnerabilities in your WordPress sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past couple of years Patchstack has released an annual report about the state of WordPress security. The report for 2021 has just been released, and the podcast today is concerned with what they found out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talk about why they produce this report, and who the intended audience is. What are the main takeaways in terms of the overall security of WordPress Core, plugins and themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We then get into more specific details of what types of vulnerabilities and attacks seem to be prevalent in the WordPress space. Are there any trends which are useful to think about, and how WordPress security is managed by the community as a whole; are budgets and time typically allocated for prevention and restoration of websites?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards the end we talk about how some people have pushed back on the usefulness of the report. They’ve questioned the motivations of security companies to write such reports and the use of the language which they contain. Do they paint more of a negative picture in order to drive sales of their commercial solutions?</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Useful links.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/the-state-of-wordpress-security-in-2021\">State of WordPress Security in 2021 Report</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://patchstack.com/\">Patchstack website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://masterwp.com/is-wordpress-security-getting-better-or-worse/\">Is WordPress security getting better or worse?</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://masterwp.com/rebuttal-how-patchstack-is-improving-wordpress-security/\">Rebuttal: How Patchstack is improving WordPress security</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/OliverSild\">Oliver&#8217;s Twitter</a></p>\n\n\n\nTranscript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley. Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case, the security of WordPress. If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to WP Tavern dot com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m very keen to hear from you and hopefully get you or your idea on the show. Head over to WP Tavern dot com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox, and use the contact form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Oliver Sild. Oliver has been working in the WordPress space for many years, and specifically with WordPress security, as one of the founders of Patchstack, formerly called WebARX. Patchstack is a product which is designed to help you identify plugin vulnerabilities in your WordPress sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past couple of years, Patchstack has released an annual report about the state of WordPress security. The report for 2021 has just been released, and the podcast today is concerned with what they found out. We talk about why they produce this report. Who the intended audience is. What are the main takeaways in terms of the overall security of WordPress Core plugins and themes?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We then get into more specific details about what types of vulnerabilities and attacks seem to be prevalent in the WordPress space. Are there any trends which are useful to think about, and how WordPress security is managed by the community as a whole. Are budgets and time typically allocated for prevention and restoration of websites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards the end we talk about how some people have pushed back on the usefulness of the report. They&#8217;ve questioned the motivations of security companies to write such reports and the use of language which they contain. Do they paint a more negative picture in order to drive sales of their commercial solutions?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all the links and the show notes by heading over to. WP Tavern dot com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all of the other episodes. And so without further delay, I bring you all Oliver Sild.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast today by Oliver Sild. Hello Oliver.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:16] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Hello Nathan, how are you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I&#8217;m very well, thank you for joining us today. Oliver Sild will no doubt be able to introduce himself, but I&#8217;ll just do a very quick job. Oliver is, I believe, one of the founders, if not the founder of Patchstack, formerly WebARX, which is a security solution for WordPress websites amongst other things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So my first question to you all about, just give us a little bit of background, certainly more than I just provided. Tell us about your history with WordPress and how you came to be involved with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:47] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. So in 20, 20 13, 20 14, around that time I was actually running a web development company we were mostly back then building websites in Joomla and then I remember just at one point, the demand on the market changed pretty much everyone wanted to WordPress site. So that kind of naturally moved us from Joomla to WordPress, and because our company was, we were calling our services like a secure web development. So what we wanted to do is that if we are building you something we&#8217;ll also make sure that the security side of that is covered as well. So we already had some level of internal tools built which were helping us to track what kind of software we were using on our different kind of customer&#8217;s websites. And that eventually, well, by now has turned into what Patchstack is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much, indeed. So security is your thing. And very recently there was a piece on the WP Tavern website, which I will link to a little bit later, which was highlighting the fact that you had released one of your annual reports.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I believe we&#8217;re on possibly the second iteration now. It&#8217;s called the state of WordPress security. And in this case it was 2021. So it&#8217;s a look back over the last year in WordPress security. And we&#8217;ll go into that. And that really is the point of the podcast today. We&#8217;re just going to appraise all of the different bits and pieces that you highlighted there because I&#8217;m imagining that most people listening to this podcast are deeply into WordPress. And this is obviously a seriously important side of any WordPress website, keeping it updated and secure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then towards the end of the podcast, we&#8217;ll go into a little bit of an exchange that happened over on a website where somebody called into question the language that you&#8217;re using over here, but, okay, so first thing I&#8217;m going to suggest then is that if you&#8217;re listening to this, you may like to go to Patchstack dot com forward slash white paper forward slash the state of WordPress security in 2021. All of those words are separated by hyphens. And you&#8217;re going to find the article that we&#8217;re talking about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s broken up into lots of different sections. But first question is why are you making the efforts to write this report? And we know that you have a WordPress security company. That is your job. That&#8217;s what you do, but why go to the lengths of illustrating what&#8217;s going on in the WordPress space so that people like me, the general public can consume it? It must require quite a lot of resources and effort.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:14] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Indeed yeah. I think we put that report together for three months. So it&#8217;s quite in depth by the way. If you want to quickly open up the white paper, you can just go to Patchstack dot com, we have with the banner on our front page that&#8217;s actually linking to that, but that&#8217;s a side note.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We actually did that first, last year. So we last year released one about the previous year and we started doing that on the point where as a company, we decided to switch into a very specific focus on security vulnerabilities found in the software that is built for and around the WordPress ecosystem, which is the WordPress Core, the plugins and themes and the wordpress.org repository.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But also the WordPress plugins and themes that are built as a premium ones that are not in the WordPress repository or the ones that are actually built or like being provided, some other marketplaces like Envato and so on. And by doing that, we switch the, like we have a SaaS product that is providing, we have a free version of a SaaS product where you can like, just connect like 99 websites, for example, and have a central overview if any of the plugins on any of your websites is becoming vulnerable. And at the same time, we started, looking into those different kinds of popular plugins and if they are vulnerable or not, then for years we&#8217;ve been providing code review and security auditing services for plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>By doing that over the time, what we&#8217;ve collected together is like a quite big database, so security issues around the WordPress ecosystem. So if you go to Patchstack dot com slash database, you actually see a full-blown list of all of the security vulnerabilities that are in the plugins, themes, WordPress Core, and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And last year, what we did is that we figured, we understood already by doing surveys and so on that actually plugin vulnerabilities and theme vulnerabilities, and like anything that you are running on your website that becomes vulnerable, is pretty much the number one security threat to the website. And then we started a thing that we call it today Patchstack Alliance, where we just decided to start building a community of ethical hackers, who then submit vulnerabilities that they find in any WordPress plugins in the ecosystem to us. We make sure that we help the plugin developer to fix those issues. And then we actually pay to those ethical hackers for the contribution that they make to the WordPress security.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s on the other hand, generates a lot of data for us. So a lot of data about new vulnerabilities. A lot of data about, what is actually happening in that ecosystem. And we just decided to pull all that information and data that we have collected over this time and make it into a kind of annual report or a white paper.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. It&#8217;s really definitely worth having a look at, because it portrays, obviously now that you&#8217;re in the second iteration of this, you&#8217;re able to compare the way that things were last year. And in many ways, this is a comparison piece based upon last year. And so we often hear the phrases, such and such a thing is up such and such a thing as down, you&#8217;re looking for trends basically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main gist is three sections. As you described, we&#8217;re talking about WordPress Core, WordPress themes and finally WordPress plugins. There&#8217;s obviously a little bit of nuance in there. Do you want to illustrate for us what you&#8217;ve found to be the big highlight bullet items, if you&#8217;d like for those three areas.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So should we start with Core? Let&#8217;s discuss what it is that you found over the last year in terms of the security or otherwise of WordPress Core. To paraphrase, it seems pretty good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:02] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. Like WordPress has quite mature software development cycle. WordPress the core, also has the bug bounty program.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have the bounty program on hacker one. And who doesn&#8217;t know what backcountry program is? It&#8217;s basically, like you say to hackers, come hack my software. If you find something report it directly to me so I can fix it, then they will pay to you. So this is the approach that is being, is becoming very popular.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the same thing, what we do to plugins, but WordPress has its for it&#8217;s own core. So they do that, which is nice because that is actually getting much more security attention on the WordPress Core. And at the same time we see less major security vulnerabilities being discovered in the Core itself. And something that we also saw this year, which was a little bit different was the dependency confusion attacks, where there was like a high risk of being maybe like a custom plugin being updated from the wrong source. I think the Core had an interesting year, but what we see is in general that the Core has a matured development kind of processes and cycle in place. So it&#8217;s getting better each year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:14] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think in the year 2017, I believe it was, the bug bounty program began with hacker one and it would appear, it seems to have worked because over the years after that, there&#8217;s been a fairly precipitous drop in the amount of concern with WordPress Core. In fact of the four security updates that were released in 2021. And again, we&#8217;re talking about Core it would appear that only one of them had a critical vulnerability, which wasn&#8217;t actually concerning something that was Core. It was an insecure component. It was PHP mailer library if I remember rightly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So that points to the idea that anybody these days is saying that WordPress itself is an insecure platform, which I&#8217;m sure we&#8217;ve all encountered when we&#8217;ve been building client websites and so on, people have this fear that WordPress itself is pretty insecure and your document seems to imply exactly the opposite. It&#8217;s very robust and very secure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:13] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, and if you read our white paper, we actually say that, we are saying that WordPress has done a very good job at that. WordPress is getting more and more security attention, obviously, as it&#8217;s running, soon, almost like the half of web, basically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes sense that it gets more attention. More attention means more stuff is being found, more stuff being found means more stuff is fixed. And this is a good thing. And in terms of like the whole mature way of how there&#8217;s regular security updates and regular updates for the core itself. It shows that the core is doing really well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:51] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Do you want to illustrate for those people who perhaps aren&#8217;t familiar, one of the headline paragraphs that you&#8217;ve got right near the top is, the dependency confusion attacks. Now this may be something that people are very familiar with. I suspect maybe not. Do you just want to outline what those are and why you&#8217;ve illustrated it in the report this year?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:09] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, we call it the fear of dependency confusion attacks, because we didn&#8217;t really see any dependency confusion attacks specifically. Like I was mentioning before, there was a risk where if you have a custom plugin that is not on the wordpress.org repo. And if you are adding a new plugin to the repo with the same slug that this custom plugin was using, then you could pretty much overwrite the custom plugin on the websites that it was running at.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So this was like, a risk where if there is like a plugin made by someone, maybe installed on like very high profile websites. This plugin is not known to the WP dot org, or it is not on the WordPress dot org repo, but someone made a plugin for, with the same slug and it went past it. And then the auto-update mechanism in the WordPress Core would basically update this plugin, now, which was a core, which was a custom plugin into the plugin that is now in the WordPress repository.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So basically replacing someone else&#8217;s plugin with a plugin made by another author. The content can be checked by the wordpress.org, like what actually this new plugin would do. But at the same time, of course a bit of a fear, I think a lot of people were afraid that this is going to affect everyone, but it was more of a theoretical thing that was a risk, but we didn&#8217;t really see any of such effects happening.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah in software, in general, nothing to do with WordPress, this kind of supply chain attack is potentially a real problem, isn&#8217;t it? Because if you can somehow become the official canonical source of the software, even though you are not the official canonical source of the software, you could in theory, get to many, many places very, very quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And and it&#8217;s nice to see that you&#8217;ve not really found too much evidence of that over the last year. So WordPress core itself, I think it&#8217;s fair to say, you feel is in very good shape. The problem is really for WordPress and I&#8217;m sure this is something that many people can relate to if they&#8217;ve been using the software for any length of time, we&#8217;re going to get into themes and plugins. This is where I guess the problems begin to arise. Let&#8217;s tackle them in turn. Let&#8217;s go for themes first. What were the broad sweeping outlines that you that you discovered in your exploration of themes this year?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:32] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> I think this has been happening over the time, but basically what we see is that the line between themes and plugins is getting blurrier and blurrier Themes now use a lot of PHP code for, site builders are also, people considered as themes in a way, but then at the same time they actually a plugin. Yeah, so the line is getting blurrier and more PHP code is being introduced into the functionality of the themes, which basically brings the same kind of threats to the themes that we have with plugins, where there can be a kind of vulnerable PHP code that can be a trick doing something that was not meant to.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what you saw is that there are vulnerabilities within themes that are as critical as you could expect from the plugins. It isn&#8217;t from this report, but I think a good example is. It was just recently with Freemius library, which was used by a lot of themes. And this is like exactly the supply chain issue where, there&#8217;s thousands of websites that are using one theme, and if this one theme becomes vulnerable, then all these thousands of websites are vulnerable. But now we&#8217;re also seeing where there&#8217;s thousands of themes on these themes use a library, and if this library gets vulnerable, then all these thousands of themes become vulnerable. And all those, I don&#8217;t know, hundreds of thousands of websites that use these thousands of themes become vulnerable as well. So this, you can see how this is coming, like from top to the bottom and eventually affecting a lot of websites. So as an example, I think two or three weeks ago when the Freemius thing happened, I think we, I believe we added 1,800 different vulnerabilities or vulnerable components to the Patchstack database in a single day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So next year is going to be definitely more, we have more data that&#8217;s definitely from this year about theme vulnerabilities than we have from the past year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> There were a fair number of what you might describe as critical vulnerabilities. There&#8217;s a list that you&#8217;ve described, depending on how interested you are in security.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The names of these things may be of interest or otherwise, but things like unauthenticated, arbitrary file upload and option deletion, that would appear to have been found at least in your case, 10 times in 10 different themes. Unauthenticated upload vulnerability, leading to remote code execution, which you&#8217;ve found in one theme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arbitrary file upload vulnerability, 42 themes were affected. So it&#8217;s fairly widespread. And I guess if any of those themes are incredibly popular, that can quickly get out of hand.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:16] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Absolutely. If a single plugin that has, especially those unauthenticated vulnerabilities are the scariest ones because they require no access to the website, like any permissions to your websites and someone could basically, the malicious hacker could potentially upload file to your site without gaining access to the website. So this kind of vulnerabilities are very scary as they can be abused automatically and on scale. So indeed, like if a single plugin would have a hundred thousand installations and it would have just one, this one vulnerability, especially for unauthenticated one, then what we are seeing is that hackers very quickly build custom tools to start finding all the websites on the internet that use that theme and then start exploiting them automatically to inject backdoors or redirect traffic from the website, change the search engine results for your website. So if you watch, if you look at the website everything seems to be okay. But if you Google your website, for example, then it would give completely different results and redirect your site to somewhere else.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:24] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So, is the trend in terms of themes, is your experience that there was more concern over the last year than there was in the previous 12 months? Or is it essentially the same quantity of vulnerabilities?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:39] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> I guess the trend is the fact that the vulnerabilities are just becoming a little bit more critical. I wouldn&#8217;t say that there is a big trend in terms of that there is like a massive increase in the vulnerabilities in themes, but I think the fact that so much more functionality is being shipped with the themes in terms of the PHP code in general than they are just more and more prone to being introduced or introducing that kind of critical vulnerabilities into the code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:07] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Let&#8217;s move on to WordPress plugins and this, as one might expect, has possibly greater numbers attached to it. There&#8217;s more plugins out there, and I would imagine that most websites have got one, possibly two themes, whereas they might have 15, 18 20, whatever the average number now is plugins. So there&#8217;s probably a bit of a larger target painted on plugins back than there is on themes back. Give us the overarching findings in terms of WordPress plugins for 2021.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:40] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. Plugins are the ones that we&#8217;ve been focusing the most on. And these are the ones that our Alliance members or like the community of the ethical hackers that are reporting new vulnerabilities to us. Majority of the vulnerabilities that are being reported to us are about the plugins. If we&#8217;re looking about the total number of new vulnerabilities that we&#8217;ve added to the database of vulnerabilities that effect the WordPress Core, plugins and themes, then there has been quite heavy increase in if we compare it to the last year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that means that is actually very good news because that means that these are vulnerabilities that the developer has been able to get fixed because these vulnerabilities didn&#8217;t appear this year. These vulnerabilities probably in many cases at least they were sitting in those plugins for quite some time already. What just happened, why there is an increase in new identified vulnerabilities is just the fact that there&#8217;s more people looking at those, and reporting them to the developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> There was a couple of plugins, and I guess this is the difference with plugins is that really the sky is the limit in terms of the numbers of installs. I don&#8217;t know what the largest install base of any particular theme is, but I&#8217;m guessing it is nowhere near the install base of the largest WordPress plugins. And so there was a couple that you mentioned in one case, one of the plugins that had a critical vulnerability this year was over 3 million website installs.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there was another one with over a million. The seriousness of that is pretty obvious I&#8217;m sure. The quantity of people that are affected. You seem to be saying that in terms of the conscientiousness of the developers, you seem to be fairly happy with that, in that a lot of vulnerabilities got patched fairly quickly and disclosed in the appropriate way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, we&#8217;ve still got this legacy of older plugins. In fact, you mentioned nine that have been removed from the repository, completely gone from the repository and yet have vulnerabilities, which essentially are going to stick around for ever.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:56] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, these are the most scariest ones. Like in, in most cases what we see is that developers, once a security report is being delivered to them, they look into it and they release a patch. So they fix it in most cases, the vulnerability doesn&#8217;t become publicly disclosed before that happens. Like, we also have our own disclosure policy where we just don&#8217;t like, we let the developer know about the vulnerability that was reported to us about, his, or her plugin, but at the same time, we keep it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We don&#8217;t publish that before we make sure that the developer had enough time to fix that. And also after that, that they have time to let their own users know that there is a security update and they should basically, update the sites as fast as possible. Just to make sure that we don&#8217;t cause any unwanted damage where this information might get in front of the wrong person.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we, what we wanted to do this year is we counted all the critical vulnerabilities and by critical, we mean the ones that are actually being, are actually the vulnerabilities that have the characteristics that hackers would want to automate exploitation attempts. So that means that it&#8217;s usually unauthenticated vulnerability, that basically you can either inject something to the website, add a back door or something, and you can fully automate that. And there was, yeah, like I think we counted, I think it was 35 different plugins that had that kind of vulnerabilities in last year. The scary part was that many of them didn&#8217;t really receive a fix at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So these are plugins where the developer was either, had abandoned the plugin, was not active anymore. So in that sense, if you were running this plugin for example, if you were part of those plugins that didn&#8217;t ever receive a patch for this critical vulnerability. In your WordPress website, you would just see that everything is up to date.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You would never see that there is an issue with this plugin unless you are being notified by like some security product or something that would say that, Hey, there is a vulnerability in this plugin. So this is a bit scary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. This, I think we should dwell on this actually, because it seems like this is a real failing, or at least an area of possible improvement in the future. So let&#8217;s just reiterate what we&#8217;ve just said. So we&#8217;ve got a plugin, which has discontinued support. There are no ongoing updates for whatever reason, this plugin, which is in the repository is stalled. Nobody&#8217;s going to update it in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, at some point in the future, a vulnerability is discovered in it. It could be severe, it could be minor. It doesn&#8217;t really matter, but the point being that any WordPress user would never be alerted to the fact that something here is awry and something needs updating, because the only mechanism we&#8217;ve got in the WordPress admin area is to see when things need updating.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so we update them. And if there&#8217;s no update, the assumption would be everything must be fine. How on earth do we overcome this problem in the future? Do you have any thoughts on a process that we could adopt or some direction of travel that we might move in to make this go away?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:15] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Oh yeah, it requires a lot of awareness building around the ecosystem in general. We need to talk even more about the security in the WordPress ecosystem. We need to make sure that developers are also the ones that are not afraid to talk about security, because over the years, what we&#8217;ve seen is a lot of developers, like the plugin developers, specifically have been worried about like even dealing with security issues because they don&#8217;t want to be highlighted as, oh, this plugin had the vulnerability.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So they see this as a negative kind of attention. In fact, for me, for example, completely from the opposite side see it as a very good sign that this developer actually takes attention on security. But that&#8217;s obviously because, from my end, I just see that there are so many vulnerabilities in different plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the fact that there&#8217;s just increasing numbers of them now being reported from the last year, in our white paper, for example, that just the fact that more of them are being identified and being reacted on. It&#8217;s not the fact that there&#8217;s now, more of them, but they are at the same time what they see constantly is that the developers don&#8217;t need to be afraid of the security issues in a sense where they try to avoid those issues. And I think there should be even more and more open discussion about, hey, let&#8217;s together make the security in the plugins and in the software better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I guess in terms of the core, I guess at one point core would need to have some level of security incorporated to basically give an insight on the plugins that are being used on the websites. For that specific reason, for example, because there&#8217;s been so much people saying, even from people that worked in the wordpress.org, we&#8217;ve seen people saying that, yeah, basically you just need to enable auto updates and you would be fine.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it&#8217;s not true. It&#8217;s just not true because in many cases like that, you can have auto updates enabled, but this there&#8217;s no update, if there is no update for the plugin, basically you don&#8217;t even know about issue. So I guess, yeah, this is definitely something that needs attention over the years. We are doing our best, like our product is actually literally covering that area of letting the users know if there&#8217;s a vulnerability, even if this plugin is being removed from the repo, or even if this plugin didn&#8217;t even receive a patch. So we are letting our customer know about that. Then we are also providing a patch to protect against the attacks against these plugins. But at the same time, yeah, I think this is clearly a issue that needs more and more attention.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:58] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it would be nice to come up with some kind of system which didn&#8217;t break things, which enabled, I don&#8217;t know, perhaps these particular plugins to be disabled. In some way removed, but then that of course has all sorts of implications in terms of the ownership of the site and whether you actually want people to have the capacity to be able to remove things from your website. People flock to WordPress because you get to own everything. It&#8217;s yours, and you can modify it as you like. And the idea that some plugin could be removed, disabled without your say so, is one that I&#8217;m sure the community would definitely want to have a long and deep conversation about. But interesting. You found nine that had these problems this year and there seemingly is no way of automating that problem to go away, as yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, so we&#8217;ve dealt with core, we&#8217;ve dealt with themes and plugins and what I&#8217;ve just described as orphaned plugins. Let&#8217;s just talk about the broad bits and pieces that your report highlighted this year. Some of it is good. Some of it is less good, but the first sort of headline pieces that you&#8217;ve definitely found that there was a rise in vulnerabilities found compared to 2022. On the face of it that sounds like a bad thing, but you&#8217;re saying that there were many more in the previous year than in the year prior to that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:24] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s the best news of the white paper, to be honest, because that means that there was 150% more vulnerabilities being identified. Imagine if there was zero vulnerabilities being identified and only, and all those vulnerabilities would be sitting there, still doing that, and just nobody would know about those, until someone who with malicious intention could just take advantage of them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if this year we are going to see even a bigger increase because there&#8217;s just so much more attention being put into identifying those vulnerabilities and helping the plugin developers to make their code even more secure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are for sure investing a lot into it with Patchstack Alliance. Like last year we paid out like 13 K in the bounties for like individual ethical hackers who just let us know about vulnerabilities that they found in any plugins in the WordPress ecosystem, and we just paid them for that effort. So we&#8217;re definitely going to double down this year on that as well. So we&#8217;ll see how that will affect this year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s interesting because on the face of it, if the number of vulnerabilities is larger, the immediate instinct around that is to assume that things have got worse. And of course the statistics could be for all sorts of reasons. As you&#8217;ve just described, there&#8217;s perhaps more eyeballs looking to discover these things. There&#8217;s initiatives like your own and the bug bounty, which have enabled people to actually feel that they&#8217;re getting remunerated for that. And so they&#8217;re more serious in the endeavor to search for them. But also, maybe it&#8217;s a product of the fact that WordPress itself is just growing, and as it grows, there&#8217;s going to be more eyeballs looking for these things, but also possibly it becomes a bigger target. And so there are more of these things out there. There&#8217;s more plugins, there&#8217;s more themes, there&#8217;s more code and it&#8217;s just a sort of byproduct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But anyway, interesting take on it. Definitely worth looking at. That was the rise in vulnerabilities now onto more sort of specific details about what these types of vulnerabilities are. A significant proportion of the things that you concerned yourself this year with were XSS vulnerabilities, which is cross site scripting. For those people who are not really familiar with that, would you just paint a picture of what cross site scripting vulnerabilities are, and any thoughts on why it represents almost 50% of everything that you&#8217;re seeing?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:54] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> I think cross site scripting is just one of the easiest things to find the web. See, cross-site scripting, for example, you take like a website search bar, if you go to a WordPress site and there&#8217;s like a search bar. And if you, for example, write inside of this search bar, like HTML code, for example, and then what happens is that this, the functionality that is searching this information from the site for example, is going to show you the results, and this HTML code that you put there would then basically be meshed together with the kind of code of the website and it would just basically load it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think actually even a better example would be with comments. Wherever you have, like WordPress don&#8217;t have that issue, but for example, or earlier days, there was a lot of websites with commenting sections. And then if there was an issue where if you basically post any HTML code with some, maybe Java script, something that was maybe popping up like an alert for you and you post that comment there, then what would happen is that the site would then basically render that into as part of the code of the website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when it was even saved in that case, then the siet would basically load the code that was posted there as actual comment. So this is like a sanitation thing as well. So you want to make sure that you make a difference between actual code and what the content is that is being submitted to the website or the input in that sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:34:26] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So it represents almost the majority, 49.8 something percent of everything that you find. But I guess that is as you describe, it&#8217;s because it&#8217;s relatively straightforward to pull off. Possibly at least from my perspective, the vulnerabilities then shrink in terms of percentage and towards the very bottom, I guess the worst really that you could have is remote code execution. And that number is not 0.94% of everything that you were looking at. So I guess there&#8217;s some positive message to come out with that. Less than 1% of all the things were truly very serious indeed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:02] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, indeed. As always easiest stuff comes out the first. So these are the ones that are usually reported the most, that are mostly visible and accessible in terms of, for even a simple thing can just submit something into a comment form, and see if it&#8217;s going to load something in a weird way. So this kind of vulnerability is going to be found very easily.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. Now moving on to plugins. Curious thing that you&#8217;ve discovered again from the data that you&#8217;ve managed to gather is that there are actually fewer plugins in use, which, you would imagine, would reduce the attack surface. And so you would equally think that the number of things that you were having to clean up regularly or that you were discovering had been broken, would go down. But it seems that there&#8217;s a sting in the tail. So there&#8217;s fewer plugins, but more of them are being left without being updated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:56] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Indeed. Yeah. This was an interesting find. I expect that, I do still expect that the number of plugins, we&#8217;re going to see this number dropping more and more, even in the upcoming years, as people are getting more and more aware around the security implications when you&#8217;re just, using a lot of plugins on the website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I think it&#8217;s also about the kind of hygiene thing where users are also not so prone anymore to leave like deactivated plugins standing there on the website. So they&#8217;re starting to delete those things. And I think people are seeing more and more that plugins, like each of the plugin that you install to your website can be like a link, can be like an entry point for a hacker if there is a vulnerability found in that specific plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So basically the less buttons you have, you reduce the risk significantly. So it was interesting yes, to see that even though the number of plugins installed per website is actually dropping. But at the same time, the amount of plugins out of those that were outdated was actually higher. I&#8217;m not a hundred percent sure that what is like the actual cause of that, or if it&#8217;s just like something that we see this year, but I think next year we&#8217;re going to have more data to see more into why that could be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s curious on the 50,000 websites that you were analyzing in order to generate this report down from 23 plugins and themes, now residing at about 18. 18 different plugins and themes installed. Yeah, that&#8217;s interesting. We&#8217;ll revisit that next year and see where we&#8217;re at. I guess this is a fairly obvious thing to say, but it was worth pointing out, the seventh point on your list of things was that the easy to exploit vulnerabilities remain the main targets, like I said, that&#8217;s fairly straightforward.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:52] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Anything that is unauthenticated and basically that can be automated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So it&#8217;s old tried and tested things that the hackers know can be achieved. They&#8217;re going to go after the low hanging fruit. And sadly, the eight point that you make is that old vulnerabilities remain as great big targets. So things which could have been fixed from last year, still are hanging out there and being exploited.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:38:19] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, indeed. I think a big reason for that, there are all these automated hacking tools. I mean that people don&#8217;t load from Github or from hacking forums and places like that, where guys who, you know, sometimes kids who get into, like looking into hacking, trying to maybe yeah getting into that field. They are basically downloading software that is prebuilt by someone and there&#8217;s someone made it at the point where there was specific vulnerabilities just introduced. So they have hard-coded the exploitations into those tools and these tools are still available, and people who are getting into the kind of dark side, I&#8217;d say, are then starting to play with those tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So this is one of the reasons why we see that happening. We&#8217;ve seen a few of those tools as well. This kind of proves the point. But then in terms of that, like there isn&#8217;t a lot of hits that these tools are probably getting, because most of those websites that running those plugins have already been either patched or either hacked already and then patched.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:39:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. An interesting thing that comes up later is really around the personnel who are responsible for updating things. And you&#8217;ve got a couple of points on this, but we&#8217;ll try to tackle them in one go. Whilst there&#8217;s an increase in awareness of security on WordPress websites, no doubt because of publications such as your own, it would appear that there&#8217;s not a lot of time, space, money provided. So who is responsible for updating things could be really crucial. And it says on your report that 53% of respondents stated that they updated their components weekly. Some, perhaps as many as 20% did things daily. 18% possibly monthly updates happening. So that&#8217;s quite an important blend in the picture. That the frequency of updates, crucial I suppose. If you&#8217;re leaving things for an entire month and a not keeping yourself up to date with the news, I&#8217;m sure that there&#8217;s many websites where monthly is just off the charts. It would probably be more like every six months or possibly not at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then also, the difficulty in actually finding a budget to do these things. And you make the point that many, many websites be they run by an agency or an individual, or just a solopreneur. They have no budget for this kind of thing. They&#8217;re just crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. So do you want to talk around that? The people involved, the time that they&#8217;ve got, the frequency of updates and the budget that they&#8217;ve got?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:59] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. The frequency is an interesting take because in terms of how fast we are often seeing attacks happen against websites when a new vulnerability, or let&#8217;s say a critical vulnerability is being found in a plugin that the website is using. These like when we are not even talking about zero days in this case. Zero days are the ones that nobody knows the vulnerability before it&#8217;s already being attacked.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for example, sometimes the vulnerability is being discovered, disclosed. And after that, hackers learn about that and then they are going to basically exploit that. So there&#8217;s like a cat and mouse game. Who patches first? Is it the hacker or, sorry, who uses the vulnerability first? Is it like the website owner who was going to update this and patches it, or is it the hacker who manages to exploit this before to website owner managers to update it?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this time period is actually somewhere around one hour.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:54] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Wow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:54] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. So this is something that has to be kept in mind that, daily updates sounds good as well. And from there on, the longer time to take for updating, the more risk there is for the website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the interesting thing is like the auto updates. Have you put like WordPress autoupdate into Google search and look that into what kind of articles are popping up?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> No, but I can imagine you&#8217;ve got some interesting insights there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:25] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Basically the majority of the articles are about how to turn off WordPress auto updates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:32] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:33] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> I remember when WordPress auto updates came for the plugins, and basically like most of the kinds of articles or like how-to&#8217;s use we&#8217;re about to come to turn it off. Because people are still scared the websites are going to break down if there&#8217;s some feature breaking update coming for a plugin. So this is something interesting about the updating side of things that we&#8217;ve been seeing over the year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:43:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. That&#8217;s a really interesting, difficult seesaw to think about. The idea of being, if you switch off auto updates, which of course is available for multitude of things in WordPress, including plugins, you can just have click a button next to the plugin and it will just automatically update it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of people concerned that the update might break the site. So in terms of them having to do some additional work to un-break it, or re-install from a backup or whatever it is that they need to do. That concern in many cases overrides the possibility that there could be some vulnerable software there, a plugin, which is vulnerable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I guess it&#8217;s a difficult one to decide which way to go. But it&#8217;s curious that a lot of people have decided to not implement automatic updates because presumably of the fear of things going astray in the way it looks or a plugin breaking. And of course that is a legitimate concern.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just seen over the last week that a couple of major plugins had problems where they broke significant parts of the websites, and they had to roll back those updates and then ultimately figure out a patch and then release that as the new update, which then got automatically updated. So I can see where people&#8217;s concerns come from there. I guess your advice would be switch on automatic updates because having a hacked website is probably better than having a modestly broken website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:44:23] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. And actually the other way around. I heard you were saying that the hacked website is better than broken website. So I was saying the other way around, so it&#8217;s better to have a broken website than a hacked website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:44:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s what I intended to say if I got that wrong. I apologize. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:44:40] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> But yeah, basically, yeah, it&#8217;s better to have a broken website because you can at least put the maintenance mode on and do something about that and fix it. And usually like how WordPress is behaving right now is that it also lets you know if something was breaking down and it doesn&#8217;t like, the site doesn&#8217;t throw you a bunch of errors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It isn&#8217;t like that anymore. So it isn&#8217;t that much of a risk at that point anymore to be completely afraid of plugin auto updates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:45:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yes. Then that&#8217;s a good point. And you will also hopefully receive an email with some kind of information about the problem that may have brought your site down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay. Turning then to the budget. This is really interesting, the data that you&#8217;ve gathered, as much as 28% of people who responded said that they basically had zero budget to protect their websites. In other words, 28% of those people were just hoping for the best and crossing their fingers. And a further 27% said that they had a monthly budget of between $1 and $3.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The numbers vary. There are people who had significantly more and people who were somewhere in between, but quite an interesting spread there from zero to quite a lot. And the majority of these numbers are tending towards a very small budget I guess that you would argue that, it ultimately, it would be better to have something than nothing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:46:01] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> For sure. Yeah. I guess the zero budget also means free plugins right? In a way of using like free security plugins and then it doesn&#8217;t mean a hundred percent that don&#8217;t use anything or they don&#8217;t have any measures in place. But at the same time, what we are also seeing is that security is still a hard sell.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Especially when we talk to agencies where the customers are like, aren&#8217;t you supposed to take care of it? Not understanding that the security is a thing that needs to be taken care of separately. That is a part of ongoing process and that you should basically prevent them rather than just deal with the consequences later on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was another good point where we also asked from the same people about how much they have paid for malware cleanups within the past year. And that was like, there was one, I think the highest responder was like, who said he spent 4.8 K dollars on cleanups last year. That&#8217;s a lot of websites that you can secure or protect.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And basically we even get some sort of service on top of it, or like incident response assistance that like we offer where, specialists are jumping in and fixing everything if something should happen, even though we had security in place.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:47:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Now, obviously you&#8217;re here representing Patchstack, and Patchstack is a commercial company. You&#8217;re in the business of securing websites, but you&#8217;re also in the business of paying your employees. So you need to pay to use the service. There was an interesting piece which got written over on the Master WP website, and I will make sure to link to it in the show notes. And there&#8217;s a further piece which we&#8217;ll get to in a minute.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was written by Rob Howard on March the 14th and it was called, is WordPress security getting better or worse. In this piece, he takes your report to task and largely it&#8217;s around the kind of language that you use. There&#8217;s definitely merit in going and reading it, but you then, one of your team members issued a non rebuttal rebuttal of that piece.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But just for a couple of minutes, let&#8217;s just delve into that. I think his concern is that the way that you portray the report is, let&#8217;s use the word sensational. His argument would be that it&#8217;s in your interest as a provider of security solutions to paint a picture, which is, let&#8217;s say somewhat alarming, there&#8217;s all of these problems, and look at the enormous array of different vulnerabilities that there are out there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And therefore you bring the statistics to bear that best represent the fact that there are problems. So just wanted to give you a chance to talk about that. And I will also mention. The rebuttal piece, again on the same website, interestingly, Master WP it&#8217;s by Robert Rowley, they&#8217;re both Robs, so you&#8217;ll probably have to read them one at a time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this is called, rebuttal, how Patchstack is improving WordPress security. So I&#8217;m just giving you a platform here to reply to Rob Howard&#8217;s piece, where he takes you to task for using sensational language and massaging the figures so that they, he accuses you of using sloppy statistics.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:49:08] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, to be honest, I&#8217;m not a hundred percent sure like what is really sensational about that? But in a way, when we put together the whole white paper, we just basically looked at the numbers. We look at the numbers and we are presenting what it is. I understood that one of the things that may be what he thinks about is sensational is the, that there is 150% increase in vulnerabilities being discovered.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is something that we can just say, and it&#8217;s a fact. The question how do you interpret that, whether negative or positive? That needs more context. And the context we do give. The context is that just means that there is more vulnerabilities being identified, which is a good thing because to WordPress is getting more secure because of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when this post was published by Rob, we actually went over it, then we were like, oh, actually there&#8217;s like a lot of good points because obviously we are also a little bit tunnel visioned when we are dealing with that much of data and hooking into the problem that we are trying to solve. And then we&#8217;re obviously talking about that, how we&#8217;re talking in house, in a way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we should, I get his in terms of like a criticism that we probably should also be more specific in terms of how we are, or like what our intentions behind that are, like whether we see in a negative way or in a positive way. But yeah, like I, we were really happy about the piece that he wrote. We even shared his piece, which wrote criticism about Patchstack on the Patchstack Facebook page, on the Patchstack Twitter. We were like, hey, see what he wrote. There were really good points. And then later on we obviously responded to that with our take on what we actually meant by that and where we thought he may be, in some cases, wrong and where he was right as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:51:11] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. It&#8217;s interesting. Obviously statistics can be in every walk of life, statistics can be looked at in a variety of different ways. And you only have to look at virtually any parliamentary system on earth to realize that the opposition can present the same statistics in an entirely different fashion and it&#8217;s completely plausible and the numbers are correct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I think some of the things that he was saying was it would just be nice to have some sort of background, some insight into, so for example, does the increase, this 150% figure that was mentioned, is that because there are more plugins that are out there? How serious are these vulnerabilities that we&#8217;re talking about? If there&#8217;s an increase, but 99% of those were benign and did virtually nothing, could they be lumped in as 150% increase? Has the total number of plugins in the entire market changed? And what are your reporting methodologies in terms of what is it that you&#8217;re actually trying to do from the report? Are you just trying to be a purveyor of information? Or is there a hope from the Patchstack piece that some customers will come your way as well? So just those pieces really?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:52:18] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah. I guess if the statistics didn&#8217;t come from like some internal data that we are not showing anyone, it&#8217;s the public CVE&#8217;s that we are one of the authorities to generate the publicly or like the internationally kind of standard vulnerability identification IDs. There&#8217;s three companies in the space which can do that in the WordPress ecosystem. And we&#8217;re one of them. So like this vulnerability information, it&#8217;s all public to the, to everyone, we are just showing that&#8217;s how much there was in 2020. That&#8217;s how much there is in 2021.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no kind of translation whether if it was actually not that much of an increase or not. The question isn&#8217;t about about like increase, I guess in general, I think the question is about why it was increasing. And the increase isn&#8217;t because, at this point the increase isn&#8217;t because the WordPress is getting more plugins to the wordpress.org.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We actually, even, I think in the rebuttal piece have shown how much percentage the wordpress.org repo has grown over the year compared to the same period. The thing literally is, there&#8217;s just more eyes. There&#8217;s more people looking for the vulnerabilities in the plugins and they&#8217;re identifying more vulnerabilities.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>These vulnerabilities may or may not be in there already for years. It&#8217;s the number of vulnerabilities that the 150% of increasing vulnerabilities found in WordPress ecosystem means that there was just 150% more vulnerabilities found in WordPress ecosystem. Basically, it means just that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, if you want to give that positive or negative meaning, it is definitely up to you. Of course we could have tried probably present that in a better way and maybe, I&#8217;m not sure if we actually wrote in our white paper that we find this a good thing. I need to double check it really quickly, but we usually like anywhere we talk, we always say that it&#8217;s a good thing. It is what it is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:54:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. It&#8217;s interesting because the language that Rob would like is definitely more on the sort of optimistic side, isn&#8217;t it? So instead of bringing out the things that are going wrong, he would like to emphasize the things that are going right, so for example, he rewrites something where the illustration is that there&#8217;s problems, and he says that a possible alternative headline would be not 0.65% of WordPress sites get an important update. So I guess it&#8217;s stressing the negative.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:54:59] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Would you read that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:55:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. And that&#8217;s an interesting thing about human nature, isn&#8217;t it? Because you only have to look at newspapers for example, or headlines in articles on the web to realize that well, people are, they&#8217;re drawn to controversy to some extent aren&#8217;t they? They like the sort of sensational aspect. And so yes, interesting point. Yeah, really interesting point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:55:19] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> And in our case, if, when we released the white paper as well, we even saw in some cases where journalists were, we didn&#8217;t tell them what, we didn&#8217;t actually even send it out in that way that all you need to use, like some sort of headlines, but we did see the journalists just take out some piece of data and they would just make their own kind of headline based on that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a way, I think people need to also think. I understand that, okay, let&#8217;s then talk about this issue in a so positive way that like nobody would even understand that there is like a problem at all. But is that our goal? If we want to make WordPress ecosystem more secure, we need to talk about those issues.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are issues and these issues are being solved, and we are showing that there is like increased effort in solving those. Let&#8217;s talk about those things. We shouldn&#8217;t just let&#8217;s try to somehow sugar coat it in a way or</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:56:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you. I will definitely mention both of those articles in the show notes. We&#8217;re going to have to round it up because we&#8217;re approaching the amount of time that we&#8217;ve got. Before we go though, obviously we know that you&#8217;re at Patchstack, which is at patchstack.com. But should anybody wish to reach out to you personally, are there any good ways for people to do that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:56:38] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Yeah, anyone can reach out to me on Twitter. I think that&#8217;s the easiest way to reach out either DM or just tag me. It&#8217;s @oliversild. And then yeah, if you want to look at what we are doing. If you&#8217;re a plugin developer, you can always get like security testing for you&#8217;re plugin through Patchstack. If you&#8217;re an agency and you want to have security overview and a vulnerability overview, every single website that you have across your portfolio, then you can use Patchstack for that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for hosting companies, we also have so they would always know if new vulnerabilities are being reported to us by the ethical hackers community. Or if we are adding new items to the database from any other sources. So Patchstack database, Patchstack audits. We&#8217;re basically doing anything around WordPress plugins and trying to make the whole ecosystem more secure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:57:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oliver Sild, thank you very much for joining me on the podcast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:57:35] <strong>Oliver Sild:</strong> Thanks Nathan.</p>\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:5;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"WPTavern: Performance Team Proposes Enabling WebP by Default in WordPress 6.0\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132138\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"https://wptavern.com/performance-team-proposes-enabling-webp-by-default-in-wordpress-6-0\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3570:\"<p>WordPress&#8217; Performance Team has published a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/28/enabling-webp-by-default/\">feature proposal</a> that would enable WebP images by default, expanding core support for the modern image format. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In July, 2021, WordPress 5.8 <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-8-introduces-support-for-webp-images\">introduced WebP support</a>, allowing users to upload and use WebP images in their content. If the proposal is approved, version 6.0 will generate WebP images by default for new JPEG uploads and will use WebP images by default for website content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;WebP was developed as a modern image format that provides superior compression on the web,&#8221; WordPress core contributor Adam Silverstein said in the feature proposal. &#8220;Images are often some of the largest resources used by websites, and using WebP creates websites that are lighter and faster. Compared to JPEG images, WebP images generated by WordPress are almost always smaller, with a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/performance/issues/7#issuecomment-1080901577\">~30% file size reduction</a> on average (with the same visual quality).&#8221;  </p>\n\n\n\n<p>With WebP enabled by default, WordPress users would not experience any changes to their usual image upload workflow. WordPress would automatically convert JPEG uploads to WebP in the background and use them on the website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https://caniuse.com/webp\">Can I Use</a>, the WebP image format is supported by 94.25% of web browsers. A very small number of browsers, such as Internet Explorer 11 or Safari on MacOS &lt; v11 Big Sur, do not support WebP. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The proposed feature would ship with two filters to control or disable WebP uploads, and a user-friendly plugin would be created to do the same.  </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the significant performance benefits, support for the feature proposal is not unopposed. Several contributors participating in the discussion expressed concerns about email clients and social media platforms not supporting WebP.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I feel like WebP is not yet ready to become a &#8216;hardcoded default&#8217; in the <code>post_content</code> due to all the reasons mentioned in the previous comments,&#8221; Kaspars Dambis said. &#8220;Many web clients (which are not just browsers) don’t support WebP formats — RSS clients, email clients, smart TVs, ebook readers, open graph parsers, desktop image viewers, etc. These are all important users of the web.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silverstein answered these concerns, confirming that WordPress will continue generating the JPEG image sub sizes as it always has.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;One important note about what this feature doesn’t change: JPEG sub sizes are still generated and stored in the same meta fields,&#8221; he said. &#8220;For that reason, consumers of RSS feeds or REST media endpoints or OG tags for example will continue to use the JPEG sub sized versions.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Performance Team contributors are targeting WordPress 6.0 for enabling WebP by default and are seeking approval from maintainers of the image component. Anyone is welcome to test the feature by installing the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/performance-lab/\">Performance Lab plugin</a> with the “WebP Uploads” module activated. Testers are encouraged to leave feedback on the <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/55443\">Trac ticket</a> or <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/2393\">Pull Request</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 02:41:46 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:6;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"WPTavern: Text Selection Across Multiple Blocks Is Coming to WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132141\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"https://wptavern.com/text-selection-across-multiple-blocks-is-coming-to-wordpress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5371:\"<p>Yesterday, Ella van Durpe merged a long-awaited feature into the Gutenberg plugin that allows users to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38892\">select and modify text across multiple Rich Text blocks</a>. It should land in version 13.0 of the plugin and WordPress 6.0 in May.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can currently select text across multiple blocks, but the editor automatically adjusts that selection to all of the blocks themselves, essentially creating a group. The change will allow users to highlight the specific text. This ability should work with any Rich Text block, such as Paragraph, Heading, List, and Quote.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Selecting text across two blocks.\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone who wants to test this feature early can grab a development copy of <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38892/checks\">Gutenberg from the ticket.</a> Click on the &#8220;Build Gutenberg Plugin ZIP&#8221; tab.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is one thing that any text-based editor should do well, it should be to allow users to manipulate text according to standard conventions. Users should be able to select, copy, cut, paste, and generally move characters and words around as they please.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When WordPress 5.0 launched its new block-based editor in late 2018, some of the tools that writers had expected were non-existent. Every paragraph, list, heading, and blockquote was a separate entity and not simply a continuation of the text. Blocks were the sludge that plugged the editing flow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The block system solved a ton of problems that needed solutions. The new post editor even looked sleeker than its classic predecessor. But, those things did not matter much when stuff under the hood did not meet the demands users needed of an editor. Every missing feature that had become a standard to any particular user or another was a blight, another one-star review, on the revolution the block system was meant to bring about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If a user could not do something as simple as select and delete text across two paragraphs, what good were all the other bells and whistles?</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is now over three years since the launch of the block editor. Perhaps it is too late to win back some who have chosen a different path for their websites. For others, maybe their writing flows have changed so drastically that the news is inconsequential. For those who have been patiently waiting, knowing that WordPress would one day make this right, it is a moment to rejoice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judging by the response to Matías Ventura&#8217;s <a href=\"https://twitter.com/matias_ventura/status/1508386768864911372\">tweet yesterday</a>, it is a reminder of just how much people have wanted this feature:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Soon you\'d be able to select text across blocks in WordPress while retaining the fundamental mechanics of content blocks. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/2604.png\" alt=\"☄\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br /><br />Major kudos to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ellatrx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ellatrx</a> for the steady work that lead us here! <a href=\"https://t.co/e6tL7r434j\">pic.twitter.com/e6tL7r434j</a></p>&mdash; Matías Ventura (@matias_ventura) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/matias_ventura/status/1508386768864911372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>The implementation does not yet offer complete coverage of capabilities when selecting text across Rich Text blocks. It currently includes the following:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Enter:</strong> Hitting the <code>Enter</code> key will delete the selected text and create a new paragraph.</li><li><strong>Backspace:</strong> Hitting the <code>Backspace</code> key removes the selected text and merges anything left of the latter block with the former.</li><li><strong>Delete:</strong> Hitting the <code>Del</code> key removes the selected text and forward merges the previous text.</li><li><strong>Input:</strong> Typing will replace the selected text with new input.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between <code>Backspace</code> and <code>Del</code> is relevant when dealing with different block types. For example, when highlighting text from a list followed by a paragraph, backspacing will merge the remainder of the paragraph text as a list item. When deleting, the list items become paragraphs.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Backspacing selected text across List and Paragraph blocks.\n\n\n\n<p>I did notice a bug when backspacing into a list.  It leaves an empty list item, as shown in the above screenshot.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is still no current method of selecting text from two or more blocks and copying or cutting it. Attempting this falls back to the previous behavior. The copy/cut action grabs the entire block code instead of the text itself.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Copy action when selecting partial text.\n\n\n\n<p>The new feature does not do away with the ability to partially select text across multiple blocks and manipulate them as a group. Users can still shift their position, copy them, and modify them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, the text-selection feature is an enhancement to the current tools, and it is one that many will be happy to see land in WordPress.  It is not a complete set of capabilities, but this is a win for the project and a necessary step forward.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 30 Mar 2022 01:38:43 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:7;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"WPTavern: WordCamp Asia 2023 Tentatively Set For February 17-19 in Bangkok, Thailand\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132098\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:94:\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-asia-2023-tentatively-set-for-february-17-19-in-bangkok-thailand\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2996:\"<p><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp Asia</a> is tentatively back on the schedule of in-person WordPress events with new dates: February 17-19, 2023, in Bangkok, Thailand. It will begin with a Contributor day, followed by two conference days.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asia&#8217;s inaugural flagship WordCamp was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was the first international WordPress event to be <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-asia-2020-canceled-over-covid-19-concerns\">cancelled due to the pandemic</a>. It was cancelled just nine days before it was scheduled to happen, a difficult but necessary decision, despite all the hard work volunteers had invested. At that time, organizers hoped to push the event to the next year, but the pandemic forced it to be put on hold again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress community in Asia is quite large and spans across a wide land area with many diverse cultures. Prior to the pandemic, Asia was home to 127 WordPress meetup chapters with 73,000 members across 23 countries. The region had hosted 137 WordCamps in 18 Asian countries and 52 cities.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamp Asia organizers <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordsesh-asia-now-in-planning-for-2018-wordcamp-asia-targeted-for-2019\">began preliminary planning in 2017</a>, inspired by other successful regional camps. Five years later, they have once again <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-organisers/\">opened the call for organizers</a>. They are aiming to build a team of 15 local (Thai) organizers and 30-35 organizers from other parts of Asia. This group will be broken up into teams that will lead audio/visual tech, design, speakers, volunteers, and other practical aspects of event planning.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prospective organizers must reside in Asia and have experience organizing meetups or WordCamps. They must also be willing to commit at least three hours per week for planning and meetings.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Because the main venue will be the same place as originally planned, we will be able to reuse some work from 2020,&#8221; organizer Naoko Takano said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We will comply with any COVID-19 guidelines provided by the local government and WordPress Community Team (<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/01/24/updated-guidelines-for-in-person-wordcamps-and-meetups-2022/\">such as this one</a>) to ensure the safety of the attendees.&#8221; If for some reason the event needs to be postponed again, organizers have a much more structured approach to managing this risk and making decisions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After five years of planning and so many unavoidable delays, the persistence and resilience of WordCamp Asia&#8217;s organizers is admirable. The call to join their team is open until April 30, and selected organizers will be notified by mid-May. Follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wordcampasia\">@wordcampasia</a> on Twitter for the latest updates or <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2023/\">subscribe to the event&#8217;s website</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 28 Mar 2022 21:52:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:8;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:101:\"Gutenberg Times: 59 FSE Themes, WordPress for Writers, Automating Development – Weekend Edition 208\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=20789\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:106:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/59-fse-themes-wordpress-for-writers-automating-development-weekend-edition-208/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:17378:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-0/\"><em>WordPress 6.0</em></a> is coming to a WordPress instance near you on May 24th, 2022. The teams are all working hard to get things finished, patched and updated by April 12 before Beta 1 is release. <strong>Save the date <em>April 5th, 2022</em></strong> for a first walk-through with the release team. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working on the release has been a great opportunity to reconnect with the WordPress documentation team. It&#8217;s a lot of work, and if you can spare a few hours before the release, there are a few pages of the End user documentation that would need updating. Connect with the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RP4WU5\">#docs team via WPSlack</a> (account required) or <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/Documentation-Issue-Tracker/labels/good%20first%20issue\">grab one of the Good First issues on the GitHub repo</a>, if you want to help. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a great weekend! </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br />Birgit </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-1 wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-g\">Themes with blocks and Full-site Editing</a><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-5\">59 Themes </a></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-block-building-and-developing-for-the-block-editor\">Block Building and Developing for the Block Editor</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-s\">Gutenberg tips for content creators and #nocde site builders</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#4-upcoming-word-press-events\">Upcoming WordPress Events</a><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#5-social-learning-and-other-events\">11 Social Learning Meetups</a></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#6-w\">WordCamps and other events</a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In his <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rFiFJ1nDp0\">3rd episode of the <strong>WordPress Gutenberg Block News</strong></a>, <strong>Jamie Marsland</strong> covers among other topics, the new pattern directory, Google&#8217;s <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/material-design-google/\">Material Design </a>theme<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/material-design-google/\"> </a>and Automattic&#8217;s newest Block theme, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/archeo/\">Archeo</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"0-g\">Themes with blocks and Full-site Editing</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br />In  the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2022/03/18/gutenberg-themes-week-of-march-14th-2022/\"><strong>77th round-up posts from the Themes Team</strong></a>, <strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/jcristpbking\">Jason Crist </a></strong>posted about theme-related discussions, fixes, and developments in&nbsp;Gutenberg. He highlighted the new features, with links to PRs </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Webfonts&nbsp;API: Font Configuration via theme.json</li><li>Included in the Zip: Global Styles and More</li><li>Pattern Registration with theme.json</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As active discussion, Crist links to the issues: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/39189\">Visual Theme Building Tracking Issue</a></li><li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/discussions/39586\">AppearanceTools in theme.json might not be the right idea.</a></li><li>Standardization of colors, themes and typography is discussed in multiple issues from different angles. </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll also find General Resource links to catch up on FSE and Themes. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In the new workshop, <a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/taking-advantage-of-query-loops/\"><strong>Taking Advantage of Query&nbsp;Loops</strong></a>, <strong>Wes Theron</strong> explores how to use the Query Loop block to showcase blog posts, pages, categories, tags and more!&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"1-5\">59 Themes </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress repository now sports <strong><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/tags/full-site-editing/\">59 themes made for full-site editing</a>.</strong> </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The newest Themes are</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/archeo/\">Archeo</a> by Automattic</li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/grigora-blocks/\">Girgora Blocks</a> by Latracal Solutions</li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/hello-gutenify/\">Hello Gutenify</a> by Gutenify Dev</li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/ona-creative/\">Ona Creative</a> by Deo Themes</li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/oscura/\">Oscura </a>by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexandrebuffet\">Alexandre Buffet</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Justin Tadlock gave Archeo Theme a whirl and posted his findings: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-archeo-wordpress-theme-blends-mayan-history-with-magazine-style-block-patterns\"><strong>The Archeo WordPress Theme Blends Mayan History With Magazine-Style Block Patterns</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPTavern Review of the Ona Theme is available here: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/deothemes-launches-ona-creative-another-well-designed-wordpress-block-theme\"><strong>DeoThemes Launches Ona Creative, Another Well-Designed WordPress Block Theme</strong></a>, also by Justin Tadclosk</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexandrebuffet\">Alexander Buffet</a></strong>, frontend developer from Nantes, France and translation contributor,  built his first theme as an FSE theme called &#8220;Oscura&#8221; (<a href=\"https://www.alexandrebuffet.com/themes/oscura/\">demo</a>) for photographers and creatives. It emphasizes white space and is visually subtle to not take attention away from the creations by its site owner. You can also look under the hood on <a href=\"https://github.com/alexandrebuffet/oscura\">its GitHub repository</a>. Buffet uses well-structured code with multiple template parts, and patterns in their respective directories. </p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"2-block-building-and-developing-for-the-block-editor\">Block Building and Developing for the Block Editor</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The recording of this week&#8217;s Webinar with <strong>Grzegorz Ziolkowski</strong> and <strong>Maciek Palmowski</strong> <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTficEgju7k\"><strong>How to automate Gutenberg block development in WP projects</strong></a> is now available on YouTube. On Twitter, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gziolo/status/1506967009921323014\">Ziolkowski shared</a> additional resources:  </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>A very comprehensive tutorial in the WordPress Block Editor Handbook that explains <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/getting-started/create-block/\"><strong>how to create your first block.</strong></a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/@wordpress/create-block\">The tool to scaffold blocks</a> you can run with a single `npx @wordpress/create-block` command from your terminal.</li><li>&#8220;All the commands tailored for block development can also run with continuous integration, and they get installed when scaffolding the project. You can also install [<a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/@wordpress/scripts\">@wordpress/scripts</a>] without scaffolding by executing `npm install @wordpress/scripts`&#8221; Ziolkowski <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gziolo/status/1506970281767809027\"><em>continued</em></a>.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/leeshadle\">Lee Shadle</a> </strong>of creator of the <a href=\"https://blockhandbook.com/\">BlockHandbook </a>site, answered the question many developers have: &#8220;Is there a fun/easy/lightweight way to add frontend interactivity to custom Gutenberg blocks w/o using React or jQuery?&#8221; <a href=\"https://twitter.com/leeshadle/status/1506780446612332547\">with &#8220;Yes&#8221;</a>, and with yet another JavaScript tool:  <a href=\"https://alpinejs.dev/\">AlpineJS</a>. Shadle published his proof-of-concept code  on GitHub. <a href=\"https://github.com/blockhandbook/alpine\"><strong>Add Alpinejs to Custom Gutenberg Blocks</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/m_munirkamal\">Munir Kamal</a></strong>, creator of Gutenberg Hub and Editor Plus, published a tutorial on <a href=\"https://gutenberghub.com/how-to-create-gutenberg-unsplash-block/\"><strong>How to Create a WordPress Gutenberg block that displays an Unsplash image</strong></a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you follow this tutorial, you built a block that generates a random image from Unsplash to be used in a post. It&#8217;s an easy to follow along article with code examples and explanations. Personally, I would have favored a custom block that displays media from Openverse. Maybe I find the time to rewrite it for Openverse. Wanna race me? Just kidding. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/mikejolley\">Mike Jolley</a></strong>, WooCommerce, updated the developer this week that the <strong><a href=\"https://developer.woocommerce.com/2022/03/25/store-api-is-now-considered-stable/\">Store API is now considered&nbsp;stable</a>.</strong> &#8220;It not only powers the new Block-based Cart and Checkout experience, but also the various product Blocks as well.&#8221; he wrote. The API is now available for 3rd party tools and services, and the article provides use cases and code examples. </p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"3-s\">Gutenberg tips for content creators and #nocde site builders</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the recording of the recent WordPress Social Learning meetup, <strong><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2022/03/21/wordpress-for-writers-launching-your-writer-website/\" rel=\"nofollow\">WordPress for Writers: Launching your Writer&nbsp;Website</a></strong>,  <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TheeDestinyWP\"><strong>Destiny Kanno</strong></a>, fledgling writer and WordPress enthusiast, walked attendees  through setting up a writer’s website with a literature-focused theme.  By the end of this session, participants had the tools you need to </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>apply a theme, </li><li>create an engaging story publication, and </li><li>set up your about page and a contact form </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>using Full Site Editing, and the Block Editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The writers at WPTavern, Sarah Gooding and Justin Tadlock created new articles for their <strong>&#8220;Building with Block Series&#8221;</strong> </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-two-column-single-post-header-with-the-wordpress-site-editor\">How To Build a Two-Column Single Post Header with the WordPress Site Editor</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-single-product-sales-page-with-blocks\">How to Build a Single-Product Sales Page with Blocks</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"4-upcoming-word-press-events\">Upcoming WordPress Events</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"5-social-learning-and-other-events\">11 Social Learning Meetups</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 28, 2022, at 11 am ET / 15:00 UTC</strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284387767/\">Hello Blocks! Coding a custom block</a></strong>&nbsp;with Wes Theron and Ryan Welcher</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 29, 2022, at 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284252760/\">Beginner’s Guide to Full Site Editing&nbsp;</a></strong>with Sarah Snow</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 1, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC </strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700941/\">Block Theme Discussions: JSON Schema</a></strong> with Daisy Olsen </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 6, 2022, 12 pm EDT / 16:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284752435/\"><strong>Creating A Sidebar For Your Posts Using The Full Site Editing Blank Template</strong></a> with Bud Kraus, JoyofWP</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 6, 2022, 2pm EDT / 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700789/\"><strong>Builder Basics: Designing with Columns, Group, and Row Blocks (Part 2)</strong></a> with Nick Diego</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 8, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC </strong><br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284701015/\"><strong>Block Theme Discussions: Supports in theme.json</strong></a> with Daisy Olsen </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 12, 2022 2pm EDT 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700822/\">Builder Basics: Headers and Footers in Full Site Editing</a></strong> w/ Nick Diego</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 13, 2022, 10 am EDT / 14:00 UTC </strong><br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284753523/\"><strong>Create a Magazine Layout with the WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor</strong></a> with Wes Theron</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 15, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284701295/\">Block Theme Discussions: Presets in theme.json</a></strong> with Daisy Olsen</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 19, 2022 2pm EDT / 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700867/\">Builder Basics: Exploring Block Layout, Alignment, and Dimensions </a>(Part 2)</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 21, 2022 3 am EDT / 7 am UTC</strong> <br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284753652/\"><strong>Using Block Patterns</strong></a> with Wes Theron</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"6-w\">WordCamps and other events</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 8, 2022 9 am &#8211; 5 pm CDT / 14:00 &#8211; 20:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href=\"http://wpcareersummit.com/\"><strong>WP Career Summit</strong></a>&nbsp;conference for Careers in WordPress, organized by team at Post Status </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>May 16-20, 2022 </strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://wordsesh.com/\">WordSesh</a></strong><br />A virtual conference. <a href=\"https://wordsesh.com/speak/\">Call for Speaker is open</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>June 2 &#8211; 4th, 2022</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2022/\">WordCamp Europe</a></strong><br />Sign up for updates to get notifications about speakers, sessions, and schedule.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>June 20 &#8211; 24, 2022</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://pagebuildersummit.com/\">Page Builder Summit </a></strong>will take place June 20th to June 24, 2022. <a href=\"https://pagebuildersummit.com/sponsors/\"><em>The call for sponsors is still open</em></a>. Sign-up for the VIP list to learn first when tickets are available and the schedule is published. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>September 9 &#8211; 11, 2022</strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2022/\">WordCamp US</a></strong> <br />in-person conference in San Diego. <a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2022/apply-to-speak-at-wcus/\">Call for Speakers is open</a>, deadline April 17th, 2022<br /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 26 Mar 2022 05:14:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:9;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:66:\"WPTavern: The WordPress.org Pattern Creator Now Open to the Public\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132032\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-org-pattern-creator-now-open-to-the-public\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5240:\"<img />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The WordPress <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\">pattern directory</a> finally <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/get-creative-with-the-all-new-pattern-creator/\">opened its gates</a> to the entire community today. Anyone with a WordPress.org account can log in, go to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/new-pattern/\">pattern creator</a>, and start designing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some of us, this has felt like an unbearably long wait. In reality, it took the development team less than a year since the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-org-block-pattern-directory-now-live\">directory launch</a> to put this together. It was no small feat to make it work and put in all the guardrails for such a system in that amount of time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some community members have already got a head start. Ana Segota of Anariel Design announced <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Ana_Segota/status/1507407534650445831\">via Twitter</a> that three of her patterns had already landed. &#8220;More coming soon,&#8221; she said.</p>\n\n\n\n<img /><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/author/anariel-design/\">Patterns by Anariel Design.</a>\n\n\n\n<p>The pattern directory has the potential to be an onramp for creators who want to contribute to the WordPress project but do not know where to start. The barrier to entry is one of the lowest in the community. There is no requirement to write code or understand all the intricacies of theme design. It is nowhere near as complex as plugin development. It is simply a visual builder that allows sharing art with the world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have no idea where this thing is going. I hope to see 1,000s of patterns in the directory a year from now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I played a small role in building two of the initial patterns from last year. I was excited about the potential for the directory and happy to contribute in any way. However, I was not entirely satisfied with the process because I did not have the creative freedom I wanted.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, my vision for an &#8220;about me&#8221; columns pattern had <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/pattern/about-me-cards/\">morphed into something entirely different</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Final about me cards pattern.\n\n\n\n<p>By the time it was added to the directory, there was hardly any of myself in it. The first designs that launched were tightly curated, and that was OK. It was more about getting production-ready patterns out to users at the time, and I knew that WordPress.org would eventually open it up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, I started work anew, rebuilding my original &#8220;about me&#8221; pattern. I have made some alterations because we now have new spacing controls. And the built-in, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/openverse/\">Openverse</a>-powered search did not seem to locate some of my early images, despite being available via the Openverse site. Nevertheless, it is a work in progress:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Building with the new pattern creator.\n\n\n\n<p>Users can save draft patterns, too. So, if you want to try your hand at designing one but are unsure if you can finish it in one sitting or do not have a fully-fleshed-out idea, there is no need to worry about losing work. You can save it and pull it up later from <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/my-patterns/\">your patterns page</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pattern creator runs Twenty Twenty-One under the hood. The classic theme has a few quirks, CSS that often overrules the core WordPress styles. I would rather have seen Twenty Twenty-Two because it sticks much more closely to the global styles standard. At least people who want to try designing off-site will be able to test with a similar setup.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patterns should, ideally, be theme-agnostic. However, in practice, the theme that showcases those patterns &#8212; Twenty Twenty-One in this case &#8212; can make or break a design. Creators should not design specifically for it, but they should at least check its output.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the pattern creator is straightforward. It is merely an instance of the block editor with some modifications specific to the directory. It also provides a quick welcome screen:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Welcome screen to the pattern creator.\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, my experience with it went reasonably well for a Day 1 launch. Most of the hiccups that I encountered were with the image search. It timed out on occasion, and filtering images was not a perfect experience. Despite being powered by Openverse, it does not offer the same filtering tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope that the pattern creator will eventually tie into the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress photo directory</a>. The built-in search is a neat tool, but you sometimes have to wade through dozens or hundreds of outdated images to find something worth using. The photo directory feels fresh and modern. Plus, we should be prioritizing the work of those contributing to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are still many <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/pattern-directory/issues\">open tickets</a> for the pattern directory, and it will undoubtedly evolve based on feedback and usage. However, this is a solid launch of the pattern creator. Well done to all the folks who made this happen.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 26 Mar 2022 03:16:34 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:10;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"WPTavern: WooCommerce Store API Now Stable, Provides Better Support for Custom Frontends\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=132009\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:98:\"https://wptavern.com/woocommerce-store-api-now-stable-provides-better-support-for-custom-frontends\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5730:\"<p>WooCommerce <a href=\"https://developer.woocommerce.com/2022/03/25/store-api-is-now-considered-stable/\">announced</a> today that its new Store API is now stable after two years in development. It powers the plugin&#8217;s new block-based cart and checkout experience as well as all products blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Store API is a public, unauthenticated API, that provides REST API endpoints for cart, checkout, and product functionality. WooCommerce core developer Mike Jolley explained how the new API is different from the plugin&#8217;s REST API:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The main difference between the Store API and WC REST API is that the Store API&nbsp;<strong>allows unauthenticated access</strong>&nbsp;to store data, for example, products. This makes it suitable for a variety of use-cases, including custom frontends.</p><p>This is an&nbsp;<strong>unauthenticated API</strong>. It does not require API keys or authentication tokens for access.</p><p>Another difference is that the Store API has support for&nbsp;<strong>Cart data.</strong>&nbsp;This allows for cart operations such as adding items to the cart, updating quantities, applying coupons, and submitting orders. Only the current customer’s cart can be accessed.</p><p>Data returned from the Store API is always reflective of the current user (cookie-based), whereas the WC REST API allows more extensive access to any data, should you have the correct access rights.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In an <a href=\"https://hollerwp.com/mike-jolley-interview/\">interview with HollerWP</a> last year, Jolley said it&#8217;s helpful to think of the Store API as for clients and the core REST API as the API for store management.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Keeping them separate like this makes it clear that one exposes data in a public context,&#8221; he said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scott Bolinger, co-founder of <a href=\"https://apppresser.com/\">AppPresser</a>, explained how the Store API fixes a problem with the original WooCommerce REST API.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It [the WC REST API] was never meant for mobile, headless, or any other front end implementation,&#8221; Bolinger said. &#8220;It was only meant for back end admin stuff like inventory, adding/removing products, etc. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The problem is that there was no alternative, so headless/mobile apps used it for displaying products. With the WC REST API, everything requires authentication, which doesn’t make sense, because products are public on your website. You shouldn’t have to authenticate to see someone’s products.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new Store API allows developers to get products, attributes, collections, and other data without authentication, and adds a cart API, making it possible to checkout. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I think most implementations of the WC Rest API that are for the front end should switch to the Store API,&#8221; Bolinger said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WooCommerce team is still working on making this API suitable for headless and mobile apps. In an ideal world, the best cart API for headless WooCommerce apps would be made by WooCommerce. In the meantime, Bolinger recommended <a href=\"https://cocart.xyz/\">CoCart</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>CoCart is a customizable, WordPress REST API for WooCommerce that allows developers to build headless (or decoupled) e-commerce stores using their choice of frameworks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not using the Store API and I don&#8217;t see that I will,&#8221; Co-Cart founder Sébastien Dumont said. &#8220;Both API&#8217;s are unique for their individual purposes. WooCommerce&#8217;s Store API is designed for the Gutenberg blocks, which only requires a fixed format and is still prone to be used on native storefronts. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see today&#8217;s news affecting CoCart. Most of my users have already known about the Store API while it was still experiential and failed after trying it for headless purposes. It also requires tweaking while CoCart does not&#8221;. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dumont said the Store API is still missing a lot of valuable information that developers require and that using CoCart saves them considerable development time. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;With the WC Rest API, there is no cart or checkout, so it’s cool they added that,&#8221; Bolinger said. &#8220;Nonces only work when you are on the site though, so for mobile apps or headless WP, you will run into issues. Unfortunately it’s not where it needs to be for headless (yet).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There is a filter to disable nonce authentication: <code>add_filter( \'woocommerce_store_api_disable_nonce_check\', \'__return_true\' );</code> Even changing this to use something like JWT won’t fully work for headless, at least in my testing. I hope they will address this in the future.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This particular <a href=\"https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce-gutenberg-products-block/issues/5683\">issue</a> is still open on the WooCommerce GitHub repository. Maintainers seem open to exploring how core can accommodate this. In the meantime, third-party solutions are available to developers building mobile apps. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a technical breakdown of what&#8217;s currently possible with the new Store API, check out Mike Jolley&#8217;s <a href=\"https://developer.woocommerce.com/2022/03/25/store-api-is-now-considered-stable/\">announcement</a> post. He demonstrated how you can go through the entire purchase flow using the Insomnia API client- without even visiting the store. The API&#8217;s <a href=\"https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce-gutenberg-products-block/tree/trunk/src/StoreApi\">technical documentation and guide to extensibility</a> is available on GitHub.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/scottbolinger\"></a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:42:12 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:11;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"Post Status: WordPress Podcast and Video Picks for the Week of March 20\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94919\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-podcast-and-video-picks-for-the-week-of-march-20/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1676:\"<h2 id=\"h-my-podcast-picks\">My Podcast Picks</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>How I Built This:</strong> This is <a href=\"https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-wordpress-amp-automattic-matt-mullenweg/\">a discussion</a> between <strong>Guy Raz</strong> and <strong>Matt Mullenweg</strong> that spans almost to an hour an a half. Matt has been on a podcast tour recently, and all the interviews he\'s given have been really engaging and worth listening to.</li><li><strong>WP Briefing: </strong>WordPress\' Executive Director and Community Steward<strong> Josepha Haden Chomphosy</strong> explores the question, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/episode-27-is-wordpress-made-for-me/\">Who is WordPress actually made for</a>?</li><li><strong>Gutenberg Changelog:</strong> <strong>Birgit Pauli-Haack</strong> and <strong>Mary Job</strong> <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/\">discuss</a> the <strong>Block Pattern Directory</strong>, <strong>WebFonts API</strong>, and <strong>Gutenberg 12.8</strong>.</li><li><strong>Women in WP: </strong><a href=\"https://womeninwp.com/podcast/079-bet-hannon-from-nonprofit-management-to-tech/\">This episode focuses</a> on <strong>Bet Hannon</strong> who is the founder and CEO of <strong>BH Business Websites</strong> which focuses accessibility.</li><li><strong>WP Tavern Jukebox:</strong> Nathan talks to <strong>Evangelia Pappa</strong> and <strong>Bernhard Kau</strong> about keeping <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/19-evangelia-pappa-bernhard-kau-on-making-wordcamp-europe-safe-and-diverse\">the upcoming WordCamp Europe 2022 safe and diverse</a>.</li></ul>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:15:05 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:12;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"Post Status: Post Status Notes #491\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94928\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:45:\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-notes-491/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8727:\"<p class=\"has-theme-palette-5-color has-text-color\">US DOJ warns of looming web accessibility enforcement. Weglot scores funding. WP-Wallet and Image Source Control launch. Block dev tuts. The Block Protocol and WordPress. WCUS and WordSesh calls for speakers. Why the web is a miracle and Mozilla\'s vision for its evolution.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-624590bf77cc7 wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Courtney</strong> has <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/this-week-at-wordpress-org-march-21-2022/\">the week\'s news from the people making WordPress</a> at .org. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3d7.png\" alt=\"🏗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <br />Check out <strong>David</strong>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-podcast-and-video-picks-for-the-week-of-march-14/\">podcast picks</a> for the week. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> (No videos this time!)<br /><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f4a5.png\" alt=\"💥\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> The <strong>BIG</strong> stories and discussions we hope you\'ll engage with are: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/an-inside-job/\">An Inside Job: The Danger of Weaponized Open Source Projects</a></li><li><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/fall-of-the-zamir/\">Fall of the Zamir: A Hate Symbol Enters and Exits WordPress.org</a></li><li><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/finding-the-upside-in-wordpress-security/\">Finding the Upside in WordPress Security</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f914.png\" alt=\"🤔\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Tell us what you think! We want to hear your take.</p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_18c045-63 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_18c045-63\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>United States Justice Department</strong> has issued a <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-issues-web-accessibility-guidance-under-americans-disabilities-act\"><strong>Web Accessibility Guidance</strong></a> under the <strong>Americans with Disabilities Act</strong>. The guidance addresses how state and local governments as well as businesses open to the public can ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. <em>It emphasizes that web accessibility is an enforcement priority for the Department of Justice</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an attempt to offer a plain language and user-friendly explanation to ensure that it can be followed by people without a legal or technical background.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_537dfc-c6 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_537dfc-c6\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Crocoblock</strong>, a Ukrainian WordPress company, explains <strong><a href=\"https://crocoblock.com/blog/wordpress-community-supports-ukraine/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How the WordPress community is supporting Ukraine</a></strong> — and some ways anyone can get involved.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_ad6b66-08 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_ad6b66-08\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Weglot <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/24/weglot-raises-50-million-to-turn-any-website-into-a-multilingual-site/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has raised $50M</a> (USD) </strong>in Series A funding from <strong>Partech</strong>. Weglot makes it easy for <em>any</em> website or CMS to handle its multilingual content. As<strong> TechCrunch</strong> reported:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>You can add it to your existing website with a plugin — this is how Weglot works with <strong>WordPress</strong>, <strong>Shopify</strong>, <strong>Wix</strong> and <strong>WooCommerce</strong>. If you run a small company and don’t have a dedicated web developer, you could install Weglot without writing any line of code.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_ef30bc-24 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_ef30bc-24\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wpwallet.com/\">WP Wallet</a> was launched this week. It is a tool aimed to help WordPress professionals manage license keys and invoices for sites and clients.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_9d2c26-75 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_9d2c26-75\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Thomas Maier</strong> has launched <strong><a href=\"https://imagesourcecontrol.com/\">Image Source Control</a></strong> — a solution for privacy-first image attribution and license management outside of your post content in WordPress. It uses as few third-party services as possible. It\'s a mature plugin that\'s been developed longer than its commercial and free .org releases. How it came to be is <a href=\"https://imagesourcecontrol.com/blog/image-source-control-is-now-live/\">an interesting story</a>.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_ccf749-3c .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_ccf749-3c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Munir Kamal</strong> is creating a series of tutorials that walk through <strong>Gutenberg</strong> block development step by step. Munir <a href=\"https://gutenberghub.com/how-to-create-gutenberg-unsplash-block/\">recently provided a tutorial</a> on how to create a Gutenberg block that displays an <strong>Unsplash</strong> image.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_38915f-90 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_38915f-90\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Roger Rosweide</strong> dives into more of <a href=\"https://masterwp.com/wordpress-joining-the-block-protocol-could-revolutionize-software-development/\">the &#8220;Block Protocol&#8221;</a> that was recently proposed by <strong>Joel Spolsky</strong>. Roger proposes that &#8220;WordPress open-source and those in the ecosystem could assume a new role of providing blocks to power the frontend of any application.&#8221; <strong>David Bisset</strong> recently <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-excerpt-no-47-should-wordpress-adopt-the-block-protocol/\">had a discussion</a> with <strong>Leonardo Losoviz</strong> about the same subject on one of <strong>Post Status</strong>&#8216; <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">podcasts</a>, <strong>The Excerpt</strong>.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_b31bfd-fc .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_b31bfd-fc\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WordCamp US 2022</strong> is being planned as a live event in <strong>San Diego</strong> that will take place <strong>September 9-11</strong>. They are <a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2022/apply-to-speak-at-wcus/\">looking for speakers</a> who should focus on &#8220;the most important thing &#8230; making sure that your session attendees leave with a usable idea they can apply to their work or a better understanding of something.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of speakers, the next <strong>WordSesh</strong> (May 16-20) also has <a href=\"https://wordsesh.com/speak/\">a call for speakers</a>.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_044b91-78 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_044b91-78\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mozilla</strong>’s <a href=\"https://webvision.mozilla.org/full/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vision for the evolution of the Web</a> is well worth a read, even if you only take in the executive summary. If you need reminding, <strong>Ben Werdmüller</strong> explains why <strong><a href=\"https://werd.io/view/62015316f81f8904a47768f2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the web is a miracle</a></strong>. He also asks &#8220;Why have we lost that [early web] community-hacker sensibility? How can we get it back?&#8221;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:15:05 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:13;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"Post Status: Fall of the Zamir: A Hate Symbol Enters and Exits WordPress.org\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=95034\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:41:\"https://poststatus.com/fall-of-the-zamir/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11491:\"<p>How did a hate symbol get into WordPress.org\'s plugin repository? What can we learn from the community response? Will more transparent governance help us navigate <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/an-inside-job/\">the age of weaponized open source</a>?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the letter `Z` has been used as a symbol by the Russian government <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Rarst/status/1506685664242417665\">as a pro-war propaganda tool</a>. It\'s also being used by Russian civilians <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_(military_symbol)\">as a sign of support for the ongoing invasion</a> of Ukraine. The colors and ribbon of St. George are often used with the &#8216;Z\', and the Lithuanian parliament has <a href=\"https://hromadske.radio/en/news/2022/03/24/in-lithuania-parliament-puts-up-proposal-to-equate-the-z-symbol-and-the-ribbon-of-st-george-with-the-nazi-symbols\">proposed banning and equating</a> them with Nazi and Communist images. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/z-is-the-symbol-of-the-new-russian-politics-of-aggression\">Earlier this month</a>, <strong>Masha Gessen</strong> described the &#8216;Z\' in <strong>The New Yorker</strong> as having come &#8220;to stand for devotion to the state, murderous rage, and unchecked power.&#8221; While Gessen\'s definition stopped short of calling &#8216;Z\' a hate symbol in early March, it has been affirmed as one since then — definitely in the view of many Ukrainians. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Russians have chosen the letter Z as the symbol for their invasion of Ukraine. It is marking the Russian military vehicles and is widely used by the supporters of the war in Russia.<br /><br />I don\'t understand why they didn\'t go for the full swastika.</p>&mdash; Olga Rudenko (@olya_rudenko) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/olya_rudenko/status/1500073792961400832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>At some point in the past few days, a <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vovasik/\">Russian developer</a> forked the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/stand-ukraine/\">&#8220;Stand with Ukraine&#8221;</a> plugin, as <strong>Nate Conley</strong> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/NateConley123/status/1506713410599149568\">later pointed out</a>. (There are quite a few pro-Ukraine plugins in the .org repo.) The forked plugin\'s author called it <strong><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/zamir/\">Zamir</a></strong> and made it &#8220;display the `Z` symbol in support of Russia.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin was submitted for review, and it was approved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20220323182342/https://wordpress.org/plugins/zamir/\">how the Zamir plugin page looked</a> before it was taken down.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-first-reactions-on-twitter-and-post-status-slack\">First Reactions on Twitter and Post Status Slack</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When Zamir appeared in the WordPress plugin repository, it was very quickly noticed <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Rarst/status/1506681883404472324\">with many</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ciorici/status/1506663406060851200\">negative reactions</a> on <strong>Twitter</strong>. Apart from complaints about the plugin being morally offensive, many people felt it violated the guidelines plugins must follow to be accepted in the WordPress.org repo. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>While reactions on Twitter exploded, a heated conversation opened in the main <code>#club</code> channel in <strong>Post Status Slack</strong>. Initially, there was shock and dismay that the Zamir plugin was appearing prominently on the new plugin list for all WordPress.com customers. One of the first to notice the plugin and recognize its significance, <strong>Carl Hancock</strong> fired off a terse takedown request to the plugin review team, which he shared in Post Status Slack. The request was denied, and Carl shared <a href=\"https://poststatus.slack.com/archives/CHNM7Q7T8/p1648053721931799\">the response he received</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among Post Status members, the discussion was focused on whether the plugin should (or could) be removed under current guidelines. There was no disagreement on it being offensive, although not everyone knew about the &#8216;Z\' symbol\'s emerging significance. The <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-as-a-commons/\">lack of protocols and governance</a> in place to handle a situation like this was noted by several people, including <strong>Lesley Sim</strong>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>You know what would be cool? If the guidelines had examples or precedents so that we would have something more tangible to go on. Not just subject to everyone\'s interpretations which, clearly, we all seem to disagree on. Kinda like case law in the legal system.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-the-openness-of-making-wordpress-despite-unclear-decision-procedures\">The Openness of Making WordPress Despite Unclear Decision Procedures</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Making WordPress <code>#pluginreview</code> Slack channel had a Zamir discussion underway at the same time, including <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C1LBM36LC/p1648057102435389\">an initial response</a> from <strong>Mika Epstein</strong> to confirm that the plugin had been approved. (Anyone interested in how WordPress gets made should read the open and transparent discussion in the plugin review channel for context.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Very quickly a number of people in the <strong>WordPress Foundation</strong> examined the situation and took some time to make a decision. The plugin was taken down, and <strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy</strong> posted an explanation of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/03/23/removal-of-the-zamir-plugin/\">why Zamir violated community guidelines</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>While it is true that there is no current plugin guideline barring plugins that “support” political leanings, this icon symbolizes something more complicated than that. Contributors were right to report this and, with their help and the help of WordPress community members, the plugin has been removed from the directory.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Josepha, &#8220;The plugin’s description eluded initial plugin checks.&#8221; Even if it was an honest oversight, which appears to be the case, it still raises some important questions about review procedures and governance for WordPress.org. To Josepha\'s credit she does this address this:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>I am aware that this issue leads to natural questions about clarifying our plugin policies moving forward. I’ll work with the community to explore our guidelines and create a clearer framework for how plugins can be evaluated in the context of current events.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-don-t-assume-the-worst-of-others\">Don\'t Assume the Worst of Others</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Matt Mullenweg</strong> also <a href=\"https://poststatus.slack.com/archives/CHNM7Q7T8/p1648089238895559\">shared some thoughts</a> in Post Status Slack after the Zamir plugin\'s takedown:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Thank you to everyone who raised this issue, regardless of how you did it&#8230; Extra thanks to people who did it in a way knowing there are humans on the other side of the screen, and sometimes it may take a few hours to respond to something. This moved pretty quickly, but if it had happened in the middle of the night on a holiday or something similar it could have taken longer.</p><p>100% promise there will be mistakes or things we reverse in the future. What\'s important isn\'t trying to avoid mistakes, as that\'s impossible, but responding to them in a thoughtful and hopefully fast way. Please don\'t bash people or teams for making a mistake, we\'re all human and fallible.</p><p>Thank you as well to those who didn\'t jump to conclusions based on this one plugin being up for a few hours.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\'t seem there was any ill-will from anyone involved in the plugin\'s entry into the repo or in the removal of some hostile &#8220;reviews&#8221; in the plugin support forum before its removal. I hope we can take a lesson from this and reexamine the plugin review policies, including how takedown requests work. The procedures and policies for removal need to be clear to everyone. </p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_bb762c-8f .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_bb762c-8f\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-624590bf6c5da wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-post-status-postscript\"><strong>Post Status Postscript</strong></h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The saddest and most concerning part of this story — and the part of it that is not likely to go away soon — is how anger and suspicion quickly focused a very prejudicial eye on contributors who might be Russian and/or sympathetic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Plugin Review team and a moderator in the Support Forum who is also on the Russian language Translation Team became the target of hasty scrutiny from the outside. Even within the Make WordPress Slack channels for those teams, there was some emotional and accusatory communication. <br /><br />That\'s understandable; I had similar suspicions myself. But the reality is the plugin review team is constantly making good-faith efforts as they carry out a very difficult and essential task. They will never please everyone all the time. They are targets of complaints, criticism, and even <a href=\"https://halfelf.org/2021/when-its-not-burnout/\">hateful, violent threats directed at individual members</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The suspicion and distrust that flared up in the Zamir controversy underscores the very serious risks facing all open source projects now. Loss of the trust and goodwill that makes open source possible could kill it. David and I emphasize this in <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/an-inside-job/\">our discussion</a> of &#8220;weaponized open-source code.&#8221; What a terrible phrase! Even using code as a form of political protest against a specific nation may harm open source by dividing us with deep distrust. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\'s probably good to have gotten through the Zamir plugin debacle as a relatively harmless learning experience. It could have been worse.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it may well get worse. It will definitely get more complicated. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other scenarios come to mind. What if instead of the &#8216;Z\' — a fairly explicit hate symbol — the flag of the Russian Federation had been used? <br /><br />So what\'s to be done, constructively? At a minimum, we need the greater transparency that\'s increasingly being called for in the WordPress community. Formal guidelines, processes, and roles will provide clarity about who decides, and how they decide to include or exclude plugins, themes, reviews, etc.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it will always be messy, and there will always be mistakes. Project and community boundaries necessarily differ and disagree. That is exactly why everyone needs to know what the boundaries are and how they are negotiated. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><strong>— Dan Knauss</strong></p>\n</div></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:47:17 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:14;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:65:\"WordPress.org blog: Get Creative with the All-New Pattern Creator\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=12460\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/get-creative-with-the-all-new-pattern-creator/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3130:\"<p>It’s been less than a year since the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress Pattern Directory</a> was launched, and we already have more exciting news to share. <strong>The <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/new-pattern/\" target=\"_blank\">Pattern Creator</a> is live! You can now build, edit, and submit your best block patterns to the Pattern Directory—submissions are open to all with a WordPress.org user account!</strong></p>\n\n\n\n\n<img width=\"2800\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2022/03/patterns.png?resize=2800%2C3000&ssl=1\" alt=\"Pattern Directory, showing gallery patterns.\" class=\"wp-image-12485\" />\n\n\n\n<img width=\"2800\" height=\"2841\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2022/03/community-pattern-3-1-1.png?resize=2800%2C2841&ssl=1\" alt=\"View of a user-submitted pattern.\" class=\"wp-image-12468\" />\nPattern Directory — List of patterns, and a single pattern detail.\n\n\n\n<p>The <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/block-pattern-directory/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress Pattern Directory</a> includes attractive, handy patterns created by designers that can make your experience building a stunning site <em>much</em> easier. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/block-pattern/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Patterns</a> can save you a significant amount of time and also give you greater freedom when you’re building your site. With patterns, you can make or replicate complex layouts with just a few clicks, and using them is as simple as copy and paste.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Create Your Own Bold, Beautiful Patterns Built Entirely with Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2022/03/submission-2.png?ssl=1\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2022/03/submission-2.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\" alt=\"Pattern submission screen, successfully submitted pattern with a \" /></a>\n\n\n\n<p>As the name implies, the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/new-pattern/\" target=\"_blank\">Pattern Creator</a> allows anyone, from designers to content creators, to make custom patterns: a collection of blocks arranged in any way, for any purpose intended by the creator. Like most things in WordPress, these are available for public use once it’s submitted to the WordPress Pattern Directory. Have a look at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/about/\" target=\"_blank\">these guidelines</a> to learn more about what makes a pattern suitable for listing in the directory.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what are you waiting for? Check out <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">all the patterns</a> already available or better yet, make your own!</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-1 wp-block-buttons\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/about/\"><strong>Learn more about creating patterns</strong></a></div>\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:34:42 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Anjana Vasan\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:15;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:73:\"Post Status: An Inside Job: The Danger of Weaponized Open Source Projects\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=95001\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:37:\"https://poststatus.com/an-inside-job/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10690:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In a widely circulated article this week, <strong>Gerald Benischke</strong> is making the open-source community take <a href=\"https://beny23.github.io/posts/on_weaponisation_of_open_source/\">a hard look at the possible consequences of weaponized code</a>. He\'s right to be concerned that everything &#8220;open source has achieved over the last 30 years &#8230; [is] now at risk of becom[ing] collateral damage.&#8221; Why?</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote><p>It’s not about sitting on the fence or taking sides in a war. It’s about what open source has achieved over the last 30 years and I think that’s now at risk of become collateral damage.</p><cite>Gerald Benischke</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-open-source-softwar-e\">Open Source Softwar(e)</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many western companies cut their services and sales to some or all Russian customers. Open-source <strong>NoSQL</strong> database <strong>MongoDB</strong> <a href=\"https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/15/mongodb_terminates_russian_saas/\">is among them</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MongoDB is terminating Russian accounts. Makes you wonder how your IT may look like if other IaaS, PaaS and SaaS providers will decide to shut you down. What if AWS decided to shut down your account? How business critical is your reliance on the cloud? <a href=\"https://t.co/UerJ4TGPMn\">pic.twitter.com/UerJ4TGPMn</a></p>&mdash; Oleg Brodt (@BrodtOleg) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BrodtOleg/status/1502587827783098371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2022</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Benischke also looked at how <a href=\"https://github.com/RIAEvangelist/node-ipc/issues/233#issuecomment-1068182278\">a modified <strong>node</strong> library</a> now <a href=\"https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/18/protestware_javascript_node_ipc/\">tries to delete files on Russian IPs</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of these actions are potentially destructive, albeit in different ways. Both turn open source into a weapon.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-is-this-even-open-source\">Is this even Open Source?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Less damaging but more personally intrusive, a community <strong>Terraform AWS</strong> module changed its code and added requirements after its <strong>Apache</strong> license. These &#8220;<a href=\"https://github.com/terraform-aws-modules/terraform-aws-ec2-instance/commit/6867788411a202b61187f9935e9eaa72a18f0bbe\">Additional terms of use for users from Russia and Belarus</a>&#8221; require those users to agree with three statements. One of those statements is &#8220;Putin is a dickhead.&#8221; Benischke notes this violates part of the <strong>Open Source Initiative</strong>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://opensource.org/osd\">definition of open source</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p><strong>5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups. </strong><br />The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.</p><cite>OSI, The Open Source Definition</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>What does it even mean to target people who are &#8220;from&#8221; a certain country? You might be &#8220;from&#8221; a country you do not currently live in. And not everyone living or born in a country has citizenship there. How a person defines their origins is completely subjective. Nationality is a legal fiction. Ethnicity and race are socially constructed and imaginary. Currently, <a href=\"https://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/statelessness-around-the-world/\">10 Million people are stateless</a> — without citizenship in any nation. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-protestware-or-malware\">Protestware or Malware?</h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote><p>Once our software can\'t be trusted, what will happen? </p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Benischke warns about the possible &#8220;unintended consequences&#8221; of weaponized and discriminatory code. He\'s right it goes beyond protest, especially in the case of the destructive Node library:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#8220;In my mind, the term &#8216;protestware\' is attempting to legitimize the malicious actions and very much turns open source libraries into weapons to be aimed and fired at your opponent&#8230; I do think that these actions are to be condemned — especially as the “delete files based on geofencing IP addresses” has got the potential of causing collateral damage.&#8221;</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-collateral-damage-to-trust-in-open-source-could-kill-it\">Collateral damage to trust in open source could kill it.</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The deeper (and probably the worst) unintended consequence is the loss of trust in the open-source community. Benischke asks if it\'s even open-source code if you can\'t trust it. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Open Source Initiative</strong> <strong>(OSI) </strong>has <a href=\"https://opensource.org/blog/open-source-protestware-harms-open-source\">a positive, agreeing response</a> to Benischke\'s post. OSI supports &#8220;creative&#8221; forms of &#8220;protestware&#8221; that are informational or symbolic, but they distinguish this from weaponized code, which they condemn. However, OSI does not mention trust at all or the consequences of losing it. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does trust matter so much? </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can\'t trust your dependencies, who is in a position to take ownership of them all to ensure their secure functioning? Benischke points out that only a few large companies allied with the most powerful nations could afford to do this. Exclusive multinational blocs using trusted but closed source software might emerge if we go down this path. And it\'s not as if we didn\'t already have enormous challenges with security, maintenance, project sustainability, and the &#8220;<a href=\"https://poststatus.com/missing-the-bus/\">bus factor</a>.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why Benischke\'s concerns about the death of trust as a lethal poison are not far-fetched or of secondary importance to WordPress and open source.  If anything, he understates the precarity of the moment we are in. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What about you?</strong> Let us know <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/planet/feed/#comment\">in the comments</a>. </p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_31bf24-7a .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_31bf24-7a\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-624590bf6fab8 wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-post-status-postscript\"><strong>Post Status Postscript</strong></h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"h-wordpress-may-not-be-interested-in-the-us-department-of-defense-but-the-dod-is-interested-in-wordpress\">WordPress may not be interested in the US Department of Defense, but the DoD is interested in WordPress</h5>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\'t hard to see the weaponization of open source coming long ago. I just thought it would be done by malign individuals and organizations outside the open-source community. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Government actors have been <a href=\"https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/09/the_nsa_is_brea.html\">exploiting open (and closed) source code to spy on and harm enemies</a> for a long time. I just didn\'t think it would be members of open source projects doing this themselves. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>And now we\'ve experienced this in the WordPress community, with the Zamir plugin. (See our related thoughts on that story <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/fall-of-the-zamir\">over here</a>.) </p>\n\n\n\n<p>These developments are all very concerning. I hope it\'s not as bad as <strong>Heather Burns</strong> says it is, but <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WebDevLaw/status/1506712423230849030\">she may be right</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default has-small-font-size\"><p>&#8220;The .org OSS project is entirely legally controlled by a US company which could, at any time, fall under scrutiny for providing services to Russia, or be brought into the sanctions regime.&#8221;</p><cite><a href=\"https://twitter.com/WebDevLaw/status/1506712423230849030\">Heather Burns @WebDevLaw</a></cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this how we need to think now, of globalized, international, open-source projects and communities? In a somewhat paranoid, suspicious way?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagining the worst — the ways open source could be destroyed — reminds me of a conversation I had at the last <strong><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/partner-summit/\">Post Status Partners Retreat</a></strong>. I asked a WordPress OG why he thought there always seems to be a constant sense of anxiety in the WordPress community — as if a massive disaster is just around the corner. I haven\'t seen that in other projects that are healthy even if they have a much smaller market share — like <strong>Drupal</strong>, for instance. (Speaking of which, you should check out <strong>Amy June Hineline</strong>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-excerpt-no-51-comparing-the-drupal-and-wordpress-communities-with-amy-june-hineline/\">comparison of the Drupal and WordPress communities</a> in her recent chat with David.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>My question led to the response that only WordPress can destroy WordPress, it\'s so big. Then we had some fun imagining &#8220;evil&#8221; self-sabotage scenarios that might realistically play out if things went sideways. Later I posed this as a thought experiment with other people — imagine a <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwtape_Letters\">Screwtape Letters</a></em> take on WordPress. What would a clever demon do to ruin the project by manipulating its insiders?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in the worst-case scenarios, most people agreed that some massive corporations are so dependent on WordPress, they would take it over in their own — in-house (and likely as good as proprietary) distribution. WordPress would not die. The project as we know it might die. The community would die. The software, at the end of the day, is the most durable thing — but it\'s not worth much to us if it\'s torn away from open source freedoms and an open, cooperative community of contributors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can an open-source community like ours survive abandoning a fully globalized, international openness — at least as a possibility and ideal? Would survival in that context be worth anything, or be truly open? I don\'t think so. But we\'re now looking at a darkening world where every open-source project has reason to worry about that as a non-zero possibility.</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><strong>— Dan Knauss</strong></p>\n</div></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:11:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:16;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"WPTavern: How To Build a Two-Column Single Post Header with the WordPress Site Editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131951\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:96:\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-two-column-single-post-header-with-the-wordpress-site-editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8719:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">One of the features I liked about <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-archeo-wordpress-theme-blends-mayan-history-with-magazine-style-block-patterns\">Automattic&#8217;s Archeo theme</a> that I reviewed earlier this week was its split-screen single post header. I loved that an author was doing a little something different with the Featured Image block, giving users some variety.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The design was simple. It is a two-column section with an image on the right and the post title and date on the left.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Split-screen post title and image.\n\n\n\n<p>It reminded me to dust off one of the untold numbers of &#8220;ideas&#8221; folders on my computer. I knew I had built something similar last year. I merely needed to find it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I finally stumbled upon it after a bit of rummaging &#8212; <em>I really need to learn how to name things to make them easier to find</em>:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Old split post header design idea.\n\n\n\n<p>My approach to the problem was different, and I remember why it went to the scrap-heap. It used the Media &amp; Text block instead of Columns. Then, and this is still the case, it is impossible to use the Featured Image inside of Media &amp; Text.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Columns block is a decent second choice, but it stacks differently on mobile views, with the first column always landing on top. The image takes precedence when using the Media &amp; Text block, regardless of its horizontal position on desktop views.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an open ticket to use the post&#8217;s featured image <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/35221\">within the Media &amp; Text block</a>. There is a similar ticket for using it <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/13795\">within a Cover</a>. Both would be solved by addressing an issue that would have farther reach by allowing <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/37753\">generic blocks to utilize site or post metadata</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At least for now, we must work with the tools we have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this entry in the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/category/building-with-blocks\">Building with Blocks</a> series, I will walk you through modifying Twenty Twenty-Two&#8217;s single post template to create a similar layout.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is hard for some people to visualize the result without the post data. As shown in the following screenshot, the editor has placeholders:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Editor view of split-screen post header.\n\n\n\n<p>However, those placeholders will be transformed on the front end. <em>How do we know that what we see there will translate correctly and turn out like the following?</em></p>\n\n\n\n<img />Front-end view of single post with split-screen header.\n\n\n\n<p>Even I struggle with this visualization at times. The placeholders used for Post* blocks do not offer me enough direct feedback, so I often refresh an example post on the front end as I build layouts like this. I wanted to note this in case it disorients or even throws anyone else off. It is OK to save and check your work on the front end as you go through this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Side note:</strong> <em>I would love to see a plugin that adds dummy post data instead of the default placeholders.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 1: Selecting the Single Post Template</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Select the Single Post template.\n\n\n\n<p>To make this layout change for all single posts, you must go to the site editor via Appearance &gt; Editor in the admin. Select the WordPress logo/icon in the top left corner to open the slide-out panel. From there, click on the Templates link. The next screen should display a list of editable templates. Select &#8220;Single Post.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you prefer to make this an optional template, you should build this from the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/06/16/introducing-the-template-editor-in-wordpress-5-8/\">template editor</a>. The process is similar, but the UI does have some differences.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 2: Adjusting Site Header (Optional)</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Adjusting header Row blocks&#8217; alignment and padding.\n\n\n\n<p>Twenty Twenty-Two&#8217;s header does not work well for the type of layout that we are building. It has a ton of padding at the bottom, and its width is limited. You will want to make a few changes for a more ideal design. Note that this will change the header across the entire site unless you save it as a separate template part. This step is optional, but the final result will look better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Header area of the editor, select the Row block that holds the Site Title and Navigation blocks. From the toolbar, select the &#8220;Full width&#8221; alignment option. In the block sidebar panel on the right, set the &#8220;Padding&#8221; option to <code>2rem</code> or a value of your preference.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 3: Creating Columns</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Wrapping the Post Title and Post Featured Image blocks in columns.\n\n\n\n<p>Because Twenty Twenty-Two already has the Post Title and Post Featured Image blocks grouped together, there is no need to start from scratch here. Select both with your mouse or keyboard, click the &#8220;Transform To&#8221; button in the toolbar, and choose the Columns option.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If working from a theme with a different layout, you can manually add a Columns block with a 50/50 setting and insert the Post Title and Post Featured Image blocks in the two columns.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 4: Designing Columns</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Adjusting alignment, colors, and padding of Columns block.\n\n\n\n<p>We have gotten some of the boring layout stuff out of the way. Now, you can start adding your own brand of artistry to this thing. I chose a black background and white text for the Columns block. However, feel free to add whatever colors you want. Maybe even try out the border options to mix it up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Now, back to boring layout adjustments.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this layout to work, there are two changes you should make to the Columns block. First, select the &#8220;Full width&#8221; alignment from the toolbar.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, change the &#8220;Padding&#8221; option in the block sidebar to <code>0</code>. Zeroing this out allows the featured image to stretch to the edge. This is not a hard requirement if you want a little space around it.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 5: Title Group</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Grouping the Post Title block and adding some padding.\n\n\n\n<p>Because we zeroed out the padding in the previous step, the Post Title block will now butt against the side of the layout. Text always needs room to breathe in design, so we need to fix this problem we have created for ourselves.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways of going about this. The first is to simply add padding to the Column block that the Post Title is in. This should work fine, but WordPress does not handle this well (it does not use <code>box-sizing: border-box</code> for Column blocks). If you add padding here, it will make the left side wider than the right. Unfortunately, this is a little quirk that creates extra work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best option is to select the Post Title and transform it into a Group. Then, find the &#8220;Padding&#8221; control in the sidebar and change it to <code>2rem</code> or your preferred value.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some themes may correct the column-padding issue, so give the first option a shot if using something other than Twenty Twenty-Two.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 6: Adjusting Featured Image</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Removing margin from Post Featured Image block.\n\n\n\n<p>Neither WordPress nor Twenty Twenty-Two adds any default margin handling for the Post Featured Image block. The <code>&lt;figure&gt;</code> wrapping element will fall back to the browser&#8217;s default (browsers generally add some margin to the top and bottom).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure that the image does not have extra spacing, select it in the editor, find the &#8220;Margin&#8221; setting in the sidebar, and set it to <code>0</code>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 7: Have Fun</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Customized split-screen post header.\n\n\n\n<p>The foundation of the layout is in place now. Adjusting paddings, margins, and similar settings is the giant mountain you must conquer to do some of the <em>really</em> cool stuff that is possible. I do not want to limit folks with the rest of the design and would love for everyone to put their own spin on it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I changed the vertical alignment on the Columns block to the &#8220;Align bottom&#8221; setting for my layout. Above the Post Title, I added a Row with the Post Author Name, Post Date, and Post Categories blocks. I also removed the Separator that Twenty Twenty-Two adds before the content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please share customizations you made in the comments if you followed along with this tutorial.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 04:42:33 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:17;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"Post Status: Finding the Upside in WordPress Security\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=95029\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"https://poststatus.com/finding-the-upside-in-wordpress-security/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6263:\"<h3>Can exposing security vulnerabilities in the open be done in a way that doesn\'t hurt WordPress?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><strong>Rob Howard</strong>, who recently acquired <strong>MasterWP</strong>, used it last week to <a href=\"https://masterwp.com/is-wordpress-security-getting-better-or-worse/\">criticize</a> <strong>Patchstack</strong>’s <a href=\"https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/the-state-of-wordpress-security-in-2021/\">Security WhitePaper for 2021</a>. He called the report &#8220;sensationalist&#8221; with &#8220;sloppy data reporting,&#8221; &#8220;too much information,&#8221; and some important good news left out. He also advocated &#8220;WordPress security messaging&#8221; that would clean up the &#8220;wasteland of poorly framed articles about security patches&#8221; in <strong>Google News</strong>. We thought that is <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/would-wordpress-benefit-from-public-relations-messaging-around-security-issues/\">a worthwhile and promising idea to develop</a>. However, Rob expressed skepticism that security companies have an interest in accentuating the positive. </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote><p>What if the way we talk about WordPress security focused on public acknowledgement of the security team members\' work, goals, and successes?</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, Patchstack Security Advocate <strong>Robert Rowley</strong> has written a response in MasterWP. Robert countered that Patchstack is helping &#8220;open source projects reach security maturity.&#8221;&nbsp;In <a href=\"https://masterwp.com/rebuttal-how-patchstack-is-improving-wordpress-security/\">a polite &#8220;rebutal-but-not-a-rebuttal response,&#8221;</a> he explains Patchstack\'s perspective and intentions. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Robert, the large increase in vulnerabilities emphasized in Patchstack\'s report has to do with an increase in code review and bug reporting. WordPress core is secure, and increased attention to vulnerabilities in themes and plugins is a good thing. Patchstack is helping that happen, in their view. &#8220;Vulnerability disclosure for the commons&#8221; is how they understand what they\'re doing with projects like <a href=\"https://patchstack.com/alliance/\">The Patchstack Alliance</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-624590bf724ca wp-block-group has-theme-palette-7-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h4>What we\'ve learned and agree on about WordPress security:</h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are two good, compatible takeaways from this discussion everyone seems to agree on</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>WordPress is getting more secure, and open source ways of addressing vulnerabilities openly together is helping.</li><li>WordPress could benefit from (and deserves) better messaging about security that contextualizes it in open source values and practices where we give and grow together. </li></ol>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><strong>A noteworthy aside:</strong> Robert brought up <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/are-active-installs-of-wordpress-plugins-declining-in-2021/\">some numbers we rarely see that I follow closely</a>. The WordPress.org plugin repository grew by less than 3% in 2021, from 58,151 to 59,800 plugins. Themes grew by around 10%. That\'s decent growth in both cases.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-how-can-we-do-security-related-messaging-better-for-wordpress\">How can we do security-related messaging better for WordPress?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the discussion began between Robert and Rob, <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/would-wordpress-benefit-from-public-relations-messaging-around-security-issues/\">we posed this question</a> here at <strong>Post Status</strong>: <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/would-wordpress-benefit-from-public-relations-messaging-around-security-issues/\">Would WordPress benefit from public relations messaging around security issues?</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert <a href=\"https://poststatus.slack.com/archives/C02S57UHCKD/p1647876595955309\">responded</a> in <strong>Post Status Slack</strong>: </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#8220;There are many teams in the open source WordPress project who publicly share details on progress, metrics and planning&#8230; I would disagree with calling this PR, that has some other connotations. But I would love to see more regular updates on metrics.&#8221; </p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert\'s view of good PR is &#8220;public acknowledgement of the security team members and sharing some of the teams plans and goals.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kimberly Lipari</strong> joined the Slack convo and wants to flip the narrative: </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Why not flip the narrative? Instead of “core vulnerabilities reported” it could be “security code pushed” or “release improvements.” Why not educate on what open source is and updating is a good thing, not something to fear?</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert agreed with Kim\'s approach and acknowledged it was a mistake to have used the term &#8220;vulnerabilities&#8221; rather than &#8220;security bugs patched.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>WordPress is different, and we should embrace that</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a good approach moving forward. It doesn\'t matter what company or open source project you are working with. If you are releasing information about security and your product, you need to educate and reassure your audiences. WordPress is not selling the same experience as other (especially non-open-source) web publishing platforms. <strong>Wix</strong> and <strong>Shopify</strong> only make public the security information they\'re legally obligated to release. When they do they are often on the defensive. Openness and transparency are our strengths, but it is easy to make them liabilities. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><strong>Do you have ideas</strong> for specific strategies to make openness around security issues something that educates and reassure? Is it a way to attract contributors or draw WordPress users deeper into the community? Could it spread a better understanding and appreciation of open source? <strong>Tell us</strong> in <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/planet/feed/#comment\">the comments</a>!</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 03:31:08 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:18;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:52:\"WPTavern: Weglot Raises €45M From Partech Partners\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131912\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:61:\"https://wptavern.com/weglot-raises-e45m-from-partech-partners\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2679:\"<p>Weglot, a popular WordPress multilingual plugin, has <a href=\"https://weglot.com/blog/weglot-announces-45m-growth-investment/\">raised €45M</a> from&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://partechpartners.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Partech Partners</a>. This is the first time the Paris-based company has taken outside capital since it <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/weglot-multilingual-plugin-closes-450k-in-seed-funding\">closed €450K in seed funding</a> from SIDE Capital in 2017. Since that initial round Weglot has expanded its offerings to include more translations and integrations for other platforms. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weglot co-founder Augustin Prot confirmed that the company is profitable with 25k customers paying for its SaaS translation platform and 60k+ websites using the company&#8217;s products, including IBM, Microsoft, Spotify, Steve Madden, and Volcom.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, Weglot <a href=\"https://weglot.com/blog/2021-year-in-review/\">passed €10M ARR</a>, primarily through the sale of its WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow products, but the company also has growing user bases on Squarespace, Wix, Magento, BigCommerce, Square Online, and Salesforce.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weglot has a free version of its <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/weglot/\">plugin on WordPress.org</a> for small websites (under 2,000 words) with one translation language. It includes a Gutenberg block that makes it easy for users to position and customize their language switcher. The plugin has 40,000 active installs. Commercial plans range from €99/year for 10,000 words and one translated language to €4,990/year for 5 million words and 20 translated languages. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weglot&#8217;s chief competitors are <a href=\"https://wpml.org/\">WPML</a> (a commercial product with no free version) and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/polylang/\">Polylang</a> (700K installs), a free plugin with a pro version that provides additional features and support. Despite having a much smaller WordPress user base and going up against more established competitors, Prot said the company is aiming to &#8220;become the category leader for web translation.&#8221; Weglot employs a team of 30 people and plans to use the new funding to hire more over the coming year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We found success by focusing on usability and simplicity,&#8221; Prot said. &#8220;The SaaS model allows us to develop very quickly on the product side and the plugin is based on users’ and customers’ feedback. If you don’t take that into account they would simply leave. That’s why the SaaS approach favors continuous and fast improvement to make sure we match users’ expectations.&#8221; </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 25 Mar 2022 01:39:19 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:19;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"Post Status: Post Status Comments (No. 6) — Getting Up To Speed On PHP News\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94825\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-comments-no-6-getting-up-to-speed-on-php-news/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4982:\"<h2 id=\"h-these-php-deprecation-notices-are-warnings-to-project-managers-and-developers-do-we-have-enough-time-for-wordpress-core-but-especially-the-community-to-fix-the-codebases-tonya-mork\">“These [PHP] deprecation notices are warnings to project managers and developers… do we have enough time for [WordPress] core but especially the community to fix the codebases?” — Tonya Mork</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Anyone seriously invested in WordPress, from developers to agency owners, has a big stake in the primary language WordPress is built with: <strong>PHP</strong>. WordPress professionals have a lot to keep track of, so it\'s not surprising they often overlook important news from the PHP community and development team. To bring you up to speed, <strong>David Bisset</strong> speaks with <strong>Carl Alexander</strong> and <strong>Tonya Mork</strong> in this episode of The Excerpt. Tonya and Carl have been deep into WordPress and PHP for many years. Here they offer a &#8220;Cliffs Notes&#8221; take on the PHP news the WordPress community should be paying attention to now. This includes big changes to code for developers and the need for a <strong>PHP Foundation</strong>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why This Is Important:</strong> WordPress depends on PHP, so developers and professionals should be aware of what is coming down the road as features are added, modified, and deprecated. There are also challenges of governance and sustainability that PHP is facing now that impact WordPress and relate to similar issues in the WordPress project.</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\"><strong>Post Status Comments</strong> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f4ac.png\" alt=\"💬\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> is a stage for WordPress professionals to exchange ideas and talk about recent topics and trends.<br /><br /><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcast/comments/\">Browse past episodes</a> and subscribe to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">our podcasts</a> on&nbsp; <a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/1m3xwXbe0MG5BzFVPtB0A7\">Spotify</a>, Amazon Music, <a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA\">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008\">iTunes</a>, <a href=\"https://castro.fm/podcast/c53552c6-1ee0-4fc4-9de4-08ed6bf1ee4d\">Castro</a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus\">YouTube</a>, <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast\">Stitcher</a>, <a href=\"https://player.fm/series/wordpress-post-status-podcasts\">Player.fm</a>, <a href=\"https://pca.st/05rR\">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/\">Simplecast</a>, or get them by <a href=\"https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P\">RSS</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"%f0%9f%99%8f-sponsor-godaddy-pro\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Sponsor: <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/godaddy-pro\">GoDaddy Pro</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Manage your clients, websites, and tasks from a single dashboard with <strong>GoDaddy Pro</strong>. Perform security scans, backups, and remote updates to many sites on any host. Check up on site performance, monitor uptime and analytics, and then send reports to your clients. GoDaddy Pro is free — and designed to make your life better.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_fa223a-7a .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_fa223a-7a\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-mentioned-in-the-show\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f517.png\" alt=\"🔗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Mentioned in the show:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://opencollective.com/phpfoundation\">PHP Foundation</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/\">PHP Project</a></li><li><a href=\"https://blog.krakjoe.ninja/2021/05/avoiding-busses.html\">Avoiding Buses</a></li><li><a href=\"https://blog.krakjoe.ninja/2021/11/2-1.html\">2-1</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/jrf_nl/status/1459221992876515328\">Juliette\'s Tweet</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/stats/\">Key WordPress Statistics</a></li><li><a href=\"https://carlalexander.ca/how-to-start-unit-testing-wordpress-code/\">How do you start unit testing existing WordPress code?</a></li><li><a href=\"https://getrector.org/\">Rector</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"follow-our-panelists-and-post-status-on-twitter-a4ffc805-90f1-41dc-9135-61b3ff20cb40\">Follow Our Panelists (and Post Status) on Twitter:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"http://twitter.com/dimensionmedia/\">David Bisset</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/twigpress?lang=en\">Carl Alexander</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hellofromtonya\">Tonya Mork</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:03:19 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:20;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"WPTavern: The Archeo WordPress Theme Blends Mayan History With Magazine-Style Block Patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131868\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:103:\"https://wptavern.com/the-archeo-wordpress-theme-blends-mayan-history-with-magazine-style-block-patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4732:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The day has finally arrived when a block theme does something interesting with the featured image on single post views. One of my biggest pet peeves is when themers simply dump it at the top of the content and call it a day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I nearly always bolt straight for the site editor to remove the single-post featured image upon installing block themes from some authors. However, after installing <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/archeo/\">Archeo</a>, Automattic&#8217;s latest, I simply let it be. At least in this instance, the implementation did not make me wonder if we were ever going to get this whole block-based theme venture <em>right</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Split-screen post title and featured image.\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the most impressive thing about the single-post header design is that it works with the limited toolset offered by the current Featured Image block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is one knit-pick I have it is that the post and site titles do not align on the left side of the page, at least on wide-desktop views.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>So, the single-post header is well-designed. How does the rest of the theme hold up?</em> I am getting to that, but every now and again, something special about a design catches my eye. And, I cannot wait to let others know about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Automattic is the most prolific block theme creator to date. Its Theme Team has rolled out a dozen designs to the WordPress directory over the last year. Many of its initial outings had a familiar feel &#8212; tiny variations on a simple base. However, things have livened up recently. <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/automattics-livro-is-a-minimal-block-theme-for-writers\">Livro</a>, the dark theme that made me dislike dark themes a little less, and <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/skatepark-is-a-bold-and-vibrant-block-theme-for-events-and-organizations\">Skatepark</a>, a unique experiment in its own right, represented a fresh start after the previous months began to feel stale.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Archeo continues that momentum. The theme is bold when it needs to be while making enough use of whitespace to not overwhelm readers.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Intro section of Archeo&#8217;s homepage.\n\n\n\n<p>It is one of the few faithful representations of magazine designs that I have seen. No, I am not talking about the muddied term in some circles that confuses it with news design. It reminds me of those stunning feature layouts that would draw a reader into a story as they flipped through the latest gloss-covered print that arrived in the mail. I am a product of my generation and will always have a sense of nostalgia for the dying art form, and I love seeing web-based implementations of it when they work well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly every one of Archeo&#8217;s image-categorized patterns captures that essence of a magazine featured article. The following is one of my favorites.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Two-column image pattern with header on the left and additional text.\n\n\n\n<p>The theme is described as being inspired by Mayan history and culture. Archeo&#8217;s patterns are littered with tidbits of historical text and images that make me want to learn more about the subject. Great design can speak to us in ways that we were not expecting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an aside, I would love to see creators who describe their designs as &#8220;inspired by&#8221; something to provide more insight into the subject via a blog post. For those unfamiliar with whatever that subject may be, it would pull back the curtain a bit, giving us a glimpse into why it was important to the designer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Archeo is the first theme that I have seen use the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-web-fonts-api-has-arrived\">upcoming web fonts API</a> expected to land in WordPress 6.0. Users with the Gutenberg plugin installed should see the theme&#8217;s only font, Chivo, gracing the front end and editor. Those without the plugin should see their system&#8217;s default sans-serif font.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following screenshot is of the theme&#8217;s 404 template and shows the Chivo font:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />404 page template in site editor.\n\n\n\n<p>It looks far better than the default, at least on Windows. I recommend running this theme alongside the Gutenberg plugin for the ideal result.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am surprised the Theme Team did not include a backward-compatible method of handling web fonts for WordPress 5.9 users. It would not have taken much code: a single hook and a check for whether the <code>wp_webfonts()</code> function exists.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Archeo is now the 59th block theme to land in the WordPress.org directory. I am eager to see more from Automattic&#8217;s Theme Team, especially if this will be its minimum standard with future designs.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:37:29 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:21;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"Matt: Guy Raz’s How I Built This\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:22:\"https://ma.tt/?p=55744\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://ma.tt/2022/03/guy-razs-how-i-built-this/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1104:\"<p>I spoke with <a href=\"https://www.guyraz.com/\">Guy Raz</a> about the early days of <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/\">WordPress</a> and <a href=\"https://automattic.com/\">Automattic</a> on the latest episode of “<a href=\"https://pca.st/ofk85jgu\">How I Built This (listen on Pocket Casts)</a>.” We ended up talking for over four hours and the show has skillfully edited this down to just over an hour. We discussed my time at <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNET\">CNET</a>, how I accidentally invented a new way to spam, why we didn’t sell Automattic, my feelings on Wix and competitors like Shopify (sponsor of this episode, hah, in which I speak about how their dashboard looks just like WordPress’s). Guy pivoted the conversation to grief that came with the loss of my father and challenges we faced during the pandemic. He kept the conversation going effortlessly and I had a great time taping the episode. Thanks to Guy and his team for a great experience. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-wordpress-amp-automattic-matt-mullenweg/\"><img /></a>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 24 Mar 2022 02:40:29 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:22;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"WPTavern: WordPress.org Removes Russian Pro-War Plugin From Directory\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131835\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:80:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-removes-russian-pro-war-plugin-from-directory\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7710:\"<p>After considerable pushback from the Plugin Review team, WordPress.org has removed a plugin called <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20220323182342/https://wordpress.org/plugins/zamir/\">Zamir</a>, which was created by a <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vovasik/\">Russian developer</a> to display the Z symbol in support of Russia&#8217;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin gained attention after Gravity Forms founder and CEO Carl Hancock noticed that it was listed under the &#8220;New&#8221; list of plugins for WordPress.com customers.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Hancock contacted WordPress&#8217; plugin team to request its removal but was met with a defense for its inclusion based on what the representative deemed to be a lack of violation of the guidelines. The representative told Hancock via email that &#8220;it is permitted as long as it does not devolve into hate speech or encouraging violence.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outrage over the plugin being hosted on WordPress.org sparked heated conversations on Twitter, Post Status Slack, and in WordPress&#8217; #pluginreview Slack channel where project contributors work in the open.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mika Epstein responded to discussion in the #pluginreview channel to confirm that the plugin was allowed to be in the directory: </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>This is an annoying, but allowable, thing at this time. We have no restrictions about plugins that are for &#8216;support&#8217;, as long as they avoid hate speech, encouraging violence, and raising money for military orgs (regardless of which side).We have a number of plugins that people find personally objectionable. Someone might hate a &#8216;show support for LGBTQ&#8217; plugin after all. In this case, the plugin is a &#8216;show support for Russia&#8217; and has no violation to the guidelines. Much like the porn-embed plugin that a number of people hate, you don&#8217;t have to use it. Hosting plugins here does not now, nor has it ever that I&#8217;m aware of, conferred any sort of approve besides it being secure and not violating guidelines at the time of submission.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the plugin had begun racking up negative reviews and Hancock had managed to get WordPress&#8217; project leadership to take a second look. The plugin was temporarily suspended while leadership considered the matter.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8220;Z&#8221; symbol has been used by the Russian government as a <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/world/europe/russia-letter-z-ivan-kuliak.html\">pro-war symbol and a propaganda tool</a>, and is frequently seen painted on the Russian tanks and military trucks that have invaded Ukraine. It is widely regarded as a symbol of war and violence. The <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20220323182342/https://wordpress.org/plugins/zamir/\">Zamir plugin&#8217;s header image</a> includes a black and orange ribbon, the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_of_Saint_George\">Ribbon of St. George</a>, which is also a symbol of the Russian military. The symbol was <a href=\"https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-bans-st-georges-ribbon-separatist-symbol/28491961.html\">banned by Ukrainian lawmakers in 2017</a> as a symbol of &#8220;Russia&#8217;s war and occupation of Ukraine.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few participants in the discussion in the #pluginreview channel seemed blissfully unaware of the symbol and flippant in response to concerns, while others who have been more immediately impacted by Russia&#8217;s aggression tried to explain what it symbolizes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Here is some context about what this plugin is actually in support of, from a person sitting in a city bombed by cruise missiles,&#8221; Ukrainian WordPress contributor Andrey Savchenko said. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;To be crystal fucking clear, this is way &#8216;morally offensive&#8217; and &#8216;abuse directed at any other member of WordPress community&#8217; under item 9 of WordPress plugin guidelines.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;For anyone not closely familiar with the context &#8211; Z and V, that started as markings on Russian military vehicles invading Ukraine, were adopted by Russian state as symbols of gleeful support for the war, denying it is a war, denying they are killing civilians, and so on.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many are incredulous that the plugin was even approved in the first place.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m completely appalled by having such a thing even being considered for inclusion,&#8221; Bas Schuiling said in the #pluginreview channel discussion. &#8220;I&#8217;m a refugee and fled Ukraine, and this exact symbol is being used to applaud and cheer the murder on my country, friends, and family.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re watching the birth of a hate symbol in real time,&#8221; Hancock contended.  &#8220;You&#8217;d have to be living under a rock to not see that.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a lengthy discussion, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy decided made the call to have the plugin permanently removed from the directory, overruling the plugin team&#8217;s decision. She followed up later with a published <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/03/23/removal-of-the-zamir-plugin/\">statement</a>, clarifying why it was removed:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The plugin’s description, “Shows the Z symbol to support Russia,” eluded initial plugin checks. While it is true that there is no current plugin guideline barring plugins that “support” political leanings, this icon symbolizes something more complicated than that. Contributors were right to report this and, with their help and the help of WordPress community members, the plugin has been removed from the directory. </p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In a separate post on the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2022/03/23/journal-entry-removal-of-the-zamir-plugin/\">Make WordPress Plugins</a> blog, Haden Chomphosy said that since Z is an emerging symbol of hate, &#8220;it was considered a grey area in initial checks and on further review was removed.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As a reminder, WordPress guidelines call upon all community members–including extenders like plugin authors– to &#8216;be kind, helpful, and respectful,&#8217; she said. &#8220;A symbol that is connected to an ongoing war and humanitarian crisis is none of those things.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of those initially outraged about WordPress.org hosting this plugin are satisfied with the outcome, but it highlighted a disconnect between WordPress&#8217; values and the current processes in place for addressing symbols of hate in extensions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I’m glad that plugin was removed from the repository,&#8221; Hancock said. &#8220;It was absolutely the right call. But I wish that it didn’t take rattling cages for that to happen. I think comparisons that were made between this situation and others that may offend people (such as a porn embed plugin) were completely off base. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I would hope that the WordPress Plugin Repository is not a place for plugins used to facilitate the spreading of propaganda and hate symbols that support war crimes and genocide in Ukraine. And that is exactly what the Z symbol has become.”</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haden Chomphosy&#8217;s statement indicated that the project may be reexamining its plugin review policies in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I am aware that this issue leads to natural questions about clarifying our plugin policies moving forward,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I’ll work with the community to explore our guidelines and create a clearer framework for how plugins can be evaluated in the context of current events.&#8221;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 23 Mar 2022 23:01:03 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:95:\"WPTavern: #19 – Evangelia Pappa &amp; Bernhard Kau on Making WordCamp Europe Safe and Diverse\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=131164\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:103:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/19-evangelia-pappa-bernhard-kau-on-making-wordcamp-europe-safe-and-diverse\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:51217:\"<p>On the podcast today we have Evangelia Pappa &amp; Bernhard Kau.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamp Europe is the biggest in-person event in WordPress. Last time the event was held, in 2019, there were over 3,000 attendees and hundreds of volunteers who participated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2020 event, which was due to take place in Porto Portugal was cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid. Ever since then pretty much all WordPress events have been done online. The community has stayed together and kept things going, but it’s time to return to the in-person event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is great news, but what can we expect from such an event. Whilst the pandemic is less of a concern than it was just a few months ago, it’s not gone away.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today we talk to two of the WordCamp Europe 2022 organisers and discuss what preparations they’ve been making to ensure that the event is as safe as possible. How will social distancing work? Will you need to wear a mask? Will there be social&nbsp; aspects to the event?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully the podcast will put your mind at rest about the precautions that have been taken, and possibly help you make up your mind about whether you want to attend in-person, or participate via the live streaming.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also get into the subject of diversity. A few months ago, some members of the community questioned the makeup of the event in terms of the organising team.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discuss how the team reacted to this. Whether they thought that the concern was justified and what they’ve been doing since then to address those concerns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully the event will take place this year, and if you enjoy WordCamps, but have never been a part of the organising team,&nbsp; it’s really interesting to pull back the curtain and see some of what’s required to put an event of this scale on.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"useful-links\">Useful links.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/EvangeliaPappas\">Evangelia&#8217;s Twitter</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://evangeliapappa.me/\">Evangelia&#8217;s website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/2ndkauboy\">Bernhard&#8217;s Twitter</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://capital-p.de/\">Bernhard&#8217;s Capital P podcast</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://kau-boys.com/\">Bernhard&#8217;s website</a></p>\n\n\n\nTranscript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley. Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks the themes, and in this case, diversity within the community. If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to WP Tavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcasts players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, well, then I&#8217;m very keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head over to WP Tavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox. And you can use the contact form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Evangelia Pappa, and Bernhard Kau. WordCamp Europe is the biggest in-person event in WordPress. Last time the event was held in 2019, they were over 3000 attendees, and hundreds of volunteers who participated. The 2020 event, which was due to take place in Porto. Portugal, was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID. Ever since then, pretty much all WordPress events have been done online.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The community has stayed together, but it&#8217;s time to return to in-person event. This is great news, but what can we expect from such an event. Whilst the pandemic is less of a concern than it was just a few months ago, it&#8217;s not gone away. On the podcast today, we talk to two of the WordCamp Europe 2020 organizers, and discuss what preparations they&#8217;ve been making to ensure that the event is as safe as possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>How will social distancing work? Will you need to wear a mask? Will there be a social aspect to the event? Hopefully, the podcast will put your mind at rest about the precautions that have been taken, and possibly help you make up your mind about whether you want to attend in-person, or participate via the live streaming.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also get into the subject of diversity. A few months ago, some members of the community questioned the makeup of the event, in terms of the organizing team. Some felt that not enough work had been done to ensure that everyone was represented in the decision making of the event. We discuss how the team reacted to this, whether they thought that the concern was justified, and what they&#8217;ve been doing since to address those concerns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully the events will take place this year, and if you enjoy WordCamps, but have never been part of the organizing team, it&#8217;s really interesting to pull back the curtain and see some of what&#8217;s required to put on an event of this scale.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all the links in the show notes by heading over to WP Tavern.com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other podcast episodes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so. without further delay. I bring you, Evangelia Pappa, and Bernhard Kau. I am joined on the podcast today by Evangelia and Bernhard. Hello both of you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:58] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> Hey there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Very nice to have you on the podcast today. These two fine people are going to be talking to us today about WordCamp Europe, which is happening later in 2022. There&#8217;s a couple of things that we&#8217;re going to be talking about, particularly around the two topics of COVID and also about the diversity aspect of the organization of the event. We&#8217;ll come to those two things later, but I&#8217;m just going to ask you, one at a time to introduce yourself properly. We always do this at the beginning of the podcast. Just to let the listeners know who you are, what&#8217;s your relationship with WordPress and so on. So, let&#8217;s make a start. Let&#8217;s go for Evangelia, let&#8217;s begin there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:34] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> Hey there to everyone. My name is Evangelia. I come from Greece. I am a recruitment specialist for WPMU Dev. I like blogging. I love and breathe for the WordPress community, not only the global one. And I&#8217;m really happy and passionate about the people and culture.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:54] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you so much and the same question, Bernhard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:57] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah. Hello. I&#8217;m Bernhard Kau. I&#8217;m located in Berlin, Germany. I&#8217;m a WordPress developer for a small agency in Potsdam and, I&#8217;m also an active blogger on my blog posts, also a podcaster and longtime contributor to the community. I think it was in 2009. I started.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:13] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you both very much indeed. Now we know that in the recent past, all events have been called off. WordCamp Europe last took place, I believe it was in 2019 in Berlin. Subsequent events have been online. There were possibly attempts made to put things back in the real world, but then they were kiboshed by the reality, the COVID strain, which was spreading throughout the world, but it has been decided that the time is now right to bring this event back. Just very briefly, is it going to be the same event that we would have been attending back in 2020 had COVID not have taken hold of the world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, are you trying to put on the full scale event, or is it in some way pared back?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:56] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> We&#8217;re going back to in-person events. In fact, we were going back to the events we didn&#8217;t have in 2020. It&#8217;s a live event, an in person event. We can host 4,500 people, which is an amazing number judging, from the pandemic that has kept us in lockdown. I&#8217;m not quite sure yet if we will be able to have everyone, but at least we will be able to see a smiley faces.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay, and Bernhard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:23] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah, I think in general it&#8217;s going to be the exact same when we&#8217;ve initially planned in 2020. We&#8217;ve canceled in 2020, I think in March. Like around the time, we just decided just after WordCamp Asia postponed their events and for 2021, we, in the beginning said it&#8217;s going to be online as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We think now is the time to have an in-person event again. And we hope that we get the same amount of attendees we were expecting in 2020. But we cannot tell if that&#8217;s going to happen. And also if all attendees will be able to join the event, but we probably come to that a bit later.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I guess only time will really tell whether that&#8217;s the case or not. In terms of the organization of the event, it strikes me that many people listening to this podcast, perhaps they&#8217;ve never attended a WordPress event and they may very well of course be new to the WordPress community. So maybe just if we spend a very brief amount of time discussing the structure of the organization team. In other words, explain how it is that you came to be involved, and perhaps emphasize the fact that everybody involved in the event is a volunteer. So let&#8217;s go for Evangelia.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:26] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> This is a very important topic because we will need to share stories with Bernard. I was with the WordPress Greek community since 2015 and it was pure luck. I mean, I met the community in 2015 and I was just attending a meetup to see what exactly is. What is WordPress? What is a WordPress meetup? What is that community I&#8217;m reading about? My skillset at that point had to do with PR and media, as I was working as a radio producer and as a generalist at that point. And I started writing the press releases that had to do with events of the WordPress Greek community, and suddenly I became a member of the organizing team. After two local WordCamps in Athens, the team that has become a family decided that we should volunteer to a bigger event to see how exactly it is happening. And we had never been to a WordCamp Europe, so we decided to apply as volunteers altogether. Since we were selected, we traveled to Belgrade and this was our first experience with WordCamp Europe. When we finished, let&#8217;s say WordCamp Europe in 2018 in Belgrade, we decided we would like to apply as organizers and some of us are organizing WordCamp Europe for around two, three years now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much, and Bernhard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:49] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah. Usually becoming an organizing team member for WordCamp Europe, you probably have been a volunteer before for WordCamp Europe, or you&#8217;ve been an organizer for a local WordCamp. We really want to see some experienced organizers in the team. It&#8217;s not a necessity. So we even have some people very new to the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, in Berlin, we even had one in the local team who never attended a WordCamp himself before joining the organizing team, but he was organizing a local meetup in a city in Germany. But because it&#8217;s a huge time investment, we really need people dedicated enough to spent nine months organizing an event that size. A usual WordCamp, a local one, is maybe four or five months of organizing and WordCamp European is a whole lot different, and this is also why we need people being willing to go all the way from the beginning to the end and organizing events. And quite naturally, there&#8217;s always things happening that become more important than organizing a WordCamp, and so those people drop off because they just volunteer their time, they&#8217;re not getting paid. Yeah that&#8217;s also natural. And from the 2020 organizers we initially had for Porto, many of them continued. Some take a break. I personally took a break in 2021 because it was an online event. And I could see myself in better health for the in-person events once it&#8217;s going to happen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so many of the organizers that were initially on board for 2020 are back again, but some didn&#8217;t have the time again to join the organizing team for this year. So, we are a bit smaller in size, but still we have quite a good team to organize this year&#8217;s event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> How many people do you have currently, and how many people did you have previously? You mentioned that it was smaller this time. I&#8217;m just curious to know what kind of numbers we&#8217;re dealing with on the volunteer side, whether that&#8217;s organizers who are doing the event prior to the actual event, as well as those people who show up and volunteer their time during the event. How many people in total are you looking at there?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:54] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> So organizers plus volunteers, I would say it&#8217;s around 260 to 300 people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:01] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay. That gives us a really good metric as to just how large it is. Needless to say it&#8217;s incredibly complicated to sort out and incredibly complicated to put on. It&#8217;s a marvelous event, but there&#8217;s so many moving parts. It must be really difficult to get right. And so rewind to whenever it was now, I can&#8217;t remember the exact month of the year, but WordCamp Asia was about to have its first meeting and we all know the story, COVID spread throughout the world, and WordCamp Asia was canceled. The events around the world, the whole thing just rippled and all of those events were canceled and it feels to me like WordCamp Europe is one of the first, if not the first, I think there&#8217;s been a, maybe a couple in the United States that have happened more recently. But you&#8217;ve taken the decision that you&#8217;re going to bring it back. And, as with all these things, safety and keeping everybody updated about the situation and how you are hoping to maintain safety is going to be important.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s a big component of this podcast episode, to reassure people as to what you&#8217;ve done. So, let&#8217;s get into that discussion.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of the organization team, what are some of the key things that you would like the audience to hear? If they were hovering over the hotel booking button or the airplane purchasing button, or maybe just getting the ticket itself, and something in the back of their mind is niggling them. They&#8217;re potentially a little bit worried thinking about all of the different things that could happen that have happened over the last few years. What are some of the main things that you could highlight, which would assuage their fears and let them know that you&#8217;re taking the safety in terms of COVID seriously.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:40] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> To be honest because I am at this let&#8217;s say situation at the moment, trying to book my accommodation and flights for a Porto. I did make a list with the things that I would need to have ready or have with me do to arrange my travel. But first of all I felt safe to go there. Not everyone feels safe because we have been through two very difficult years, but this is the reason because we are also humans and we do care about safety and health, not only of the attendees, but also our families.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are going to come back home after the event and we don&#8217;t want to contaminate anyone or give COVID to our family and put anyone in danger. We are taking measures for the venue and for the event, measures that are regulations of the Portuguese government, and also some extra measures right now that are mandatory, like the facial masks, which is not a measure that is mandatory in other countries most probably. We do have hand sanitizers that will be available inside the venue. And we will keep also social distancing guidelines, at the moment is to respect the distance of two meters.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also know that the regulations are changing. So we are keeping an eye and monitoring the whole situation and the restrictions in Portugal. And at the same time, it&#8217;s not only you know, about the event and the venue, but we need to be careful a little bit outside, and before we get to the venue or while traveling. And also make sure we have whatever is needed to travel for the entry to Portugal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:25] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much Bernhard. Anything that you would like to add into that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:29] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah. In the organizing team, we agreed that the bare minimum would be any regulation the Portugal government would put in place. But on top of that, we really want to make sure that everyone is safe. We have parents within the organizing team, just having a new child and, they want to come home to a family and not having bad feelings about infecting them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so we also take additional measurements that might not be necessary by like government law, but we still think they are something we want to have. Serving food outside, not inside, because we really want to have a strict mask mandate and eating with a mask is not possible. So we&#8217;ve moved the catering to outside.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have fresh air and it&#8217;s safer to eat without a mask being outside and not inside. So things like these. We really try to make the best possible measures to keep everyone safe. And we probably also provide some testing stations where people can get themselves tested, if they feel that they want to know if they are infected or not. We really want to make everyone feeling safe, attending the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Let&#8217;s just drill down into a few of those. You mentioned that there was going to be social distancing. Maybe the word in forced is the wrong word, but the request to be socially distant. So in an ideal world, in all of the indoor components of WordCamp EU this year, you&#8217;re going to be asking people to stay whatever the minimum safe distance is, be that a couple of meters or six feet or whatever it works out to be. That&#8217;s going to be a request. And I think I heard the word mask being used as well. So if you&#8217;re in an indoor space, there&#8217;s going to be a supposition that you&#8217;re going to be wearing a mask as well. Is that right? Did I hear that correctly?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:09] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> You will need to wear your mask, covering all over the nose and your mouth. Also went in closed spaces and outside the venue. At the moment though, the Portuguese government requires the face mask covering only in closed spaces, but we will also see how that goes in the future. At the moment the facial mask is mandatory in and outside of the venue. We&#8217;d like to see people wearing it, that if they don&#8217;t wear it correctly, we might popup, pinging on your shoulder and asking you to wear it properly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:42] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you. The event arena itself is a simply magnificent piece of architecture. I believe, forgive me if I&#8217;ve got this wrong, it&#8217;s called the Superblock Arena and it&#8217;s a giant dome, and so the central auditorium where I guess some of the larger events will take place are going to be in that gigantic auditorium, but there&#8217;ll be many smaller. spaces in use as well. And I would imagine a lot of people would want to know whether or not you&#8217;re kind of limiting the amount of people that can go into certain spaces at certain times. So for example, this room over here we&#8217;ve only got a capacity for 15 people and you may not sit in this chair, but you can sit in this one so that we maintain the social distancing. Is that all happening as well? You&#8217;re limiting the numbers that can go into different parts of the building. Is that happening?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:31] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> We are limiting the number of people who could go into the arena and that we would allow as attendees. I think the arena has a capacity of well over 7,000 people. And we are not going to have 7,000 attendees. And also we have different floors. So like the place we were talking about is the main floor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this is going to be split between an exposition, area and track one. And then one level lower, we have the second track and we also have the workshop rooms and those rooms are quite large and we would not allow too many people into the workshops. So there&#8217;s enough space between attendees. So it&#8217;s not really a fully packed area. And also we have lots of area around. There&#8217;s a huge, a nice park around and we&#8217;d like to see attendees browsing through the park and enjoying everything around. So only when they go to visit the sponsors or some of the sessions or workshops, they go inside. And as we said earlier, we have the catering outside and also things like WP Cafe would be located outside. So it&#8217;s really attendees going in and out. And if they need to. distance themselves a bit, they can find places around.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s lucky that you&#8217;re doing it in Portugal and not Great Britain. You may have found it quite difficult to have the outdoor component quite so easily, but I presume the weather in Porto, Portugal is going to be fairly predictable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>An important question I suppose to ask is, whether or not you guys have actually seen this space because it&#8217;s very easy on a piece of paper or on a computer screen to take a look at what the venue looks like, but actually being there in person and imagining it on a piece of paper are two very different things. So have people from the committee been, looked around, made judgments based upon being there in the real world?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:19] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> We just had a venue visit last month and a huge number of our organizing team was there, I think it was 15 people, something like that. I don&#8217;t know the exact number. And some organizers have been there multiple times. I was not there, unfortunately myself, because in 2020, when we decided to go online, I was not going to see the venue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then this year, just two weeks before I was going to go to Portugal, I got to COVID myself, canceling my travel plans. But those organizers who went there, they took pictures. They even had a video walkthrough. So all the organizers who were not able to go to the place, they have a pretty good impression of what it looks inside.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And those teams really need to know how it looks. Like the sponsor&#8217;s team, the content team. They really know how to arrange things And we also have a company helping us with many of the logistics and they have been to the arena multiple times. So they really have a good plan on how to make things in the best way possible in the arena and the park around.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you. That&#8217;s great. Evangelia, it sounded like you needed to add something to that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:24] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> A team that is seeing the venues very often in every WordCamp Europe is always a local team. That is the one also that selects the venue after a very careful research, when they apply for the call for her city. Because you see, we are always in search of a venue that can provide us certain things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability of people that have certain issues to be able to enter and navigate a big space that can host a specific amount of people and stuff like that. So, they have already checked the venue before they apply for the called for host city, and also, they need to visit it often in order to check other things that are necessary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And usually we have two visits, two venue visits for the rest of the team, where the team leads are available to the visit, or they send a representative of the team. I wasn&#8217;t able this year to the venue, visit too. But I had a representative of the team to check for the spaces that my team would need so we can discuss further. It&#8217;s not only, the plans, for floor plans.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:28] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much, indeed. Now the next question is, obviously the answer that you give here is subject to change, but assuming that WordCamp Europe were to happen over the next week or so, do you know what the restrictions are right now in Portugal, in terms of, let&#8217;s say, for example, as Bernhard, you just said you had COVID relatively recently. Do you know what the restrictions are in terms of accessibility, your ability to fly into Portugal? Should you have had COVID and I guess, it&#8217;s a question nobody wants to probably happen to them, but nevertheless, if you were to catch COVID in Portugal, do you know what your options are there in terms of repatriating yourself and getting yourself home? Do you have to isolate in a hotel or wherever you may be settled for a period of time before you can come out and resume normal life?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:21] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> I cannot tell you what would happen if you get COVID while being in Portugal. The local team could probably answer the question. For entering Portugal, as of today, you need to have proof of full vaccination. That&#8217;s between 14 and 270 days old. You can also have a proof of recovery from COVID 19. That&#8217;s quite usual in European countries. It&#8217;s not so normal in other countries that a proof of recovery is also treated the same as the vaccination. And you also need to present a negative pre-departure test. So it&#8217;s a PCR test or a rapid antigen test, that&#8217;s not older than 24 hours. And for me, when I was planning to travel to Portugal, I would just get a test at the airport, like an antigen test. And that would be enough to enter the country. But Portugal is lowering restrictions right now. And, our local team leads was telling us that they are at level one and level zero would be no restrictions. And they will soon be at level 0.5. So they are about to lift all restrictions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I would assume that even having a negative tests for entering the country would not be in place anymore when we have the event, but you&#8217;d never know. It&#8217;s still a long time to go. I mean for your own safety, it&#8217;s probably good advice to have full vaccination, if it&#8217;s possible for yourself.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there&#8217;s no medical condition hindering you from being vaccinated. And then also when I see my family or people, I know that&#8217;s not as healthy. I just get myself tested. So I&#8217;m safe that I&#8217;m not infecting someone. So that would be my advice to get yourself tested before you travel to Portugal, because you don&#8217;t want to get stuck in another country, you being infected and then you might not know how to isolate in a hotel room or something. And then how many days you need to stay there before you can leave. But that&#8217;s something I don&#8217;t really know, like the restrictions in Portugal, if you are getting infected and then traveling back to your country.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yes, but thank you. That was an excellent answer nevertheless, and like everything else, if you are planning to travel, just make sure you&#8217;ve got the necessary documents. And now along with the ride, is have your documents. Your travel insurance, your passport, and also some proof that you have been inoculated or that you have had COVID or that you are COVID free. So that&#8217;s just another thing to add into the itinerary of things, which you must bring along. But thank you. Yeah, that&#8217;s great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You mentioned that there was going to be testing stations in the venue. Is that, presumably they are what we call in the UK at least anyway, lateral flow tests. So you just had a different word for it, but they&#8217;re going to be freely available are they, or is it, do we need to pay for those? How does that work?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:03] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Those will be freely available for attendees. If they choose to get a test and we would not have testing mandatory for everyone entering. And we would probably need to have some kind of proof that you are not positive. So either recovery, vaccination, something like this, which would be checked when you get your tickets. Your badge for the event. But we would not have a mandatory test for every single day for every attendee, that would just be too much. But if you feel you would want to get tested, we have some testing next to the venue. So you don&#8217;t have to go to a public testing place somewhere in Portugal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because I also think that they are not free for people not located in Portugal. So that Like be a high cost. And then also let&#8217;s say we have 4,000 attendees and they all want to get tested in the testing centers around the venue. That would be quite a lot of work for them. And we probably would have attendees coming late because they need to wait for some hours to get their test.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:04] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> At the moment, we will have this option and also if someone has symptoms of COVID like fever, or they have a difficulty breathing or a cough or they feel they have an issue or they test positive. They can contact immediately the Portuguese national health service. We have listed the telephones on our website too, and we will have someone available to assist them when they are outside of the venue and, also, they can call 1 1 2, that is the number for emergencies. At the moment, people that test positive need to be isolated. However, previously it was mandatory also for the high risk contacts. This limitation has been eliminated, it has been removed. So now only people that test positive for COVID will be required to be in isolation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time another measure like the digital certificate that was required for entry into restaurants, bars places like that. Was required and now is no longer required. However, it is required if you&#8217;re traveling, like we said previously, and you need to cross the borders or you need to pick a flight or something like that. And also the capacity limits of closed spaces has been eliminated. Previously there was a capacity limit and according to the last measures, this does no longer exist. Looking at the situation right now seems like the pandemic is phasing beyond, things are improving daily.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we have the hope that if variation prevails among the others, it will be lot easier on people, and also more restrictions will be eliminated until we get to the event date.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Now, I know that we all love WordPress and we love attending WordPress speakers, presentations and so on, but another thing we love is the after-party. I suspect that this is a very large reason why many people attend these events. It&#8217;s just such good fun. Now that, I&#8217;m presuming, has been modified in its scope and in its limitations, and what have you. So just very briefly, the social side of things, how is that different now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:14] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah, basically the same applies as for the conference days. So we would have foods and drinks served outside. So we make sure that&#8217;s if you eat or drink something and you cannot wear your mask at the same time, you do that outside. And for the party itself we have it inside, it&#8217;s in the same area as track one was the same day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So like after the closing remarks, we would move everything out and then this area would be for the after party. And it&#8217;s quite huge space, so there&#8217;s enough space for those who want to go inside and listen to music. And those who want to talk to other people, they would probably go outside because it&#8217;s quiet outside, and there they can also have drinks and food.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay. This section wasn&#8217;t a part of the show notes when I originally wrote down the questions, I was going to be asking you but, in the last couple of weeks, we&#8217;ve had really seismic events happening in Europe. On the Eastern side of Europe. We&#8217;ve had the events happening in the Ukraine. And I don&#8217;t know if there are any thoughts as to whether this will change anything, whether or not the event has any posture on that at all. I don&#8217;t really have a question around that. Just whether or not the Ukrainian situation has forced something to be changed on the WCEU side?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:26] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> At the moment the war is not changing anything regarding the event. Location dates, restrictions remain the same for everyone. We can say how things might end up in the future. It will depend also, for example, in the Portuguese government, in case they have any restrictions for citizens from Russia for example. As things that are floating at the moment, and it might not change anything regarding the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this is a very tough topic and being Europeans, we have a really big history of wars on this continent. And some of them are really recent. It definitely does not make us happy and it does affect everyone. Mentally, mostly, in the rest of the continent. As many of us have colleagues there, relatives, friends and we wake up and sleep with the news everyday.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talking about the WordPress side of things and the community. Both countries, Ukraine and Russia have active local workers, communities, and our organizing team in WordCamp Europe includes members from Ukraine and Russia? This is a very difficult period. One thing that makes us proud during this whole situation is to say that we have members of the organizing team that are offering their help actively and our hearts and minds at the moment are with our people over there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we have any information about further restrictions that might be, we will definitely inform everyone through the website and the social media. At the moment, nothing is changing regarding the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay, moving on then, that&#8217;s the first part of our discussion. And this next part will probably be a little bit shorter, but nevertheless, equally important. After the event website had gone live with the organizing committee details and the speakers being announced and the sponsors and all of that. There was some conversation that arose, I believe, but I could be wrong about this, I believe it began on Twitter. Where questions were raised about the event. I&#8217;m not sure specifically around which aspect of the event, whether it was the speakers or whether it was the event organizers. Maybe it was both or one or the other, I&#8217;m not entirely sure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there were questions raised about the diversity of the event. I know that upon those questions being raised, the response you gave was pretty swift, and there was a lot of soul searching going on. I don&#8217;t know who wants to answer it first, but really, do you want you to summarize what the concerns that members of the community were raising about WordCamp EU and the diversity of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:08] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> It was a social media post on Twitter that started the whole conversation. And it was based on the diversity of the organizing team Which is something that was a really difficult discussion and a really difficult thing this year. You see this organizing team and this conference in 2022, it&#8217;s coming back after two years of lockdowns. It was really difficult to get it started to find people that were able to commit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the problem that this Tweet was raising was that there was not any black person among the organizers. However, where I come from for example we don&#8217;t even say black, because it&#8217;s considered, a form of racism. When we saw that Tweet, it was really difficult for us.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody had reached out. Nobody asked why we don&#8217;t have people of skin color or why we have, for example only Europeans and North Americans or anything regarding diversity. But suddenly we are being called out on social media. It gives the team, the feeling of being chased unfairly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Europe has a different background and history regarding many things. Before we start a discussion about diversity, or inclusion, which is definitely important. If you do not discuss, we cannot fix anything. But you need to have some knowledge about how things worked out when we started organizing. How things are progressing during organizing the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, you need to take a look at the background of the organizing team and also the background of Europe. Location, culture, demographics, history, and all this factors that can help identify what is the diversity we need to aim to. So definitely, seeing it from the point of view of someone that resides in the United States.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not a good thing to see an organizing team that doesn&#8217;t include a person of skin color. I&#8217;m not quite sure if I&#8217;m using the correct word, because I&#8217;m not a native speaker in English. So, I hope it is the correct word, but I don&#8217;t want to use the black color, because, where I come from, it&#8217;s not a nice thing to call people like that. I understand where the person that started the Tweet comes from, and I understand also the people that were replying on threads and the whole discussion. However, we should make a larger discussion to understand how diversity factors and what metrics are different in the US and in Europe and in Asia, for example. Because there is not any continent that doesn&#8217;t need to take care of diverse.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:34:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Bernhard, anything to add to that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:02] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Yeah. As I mentioned earlier, we had quite a tough time getting the organizing team together because many of the organizers have been on the organizing team in 2020 before we canceled the in-person events and went to an online event. You can also see on the 2020 page on the organizers page there&#8217;s the in-person team, and then there&#8217;s the online event team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you can see that back then, it also was a quite diverse team. But it was really hard to convince all the organizers who&#8217;ve committed themselves in 2020 to rejoin the team. So we really had to find people who are willing to invest that huge amount of time into organizing and WordCamp Europe, and for us, diversity is not just dictated by skin color or by gender or something.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s also by origin, from which country applicants are coming from also in terms of how experienced are people. We don&#8217;t want to be gatekeepers only inviting the same organizers over and over again. So we really want to have some experienced organizers, but we also want to welcome new organizers. And then it might be that you have to reach out to people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for 2022, it was really hard to find people that were in the organizing team in 2020 to rejoin. And that was one of the many factors why we are not as diverse as we&#8217;ve been in the past. And it&#8217;s true that reaching out to people is important, but in these times it&#8217;s really hard. And also, many organizers weren&#8217;t really sure, and it was back in September, I would say when we asked people and back then the COVID situation was not as positive in quotes as today. So people were really not sure if WordCamp Europe in-person is going to happen at all. And if they would be able to help organizing it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:36:51] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> People are not able to commit at the moment. Not only their time, but it also costs some money. I know it doesn&#8217;t sound, really romantic. But being volunteers, we&#8217;re not being paid for the time that we offer while organizing. And at the same time we have to be present at the event. So this means accommodation. This means travel expenses. And even if someone wants to assist is not able to travel to the event and knows it in advance, then they know they will not be selected. This is one thing. Because, practically, there are funds, companies that can fund someone and help them do this trip, but not everyone knows it, or not everyone is willing to ask for this kind of help. And this is really important. At the same time, as Bernard said, feeling not safe, and also not believing that the event is going to be in person was one of the reasons that people were turning our invitations down, and this is totally understandable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>During two years we had so many online events, not only WordPress related, but, we had so many online events. We did everything online, zoom meetings with the companies you work with, with clients with everyone. So, you were stuck on a display. People still when we started didn&#8217;t believe we are going to go for an in-person event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frankly, they were saying, I don&#8217;t want to do an online event again. I don&#8217;t want to be part of it. I don&#8217;t want to commit myself, and then in the end we end up with an online event. And I understand that it was tiring for many people, online events have different duties than in person events, and it wasn&#8217;t so easy to get it going and get the ball rolling.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:38:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much. So since that tweet was posted and this diversity debate began. Are you able to tell us the ways that you&#8217;ve interacted with those people? The lessons potentially that may have been learned, but also the things which you are now doing differently. Measures that affect this particular event, or perhaps you&#8217;ve put things on hold and you&#8217;ve got procedures, which might be different for the next WordCamp Europe, whether or not you&#8217;re both involved I don&#8217;t know, but things that would be done differently the next time around. So, essentially I&#8217;m wrapping that up all in the phrase of, are there any lessons that you&#8217;ve learned here?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:39:22] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> I think the lesson that the whole WordPress community learned is that diversity is important. And it&#8217;s something the whole community has to have an eye on. It&#8217;s not just the organizing team, and it&#8217;s something that can help an organizing team to solve because being a diverse team is not just posting a call for organizers form and waiting for people to respond.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s how you promote the call for organizers. How do you maybe find people you invite directly into the organizing team? And there are some great resources and some great initiatives. There&#8217;s the diversity training program which targets more towards speakers. The same things can be applied to organizers as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I have been taking part in this training and many other organizers as well. So we really know how to make sure that the next organizing team is even more diverse as the current one. But for this event, we cannot change the organizing team. It was hard enough to get enough people. We also had help from some companies. Volunteering some employees to us. So we have enough people to get all the workload done we have in the organizing team. But for other things, it&#8217;s a bit easier, like for the call for speakers and call for volunteers there it&#8217;s easier to have a diverse group of people. And this is always something we kept in mind.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in the past we&#8217;ve increased the number in the gender ratio. But as I said earlier, diversity is not just dictated by gender. So we really want to have a very diverse group of speakers. So in terms of gender and experience and all of that. And the content team really focuses on that a lot and has focused a lot in the past. And the volunteers, I would say every year, you can see that the volunteers group is really diverse. We have people from all around the world because being an organizer, you need to be within some time zones. It&#8217;s really tough to have someone from, I don&#8217;t know, Australia in the organizing team, we had some people from that time zone back in 2019, which is really a challenge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for volunteers it&#8217;s really easy to invite everyone to become a volunteer because they all have to travel to Porto and time zones are not a huge tissue. But for the organizing team, that&#8217;s really something that can be challenging.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:42] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you has the debate on Twitter, has it led to a conversation? In other words, when that was mentioned on Twitter, presumably it was a calling out of something that people felt needed addressing. Did you engage with those people and ask for their opinion and what it was that they thought needed to be looked at? How has that conversation, that debate move forward over the last several weeks?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:06] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> Regarding having a discussion with the people on Twitter. We don&#8217;t want to use the social media for such conversation as some of the social media, not good enough, and not the proper way of communication for such discussions. And the reason is for example, Twitter has a limitation of characters. It&#8217;s not easy to make a discussion over there for diversity. That is a huge topic and really important for the whole community. So we had to have another way to discuss this and move forward with a whole situation. You see, diversity means you belong here and you&#8217;re not the only one. So you give people the opportunity to representation and the feeling of inclusivity.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is one of the things that makes a community viable and creative. It means that people with different backgrounds are able to express themselves freely. They are able to stand behind their ideas. They have a voice. And this is very important. And it is a goal that takes time. It&#8217;s not a post a post on Twitter that, you know, can make things different, there is no a quick hack.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can only focus on the work that is needed to make it happen. And it takes time. It&#8217;s not going to happen from one day to the other. It takes time and we need to work on this. So we have asked for help from WordCamp central. We have asked for resources, the ones that Bernard mentioned previously, and we&#8217;d like to thank everyone for this help.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And a great open discussion has been opened to the make WordPress website which is a discussion well to follow closely about diversity in WordPress events. This was the way, not WordCamp Europe, but WordPress community in general approached the people that felt underrepresented and opened this topic about WordCamp Europe, because it&#8217;s not only about WordCamp Europe it&#8217;s about all the WordCamps and also local events like meetups.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:44:02] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think that I&#8217;ve asked all of the questions that I would like to ask. Just one quick thing. We were talking previously about hybrid events and the fact that people were possibly a little bit fed up of being online, but for those people who, for example, are unable to attend WordCamp Europe, is there a plan this time around to have any of the sessions broadcast live?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my parlance I&#8217;m terming that a hybrid event live mixed with online. Is that going to be happening at WordCamp Europe this year? Or is it just live with WordPress TV to look at them after the fact?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:44:38] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> We&#8217;ve been livestreaming WordCamp Europe, I think since 2017, when we were in Paris. Maybe even in Vienna. So we had live streams for a long time. What would make WordCamp Europe really a hybrid event is the opportunity to connect the online world with the offline world. So for example, we are planning to have in the Q and A after a session, someone taking questions from the online audience and asking the speakers onstage some questions from the online audience so they feel more connected to what&#8217;s happening in Portugal. We cannot have every aspect of the events being put into the online world as well, but we really try to make it more hybrid. So those were just watching on our websites. They can also participate in some way, and we are still figuring out in the many different ways how we can make as many aspects of the WordCamp Europe also available for the online world, but at least for the Q and A, this is a plan we already agreed on. So we would have questions from the online audience after the speakers onstage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:45:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Lovely. Thank you very much. If anybody wanted to reach out to both of you, either of you, are you able to share the best place to do that? That could be a Twitter feed or it could be an email address, whatever you&#8217;re comfortable with. So I&#8217;ll start with Bernhard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:46:04] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> I think that the best and easiest way is either by my personal block or through Twitter. You probably have to put that into the show notes, my exact Twitter handle. It&#8217;s second cowboy, but it&#8217;s K A U. So my my last name that&#8217;s my Twitter handle and yeah, my blog post and my block is listing as well. So that&#8217;s probably the best way to get in contact with me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:46:26] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much and Evangelia.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:46:29] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> If someone needs to get in contact with us as organizers of WordCamp Europe, they can always find us at europe @ wordcamp dot org, which is the official email of WordCamp Europe. If someone needs to talk to us directly, social media I think is the best way at the moment. And. Twitter or Facebook or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mine is, Evangelia Pappa my handle on Twitter, so they can find me over there too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:46:55] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I will make sure to put all of those into the show notes, which can be found on the WP Tavern website. Bernhard, Evangelia, thank you so much for talking to me about WordCamp Europe today. I really appreciate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:47:09] <strong>Bernhard Kau:</strong> Thanks for having us.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:47:10] <strong>Evangelia Pappa:</strong> Thank you for having us.</p>\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:24;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"Post Status: This Week at WordPress.org (March 21, 2022)\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94894\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"https://poststatus.com/this-week-at-wordpress-org-march-21-2022/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8902:\"<p>Each week we are highlighting the news from WordPress.org that you don\'t want to miss.  If you or your company create products or services that use WordPress, we\'ve got the news you need to know. Be sure to share this resource with your product and project managers.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-news\"><a href=\"http://wordpress.org/news\">News</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/the-month-in-wordpress-february-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/wordpress-5-9-2-security-maintenance-release/\"></a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/episode-27-is-wordpress-made-for-me/\">WP Briefing: Episode 27: Is WordPress Made for Me?</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/03/23/removal-of-the-zamir-plugin/\">Removal of the Zamir Plugin</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2022/03/23/journal-entry-removal-of-the-zamir-plugin/\">Journal Entry: Removal of the Zamir Plugin</a></li></ul>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_a09d8b-b0 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_a09d8b-b0\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<h2 id=\"h-core\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core\">Core</a> </h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/23/migrating-wordpress-e2e-tests-to-playwright/\">Migrating WordPress E2E tests to Playwright</a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/07/the-performance-lab-plugin-has-been-released/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/07/a-week-in-core-march-7-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/14/a-week-in-core-march-14-2022/\"></a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/21/a-week-in-core-march-21-2022/\">A Week in Core – March 21, 2022</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/15/bug-scrub-schedule-for-6-0/\">Bug Scrub Schedule for 6.0</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-community\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community\">Community</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/03/2022-community-team-goals-summary/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/14/meetup-organizer-newsletter-march-2022/\">Meetup Organizer Newsletter: March 2022</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/23/return-to-events-blue-sky-thinking/\">Return to In-Person Events: Blue Sky Thinking</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/17/discussion-revisiting-in-person-regional-wordcamps/\">Discussion: Revisiting In-person Regional WordCamps</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-docs\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs\">Docs</a>:</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2022/03/23/working-on-wordpress-release-6-0-selecting-trac-tickets-for-devnotes/\">Working on WordPress release 6.0 – Selecting Trac tickets for DevNotes</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-support-articles\">Support Articles:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/submit-your-block-pattern-to-the-directory/\">Submit your Block Pattern to the Directory</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-date-block/\">Post Date Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-tags-block/\">Post Tags Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-categories-block/\">Post Categories Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-excerpt-block/\">Post Excerpt Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/post-title-block/\">Post Title Block</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-meta\">Meta</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2022/03/16/coming-soon-block-pattern-directory-submissions/\">Coming soon: Block Pattern Directory Submissions</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-mobile\">Mobile</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/2022/03/21/call-for-testing-wordpress-for-ios-19-5/\">Call for Testing: WordPress for iOS 19.5</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/2022/03/21/call-for-testing-wordpress-for-android-19-5/\">Call for Testing: WordPress for Android 19.5</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-photos\">Photos</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/photos/2022/03/23/announcement-photo-directory-team-reps-2022/\">Announcement: Photo Directory Team Reps 2022</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-polyglots\">Polyglots</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2022/03/22/polyglots-monthly-newsletter-march-2022/\">Polyglots Monthly Newsletter: March 2022</a></li></ul>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<h2 id=\"h-plugins\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins\">Plugins</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/22/plugin-review-team-21-february-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/28/plugin-review-team-update-28-feb-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/15/plugin-review-team-14-march-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/22/plugin-review-team-21-march-2022/\">Plugin Review Team: 21 March 2022</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-project\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project\">Project</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/03/16/proposal-to-remove-spam-dormant-five-for-the-future-pledges/\">Proposal to remove spam/dormant Five for the Future pledges</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-themes\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes\">Themes</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/02/themes-team-update-march-02-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/15/themes-team-update-march-15-2022/\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/03/22/themes-team-update-march-22-2022/\">Themes team update March 22, 2022</a></a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-training\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training\">Training</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/02/28/whats-new-on-learnwp-in-february-2022/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2022/03/03/march-2022-team-sprint/\">March 2022 Team Sprint</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2022/01/31/faculty-program-structure-proposal/\">Faculty Program: Structure Proposal</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-workshops\">Workshops</h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/adding-a-site-tagline-to-block-themes/\">Adding a Site Tagline to Block Themes</a></li><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/manage-settings-privacy/\">Manage Settings: Privacy</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-social-learning-spaces\">Social Learning Spaces:</h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/social-learning/\">Calendar</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-support\">Support</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/support/2022/03/health-check-troubleshooting-upcoming-release-of-version-1-5-0/\">Health Check & Troubleshooting – Upcoming release of version 1.5.0</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-openverse\">Openverse</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2022/03/10/openverse-frontend-v3-1-1-release/\">Openverse Frontend v3.1.1 Release</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2022/03/14/last-week-openverse-2022-03-07-2022-03-14/\"></a><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2022/03/21/last-week-openverse-2022-03-14-2022-03-21/\">A week in Openverse: 2022-03-14 – 2022-03-21</a></li></ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile has-background\"><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/\"><img src=\"https://cdn.poststatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vertical-post-status-logo-250.png\" alt=\"Post Status\" class=\"wp-image-85823 size-full\" /></a><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-normal-font-size\" id=\"h-get-ready-for-remote-work\">You — and <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/business-membership/\">your whole team</a> can <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-membership-club/\">Join Post Status</a> too!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size\"><strong>Build your network. Learn with others. Find your next job — or your next hire.</strong> Read the <strong>Post Status</strong> <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter/\">newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/2709.png\" alt=\"✉\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">podcasts</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status/\">@Post_Status</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f426.png\" alt=\"🐦\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Courtney Robertson\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"WPTavern: WP Engine, Pantheon, and Others Drop Support for Russian Business Customers\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131723\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:94:\"https://wptavern.com/wp-engine-pantheon-and-others-drop-support-for-russian-business-customers\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6742:\"<p>WordPress managed hosting company WP Engine has joined Acquia, Fastly, Gatsby, Netlify, and Pantheon to begin booting Russian companies off their platforms. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the joint protest, each organization has also pledged support to the <a href=\"https://ooni.org/\">Open Observatory of Network Interference</a> (OONI), a non-profit that documents internet censorship around the world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As part of that effort to increase our support, we are adopting a stronger stance against the actions of the Russian government while supporting the ideals we hold true as an Open Web company, which is why WP Engine has joined with other Open Web companies Acquia, Fastly, Gatsby, Netlify, and Pantheon to stand with Ukraine,&#8221; WP Engine said in a <a href=\"https://wpengine.com/blog/wp-engine-stands-with-ukraine/\">statement</a>. &#8220;WP Engine has ceased all business with Russian companies that were using our platform.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>These stricter measures came after the company had already donated to Polish and Ukrainian humanitarian funds, matching employee funds.  WP Engine condemned Russia&#8217;s invasion in its first published statement on the matter:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>As the world watches in horror, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to leave heart-wrenching destruction in its wake. It is truly shocking that in 2022, a major world power would launch an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation, causing the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since WWII.</p><p>As they face unimaginable hardships, we stand firmly with the Ukrainian people and condemn the actions of the Russian government in Ukraine.  </p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, Acquia <a href=\"https://twitter.com/acquia/status/1505997734909722625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1505997734909722625%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwptavern.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D131723action%3Dedit\">tweeted </a>earlier this week that the company &#8220;will not provide software or services to organizations based in Russia.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The coalition of organizations is sanctioning Russia in a similar way to Namecheap, and many other companies, that have <a href=\"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30504812\">terminated service for Russian customers</a>. The world has never seen anything like it with the number of companies across every industry willingly sanctioning the Russian market without a government requirement to do so. Widespread outrage against Putin&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine has provoked a massive response from corporations and private enterprises.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The net effect of so many companies exiting or pausing operations in Russia means the government sanctions might almost become a moot point. “It’s a chicken and egg story,&#8221; Leo Feler, senior economist at UCLA Anderson School of Management, told <a href=\"https://time.com/6155725/corporations-war-russia-ukraine/\">TIME magazine</a>. &#8220;If enough businesses abandon the Russian market on their own, the Russian market is also going to shrink. You don’t need sanctions to do it if everyone self-sanctions.”</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the world of open source software, individuals, companies, and projects are grappling with the ethical implications of staying neutral versus imposing some form of sanctions. One misguided attempt at &#8220;protestware&#8221; was included as a dependency for a popular npm package with malicious code that <a href=\"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/big-sabotage-famous-npm-package-deletes-files-to-protest-ukraine-war/amp/\">deletes data by overwriting files for users based in Russia and Belarus</a>. People are desperate to make a difference for those suffering in Ukraine, but they don&#8217;t always know the most effective way to direct their efforts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has taken a firm stance on the immutability of the freedoms and protections that open source licensing confers. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Civil society has many non-violent ways at its disposal to resolve conflicts and it’s important to explore all possible avenues,&#8221; OSI Executive Director Stefano Maffulli <a href=\"https://opensource.org/newsletter/OSI-mar-2022\">said</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;When it comes to open source software, however, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://opensource.org/osd\">Open Source Definition</a>&nbsp;is clear: There must be &#8216;no discrimination against persons or groups&#8217; and &#8216;no discrimination against fields of endeavor.\'&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maffulli elaborated on these thoughts in an interview with <a href=\"https://thenewstack.io/where-does-open-source-fit-into-russias-war-with-ukraine/\">The New Stack</a>, noting that limiting distribution is one option for protesting but that this could hurt Russian citizens more than “the Russian military and powerful elites who certainly have the means to develop workarounds.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Limiting distribution would likely be far more difficult than denying service to Russian businesses, which is why this tactic has been more readily adopted. Businesses are  using whatever means they have within their spheres of  influence to make an impact. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress project stopped short of explicitly condemning the aggression and has focused more on the humanitarian crisis and supporting peacebuilders. The project produced a <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/episode-26-matt-mullenweg-on-ukraine-community-and-wordpress/\">special edition of its WP Briefing podcast</a> to address the situation in Ukraine earlier this month.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The downstream humanitarian crises of the invasion are unimaginable,&#8221; WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And seeing destruction in the world we live in is confusing, disconcerting, and difficult.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mullenweg invited the WordPress community to stand &#8220;with those in the world working to end conflict and working toward a world of peace, promise, and opportunity.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many companies have followed this same approach with efforts aimed at providing relief for refugees and economic support for Ukrainians who are still fighting. WP Engine, Acquia, Fastly, Gatsby, Netlify, and Pantheon were compelled to go beyond their humanitarian efforts to put some pressure on Russia. It&#8217;s not yet clear whether disempowering Russian companies will have any bearing on the outcome of this conflict.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a nearly month long war that has left cities like Mariupol in ashes, with Russia&#8217;s war crimes on full display across media outlets around the world, companies are coming under more pressure to act. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 23 Mar 2022 03:25:25 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:87:\"WPTavern: Block Accidental Edits of Shared Content With the Lock Reusable Blocks Plugin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131797\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:98:\"https://wptavern.com/block-accidental-edits-of-shared-content-with-the-lock-reusable-blocks-plugin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4091:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Over the weekend, web developer Marie Comet released the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/lock-reusable-blocks/\">Lock Reusable Blocks</a> plugin. Since then, she has published a couple of more updates that polish that initial release. The extension blocks users from directly editing reusable blocks from the post-editing screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reusable blocks allow users to group one or more blocks in the post editor, save them, and reuse anywhere blocks are supported. Technically, they are &#8220;shared&#8221; or &#8220;synced.&#8221; If editing a reusable block in one location, all uses of it will share those changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Creating a reusable block.\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with the feature is that it is not always clear when you are editing a reusable block. WordPress will display its name in the toolbar, list view, and breadcrumbs nav. However, the only clear message that it is a shared instance is in the sidebar panel, which only appears if open.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before WordPress 5.7, users had to click an &#8220;Edit&#8221; button to make changes to a reusable block. At least in that scenario, it was somewhat clear that the content was different from the main post or page content. However, 5.7 rolled out a &#8220;click-through&#8221; method for editing. The first click selects the wrapper element around the saved block, requiring a second click to edit any inner content. This change has made it far too easy to inadvertently edit global content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am familiar enough with the editor that I doubt I would slip up with this problem. However, I still hand sites over to friends and family from time to time. Most never discover the feature, but those who do inevitably make these global changes when they did not intend to. I have also heard enough client-related horror stories from others to know it is a legitimate issue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an open ticket to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/32461\">bring a locking mechanism</a> to reusable blocks, and there has been a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/32710\">patch for it since June 2021</a>. However, there has not been much movement in the last several months. In the meantime, at least we have the Lock Reusable Blocks plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comet&#8217;s solution takes a different approach from earlier versions of WordPress and the proposed patch. Instead of giving users the option to edit in-content, they are blocked from doing so altogether:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Lock Reusable Blocks overlay and buttons.\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin grays out the reusable block and adds two buttons over the top when selected in the editor. The first button enables editing, but it does so by opening a new browser tab/window and taking the user to the editor for the block itself. This approach makes it clear that the content is separate from the post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress&#8217;s reusable block management screen is hidden by default, but there are a few <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/reusable+blocks/\">plugins that enable it</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin&#8217;s second button in the overlay allows users to convert the reusable block to regular blocks. Doing this takes it out of the global scope and can be safely edited without affecting other uses.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want to like the reusable blocks feature in WordPress. I understand how it could be one of the platform&#8217;s most powerful tools. However, its implementation has yet to live up to the potential it showed four years ago when under development in Gutenberg.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we could fix the accidental-editing issue and the longstanding problem with <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/8288\">wide alignments not working</a> (<em>I could not write this post without at least noting that ticket</em>), it could start down the path of becoming the feature it was always meant to be.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/lock-reusable-blocks/\">Lock Reusable Blocks</a></blockquote>\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 23 Mar 2022 03:15:10 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:27;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"Akismet: How to Enable or Disable User Registration in WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"http://blog.akismet.com/?p=2344\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/03/22/how-to-enable-or-disable-user-registration-in-wordpress/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12896:\"<p>WordPress offers a built-in user management and registration system. That means you can allow visitors to register on your website to receive updates, make purchases, or <a href=\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/01/12/how-to-stop-comment-spam-in-wordpress/\">submit comments</a>. User registration is disabled by default, so you may need to turn it on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, enabling user registration in WordPress is simple. Once you complete the process, you can share a registration link with visitors so they can sign up at any time. WordPress will take care of the rest. This includes saving user data, assigning roles, and submitting email confirmations.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we’ll talk about when it makes sense to offer users the option to sign up on your website. Then we’ll show you how to enable and disable user registration.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-2344\"></span>\n\n\n\n<h2>An introduction to WordPress user roles</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we continue, it’s important to have some familiarity with the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/roles-and-capabilities/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six user roles</a> WordPress offers. Each user account is assigned a specific role, and as the administrator (the top user role), you have full control over assignment and permissions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The default WordPress user roles are:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>Super admin. </strong>This only exists for <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/create-a-network/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress Multisite networks</a>. This level gets administrative permissions on websites within the entire network.</li><li><strong>Administrator. </strong>With this role, you can modify any aspect of the website through your dashboard. You can also create, modify, and delete user accounts.</li><li><strong>Editor. </strong>This account gets to create and publish posts. It can also edit entries by other users.</li><li><strong>Author. </strong>The author user role can create and publish posts, but it only has access to content published under its own account.</li><li><strong>Contributor. </strong>The contributor user role can create posts, but it doesn’t get publishing permissions. An editor needs to review the content and publish it.</li><li><strong>Subscriber. </strong>This is the lowest user role. Subscribers don’t get to create, publish, or edit content. They simply have access to their own profiles.</li></ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The default WordPress user role system is designed primarily for blogging. You can expand on existing user roles with plugins or by modifying your WordPress setup. Depending on your choices, you might end up with dozens of available user roles.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>When a visitor creates an account, they’re assigned a user role and a corresponding set of permissions. You have control over what role new users are assigned, and can change them if needed.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>When to enable user registration in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By default, users won’t be able to register on a new WordPress website. This is primarily because a lot of sites won’t need this feature. If you’re running a one-author blog, for example, there’s little reason to provide this option. If your goal is to collect emails for marketing, there are plenty of choices that don’t require user registration.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It does make sense under other circumstances, though. If you have a team of authors, you can enable registration and assign Author<em> </em>and Editor<em> </em>roles to specific users. For online stores, you can enable custom user roles like Customer<em> </em>and Shop Manager.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here’s the standard registration form:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>There are few downsides to enabling user registrations. You can avoid most potential problems by not giving accounts access to more permissions than they need.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, one issue you should consider is spam registrations. This is when bots or attackers register fake accounts on your website. They may do this so they can fill your comments sections with affiliate links, try to modify your content, or even steal user data.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, there are several ways to <a href=\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/01/26/how-to-stop-user-spam-registrations-in-wordpress/\">prevent spam registrations</a> on your website. So you shouldn’t let that concern stop you from implementing this feature if it suits your needs.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to enable user registration in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Enabling user registration in WordPress is simple. If you want to make it easy for visitors to register, you’ll also need to provide them a link to the signup page. Let’s see how you can do this in just a few steps:</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 1: Enable the user registration feature</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, log in to your WordPress site and navigate to <strong>Settings → General</strong><em> </em>in your dashboard. Scroll down until you see the option that reads <strong>Membership</strong>. Tick the <strong>Anyone can register</strong> box.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Before you save your changes, take a look at the <strong>New User Default Role</strong><em> </em>option. By default, WordPress assigns the Subscriber<em> </em>user role to new accounts, but you can modify this depending on your needs.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/posts/a-guide-to-woocommerce-user-roles-permissions-and-security/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using WooCommerce</a>, you might prefer to set the default role to Customer<em> </em>instead. That way, new users will be able to track their purchases through their profiles.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 2: Add a registration link to your website</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you enable registration for your WordPress site, you’ll need to provide visitors with a link to the signup page. You can find this page by navigating to the following URL:</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>yourwebsite.com/wp-login.php?action=register</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have multiple options for adding this link to your website, but your best bet is to use the main navigation menu. To modify this menu, go to <strong>Appearance → Menus → Edit Menus</strong>. Next to <strong>Select a menu to edit</strong>, you’ll see a list of existing options.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>One of those should be called something like “main navigation.” Select the primary menu and WordPress will show you the links it contains under <strong>Menu structure</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The above menu includes links to three pages, which are Homepage, Shop, and Checkout. To add a link to the registration page, select the <strong>Custom Links</strong><em> </em>tab in your left-hand panel.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then add your site’s registration link in the <strong>URL</strong><em> </em>field, and type something like “Sign up” in the <strong>Link text</strong><em> </em>field. Click on <strong>Add to Menu</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>By default, any new links that you add to the menu will appear last. If your site design displays a horizontal menu, the Signup<em> </em>link will show up as the last entry on the right. If your navigation is vertical, the Signup link will appear at the bottom.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to change the order, you can easily do so by dragging and dropping the menu items. Then click on <strong>Save menu</strong>,<em> </em>and that’s it. When you check out your website again, you should see a Sign Up<em> </em>option in the main navigation menu.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that you can use any text you want for the link to the user registration page. “Sign Up” is usually a safe bet, but you can also opt for “Register Now,” “Sign Up Now,” or other variants.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 3 (Optional): Customize your WordPress registration page</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want your user registration process to be as clear and user-friendly as possible, you may want further customization options. In that case, your best choice is to use a plugin like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/user-registration/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">User Registration</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With User Registration, you get access to a drag-and-drop builder that enables you to easily add new fields to your registration page. This plugin comes with a collection of pre-built fields. This includes options that let you choose your country, upload a profile picture, and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After installing and activating the plugin, go to <strong>User Registration → User Registration</strong><em> </em>in your WordPress dashboard. The plugin will automatically generate a basic signup form, which you can select and edit.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>User Registration will show you a preview of its basic registration form. You can use the menu to the left to select the fields you want to include. Then you can rearrange them on the right.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, if you select any field in the right-hand panel, the plugin will show you its customization settings (or <strong>Field Options</strong>) to the left. These settings enable you to choose which elements are required, as well as what labels and descriptions to include.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>When you’re done tweaking your registration form, click on <strong>Update form</strong>. Then copy the shortcode above the form editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>You can use that shortcode to embed the new registration form on any page on your website. Simply add a Shortcode<em> </em>block to your chosen page.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Publish the page, and it should look something like this on the front end:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Since you’re using a custom registration page, you’ll also need to update the Sign Up<em> </em>link in your main navigation menu. To do so, replace the link with the URL for this new page (for more details, refer back to Step 2.) Then, test the link on the front end of your site to ensure that it leads to the new registration page.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to update user roles in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After a user registers, you might need to update their role manually. This may occur if you set the default role to Subscriber.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To update a user’s role, go to <strong>Users → All Users</strong><em> </em>and locate the account you want to modify. If there’s a large number of users, you might need to search to find the right account.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>When you’ve located the desired account, hover over it and click on <strong>Edit</strong>. That will open a new page for editing account settings. While you’re there, you can also manually update the Nickname, First Name, Last Name, and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Most importantly, you’ll need to use the drop-down menu next to <strong>Role</strong> to select a new permissions level for the account. After altering the user’s role, save your changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to disable user registration in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Disabling user registration in WordPress is simple. If you’re having problems with your website due to an <a href=\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/01/26/how-to-stop-user-spam-registrations-in-wordpress/\">influx of fake users</a> or you just want to disable registration temporarily, you can do it in a few clicks.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to <strong>Settings → General</strong><em> </em>in your WordPress dashboard. Look for the option that reads <strong>Anyone can register</strong><em> </em>and deselect it.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>After you disable the setting, save your changes. If you have a user registration link in your site’s main navigation menu, remember to remove it as well. That way, visitors won’t try to register while the option is turned off. If they attempt and fail to register, it may create confusion.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Creating a strong community through your WordPress website</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress makes it easy to enable user registration on your website. You also get full control over what roles to assign to new users. As the administrator, you can edit existing users, change their roles, and even delete them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you enable user registration in WordPress, you can link to your registration page anywhere on your website. A great place to add a registration URL is in your main navigation menu. Some plugins even enable you to <a href=\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/03/18/how-to-create-a-custom-wordpress-user-registration-form/\">create fully-customized registration pages</a>, so you can ask users for pertinent information when they sign up to your site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the more users who join your website, the harder it can be to deal with spam. Fortunately, <a href=\"https://akismet.com/how/\">Akismet</a> can help keep your site spam free. That way, real users will be able to enjoy engaging with each other in the comments sections. <a href=\"https://akismet.com/plans/\">Sign up for an Akismet plan</a> and watch spam disappear!</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:49:57 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"Rob Pugh\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:28;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:62:\"WPTavern: How to Build a Single-Product Sales Page with Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131024\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:73:\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-single-product-sales-page-with-blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4585:\"<p>In today&#8217;s edition of our <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/category/building-with-blocks\">Building with Blocks</a> series, we&#8217;re going to explore one example of building a single-product sales page. There is by no means one approach for building something like this. This particular example aims to demonstrate a fast way to start selling a single product online, while using free plugins and themes available on WordPress.org. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you need to build this simple page:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Theme: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/blank-canvas/\">Blank Canvas</a> </li><li>Plugins: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/stripe-payments/\">Accept Stripe Payments</a> and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/testimonial-wp-block/\">Testimonial Block</a></li><li><a href=\"https://stripe.com/\">Stripe Account</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This five-minute video walks through the sale page setup:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 1: Install Automattic&#8217;s <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/blank-canvas/\">Blank Canvas</a> theme. </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason I selected this theme is because it makes it easy to build a one-page website without all the extra unnecessary page elements. It has no header, navigation menus, or widgets by default, so you don&#8217;t have to figure out how to turn all that stuff off.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, create a new page and then select the theme&#8217;s &#8216;About me&#8217; pattern from the pattern explorer: </p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Replace the image with your product image and replace the text with product info. Customize the button text to &#8220;Buy Now&#8221; or whatever you want for the purchase button. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add testimonials below the product. If you search in the block inserter, you can find the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/testimonial-wp-block/\">Testimonial Block</a> and install it from there. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 2: Install and Activate the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/stripe-payments/\">Accept Stripe Payments</a> Plugin.</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This plugin enables users to accept credit card payments via the Stripe payment gateway. Even those who have not established a business entity can use Stripe for a small project like this. Select &#8220;Individual/Sole proprietor&#8221; when activating a Stripe account.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need PayPal or another gateway, just look for a block plugin that offers what you need. If I was setting up a full-blown e-commerce store with multiple products, I would probably use WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, or another more complex plugin. Accept Stripe Payments seemed simpler for this project.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video does not show how to configure the plugin&#8217;s settings, but you will need to add your Stripe API keys and make a few selections for your one-product store.  </p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 3: Create a New Product and Link the Checkout Button.</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to <strong>Stripe Payments >> Add New Products</strong>. Add a title, default currency, price,  variations, shipping cost, product URL (for digital products), and thank you page URL, if any of these are applicable to your product. The plugin includes support for setting the quantity available and enabling stock control. Make sure to select &#8220;Collect Both Billing And Shipping Addresses&#8221; for physical products that need to ship.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am not advocating using this specific commerce plugin. It&#8217;s just one I saw with a Stripe block that wasn&#8217;t necessarily aimed at providing a full e-commerce engine. A surprising number of plugins still only support shortcodes and have no block available. In this instance, even though the plugin includes a block, I didn&#8217;t want to have to re-style the button&#8217;s output. Each product provides a URL that you can paste into the block editor. Once your product is created, paste the product link on the checkout button&#8217;s text.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last step is to test out the purchasing process. You can use <a href=\"https://stripe.com/docs/keys\">Stripe &#8216;s Test API keys </a>and  test credit card numbers to make sure it is working before making it live. The checkout form launches in a modal window and customers will be redirected to a “Checkout Result” page after the credit card payment. This page can be further customized in the block editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to expand beyond this basic single-product website, the Accept Stripe Payments plugin allows you to add multiple products or do different things like collect donations or create “Authorize Only” products. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 22 Mar 2022 03:56:48 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:86:\"WPTavern: DeoThemes Launches Ona Creative, Another Well-Designed WordPress Block Theme\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131727\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:96:\"https://wptavern.com/deothemes-launches-ona-creative-another-well-designed-wordpress-block-theme\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4901:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Yesterday, DeoThemes&#8217; latest block theme, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/ona-creative/\">Ona Creative</a>, landed in the WordPress directory. It is the second child of Ona, a theme I <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/ona-by-deothemes-just-raised-the-bar-for-wordpress-block-theme-design\">initially showcased</a> here on the Tavern in November 2021.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I first reviewed the Ona parent theme, WordPress 5.9 had yet to be released, and users were required to install the Gutenberg plugin to test it. Developers were still rapidly launching features in a push to get a production-ready version of the block-based templates and global styles features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ona was unlike any other block theme submitted to the directory at that point. If not paying attention, one could mistake it as a classic theme. It was well-designed in its own right, regardless of the system under the hood. However, most block themes were bare-bones experiments for a system struggling to launch. Ona carried a promise that block themes did not need to suck all the life out of design to function.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, the theme had bugs that were not of its own making. Depending on a user&#8217;s site structure, default images could return a &#8220;404: Not Found&#8221; result. The Pattern block did not exist in either WordPress or Gutenberg, and themes had no surefire way of inserting dynamic data. However, Ona now uses this feature to create beautiful default templates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only does the Ona parent do this, but the Ona Creative child theme reuses and rearranges those patterns without needing to write nearly as much new code. The front page template adds a custom header but inserts two existing patterns to set its design apart from its parent:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Ona Creative, partial front page template.\n\n\n\n<p>But, there are also some missed opportunities with Ona Creative. While it uses patterns from its parent theme, there are sections in its front page template that would have made perfect patterns themselves. Users may like the default posts Query block and want to use its layout on other pages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following testimonial section definitely makes sense as a pattern:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Testimonials section.\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, I am not sure if directly inserting most block code in theme templates is an ideal path. If it is good enough to be in a template, <em>why not make it reusable?</em> I have hardly seen cases where theme templates should not just be made up of one or more patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most significant issue I have with Ona and Ona Creative is that they eschew the block-style system in favor of custom classes. For example, the theme has two classes that it adds to the Cover block in this section of its front-page template:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Cover block selected in a pattern.\n\n\n\n<p>The first styles the inner border, and the second creates a hover effect that zooms in on the background. There are two ways for users to recreate this design on the Cover block elsewhere. Either copy and paste one of the blocks in the pattern or manually type the classes under the &#8220;Advanced&#8221; section of the block options sidebar.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same is true for the cursive handwriting style used in some sections. Users must manually add the <code>ona-alt-font</code> class instead of picking it from the design tools. I am willing to give a pass on this because font-family selection should be handled via the Font Family block control. However, this is not yet supported for blocks like Heading and Paragraph in WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Adding handwriting/cursive text.\n\n\n\n<p>Both are cases of the old way of designing themes, requiring users to jump through hoops to recreate a specific look. Themers need to leave this way of thinking back in the classic era. The block system has a standardized block styles feature that allows users to select these classes visually. If they are registered via the theme, users can recreate that same design with literally any block that supports them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a simple question to ask when deciding whether to register a block style: <em>Is the class on a block in a pattern or template?</em>  Except in some rare use cases &#8212; usually involving headers and navigation &#8212; the answer is almost always that the custom class should be a block style.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I may be a bit nit-picky about the implementation of some features. The space is still largely unexplored &#8212; Ona Creative is only #56 out of 58 block themes in the directory. This does not take away from how well-designed it is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the one thing that DeoThemes continues to get right is the design. Ona Creative deserves to grace the front end of many WordPress sites. Its development team has kept up with changes to the block system, the typography is on-point, and it simply looks good.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 22 Mar 2022 02:35:02 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:115:\"Post Status: Post Status Excerpt (No. 51) — Comparing the Drupal and WordPress Communities with Amy June Hineline\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94432\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:119:\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-excerpt-no-51-comparing-the-drupal-and-wordpress-communities-with-amy-june-hineline/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30722:\"<h2 id=\"more-important-than-being-responsive-is-setting-expectations-dave-rodenbaugh\">&#8220;When it comes to contributing…. time is a true privilege&#8221; —Amy June Hineline</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">There are a lot of people in the <strong>WordPress</strong> community who also work (or previously worked) with <strong>Drupal</strong>, <strong>Joomla</strong>, and other open-source software projects. <strong>Amy June Hineline</strong> is Community Manager at <a href=\"https://t.co/1jey6pgCSr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Opensource.com</a>. She is also a member of both the WordPress and Drupal communities. As <strong>DrupalCon 2022</strong> approaches, Amy June shares the lessons she thinks WordPress can learn from Drupal’s relationship with its contributors and open source. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why This Is Important:</strong> Drupal and WordPress are both mature open source PHP/MySQL CMS platforms that emerged in the early 2000s. They share a common goal and have similar communities, but there are notable differences between them. There are opportunities for each community to learn from the other. </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\">Every week <strong><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/\">Post Status Excerpt</a></strong> will brief you on important WordPress news — in about 15 minutes or less! Learn what\'s new in WordPress in a flash. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/26a1.png\" alt=\"⚡\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br /><br />You can listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/\">past episodes</a> of <strong>The Excerpt</strong>, <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/\">browse all our podcasts</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe on <a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/1m3xwXbe0MG5BzFVPtB0A7\">Spotify</a>, Amazon Music, <a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA\">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008\">iTunes</a>, <a href=\"https://castro.fm/podcast/c53552c6-1ee0-4fc4-9de4-08ed6bf1ee4d\">Castro</a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus\">YouTube</a>, <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast\">Stitcher</a>, <a href=\"https://player.fm/series/wordpress-post-status-podcasts\">Player.fm</a>, <a href=\"https://pca.st/05rR\">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/\">Simplecast</a>, or by <a href=\"https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P\">RSS</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3a7.png\" alt=\"🎧\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-mentioned-in-the-show\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f517.png\" alt=\"🔗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Mentioned in the show:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://github.com/shaal/DrupalPod\">Drupal Pod GitHub</a></li><li><a href=\"https://events.drupal.org/portland2022\">DrupalCon</a></li><li><a href=\"https://kanopi.com/\"><a href=\"https://t.co/1jey6pgCSr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Opensource.com</a></a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/volkswagenchick\">Amy June</a> (Twitter)</li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Bisset</a> (Twitter)</li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Post Status</a> (Twitter)</li></ul>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_138506-a0 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_138506-a0\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"sponsor\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Sponsor: <a href=\"https://pagely.com/\">Pagely</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pagely</strong> offers Top-Tier Managed WordPress hosting solutions for <strong>Enterprise</strong>, the<strong> Public Sector</strong>, and <strong>Media</strong> companies. We invented Managed WordPress and we never stopped raising the bar. Expect Extraordinary.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_2e6c92-dc .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_2e6c92-dc\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-transcript\"><strong>Transcript</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amy June</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> So I have, um, some housekeeping to tell you my gardener has not made his appearance yet, so we may have all kinds of visitors. So my name is Amy, June Heinlein. Amy, June being one word, title, camel case. I\'d like to point that out because if you just yell Amy down the street, I probably won\'t turn around and answer</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Me or June either probably goes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Exactly, exactly. Um, so I\'ve been working in open source since about 2016. I started in the Drupal community and then, um, a couple years later started in the WordPress community. I am a self-described non coder, but very prolific con contributor to both of those communities. Along with the accessibility community, specifically in Drupal, I am a very huge advocate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reducing the barriers to non code contributions. Um, and in WordPress, that\'s not nearly as much of an issue because when I entered the WordPress space, um, WordPress is already a big ag advocate for lots of different kinds of things. Contributions. Um, many of them being non code. Um, recently I\'ve switched over and I\'m working in the wider open source community and I help curate articles for source.com.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um, and so I work with all sorts of different communities now, but my love is still in those, um, that content management system of WordPress and Drupal</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> So you were in Drupal first, so what got you into the WordPress space,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> took a job with canopy studios. They\'re an agency that does WordPress and Drupal. I suckered and the CEO into hiring me exclusively to give back to the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I could be her corporate citizenship. And, um, when I started a week, one on Monday, she says, oh, Hey, so we do WordPress. How would you like to go to work camp us on Friday? I was like, oh,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> is it free? Do I get to miss work?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Yeah, that was my first start. And let me tell you, the people I met there, I met you, I\'ve met everyone, you know, um, established relationships, but that\'s, that was my initial exposure to WordPress community was at WordCamp us.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had had the obligatory blog, you know, when my kids were little or my, or my girlfriend would get married, that kind of thing, but I never worked on WordPress. It was just, you know, just opening the blog and putting pictures up before.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> So when it comes to contributions, It\'s big on advertising, uh, or getting people motivated to contribute and truthful to the same way from your experience, both being in Drupal and WordPress, how would you compare how they handle, um, their contribution events and recruiting?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> First off for the crowd of admirers listening at home, my space and both WordPress and Drupal is mostly in contributions, starting off in Drupal contributions. Um, it\'s very code centric. Um, it\'s all about the tools and the resources to get ramped up into contributing to. Core contributions. Um, so when I helped organize a Drupal contribution days at like the local and the regional, and even at the national level, which I do now, um, it\'s all about the tools and the processes and the mentoring that involves around, uh, revolves around code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um, looking back at that first word camp us, I went to, um, in, in Nashville, uh, the. The big thing I noticed when I walked into contribution day was how there were all of these tables around contributions and code was only one of those tables where it was like the complete opposite from when you go to a contribution day at Drupal con.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you have marketing. You have translations, you have events, you have Drupal TV, you have all of these tables and one table for code. And at first I thought that was really. Different, you know, cause we all, when we\'re used to one thing and going into another, it takes us a little bit to wrap our head around things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you know, I\'ve been advocating for non-covered contributions or lowering the barrier to code contributions in the Drupal space that walking into the word camp, us contribution space was like, wow, it\'s already set up where everyone can continue. I liked to go to camps and I like to organize, and I, you know, I enjoy the Drupal space.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\'s something that I took away from word camp us is when I did start. Going to more camps. Um, and the Drupal space and setting up contribution days was having, uh, issues available for non coders. You know, not just in the code, not just like documentation tasks, but Hey, we have a slide deck that this initiative team wants to work on, you know?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Absolutely no code contributions for non coders. And I don\'t mean that in a reductive sense, just, you know, we all want to come to camps and we all want to contribute, you know, but there\'s, there\'s people who don\'t code. There\'s our marketers, there\'s our human resources. There\'s our salespeople, you know, there\'s our, um, there\'s our designers, you know, and giving them the space to be able to.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Come to that extended day, you know, that day after camp and go to the, you know, go to the picnics and the, just the more activities to get involved with the whole community, I think is really valuable. And that\'s what that word word camp U S space showed me. And that was really inspiring to me. So when I sat down at the code table at WordCamp us, I didn\'t know how to contribute back as a non coder.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So. That is something I think that the WordPress side could learn from the Drupal side is maybe providing some tools that would reduce the barrier to code contribution to people who don\'t historically code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> So you could code, you just were a little bit lost in like where to start,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> right. Or, you know, do I have to have a local environment set up, you know, do I have to do I have to use Vagrant?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know, all of these, like. Because those are kind of complex things. When you\'re maybe just new to WordPress, maybe you don\'t know how to set up the local environment. Maybe you don\'t know how to write a patch, you know, and having those resources really more human readable, or maybe having a tool that is browser-based versus locally based would help lower that barrier a little bit more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> What is Drupal pod?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Drupal pod does it allows folks to spin up an environment. That\'s, browser-based spins up this environment online where you can test drive your Drupal site. It applies the merge requests. It provides an integrated development environment and IDE like vs code. So you can share the URL with like, I could spin up a Drupal pod site right now, share the URL with you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we could both be participating on. Issue at the same time in real time, exploring and, uh, sort of reviewing each other\'s code and having an instance up online that way we wouldn\'t have to take the time to like, maybe get something like D dev or Lando or, you know, um, one of those, uh, like DVE up on our local machines it\'s right there and shareable with the URL.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Oh. So we can collaboratively. Test out a patch and in, and this is I\'m assuming this fairly quickly and without much technical know-how because it is an actual browser extension for Chrome or Firefox,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> right? It\'s for Chrome or Firefox. We don\'t have it working on anything else, but you can do a patch. You can do a fork, you can do a branch.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> it\'s all running on the cloud, that is pretty impressive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\'s</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> documentation on it. There it\'s still sort of our new tool. You know, this is something new that we\'re doing at Drupal con this year. We\'re, um, as, as mentors, we\'re learning the process. You know, this is, this is only the second year. We\'re really working on merger requests versus patching too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So there\'s a learning curve with mentors teaching this, but every year we really struggle with first time contributions and the tooling and the processes. So we\'re hoping with Drupal pod being browser-based a lot of those. Cumbersome tasks for onboarding or eliminated because it\'s a browser extension versus, you know, is it a windows machine?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are they running Linux? You know, uh, do we have to, you know, go against, you know, a VPN or some of these things that people have on their machines. So we\'re hoping. Having that browser-based really makes it just a whole lot easier. And then two, you know, instead of like having to peer share a local tool, you know, the bandwidth it takes to, you know, download an extension and just have something running browser-based versus downloading tools will alleviate a lot of those pains we have with, with, with, with internet, uh, during the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a tool that I that\'s very near and dear to my heart called simply test, uh, dot Emmy. And that\'s another tool that\'s, browser-based where we, um, the environment\'s a little bit. In Drupal, as opposed to WordPress, you know, we have contributed modules that are kind of mirrored the plugin system, but a lot of them are free and you can test drive plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But also with simply test me, you can also test patches. And again, it\'s a browser-based environment that really reduces the barrier to contributions as well. I would love to see some of these browser based tools being extended further out into the wider CMS.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> How do you compare the mentorship sides that you\'ve seen in your, in your observations between Drupal and WordPress?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> We do have one. Um, so we have a mentoring cohort where we have, you know, Drupal core, um, Mentoring leads where there\'s a group of us. There\'s maybe 10 of us that work on processes and documentation, and really leading the initiative all year long. Um, and with that, what that means is we. Have weekly meetings where we talk with other mentors, we\'ve run mentoring summits, where we do mentor the mentoring.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um, we run two flagship events, one being Drupal con us and the other one being Drupal con Europe. Um, if Drupal con Asia happens, we help with that one as well. And we really concentrate on those, uh, two or three, you know, uh, uh, continental events rather than the local and regional events because, um, the local regional load events, um, Uh, can be run, um, by the local and regional organizers, but at the slash ship events, we make sure that we have enough mentors to have a contribution day, be very successful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um, and with that, we run first time contributor workshops. And again, you know, Drupal\'s a little bit more code centric. And so we run first time. Contributor meant first time contributor workshops, where we talk about tools. We talk about documentation. We talk about non code participation. We, um, go into demos of, you know, how do you do a merge request?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you review a patch? How do you do issue queue triage? And these are all things that we teach all year long, um, to the other mentors who want to join in to our monthly meetings. And then as we get closer to events, we meet a little bit more often, like we\'re, you know, we\'re about a month and a half out from Drupal con in April.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we\'re starting to meet weekly. Um, really trying to. Discover who\'s coming to triple con you know, who\'s going to be around who\'s, you know, cause there\'s. There can be mentors for all sorts of different spaces. We have mentors that help when people arrive to the event, you know, making sure they make it to the right space because we have, you know, uh, a mentored contribution room.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a first time mentor contribution room, and then we have just the general contribution space. So making sure have people that are welcoming and lead people in the right direction. And then people leading people in the right direction when they\'re ready to graduate and go into another room, you know, making sure we have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Table leads, you know, um, that people are, are, are paired up with, you know, folks of similar skill sets or passions. And then we always want to stress too, that you don\'t have to know everything to be a mentor. You just have to have the passion to be able to figure out how to get the answer yourself. You know, you don\'t have to know everything, but you have to kind of just know how to figure it out, you know?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We always know a little bit more than someone else, you know, and, and we really try to, uh, encourage people to, if you\'ve contributed once you\'re qualified to be a mentor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Oh yeah. That seems pretty, pretty a straightforward way of getting a lot more people on board that much more quickly and boosting their self-esteem too, because.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Yeah. And then we, we, we try to be empowering as the event takes place. Like, you know, right now we\'re planning, Drupal con and our, our event is Monday through Thursday, but the mentored event is on Wednesday afternoon. So Monday and Tuesday, we have a booth to encourage people to sign up, to be a mentor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then Monday afternoon, we have a couple of events that like how to triage issues or here\'s the tools or mentor the mentor. So we have a couple of, you know, we call them birds of a feather over there, you know, Box where we\'re sit down with the mentors and, and answer questions and really sort of get to know one another.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then that way they feel supported when we go into the main event too. So we, we really build up that empowerment as the week goes on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> You\'ve probably observed in the WordPress space. There\'s been a lot of discussion, especially recently, um, open-source contributions, uh, people having being compensated for their time, um, efforts or just playing, getting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>How does Drupal handle giving credit or what\'s their credit system light?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> So I am a huge fan of incentives. Um, we don\'t all need them, but sometimes the agencies and the organizations we work for a need them, all of us, I would hope understand that, you know, if we use open source, open source depends on us, you know, and all of us have this idea of, we should contribute 10 to 20%.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we hope that our employers in our organizations, that we work for feel the same way. And you know, sometimes agencies need more than just corporate citizenship. And Drupal has this really robust incentive program where they have this marketplace where. When someone like, I\'m just going to use me as an example.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I get back to Drupal, I give, I concentrate and I work on a core issue and I get a credit for working on that core issue. I could get the credit because I opened the issue. I could get the credit because I contributed the solution. Or maybe I wrote a test for the issue, or maybe I, you know, designed a logo, any sort of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I could get a contribution. When the issue is closed, I have the choice of taking a box that gives an organization that I mark on my profile as my employer. I can give them attribution for the credit as well. So at the end of the year, Drupal has these stats of, you know, their top contributors, but also the agency.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who employed those top contributors, they have metrics of who contributed their own time and volunteered. And then they have this marketplace where a person looking to hire an agency. You go to this marketplace and the marketplace is your position on the marketplaces ranked on how much you give back to Drupal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then their, their ranking is also. Broken down into, you know, a core credit gives you a little bit better ranking than if you work on like a contributed module or on a community module. And then the last couple of years, they\'ve also opened spaces for community projects. So say you run a camp like Drupal camp Asheville.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, Drupal understands that there\'s more than code contributions. Some people are camp organizers and dedicate hundreds and thousands of hours of their lifetime organizing camps. And sometimes, you know, can a person\'s first. Exposure to communities at the local camp level. And that\'s just as important as code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so we\'ve actually put those into the credit system as well. So people who are speaking at camps and training at camps and writing documentation for, you know, things like get pod or, you know, um, from, uh, doing podcasts. So they, they have this really robust and rich incentive program, which I think has really.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Driven more organizations to pay for more of their employees times to give back to open source, because especially during the pandemic, we know that time is a privilege. As more of us are at home as caregivers, we don\'t have that luxury of, you know, quote unquote free time after our 40 hours a week. So we noticed a drop in the, the numbers of diverse based.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who are contributing to our projects because more of them are caregivers. You know, we definitely seen a drop in women contributing to our projects because you know, their home, their mothers, you know, and these are broad blanket statements. Of course ,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> but that makes sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> But yeah, so.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that the few agencies I\'ve really worked close with have seen that. And they\'ve added, you know, instead of only having, you know, one hour of community time a week, they\'ve added it to two or three because they seen that that time is a true privilege.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> So if there was one thing that you could maybe based off of what Drupal\'s is doing on the lessons from it, what\'s one thing that you would heavily suggest for WordPress to make an adjustment to regarding contribution.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Okay, so this is two, and I know you just said one, but there\'s two things that I really think I would really love to see on the code contribution side. The barriers really reduced like something like the browser-based solutions for helping contribute to core. And then also, like there is a little bit of a, of a program for, uh, incentivizing agents.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Providing their employees around to contributions. There\'s the five for five. Is that what it\'s called five for the future? It\'s in a way that\'s sort of hidden, it needs to be more pronounced. So when people are looking for those, it needs to be incentivized more. Right. You know, like I said, like, I hate to, I hate to be like this incentivized program, but you know, has to be some sort of.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In your face visual. Cause I know like I give back to WordPress and I have these little ticks on my profile, but there\'s no ticks on my company\'s profile. Right. They\'re only on mine and then not every camp I\'ve talked with or not every project I helped contribute to gives me a tick. So as much as I give, like say I, you know, the whole time I worked with a company where I, you know, donated 25% of my time for WordPress, I only have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Five kicks on my WordPress profile. So it\'s not, it\'s not very reflective of how much work I actually did for WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I see, I know we track, I know WordPress does track a kiss man at state of the word does show. I mean, we do have, we do know how many contributors. I guess are associated with companies because they do track number of employees per company, obviously automatic is the biggest, and then there\'s Yost and there\'s a few other ones, but it sounds like to me, this is an on Drupal site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\'s more integrated into, into maybe not a leaderboard, but at least a kind of like an ongoing. System. I like the top 40 and music or something where</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> it\'s, it\'s okay to say leaderboard. Like, I love seeing my name on that top 40 slide when it came up, you know,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> is that cause any problems or any conflicts or any burnout, anything or is it just people just kind of accept the leaderboard and what the,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> I don\'t think so because, because th they also break it down into who\'s paid and who\'s not, you know, because there definitely is a.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uh, something to say about the, the non-paid contributions. There\'s a lot of people who give back on their own dime, you know, and they do break that down as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Yeah. So tell me, as we wrap things up here, tell me a little bit about this Drupal con that\'s coming up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Okay. So it is the last week in April, and it will be in Portland, Oregon in-person, which is very exciting</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Is this the first in-person event for Drupal?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>No,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> I, I just got back from Florida Drupal camp. That was the first in-person Drupal event. Um, well, in, in north America anyway, we were the last triple event in north America. Um, and I think it was sort of funny that we were the first one coming back in 2020. Um, we\'re not quite sure how many people were going to expect, you know, people are still up in the air about the state of all of the things going on in the world, you know? So, um, we don\'t know whether or not to expect more people because people haven\'t seen one another or less people because of all of the things going on in the</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> world. Perfectly understandable. Everybody it\'s come back when you feel comfortable or come, when you feel comfortable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\'s same thing for what I\'ll say for work camp us as well. No one\'s should be shaming. Anybody else or wondering why someone isn\'t physically. Um, it could be physical reasons. Emotional. Some people have been awhile.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> We\'re kind of mixing things up a little bit, you know, we\'re still doing summits and a lot of interactive sessions and contributions every day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Um, we\'re abiding by the local, uh, the local laws around vaccination and masks, you know, so whatever you know, Portland is doing at the time is what we\'re going to go by. As far as you know, our, our vaccination stuff. Um, I\'m really excited. I haven\'t seen a lot of these people in a long time. Um,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I\'m drawing a blank on his name now dries for&#8230; drees.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is he give his, uh, state of Drupal at this one. Oh,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> okay. Yeah. So actually the jury\'s note will be the only. Uh, streaming session. That\'s</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> where, that\'s how I remember it because whenever, whenever, and I believe it\'s free, I think pretty sure to just broadcast like that. Um, and that\'s, I don\'t miss that. Uh,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> yeah, you\'re right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I always forget about that one. Cause it\'s always been, but that, yeah, that\'ll be the only streaming event will be the teres. now,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> because your Drupal concept will have so many tracks and it\'s how many days is it? Three. Wow. That\'s let\'s that\'s longer than a WordCamp. EWAS yeah, that\'s amazing. Yeah. I don\'t miss his, um, livestream.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keynotes usually lasts about an hour. Lots of just like how Matt does a state of the word. Uh, the Drupal version equivalent has a ton of information. I like the statistics that he shares, so I definitely will not be missing that. And I\'ll put a link in the show notes for the event, and specifically, as soon as I can figure it out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where on the website or any blog posts that has that kind of link or to expect that, um, maybe on the calendar or something like that. I\'ll definitely put that in there as well. I, I honestly believe all of the open source. CMS is the WordPress, the Drupal\'s and the gym was in we\'re all kindred spirits in terms of opensource.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> Uh, I actually have the privilege of working on the contributor team with word camp us this year. So I\'m hoping to bring some of the ideas, um, with me and maybe start like a mentorship program too. So very excited</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> WordCamp US has always been. Open to trying new things. I remember in 2019 before the, that was the last one before the pandemic, we had an entire track just based off of community aspects of things like, you know, diversity planning, meetups, that sort of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought that went pretty well. And who\'s to say what we could have expanded that to, if we could have gone beyond 2019. Um, uninterrupted. Um, so I really would look forward to see, because it\'s a different landscape. Now. We haven\'t had word camps. Um, we haven\'t had physical work camps and more than two years, we, a lot of the momentum for contributions for WordPress came from live events.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know, in one way, we\'ve kinda been a little bit of, um, handicapped in terms of, of what we\'ve been used to. Get new contributions in or get fresh ideas, experimented with fleshed out. So I\'m really looking forward. And maybe we can talk about that later, as it\'s closer to where camp us, I would love to hear some of the things that are getting, going to be publicly announced and what some of the thinking has gone on behind it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, yeah,</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amy June:</strong> and my Gardner came just on cue. Okay. Thanks a lot, David. I appreciate that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> No, thank you for voluntarily contributing your time and go talk to your. Okay. If I sit there, have a good night. Thank you. Have a good one.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 21 Mar 2022 15:00:43 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:31;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"WordPress.org blog: WP Briefing: Episode 27: Is WordPress Made for Me?\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=podcast&p=12451\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/episode-27-is-wordpress-made-for-me/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9761:\"<p>Who is WordPress actually made for? Join our host, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy, as she explores this controversial question and three things that can help find the answer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>H</em></strong><em><strong>ave a question you&#8217;d like answered? You can submit them to <a href=\"mailto:wpbriefing@wordpress.org\">wpbriefing@wordpress.org</a>, either written or as a voice recording.</strong></em> </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosts: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a> <br />Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dustinhartzler/\">Dustin Hartzler</a><br />Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/beafialho/\">Beatriz Fialho</a><br />Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/santanainniss/\">Santana Inniss</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2>References</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2022/call-for-volunteers/\">WordCamp Europe call for volunteers</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress Photo Directory team</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/unicef-children-crossfire-ukraine-crisis/39542?utm_campaign=20220225_Emergencies&utm_medium=Organic&utm_source=UkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022&utm_content=LearnMoreUkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022&ms=Organic_PRL_2022_Emergencies_20220225_UkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022_LearnMoreUkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022_none_none&initialms=Organic_PRL_2022_Emergencies_20220225_UkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022_LearnMoreUkraineWebStoryChildrenFeb2022_none_none\">UNICEF</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/ukraine\">Médecins Sans Frontieres</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/europe-central-asia/ukraine\">International Committee of the Red Cross</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://help.rescue.org/donate/ukraine-acq?ms=gs_ppc_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb&initialms=gs_ppc_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb&gclid=CjwKCAiAjoeRBhAJEiwAYY3nDHNlEUUNRM4wKl1bY0ploy1RNl0M7G1OlLTqawZdg_XhrJ0TircZ_RoCfh8QAvD_BwE\">International Rescue Committee</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.unrefugees.org/what-we-do/\">UN Refugee Agency</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout\">World Central Kitchen</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.techtotherescue.org/tech/tech-for-ukraine\">Tech For Ukraine</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wp4ukraine\">#WP4Ukraine</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Transcript </h2>\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-read-more\" href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/03/episode-27-is-wordpress-made-for-me/\" target=\"_self\">Read more</a>\n\n\n<p><strong>Episode 27</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:00:00]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hello everyone, and welcome to the WordPress Briefing: the podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Here we go!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, we&#8217;re talking about who WordPress is built for. I was talking to a group of contributors last week and we encountered some questions around just who WordPress is built for. And it&#8217;s a question that you&#8217;ll find any time that you&#8217;re working on user testing or on triaging tickets, and especially when that comes up when you look at the big picture, roadmap sorts of things. The easiest answer for this question is, of course, everyone because WordPress&#8217; mission is to democratize publishing and that should be available to everyone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy </strong><strong>[00:01:11]</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, everyone is a really big target and certainly doesn&#8217;t help get your mind around the people that you&#8217;re wanting to actually build it for, the people that you actually want to be able to use your product, your software on a day-to-day basis. So let&#8217;s take a look at the one question that can help us figure out who it&#8217;s built for today and how we get it to being something that&#8217;s built forever.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, there&#8217;s a basic premise of open source that informs this thought. And that premise is that we are citizens of a community of contributors therefore the decisions are made by the people who show up. In general, I believe that to be true, though, I also believe that some basic qualifications are needed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:01:50]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>So with that in mind, the one question that can help us figure out who a software is built for is this: how do your active contributors see themselves? I would bet that most contributors to open source software projects, like WordPress, are developers of some sort, it is sort of written right into the definition of the project.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you work on software, then you need developers. And what I love about WordPress, in particular, is that we do work to include contributors who are not developers. Yet it still remains true that there is a fairly high level of technical knowledge required to actively contribute.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:2:25]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which kind of brings us to the second half of the original question of how can we make sure that WordPress can be something that&#8217;s built for everyone? The answer to this one is easy to say, hard to do, and that is to make sure to include them as co-creators in the development process.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve talked about co-creators in open source before. It&#8217;s this idea that people who use the software every day are likely to know the biggest pain points. So if you want your software to be used by people who don&#8217;t know HTML, talk to a bunch of people who don&#8217;t know HTML about how it is to use your software.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want your software to be mostly used by enterprise agencies, talk to enterprise agencies, but also ask them what their clients hate, because everyone has more than one stakeholder. And I know that I said this already, but it bears repeating that, obviously, this is all very easy to say and hard to do.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:3:20]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what is my best guess for the how-to-do part for WordPress? There are three things.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first is testing. This not only helps bring in new contributors and helps train future contributors, which I&#8217;ve talked about on the podcast before. But testing also gives us a higher chance of actionable feedback from folks who don&#8217;t necessarily spend time directly in the WordPress project.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frequently the feedback that we do get that is just kind of undirected and ad hoc is exactly that– it is undirected and ad hoc and is then hard to follow up on and make sure that we understand what was wrong and how we can help fix it. And so testing is important for that. And testing it turns out is important for a bunch of things. When you&#8217;re working in open source.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next thing is support. So checking in with support teams at hosts, as well as the hardworking support teams in the project. And that can really help us to get early indications of what difficulties exist now. They have routinely seen problems and issues that are raised in support forums, and from their everyday users that they are providing support to.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That probably could be fixed in WordPress if we had a good understanding of just what was not going right, how many people really needed it to go better, and what our targets were to fix that particular problem.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:4:45]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the third thing is communication. I know that I&#8217;ve gone on record in many places as saying that most of our problems at the end of the day are communication problems. And I&#8217;m going on record about it again here in this podcast, establishing better communication patterns with users is key.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That can be a multi-year project in itself. And even after that, it&#8217;s going to be an ongoing journey. But it is one of the many things that WordCamps and other WordPress events have given to us over the years, an opportunity to really hear from and see the struggles that people who are not building with WordPress every day, or literally building WordPress every day are actually having.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:5:34]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>So now that you&#8217;ve heard my small list of way too big things, that brings us to our regular small list of big things. The first thing is that WordCamp Europe is still looking for volunteers. If you&#8217;ve never done that before, I think it&#8217;s quite fun. You get to meet a lot of people and the team of organizers is super fun, but I&#8217;ll leave a link for you in the show notes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have a new code-free way to contribute through the photo directory. That team is just getting started and still is working toward building out its programs. So now&#8217;s a good time to drop in and just kind of see what they are up to. And finally, a reminder that we do have contributors who are affected by the war in Ukraine right now. I will reshare the list of humanitarian organizations in case you missed them a couple of weeks ago as well.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:6:21]&nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that my friends is your small list of big things. Thank you for tuning in today for this WordPress Briefing. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. I&#8217;ll see you again in a couple of weeks.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 21 Mar 2022 12:57:38 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Santana Inniss\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:125:\"Gutenberg Times: Block Pattern Directory, Export FSE Theme, Integration with BentoJS and Tailwind CSS – Weekend Edition 207\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=20709\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:130:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/block-pattern-directory-export-fse-theme-integration-with-bentojs-and-tailwind-css-weekend-edition-207/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:24677:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for keeping in touch between weekend editions. I am always grateful to read your comments and ideas. I learn so much. Keep &#8217;em coming👍 .</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just finished testing the submission process for the block pattern directory. It&#8217;s a great experience. It showcases how the block editor can be used outside the content creation process. It is also a test case to for integrating Openverse into a media library and how to handle custom post types with the block editor. If you are eager to learn more about either of the topics the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/pattern-directory/issues\">code is public and available on GitHub.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope to see you at the <a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284434154/\">Gutenberg Developer Hours on Tuesday</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be well, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-3 wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-gutenberg-plugin-version-12-8\">Gutenberg Plugin Version 12.8 </a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-gutenberg-for-nocode-site-builders-and-content-creators\">Gutenberg for #nocode site builders and Content Creators. </a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-developing-blocks-and-for-the-block-editor\">Developing Blocks and for the block editor</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-developing-themes-for-gutenberg\">Developing Themes for Gutenberg</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#4-word-press-social-learning-events\">WordPress Social Learning Events</a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"0-gutenberg-plugin-version-12-8\">Gutenberg Plugin Version 12.8 </h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hector Prieto c</strong>oordinated the release of the 12.8 version of the Gutenberg Feature Plugin. In his release notes <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/\"><strong>What’s new in Gutenberg 12.8? (16 March)</strong></a>, he highlights the following topics: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/#highlight-1\">New Webfonts API</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/#highlight-2\">Swift inline insertion of internal links</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/#highlight-3\">Steps towards full visual theme creation</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/#highlight-4\">Iterating on placeholder and loading states</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of the other changes are subtle, vital changes to the interface, to make the users feel more comfortable. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, WPTavern&#8217;s <strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> wrote about it, too: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-8-launches-the-web-fonts-api-improves-group-nesting-and-adds-keyboard-shortcut-for-links\"><strong>Gutenberg 12.8 Launches the Web Fonts API, Improves Group Nesting, and Adds Keyboard Shortcut for Links</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Job</strong> and I recorded our <strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/\">Gutenberg Changelog episode 63</a> </strong>last night and it should already travel to your podcast app. We really hope that we figured out the sound issues now, although technology wasn&#8217;t cooperating very well. We still had fun chatting about family and travel, off the record. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"1-gutenberg-for-nocode-site-builders-and-content-creators\">Gutenberg for #nocode site builders and Content Creators. </h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/bb____ross\">Beatriz Fiahlo</a></strong> is a product designer at Automattic and open-source contributor, among others she worked on the new <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/02/a-new-wordpress-news/\">News theme on WordPress.org</a> and the site of the <a href=\"https://block-museum.com\">Block Museum of Art</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her most recent post and video, <a href=\"https://automattic.design/2022/03/15/designing-a-theme-in-the-wordpress-editor/\"><strong>Designing a theme in the WordPress&nbsp;Editor</strong></a>, Fiahlo recounts how you can create a theme by just using the Site Editor.  &#8220;We’re finding that it’s more and more possible to design a fully-featured theme using just the Site Editor, skipping that Figma step entirely. This takes us from a rough idea to a working theme in just a matter of hours, and doesn’t require opening a code editor at all.&#8221; she wrote about the theme design process at Automattic. She also had a few tips along the way. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>This week&#8217;s <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9AE90TRZgQ\"><strong>Gutenberg Block News</strong></a> show with <strong>Jamie Marsland l</strong>anded. First, Marsland demos the new theme export features. Go from modifying and existing theme via Styles,  to uploading it as a new theme in six steps:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>how to modify a theme, </li><li>export it via the site editor, </li><li>make three minor changes,  </li><li>re-zip it and </li><li>upload it to a website and </li><li>activate it. </li></ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Check it out and learn about Marsland&#8217;s Theme of the Week, the review roast and more. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9AE90TRZgQ\"><img /></a>Still shot from <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9AE90TRZgQ\">WordPress Gutenberg News March 18th, by Jamie Marsland</a>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lesley Sim,</strong> founder of the Gutenberg first <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/newsletter-glue/\">Newsletter Glue plugin</a> and used her on the Gutenberg Times, published an in depth tutorial on how to <a href=\"https://newsletterglue.com/blog/build/paid-newsletter-paid-memberships-pro/\"><strong>build your own paid newsletter on WordPress with Paid Memberships Pro</strong></a>. If you ever wondered what it took to create a Substack-like tool for writers, educators and consultant, this could be your blueprint. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In the series Building Blocks, Justin Tadlock walks you through his tutorial <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-recipe-card-via-the-wordpress-block-editor\">H</a><strong><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-recipe-card-via-the-wordpress-block-editor\">ow To Build a Recipe Card via the WordPress Block Editor</a>.</strong> The end product is a pattern, created all with existing blocks and available to copy/paste into your site via a GitHub Gist the<em> <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/justintadlock/2948ca4470b5e2fe1ba70b9e999e91d2#file-wp-recipe-card-pattern-html\">wp-recipe-card-pattern.html</a></em></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> started the 3rd round of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2022/03/16/fse-program-bring-your-questions-round-three/\"><strong>Full-Site Editing (FSE) Questions</strong></a>. &#8220;If possible, please focus questions specifically around WordPress 6.0 as those will be the most high impact to address ahead of this upcoming release.&#8221; she wrote. You can either submit your questions <a href=\"https://wordpressdotorg.survey.fm/fse-outreach-program-submit-fse-questions-round-three-1\">via the Survey Form</a> or leave a comment on the post by<strong>&nbsp;March 30th, 2022.</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alex Shiels</strong> from the Meta Team just announced that <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2022/03/16/coming-soon-block-pattern-directory-submissions/\"><strong>the Block Pattern Directory will soon be open for public submissions</strong></a>. You are invited to test the submission process before it goes live. You can create your block pattern using a stand-alone front-end block editor, using all core blocks, except theme blocks, for instance site title or tag) and dynamic, site related blocks, like a query loop. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Openverse is integrated as media library, and you can use images released with the Creative Commons license &#8220;CC0 license, no attribution needed&#8221;, to keep everyone out of licensing troubles. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you hit the submit button for your English block pattern, volunteer translators on the Polyglot team will make it available as well for other locales. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\"><img /></a>First designers submitted <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\">Block Patterns to the directory</a>: Carolina Nymark and Rich Tabor. \n\n\n\n<p>After the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/\">WordPress Photos Directory</a>, the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\">Block Pattern Directory</a> is another opportunity for creative people, non-developers to contribute to the WordPress community. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Gooding on WPTavern wrote about it in her article: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-to-launch-pattern-creator-to-expand-pattern-directory\"><strong>WordPress.org to </strong></a><em><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-to-launch-pattern-creator-to-expand-pattern-directory\"><strong>Launch Pattern Creator to Expand Pattern Directory</strong></a>. </em></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jamie Marsland</strong> has <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnhSFvW6Q-o\"><strong>10 WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor Tips That Save You Time</strong></a>. From disabling the pre-publish step, over the List View to the Slash command, you&#8217;ll find a great array of tips and tricks for the new and power user alike in Marsland&#8217;s video. Personally, I also enjoyed the Mac Shortcut to get a list of Emojis to use in your content 😉.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"2-developing-blocks-and-for-the-block-editor\">Developing Blocks and for the block editor</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://renemorozowich.com/where-wordpress-block-plugins-used/\">Where are WordPress Block Plugins used on my site?</a></strong> <strong>Rene Morozowich</strong> looked for the clues in the database and shares what sure discovered. She walks you through the process can code. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are uncomfortable with raw database tables and SQL you can also install the  plugin <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/find-my-blocks/\">Find my Blocks</a>. This plugin provides you the list of used blocks, the post, and pages, you used them on and the unique identifier of each block. You can use the search in WP-Admin &gt; All Posts enter the unique identifier string into search box, and you will get a list of posts where you used a particular block. I described the process in <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/28572#issuecomment-771092327\">detail on GitHub</a>, commenting on the tracking issue for Block Manager enhancements. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/swissspidy\">Pascal Birchler</a></strong>, core contributor at Google, explored building Gutenberg Blocks with BentoJS components. His tutorial, <a href=\"https://bentojs.dev/documentation/guides/bento-gutenberg-blocks-guide/\">How to create WordPress Gutenberg blocks with BentoJS</a>, is part of the official BentoJS documentation. Birchler and <strong>Alain Schlesser</strong>, maintainer of WP-CLI are <a href=\"https://twitter.com/schlessera/status/1505110138662928384\">meeting up at CloudFest in Germany</a>, to explore the use of BentoJS with the block editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https://bentojs.dev/\">BentoJS website</a> | <a href=\"https://github.com/swissspidy/gutenberg-bento\">Pascal Birchler&#8217;s GitHub repo for the Gutenberg Carousel</a>. </em></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/m_munirkamal\">Munir Kamal</a></strong>, author of the Editor Plug plugin and founder of the Gutenberg Hub, posted a tutorial on <a href=\"https://gutenberghub.com/how-to-create-custom-block-category/\"><strong>How to create a Custom Block Category</strong></a>, a section in the Inserter that can hold your group of blocks. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/BenjaminRitner\"><strong>Ben Ritner</strong>,</a> founder of <a href=\"https://www.kadencewp.com/\"><em>Kadence Theme</em></a> and now part of Liquid Web and StellarWP, was this week&#8217;s guest on the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuTynYwpKAM\"><strong>Torque Social Hour</strong></a> with DocPop and Nick Diego. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/kadence-blocks/\">Kadence blocks plugins</a> was available even before the block editor was merged with WordPress 5.0 and has now over 200,000 active installations. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the show, Ritner discussed the realities of a WordPress theme developer and listed a few major features that he found missing in Gutenberg, before Ritner would consider it a site builder. &#8220;How there is no responsiveness in any of the Core Blocks is blowing my mind. How are we working on full site editing and not handling that key aspect of web development?&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ritner also explained, why his team doesn&#8217;t yet consider making a child theme for the full-site editing experience. &#8220;It&#8217;s not ready yet&#8221;. Kadence created a design library early on, so there is no need for Block patterns in the theme. Once they create a child theme for full site editing, they will recreate some of their templates as Block Patterns. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are only a few insights you get from the show. It was a candid discussion that is well worth your time. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Speaking of responsiveness. </strong>The Gutenberg contributors have been tackling this for quite a while. You can follow along on these issues on GitHub, chime in and test. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/34641\"><strong>Responsive blocks &amp; intrinsic web design</strong></a> </li><li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/38167\"><strong>Add a Style Engine to manage rendering block styles</strong></a>. </li><li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/34345\"><strong>Typography Tools: Tracking tools</strong></a> </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"3-developing-themes-for-gutenberg\">Developing Themes for Gutenberg</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> discovered a <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-plugin-for-writing-wordpress-theme-json-files-via-yaml\">New Plugin for Writing WordPress Theme JSON Files via YAML</a> by <strong>Sascha Paukner</strong>, a web developer from Berlin, Germany. In his article, Tadlock walks you through on how to use the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/theme-yaml/\"><em>Theme YAML plugin.</em></a> For some developers YAML is an easier format than JSON. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>It seems the feature of configuring the block editor via the theme.json file sparks great creativity for tooling. If you are searching for other tools check out this list: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>David Dwyer&#8217;s</strong> <a href=\"https://www.themegen.app/\"><strong>ThemeGen.app</strong></a>  with a browser interface to select all the desired options and generate your theme.json file. </li><li><strong>Carolina Nymark&#8217;s</strong> <a href=\"https://fullsiteediting.com/block-theme-generator/\"><strong>Block Theme Generator</strong></a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You also might be interested in our post <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/how-to-disable-theme-features-and-lock-block-templates-for-full-site-editing-in-wordpress/\">How to disable theme features and Lock Block Templates for Full-Site Editing in WordPress</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Misha Rudrastyh</strong> shared their insight on <a href=\"https://rudrastyh.com/gutenberg/learning-full-site-editing-with-kubrick-block-theme.html\"><strong>Learning Full Site Editing with Kubrick Block Theme</strong></a>. Riad Benguella rebuilt the long-time default theme as block theme. Rudrastyh&#8217;s walk explains how the pieces fit together. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Dwyer</strong> published a <a href=\"https://github.com/dgwyer/tailwind-blocks\">demo plugin</a> how he was able to integrate the create-block script with Tailwind CSS.  Say hello to <a href=\"https://github.com/dgwyer/tailwind-blocks\"><strong>&#8216;Tailwind Blocks&#8217;</strong></a>. The plugin started its existence with the recommended @wordpress/create-block script and auto enqueues all JS and CSS (including Tailwind styles).&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this week&#8217;s Twitch stream, <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> invited his follower &#8220;<a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1428319101\"><strong>Let&#8217;s add Tailwind CSS to our custom blocks and create a create-block template for it.</strong></a>&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nyasha Green</strong> of MasterWP posted an <a href=\"https://masterwp.com/an-interview-with-anne-mccarthy-on-wordpresss-coolest-new-project-the-museum-of-block-art/\"><strong>interview with Anne McCarthy on WordPress’s coolest new project: the Museum of Block Art</strong></a>. Green wrote about her response to the museum: <em>&#8220;Speaking for myself the best thing about this project is that it reminds us that we are artists.&nbsp; Even those us of who are not designers, or the best at Front End work.&nbsp; We still create masterpieces in the form of code, websites, apps, etc.&nbsp; I think you have created that link that makes us go to ourselves, “Hey we are making&nbsp;art!” And I for one am very grateful for it.&nbsp;&#8220;</em> </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Are you interested in <a href=\"https://buddy.works/webinars/how-automate-gutenberg-block-in-wp-projects\"><strong>Automating your Gutenberg Block development</strong>? </a>The next Buddy.works webinar will take place on March 23 at&nbsp; 17:00 PM UTC / 1 pm Eastern / 10am PT.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>Grzegorz Ziolkowski</strong>, Open Sourcerer @ Automattic and <strong>Maciek Palmowski</strong>, WordPress Ambassador @ Buddy.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will learn&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>How to start WordPress block development</li><li>How to leverage JavaScript developer tools for WordPress plugin and block development</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>How to automate your development workflow to maximize confidence in the codebase and monitor its health</li><li>How to configure a pipeline in Buddy to automate the development process</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"4-word-press-social-learning-events\">WordPress Social Learning Events</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a developer working with code, the Gutenberg Developer Hours are for you. The next event will take place&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284434154/\">March 22nd, 2022 16:00 UTC / noon ET.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284434154/\"><img /></a><em>With Joni Halabi, Tammie Lister and Fabian Kägy</em>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 22, 2022, at 3 am ET / 19:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284320854/\"><strong>Intro to Theme Blocks</strong></a>&nbsp;with Wes Theron</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 23, 2022, at 1pm ET / 17:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284383346/\"><strong>Builder Basics: Exploring Block Layout, Alignment, Dimensions, and Spacing</strong>&nbsp;</a>with Nick Diego</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 25, 2022, at 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC </strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284679152/\">Block Theme Discussions: Custom Fonts</a></strong> with Daisy Olson</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 28, 2022, at 11 am ET / 15:00 UTC</strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284387767/\">Hello Blocks! Coding a custom block</a></strong>&nbsp;with Wes Theron and Ryan Welcher</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 29, 2022, at 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284252760/\">Beginner’s Guide to Full Site Editing&nbsp;</a></strong>with Sarah Snow</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 1, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC </strong><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700941/\">Block Theme Discussions: JSON Schema</a></strong> with Daisy Olsen </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 6, 2022, 2pm EDT / 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700789/\"><strong>Builder Basics: Designing with Columns, Group, and Row Blocks (Part 2)</strong></a> with Nick Diego</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 8, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC </strong><br /><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284701015/\"><strong>Block Theme Discussions: Supports in theme.json with Daisy Olsen </strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 12, 2022 2pm EDT 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700822/\">Builder Basics: Headers and Footers in Full Site Editing</a></strong> w/ Nick Diego</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>April 15, 2022, 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284701295/\">Block Theme Discussions: Presets in theme.json</a></strong> with Daisy Olsen</p>\n\n\n\n<p>April 19, 2022 2pm EDT / 18:00 UTC <br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284700867/\">Builder Basics: Exploring Block Layout, Alignment, and Dimensions </a>(Part 2)</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em>Featured image: DC Metro-ChinaTown platform by Sara Marcondes found on the WordPress photos directory </em></p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 19 Mar 2022 19:00:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:101:\"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog #63 – Block Pattern Directory, WebFonts API and Gutenberg 12.8\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?post_type=podcast&p=20755\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:86:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:23103:\"<p>Birgit Pauli-Haack and Mary Job discuss Block Pattern Directory, WebFonts API and Gutenberg 12.8.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Music:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://soundcloud.com/xirclebox\">Homer Gaines</a></li><li>Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-reed/\">Sandy Reed</a></li><li>Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://markuraine.com/\">Mark Uraine</a></li><li>Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://icodeforapurpose.com\">Birgit Pauli-Haack</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-20755\"></span>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/#shownotes\">Show Notes</a> / <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-63-webfonts-api-gutenberg-12-8/#transcript\">Transcript</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>&nbsp;podcast via your favorite podcast apps!</strong><br />🎙️&nbsp;<a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/620NwVKQJGdTupy36zYxvg?mc_cid=4b6c9f88fe\">Spotify</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ndXRlbmJlcmd0aW1lcy5jb20vZmVlZC9wb2RjYXN0\">Google</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gutenberg-changelog/id1469294475\">iTunes</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://pca.st/podcast/f8445ec0-7508-0137-f267-1d245fc5f9cf\">PocketCasts</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/show/gutenberg-changelog\">Stitcher</a>&nbsp;|<br />🎙️&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/chi7j-9904a/Gutenberg-Changelog-Podcast\">Pod Bean</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://castbox.fm/channel/Gutenberg-Changelog-id2173375\">CastBox</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gutenberg-changelog-878239/\">Podchaser</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/podcast\">RSS Feed</a>&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\" id=\"shownotes\"><strong>Show Notes </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Announcements</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2022/03/16/fse-program-bring-your-questions-round-three/\">FSE Program: Bring your questions – Round Three</a></li><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2022/03/16/coming-soon-block-pattern-directory-submissions/\">Coming soon: Block Pattern Directory Submissions</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Community Contributions</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://github.com/dgwyer/tailwind-blocks\">Tailwind Blocks</a> by David Gwyer </li><li><a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1428319101\">Let&#8217;s add Tailwind CSS to our custom blocks and create a create-block template for it</a> Twitch Stream with Ryan Welcher</li><li><a href=\"https://buddy.works/webinars/how-automate-gutenberg-block-in-wp-projects\">How to automate Gutenberg block development in WP projects</a> Buddy.works</li><li><a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284434154/\">Gutenberg Developer Hours</a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284434154/\">March 22nd, 2022 16:00 UTC / noon ET.</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Gutenberg 12.8</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/03/16/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-8-16-march/\">What’s new in Gutenberg 12.8? (16 March)</a> by Hector Prieto</li><li>Justin Tadlock <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-8-launches-the-web-fonts-api-improves-group-nesting-and-adds-keyboard-shortcut-for-links\">Gutenberg 12.8 Launches the Web Fonts API, Improves Group Nesting, and Adds Keyboard Shortcut for Links</a></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Stay in Touch</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-2 wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<ul><li>Did you like this episode? <a href=\"https://lovethepodcast.com/gutenbergchangelog\"><strong>Please write us a review </strong></a></li><li>Ping us on Twitter or send DMs with questions. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/maryojob\">@maryojob </a>and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph\">@bph</a>.</li><li><em>If you have questions or suggestions, or news you want us to include, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. </em></li><li><em>Please write us a review on iTunes! <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/itunes/\">(Click here to learn how)</a></em></li></ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\" id=\"transcript\">Transcript</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Hello, and welcome to our 63rd episode of the Gutenberg Changelog podcast. Today we&#8217;ll talk about Block Pattern Directory, the Web Fonts API, and Gutenberg 12.8. I&#8217;m Birgit Pauli-Haack, curator at the Gutenberg Times and WordPress developer advocate. And I&#8217;m here with my co-host, Mary Job, WordPress advocate and support engineer at Paid Memberships Pro. Good evening, Mary. How are you today?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: I&#8217;m doing very good, Birgit. Thank you. It&#8217;s almost 9:00 P.M. my time, so that&#8217;s great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, Friday night, that&#8217;s what you do for fun, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yes, this is&#8230; All right, so we have a couple of announcements. Anne McCarthy published a third round of questions about full site editing experience. Now that all features for full site editing are available in a better version, what are the questions you have? If you have them, please submit them via the survey form that we&#8217;re going to share once this episode is published. You can also find it on the Make WordPress Test blog.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Awesome. Yeah. So there was a first round and a second round, and now this is the third round. And I think that it has gotten quite some improvements since the first round of questions, and the vision for full site editing becomes probably clearer and hopefully answer the questions that you have. So, Alex Shiels and the Meta team invite you to test the Block Pattern Directory, especially the submission. They have created the pattern creator page where you can then, completely with a block editor, create block patterns. So the block pattern creator page, Alex wrote, will allow designers and content creators to build, edit, and submit their best block patterns to the directory.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Approved patterns will be added to the directory where they will be instantly available to the authors of millions of WordPress sites. So for Alex Shiels, I did some testing and also wrote a few notes for the documentation. And it&#8217;s not yet ready for you to submit dynamic blocks or patterns for dynamic blocks, like the ones that you use for templates or header, footer, or query loop. And another caveat is that all patterns need to be submitted in English before the translators then can make them available for different locales. That&#8217;s kind of, yeah, some that are two things you need to know before you start creating your patterns, but check it out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We will of course have links in the show note, or when you go to WordPress.org/meta, M-E-T-A forward slash, you see the latest page there is the invitation about the coming soon pattern submission. Only in this phase before it&#8217;s really public there is an approval process in there, but the team is actually working to make that instant so that there is no review process in there. But they&#8217;re also implementing a report process. So that&#8217;s really exciting that people can now submit their best patterns and other people can use it. There&#8217;s some great creativity going on as we saw with the block museum, block-museum.com. That came out two weeks ago. So there&#8217;s a lot of things happening on the block patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: I think this is a great idea, Birgit, because it&#8217;s going to open up a chance for people to contribute more to WordPress. This is also an opportunity for people who want to contribute. It&#8217;s a good one.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Community Contributions</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>And on community contributions, we have David Dwyer just published a demo plugin on how he was able to integrate the quick blocks with Tailwind CSS. We&#8217;re going to also put the link to this GitHub repository in the show notes to say hello to Tailwind blocks, it&#8217;s a streamlined way to develop blocks using Tailwind CSS. The plugin is scaffolded using the recommended at WordPress/script, block scripts and autos and CSS, including styles.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And I just wanted to add that Ryan Welcher this week did a live Twitch stream to create actually a template for the create block scaffolding tool for these tailwind styles. That&#8217;s also a link we will share in the show notes and let&#8217;s see how far he came with it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: If you have a withdrawal from Grzegorz , and you are interested in automating your Gutenberg block development, put the next buddy works webinar on your calendar. It&#8217;s for March 23rd, at 1700 UTC, 1:00 PM Eastern, 10:00 AM Pacific. And it&#8217;s with Grzegorz Ziokowski, the open sorcerer at Automattic and Maciek Palmowski, WordPress ambassador at Buddy. And you will learn how to start a WebPress block development, how to leverage JavaScript developer tools for the WebPress plugin and block development and how to automate your development workflow and maximize confidence in the code and monitor itself. You also learn how to configure the pipeline of deployment with Buddy to automate the process. As always links are in the show notes and yeah, hopefully I can make it to see Grzegorz again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Oh yes. That&#8217;d be good to see him again. I miss him already, even though we didn&#8217;t spend so much time together on the show. So the next Gutenberg developer hours would take place on March 22nd, at 1600 UTC. At noon Eastern, you can pick part in the fourth Gutenberg developer event and meet up with Fabian Kagy, Tammie Lister and Joni Halabi on the expert panel.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>What’s Released &#8211; WordPress 5.9.2 and Gutenberg 12.8</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes. Hope to see everybody there. So that brings us to the section of what&#8217;s released. And if you are on automatic updates of minor releases, WordPress 5.9.2 security and maintenance release has already landed on your site near you. And if you haven&#8217;t yet, update now, don&#8217;t wait.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Woo commerce release also the security and maintenance version, and you can automatically update from version 3.5 to 6.3. If you don&#8217;t get the plugin automatically, please update now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Don&#8217;t wait.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: At all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And that brings us to Gutenberg 12.8. Hector Prieto handles the 12.8 release from release candidate to the final release this week on Wednesday, March 16th. And so there are a few enhancements, not so much particular new features. It&#8217;s not an entirely spectacular release because it&#8217;s still does some bug fixing for 5.9, but we can start with the enhancements.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Enhancements</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>And the navigation block has now improved loading and place holder states. And it also has improved user interface feedback for the navigation block. So it makes it easier to handle that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yes, the media and text block also add announcements. You can now display the media where you are uploading the same way it works for the cover image and the other gallery images.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And that&#8217;s really interesting because then you can continue working and know that that&#8217;s uploaded. There&#8217;s also a link completer for inline links to post, and this is more for power users, but I think other people who use the keyboard quite a bit is so you can add a link to internal on your site pages and posts by just having two left square brackets in sequence. Yeah. Put them in. And then it brings up a search of modal where you can pick the page or the post that you want to link to.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is very interesting and it&#8217;s really for the power users and it doesn&#8217;t put more weight on the user interface. It has a nice balance and it doesn&#8217;t affect performance. So this is a great add on to the keyboard shortcuts that we know, too. It&#8217;s an auto completer so you can kind of select things from search. It&#8217;s similar, like the slash command where you put the forward slash and then for the inserter and this is just for the links. Check it out and try it out and see how it maybe improves your speed on linking things in. It takes the link. If you select it takes the title of the page as the link text. So that saves a lot of time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yes, I personally recommend if you haven&#8217;t, you should download full site. You use full site editing on the local site and practice with it and play with it, at least that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m doing before it becomes mainstream. It&#8217;s a good idea to get used to how it works, it&#8217;s sustainability, the future, WordPress, so there is no point waiting. You can test it out now and be part of the development process. The site editor also got an enhancement. You can now export app to your team expert, the theme.json file, your index, the PHP and style of CSS. This is great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And it&#8217;s really interesting. Yeah. Now a non coder can actually create themes and with the site editor and then so under the three.menu on the right hand side and the sidebar where you also go to the code editor or change the top toolbar kind of thing, there&#8217;s also now in the site editor, a menu items that has export and you click on it and then it grabs everything into the theme.json, the index PHP, styles as all, and other files that are in the current theme and downloads it as a zip file to your hard drive. And then you could make just some changes on the styles CSS and give it a new name, zip it again, and upload it. That is kind of the first process of having these no code theme development or theme designers work with the site editor at that. It will be quite have an impact on the WordPress ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also wanted to give a shout out to Jamie Marsland. Just before I headed into the recording of this Changelog, I saw his new Gutenberg block news show on YouTube. And he&#8217;s in his show from March 18th, he&#8217;s actually demoing the exact process on how to export and import the theme that you create with the site editor. So it&#8217;s a fantastic video and of course we link it in the show notes, but just should subscribe to Jamie Marsland&#8217;s YouTube channel because he comes out every Friday with this new news show and shows you a few things that are new in the WordPress in the block editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: I think this is great because it means that you don&#8217;t have to recreate your design every time as a person who is no code. You don&#8217;t have to recreate your design every time you&#8217;re trying to build a site. You could just start with the templates that you already have and then take it from there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Exactly, exactly. It&#8217;s a great tooling for site builders that work with clients and that have that want to streamline their process. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>New APIs</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So what&#8217;s also in there and is the new webfonts API finally landed in Gutenberg then that has been in the works for quite a while. And does API is the first step in helping people to load fonts in a performance friendly and privacy friendly, future proof manner. Something that has been very difficult before and with the few weeks left until the WordPress 6.0 beta release, it would be really helpful to give it a wheel, test this API for your sites, especially theme developers, and also plug-in developers. The tooling still needs to be built. The UI is meant the user interface. So, but it&#8217;s definitely good to have it in there so it will land in WordPress 6.0. Yeah, go get the 12.8 and start working on it for testing on your site or others.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What also is new in Gutenberg? And it doesn&#8217;t have any ramification for a user, but for contributors, it definitely makes life easier because the WordPress preference panel has been isolated into a package and then all the editors use the same preference panel. So there&#8217;s some code reuse and some streamlining of the editor handling. So the widget editor, the site editor, the post editor and the standalone editor can now use this preference panel exclusively. So that is definitely&#8230; So the preferences are the things like, do you want to have the two step publish process? Do you want the toolbar on top? They are which blocks are enabled or disabled. This is definitely a step towards something that has been on the wishlist of a lot of people using the editor that the choices that you make are not going to go away when you delete the cache off your browser or close the browser and it&#8217;s emptied. And when you come in again, it shows you the welcome guide again, and you have to do some of the preferences, put them in again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And having that in one package now is the first step to kind of, for the contributers to figure out how those choices can actually be persistent, like being in the user meta panel or something like that. So this is definitely a progression. I know that that has been on the wishlist for definitely three years, if not four, of many people, that those selections are actually persistent. There is a plugin actually out there by Mario Jensen, who has the preference all make them persistent in the user meta fields. I&#8217;ll share the link again in the show notes, just so those can kind of bridge the times waiting for that to land in core.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talked about the create block scripts before. There is another item in the Changelog that the script now supports more plugin held head of fields to add additional information to the plugin that comes out of it. So that is definitely an additional step there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of create blocks, there&#8217;s also a new confirmed problem for showing the plugin options. So you can type them in and also improve the custom project template configuration that how you integrate your own custom templates with the scaffolding tool. The release shows all the different ways how this works now. And I&#8217;m sure either Ryan Welcher or some other developer will walk us through what that exactly means, but for now, know it&#8217;s in the Gutenberg plugin, 12.8.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does that conclude our release today? Yes, it does. There are certainly a few code quality PRs that contributors might want to look at. And also for some tools, especially testing, there have been some changes there and build tool that just has some minor fixes. Yeah. So, that&#8217;s the end. Well, thank you. It was that big of a release as we had before, but anything that kind of jumped at you, Mary, that you want to talk about that we haven&#8217;t yet?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Oh, I think we&#8217;ve pretty much covered everything for this episode.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes. And before we end the show, I want to remind everyone the Gutenberg Developer hours, the next one is on March 22nd, at 1600 UTC on Meetup for registration. And if you listen to this at a later date, I know a few people kind of binge listen to this, but kind of weeks later, so check out the Meetup group, WordPress Social Learning, because there are where the Gutenberg Developer events happen are announced. That&#8217;s also where other social learning discussions happen like Nick Diego does some builder building blocks series. Ryan Welcher does some create block tutorials, beginners ones, and then also for no code site builders, there are additional tutorials on there and discussions. All right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yes. And if you want to join in for my side of the continent, that will be 10:00 PM, 10 to 11, say between nine to 11:00 PM our time. You should definitely join in. I look forward to seeing you there. As always, the show notes are there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, sorry.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Good point. Thank you very much for pointing that out. So, I just want to recap the Gutenberg Developer hours are actually&#8230; We scheduled four events as a trial. There was a proposal at the core make blog in October, and we finally got it implemented to have four events trial. And as it turns out, we probably will have more events. So there will also be to better times for other time zones. Yeah. So for Europeans, it&#8217;s definitely relatively late and it&#8217;s also, I don&#8217;t even know what the time it would be for the Asia Pacific people, but we definitely will schedule different dates and also different time for different time zones, the future ones. We might take a break in April, but then in May, we will start out with new Gutenberg Developer hours in all different time zones.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you are a practitioner, you work for an agency as a block developer or a site builder or build themes, and you want to be part of our expert panel that answers the questions from the audience, it&#8217;s totally audience driven event. So the people that attend, give us the questions sometimes ahead of time. We sort through them and then say, okay, these are all the questions for block development and these are all the questions for theme development. And these are all the questions that are more conceptual or architectural. And then we work through them and have a discussion about them amongst the panel or with the people in the audience. It&#8217;s a meeting style rather than a webinar style. So yeah. Join us either on March 22nd or when we have the next one on schedule. Sorry. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: That would be great. That would be great, Birgit because, so there&#8217;s a saying where I come from that it&#8217;s very difficult to please everyone. And I know that it commits is trying. Cracking time zone is very tricky, so we definitely understand, but we will do what we can to make it better and to be able to set everyone. As always the show notes for our episodes, they will be published GutenbergTimes.com/podcasts. And if you have questions or suggestions or news you want us to include, send them to <a href=\"mailto:Changelog@GutenbergTimes.com\">Changelog@GutenbergTimes.com</a>. That&#8217;s <a href=\"mailto:Changelog@GutenbergTimes.com\">Changelog@GutenbergTimes.com</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Wow. Thank you so much, Mary. And this is it for me. This is episode 63. And just in case you&#8217;re looking for it on the podcast website, you all have a great time and I&#8217;ll talk to you in two weeks. Thank you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mary Job</em>: Thank you.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 19 Mar 2022 18:23:29 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:90:\"WPTavern: WordPress Community Team Reconsiders Guidelines for In-Person Regional WordCamps\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131608\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:101:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-community-team-reconsiders-guidelines-for-in-person-regional-wordcamps\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6160:\"<p>The pandemic has dramatically slashed the number of in-person WordPress events that volunteers are organizing and events have been slow to start up again. This has caused the WordPress Community Team to reconsider the guidelines for hosting regional WordCamps.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Historically, these guidelines have generated lengthy discussions, as many vocal opponents found them to be needlessly prohibitive. WordCamps began as local, city-based events, and organizers were not allowed to put together a regional WordCamp without jumping through a lot of extra requirements. These included having experienced event organizers that represent all WordPress communities in the region. The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/wordcamp-organizer/become-an-organizer/regional-wordcamps/\">guidelines</a> state:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Before applying to organize a regional WordCamp, there should be at least 3 cities in your region (but very possibly more) with a local group that meets monthly, and that have hosted at least one WordCamp. The size of your region (in geography and population) will affect the expected number of established communities.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, WordPress Community Support (WCS) <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-community-support-shuts-down-wordcamp-netherlands-in-favor-of-city-based-wordcamps\">shut down WordCamp Netherlands</a> in favor of city-based WordCamps, sending the Dutch community <a href=\"https://twitter.com/roytanck/status/847365810506969089\">into</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jrf_nl/status/847470162496241664\">an</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nielsvr/status/847384382541148161\">uproar</a>. The region, which is roughly the size of Maryland, had successfully held six editions of WordCamp Netherlands before WCS decided not to approve its application. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The camp was <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-netherlands-reinstated-for-2018\">reinstated in 2018</a> after organizers agreed to meet additional requirements in the guidelines outlined above. This was not without a significant struggle, as the project moved to shed its “one-size-fits-all” approach to WordPress events. WordCamp Netherlands is once again on the schedule for 2022 as an in-person event. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, WordPress Community Manager Hugh Lashbrooke proposed the idea of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2017/11/10/discussion-micro-regional-wordcamps/\">micro-regional WordCamps</a>, which makes exceptions to the meetup requirements for regional camps in situations where neighboring cities share meetup organization responsibilities. The idea received widespread support, as it makes sense in certain instances.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Exception is the keyword here,&#8221; WordCamp Netherlands organizer Marcel Bootsman said at the time. &#8220;If these local communities are active and healthy, let them organize a WordCamp. Be happy with the fact that people want to organize.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress is slowly coming around to this idea &#8211; that volunteer-run events thrive better with more flexible guidelines that allow for cultural and geographical differences.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, the Community team <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/03/24/community-events-in-the-time-of-covid-19/\">relaxed a number of guidelines</a>, including some for regional online WordCamps, in order to help keep communities connected during a difficult time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This resulted in a bunch of online regional WordCamps in<a href=\"https://centroamerica.wordcamp.org/2021/\"> Centroamerica</a>,  <a href=\"https://greece.wordcamp.org/2021/\">Greece</a>, <a href=\"https://finland.wordcamp.org/2020/\">Finland</a>, <a href=\"https://india.wordcamp.org/2021/\">India</a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://italia.wordcamp.org/2021/\" target=\"_blank\">Italy</a>, <a href=\"https://japan.wordcamp.org/2021/\">Japan</a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://spain.wordcamp.org/2021/\" target=\"_blank\">Spain</a>, and Taiwan, among others,&#8221; Community Team Representative Hari Shanker said. &#8220;These events were quite successful in bringing together local communities even despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that WordPress events have taken a hard hit, the Community Team is considering loosening these restrictions for in-person regional events. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Some local communities have also approached WordCamp Central, expressing their interest in organizing regional events,&#8221; Shanker said. &#8220;At this time, our organizers are still encouraged to plan smaller city-based WordCamps over larger regional events (especially in the light of COVID restrictions that are still in place in many regions). However, I strongly feel that the Community Team should revisit the existing guidelines for regional events due to a renewed interest in the same.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shanker is asking for feedback on the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/03/17/discussion-revisiting-in-person-regional-wordcamps/\">discussion</a> before April 4, 2022. A few contributors and organizers have already weighed in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Switzerland is such a small country that having separate WordCamps for Geneva, Lausanne, Bern and Zurich seems to be unnecessarily complicated,&#8221; Mark Howells-Mead said. &#8220;By re-establishing WordCamp Switzerland – which takes place in a different city each time and which was organized as a regional event until 2015 – we can better ensure that the visibility of the event and repetitive work can be more efficiently organized.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marcel Bootsman once again called on the Community Team to use common sense as a guide when evaluating whether a region is fit to host a WordCamp.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We’ve had quite a few discussions about regional WordCamps in The Netherlands,&#8221; Bootsman said. &#8220;Let me just say I’m happy WCNL is back on the agenda, and I hope regional/local (city based) WordCamps are evaluated according to the country geographical size, and the feedback of the people organizing them.&#8221;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 19 Mar 2022 04:44:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"WPTavern: New Plugin for Writing WordPress Theme JSON Files via YAML\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131662\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"https://wptavern.com/new-plugin-for-writing-wordpress-theme-json-files-via-yaml\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4156:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">I have a new favorite WordPress development-related plugin: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/theme-yaml/\">Theme YAML</a>. Sascha Paukner released it a mere day ago, and it may find its place in many theme developers&#8217; toolboxes before long. It allows themers to write theme JSON in <a href=\"https://yaml.org/\">YAML format</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To use, theme authors only need to create a new <code>theme.yaml</code> file and begin adding their custom configuration in the human-friendly YAML format. The plugin will convert it into JSON and save it to the <code>theme.json</code> file.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As someone who has had his fair share of headaches writing directly in JSON, I have never been happier to look at the following in my code editor:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p><em>That is pretty.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just wish I had thought of this plugin idea first. I routinely work with YAML files when dealing with other systems and convert the data to PHP and JSON. It just made sense as soon as I saw the plugin description.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>JSON is not the easiest-to-write format when dealing with configuration files, which is what the <code>theme.json</code> file is. It works well for cross-language data storage, but I sometimes cringe when opening a JSON file to type in, especially if it has 100s or 1,000s of lines. Plus, you cannot leave inline comments to remind yourself or others why a particular decision was made or a setting configured.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is YAML better? It has its pros and cons, and in my experience, parts of the syntax can become complex for the unfamiliar. However, supporting inline comments alone is worth it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin&#8217;s documentation was bare-bones at best. It said nothing about how it worked under the hood. I had questions. <em>Is there a setting for the conversion? Is it automatic? Does it happen on every page load?</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>I peaked under the hood so that you do not have to. The plugin automatically searches for a <code>theme.yaml</code> file in the active theme&#8217;s root folder when a page is loaded. If found, it will check its last modified time and store the value in the database. If there are new modifications, the plugin parses <code>theme.yaml</code>, converts it to JSON, and writes it to the <code>theme.json</code> file.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the active theme is a child, it will also automatically run through this process for its parent.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The downside to the plugin is that it leaves the resulting JSON minified, which is tough to read. This is OK when you have the <code>theme.yaml</code> file on hand. However, when submitting to the WordPress.org theme directory, this &#8220;build&#8221; file would typically be something a theme author would not bundle in their theme ZIP.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I firmly believe in shipping code that is readable and editable to whoever receives a copy. There are a couple of options for theme authors to do this. They can ship both the <code>theme.json</code> and <code>theme.yaml</code> files or change the following code in the plugin&#8217;s main file:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>$themeJson = json_encode($themeObject, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES);</code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p>We merely need to toggle on the <code>JSON_PRETTY_PRINT</code> flag for the <a href=\"https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.json-encode.php\"><code>json_encode()</code> function</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>$themeJson = json_encode($themeObject, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES | JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);</code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope the plugin developer will consider this change in a future version or allow theme authors to filter it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are other solutions for theme authors who shy away from <code>theme.json</code>. I have split my JSON into manageable chunks across multiple files in the past. Then, I used a <a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/merge-jsons-webpack-plugin\">webpack plugin for merging them</a> during my watch/build process.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recommend using the <a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/js-yaml\">JS YAML Parser</a> or a similar package for those who prefer YAML but want integration with their build system.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 19 Mar 2022 03:32:36 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"Akismet: How to Create a Custom WordPress User Registration Form\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"http://blog.akismet.com/?p=2316\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/03/18/how-to-create-a-custom-wordpress-user-registration-form/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:22325:\"<p>Converting visitors into registered users is a big win for any website. If you’re going to build a loyal community, a quick and easy user registration form is essential.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, there are various ways to create a custom WordPress user registration form. With the right tool, you should have no problems capturing leads, building your mailing list, and reaping the many other benefits of user registrations.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, we’ll discuss why registration forms play a huge role in running a successful website. We’ll then cover four ways to create an effective form.</p>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-2316\"></span>\n\n\n\n<h2>An introduction to user registration forms</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Internet users typically create accounts with websites by entering their personal information into registration forms. You’ll find these forms across the web, including on forums, online job boards, membership websites and social media sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>An admin can create user accounts in the WordPress dashboard by navigating to <strong>Users → Add New</strong>, but this process requires time and effort, especially if you have thousands of users.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The admin also needs to know all of the user’s personal information and assign them a password. This can become a security vulnerability if the new member doesn’t change their login information immediately.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>By creating a public user registration form, you can significantly reduce your admin’s workload. You can also <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/features/security/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">improve your website’s security</a> since the admin doesn’t know the passwords for the user accounts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, if you offer memberships, a quick and easy registration form is essential for capturing leads and driving conversions. You might even generate a profit by charging your members.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many online stores also use registration forms to encourage brand loyalty. After completing the signup process, customers may be more inclined to visit your store again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, many registration forms collect personal information, like customer postal addresses. You can then use this data to auto-complete subsequent forms. This feature can improve the checkout experience, potentially reducing <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/posts/fewer-abandoned-carts-more-sales-nine-proven-strategies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cart abandonment rates</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might even use this information to target visitors with personalized content, advertisements, or email marketing. For instance, you could create targeted email campaigns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>These segmented campaigns typically deliver <a href=\"https://mailchimp.com/resources/effects-of-list-segmentation-on-email-marketing-stats/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">74.53 percent higher click rates</a> than non-segmented ones. Your targeted campaigns may include exclusive coupon codes for products that customers have previously purchased. The emails could also include new blog posts that subscribers may be interested in reading.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Overview of 4 different ways to create a custom WordPress user registration form</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we’ve explored the pros and cons of each approach, let’s see some solutions in action. Here are four different ways to create a custom user registration form for your WordPress website!</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1. The WordPress built-in user registration form</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can create a basic user registration form with WordPress built-in settings. This feature is quick and easy to set up and requires no extensive configuration.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Note that the built-in WordPress registration form simply collects a user’s email address and password. You can’t add more fields without diving into your site’s code. This means that you miss out on capturing important information.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you’re running an eCommerce site, you may want to record a visitor’s postal address. It isn’t possible to get this data with the WordPress built-in registration form, potentially impacting the effectiveness of your membership functionality.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The built-in registration form will also appear on a separate page, without an easy way to change its location. For a more seamless user experience, many sites choose to embed registration forms within their content. They may even add the feature to recurring areas, like the website footer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Featuring this form alongside your site’s content is a great way to encourage signups. This isn’t possible using WordPress built-in features unless you’re willing to edit your website at the code level.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>2. A custom-coded user registration form</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As an open-source platform, WordPress gives you complete access to its source code. This openness lets you extend the core software and add extra features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re comfortable editing WordPress at the code level, it’s possible to customize the built-in registration form. This option has more flexibility without weighing down your site.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can also help you control the data that customers enter into your forms. This is particularly true when comparing this method to using a third-party plugin or external form-building tool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that writing custom code requires a considerable amount of technical knowledge. Editing WordPress at the code level can also be risky. For example, if you make a mistake, you could take down your site or cause conflicts with existing themes, plugins, or WordPress core. Or you could even create a security vulnerability that hackers might take advantage of.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To minimize the dangers, we recommend implementing all of your changes through a site-specific plugin. You can then deactivate this plugin if it causes issues on your website.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, it’s wise to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://jetpack.com/2021/11/11/how-to-back-up-your-wordpress-site\" target=\"_blank\">create a full backup</a> before making any changes at the code level and test them on a <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2022/02/23/create-a-staging-website-on-wordpress/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">staging site</a> so you can spot and resolve issues before rolling out changes to a live site.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>3. Third-party tools&nbsp;</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also offer user registration with a third-party tool like <a href=\"https://www.google.com/forms/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Forms</a>. Typically you’d be able to share the same form across multiple locations and platforms by opting for a cloud-based service.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you might embed the form in your WordPress website, email marketing campaigns, and social media pages.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>With cloud-based platforms, you can often view your responses in a single, centralized location. This setup can make it easier to analyze your results and share them with your team members.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, it may be difficult to seamlessly integrate third-party forms with your website. You’ll also need to ensure the form perfectly complement’s your site’s branding.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And not all third-party form builders are correctly optimized for mobile, including some big names like Google Forms. This limitation means that people visiting your site on mobile devices may not have the best user experience. With <a href=\"https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/#dossierKeyfigures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">over 90 percent</a> of the global internet population using a mobile device to go online, a lack of form optimization is a significant drawback.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on your chosen tool, third-party forms may also negatively impact your site’s speed. This is bad news for conversion rates and your website’s overall performance.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>4. Form builder plugins&nbsp;</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also create a wide range of custom WordPress user registrations forms with a plugin. These tools often give you complete control over your form’s design and the type of information you collect.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some plugins can impact your site’s performance or conflict with other software. So, we recommend <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2021/03/16/how-to-select-the-best-wordpress-plugins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">researching potential plugins</a> carefully.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re downloading the plugin from the official WordPress repository, then you can check out its most recent reviews.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>We recommend paying special attention to the most recent feedback. A plugin may have a positive average star rating, but an influx of recent negative reviews can indicate an issue with the latest release.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to enable user registration in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can start accepting registrations on your site’s front-end, you’ll need to enable signups on the back-end.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, navigate to <strong>Settings → General</strong>. Now, find the <strong>Membership</strong> section, and select the accompanying <strong>Anyone can register</strong><em> </em>checkbox.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>While you’re here, you can configure the role for new signups. This setting restricts the actions members can perform on your site and the data they can access.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To keep your site secure, it’s wise not to automatically assign roles that give visitors elevated privileges, like<em> </em>Author or Editor. Instead, consider using Subscriber.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>After making these changes, click on <strong>Save Changes</strong>. WordPress is now ready to accept signups, so the next step is giving visitors a way to register with your site.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to create a user registration form in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many websites offer membership functionality. With this in mind, it’s unsurprising that there are multiple ways to create a user registration form in WordPress. Here are four options:</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1. Use the built-in WordPress user registration form</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of the box, WordPress has everything you need to add a basic registration form to your website. The form page is similar to the standard WordPress login screen for accessing the admin dashboard. Although it appears on a separate page, you can link to it from any widget-enabled area on your website.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To create this link, navigate to <strong>Appearance</strong><em> </em>→<em> </em><strong>Widgets</strong>. Now, find the area where you want to add the <strong>Register</strong> URL, like <strong>Footer Column 1</strong> or <strong>Below Header</strong>. Then, click on this section to expand it.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Now, select the <strong>+</strong> icon and search for the <strong>Meta </strong>widget. When it appears, give it a click.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>To save your changes, click on <strong>Update</strong>. Now, if you check out your site’s front-end, you should notice a brand-new <strong>Register</strong> link.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clicking on this link will take visitors to a separate page with WordPress’ built-in user registration form. If the person already has an account, they can select the widget’s <strong>Log In</strong> URL instead. This will take them to a similar form to sign into their account.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>2. Write custom code</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It’s impossible to edit the built-in registration form using the standard WordPress tools and interface. Fortunately, you can edit the registration page with <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/hooks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress hooks</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hooks are functions that you can apply to any Action or Filter. WordPress will perform Actions when a specific event occurs. In contrast, Filters can modify certain functions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To customize the WordPress built-in registration form, it’s a good idea to make your own site-specific plugin. It will contain all of your custom code.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Placing all of this functionality in a separate plugin can ensure that you don’t lose your modifications whenever you update your site’s theme. This setup will also make it easier to activate and deactivate the registration form feature if required.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To start, connect to your server via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) using a <a href=\"https://filezilla-project.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">client like FileZilla</a>. Once you’ve made this connection, navigate to your site’s<em> /wp-content/plugins/</em> folder.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Create a new file with a descriptive name like <em>registration.php</em>. Next, open this file in your computer’s default text editor.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can now implement all of your hooks. This step will vary depending on the user data you want to collect. You’ll find a demo over at the <a href=\"https://codex.wordpress.org/Customizing_the_Registration_Form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress Codex</a>, plus a breakdown of some of the hooks you may want to use.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>3. Embed a Google Form&nbsp;</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are various third-party form creation tools. Google Forms is a popular option that stores all data in your Google Drive account, where it’s easily accessible.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To create a custom WordPress user registration form, head to the <a href=\"https://www.google.com/forms/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Forms website</a>. You can then either make your form from scratch or use one of Google’s ready-made templates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To start, give your form a descriptive title. You can then add fields using the<strong> </strong><strong><em>+</em></strong> icon.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>If you’re creating a long registration form, you may want to group your questions into sections. You can achieve this with the <strong>Add Section</strong> icon.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before visitors can sign up, you’ll need to make your form public. In the upper-right corner, click on the three dots, and then select <strong>Add Collaborators</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>In the subsequent popup, click on <strong>Change</strong>. You can now make this form accessible to anyone who visits your website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, select the <strong>Send</strong> button. This opens a popup containing an embed link:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>To add this form to your website, copy the embed code. Then, switch to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the page or post where you want to use this form. You can then open the page and insert a new <strong>Custom HTML</strong> block.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Paste your embed code into this block. You can now update or publish this page, and your form will be ready to accept registrations.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, head back to Google Forms and open your user registration form to view your responses. From here, select the <strong>Responses</strong><em> </em>tab, and you can see all of the submitted information.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>4. Use the Contact Form 7 plugin</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to WordPress, there’s a plugin for almost everything — and building a user registration form is no exception. You can create a wide range of forms using <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact Form 7</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After activating this plugin, navigate to <strong>Contact → Add New</strong>. Now, give your form a descriptive name.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact Form 7 automatically creates fields for collecting the user’s name and email address. It also adds a space for them to write a message and a subject line. Since we’re creating a user registration form, you’ll likely want to delete those last two fields.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to collect more information, you can add extra fields. For instance, you might want to give visitors the option to create a username.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The easiest method is to copy/paste a section of the pre-existing field code. You can then modify the <strong>Label</strong>, which is displayed to the user. Finally, change the<em> </em><strong>text*</strong> value, which is only visible on your site’s back-end.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can create fields with the buttons above the main editor, like <strong>email, URL</strong>, or <strong>tel</strong>. Clicking on any of these buttons will launch a popup where you can configure your field:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>By default, submissions are sent to the email address associated with your WordPress admin account. You can change this by selecting the <strong>Mail</strong> tab. You can also customize the text included in Contact Form 7’s messages.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>When you’re happy with your form, click on <strong>Save</strong>. Then, copy the provided shortcode and navigate to the page or post where you want to embed this form. Here, insert a new Shortcode block.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Paste the embed code into the <strong>Shortcode</strong> block. Your custom user registration form should now appear on your website.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to protect your WordPress registration forms</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Malicious third parties often try to exploit user registration forms. In fact, <a href=\"https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/11/07/cybercriminals-testing-exposed-credentials/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one in five account registrations</a> is fraudulent. If hackers create an account on your site, they might use it to launch more sophisticated attacks or even flood your website with spam. With this danger in mind, securing your registration against attackers is essential.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1. Use an anti-spam tool</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/\">Akismet</a> works in the background, so it doesn’t interrupt the user experience or require any complicated setup. If you’re using a contact form plugin for your registration form — <a href=\"https://contactform7.com/spam-filtering-with-akismet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">like Contact Form 7</a> — Akismet can run submissions against a global database of known spam. That means that you won’t have to deal with spammers and hackers on your forms; Akismet will take care of everything for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>2. Change your form URL</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your form is located at an obvious URL, you may want to consider moving it. This new location makes it more difficult for hackers to find your form with automated bots.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can modify the default WordPress user registration form URL with a plugin like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wps-hide-login/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WPS Hide Login</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>3. Set up automated email authentication</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you only expect a small number of registrations, your admin may be able to review each submission manually. Still, this isn&#8217;t feasible for all websites.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive many submissions, performing automated email authentication using a plugin like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/user-verification/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">User Verification</a> may make more sense. This tool enables you to respond to incoming registrations by sending verification emails to the addresses associated with those submissions. Users can then confirm their identities by clicking on authentication links.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>4. Use a honeypot or CAPTCHA</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another option is protecting your form with a honeypot verification field or a <a href=\"https://blog.akismet.com/2021/12/23/do-captcha-and-recaptcha-protect-wordpress-sites-from-bots/\">CAPTCHA/reCAPTCHA</a>, using a plugin like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-captcha/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reCaptcha by BestWebSoft</a>. These tools are specifically designed to stop bots in their tracks.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>5. Limit access based on location</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your website has strong ties to a particular location, you might even restrict access based on the user’s geographical area, using <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ip2location-redirection/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IP2Location Redirection</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these techniques can help to keep your registration form safe. Still, you can also benefit from having a <a href=\"https://akismet.com/\">professional spam detection plugin</a> in your corner.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>6. Prevent brute force attacks</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Brute force attacks occur when hackers use bots to try thousands of username and password combinations until they gain access to your website. Once a hacker gets into your site, they can use it for whatever malicious purpose they have in mind.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To protect your registration forms, you’ll want to enable <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/features/security/brute-force-attack-protection/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brute force attack prevention</a> with a plugin like Jetpack. It automatically blocks malicious actors before they even reach your site, and keeps hackers from gaining access or slowing things down due to repeated login attempts.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Drive conversions with WordPress user registration forms&nbsp;</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting people to your site is no easy task, but convincing them to stay can be even more difficult. By offering user registrations, you boost your chances of transforming one-time visitors into loyal, repeat members.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let’s quickly recap four ways to create a WordPress user registration form:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Use the built-in WordPress user registration form.</li><li>Write custom code.</li><li>Embed a <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Form</a>.</li><li>Use the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact Form 7</a> plugin.&nbsp;</li></ol>\n\n\n\n<p>With one of these methods, you should have no problem making a quick, convenient, and high-converting registration form. This feature then opens up a world of possibilities, including email marketing, retargeting campaigns, and personalized advertising.&nbsp;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 18 Mar 2022 15:21:59 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Simon Keating\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"Post Status: Post Status Notes #490\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94564\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:45:\"https://poststatus.com/post-status-notes-490/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12972:\"<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Newfold acquires YITH, Hostopia. Wordfence stops FastOrSlow.com. DigitalOcean acquires CSS-tricks. Tips and tricks for WordPress devs.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><strong>Courtney</strong> has <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/this-week-at-wordpress-org-march-14-2022/\">the week\'s news from the people making WordPress</a> at .org. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3d7.png\" alt=\"🏗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Check out <strong>David</strong>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-podcast-and-video-picks-for-the-week-of-march-14/\">podcast and video picks</a> for the week. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Have you found greater <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/the-misanthropic-dev-a-tonic-for-toxic-positivity/\">benefits or costs from being assertive in your workplace</a>? <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/270b.png\" alt=\"✋\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Would WordPress benefit from <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/would-wordpress-benefit-from-public-relations-messaging-around-security-issues/\">public relations messaging around security issues</a>? <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f914.png\" alt=\"🤔\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Tell us what you think! We want to hear your take.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_18c045-63 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_18c045-63\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"joost-exploring\">Joost Exploring Projects Beyond Yoast</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joost de Valk</strong> <a href=\"https://joost.blog/new-role-at-yoast/\">is transitioning to a different role</a> at <strong>Yoast</strong>. He says he is &#8220;spreading his wings&#8221; in anticipation of pursuing other dreams &#8220;outside of Yoast.&#8221; He states he\'s not leaving <strong>Yoast</strong> but possibly devoting attention to other companies he\'s invested in:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>My ambitions outside of Yoast were my main personal reason for <a href=\"https://joost.blog/yoast-joins-newfold/\">selling Yoast</a>. I really was getting bored. After our sale to Newfold, Yoast is running rather smoothly without me interfering on a daily basis.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_537dfc-c6 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_537dfc-c6\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"newfold-acquires\">Newfold Acquires YITH and Australian Hostopia</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, <strong>Newfold Digital</strong> <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/the-woo-snippet-this-week-in-woocommerce-march-14/\">announced it has acquired <strong>YITH</strong> and their team</a>. YITH bills itself as the &#8220;#1 Independent Seller of <strong>WooCommerce Plugins</strong>.&#8221; It is the biggest WooCommerce marketplace alternative and competitor to <strong>WooCommerce.com</strong>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, Newfold expanded its portfolio by acquiring <a href=\"https://hostopia.com.au/\">Hostopia Australia</a> for <a href=\"https://tcbmag.com/deluxe-to-sell-australia-operations-to-newfold-digital-for-23m/\">$23 Million</a> (USD). Hostopia was founded in 1999 and acquired by <strong><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluxe_Corporation\">Deluxe</a></strong> in 2008; <a href=\"https://www.crn.com.au/news/australian-hosting-provider-digital-pacific-acquired-by-hostopia-for-52-million-470804\">it acquired another Australian host</a>, <strong>Digital Pacific</strong>, for $52 Million (USD) in 2017. (Digital Pacific was itself a consolidator of other regional hosting companies.) Only the Australian arm of Hostopia is being acquired by Newfold.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hostopia\'s website describes it as &#8220;delivering a white-label platform for Deluxe\'s suite of small business solutions.&#8221; Deluxe (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Stock_Exchange\">NYSE</a>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.nyse.com/quote/XNYS:DLX\">DLX</a>) is a US-based publicly-traded international company focused on small business needs. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Deluxe dates back to the origins of the personal checkbook and adapted in the digital era to payment processing and fintech. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\">There have been <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/acquisitions/\">nine acquisitions in 2022</a> within the WordPress space to date.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_ccf749-3c .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_ccf749-3c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"digitalocean-acquires\">DigitalOcean Acquires CSS-Tricks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a bit of a surprise: <strong>CSS-Tricks</strong> <a href=\"https://css-tricks.com/css-tricks-is-joining-digitalocean/\">is being acquired</a> by <strong>DigitalOcean</strong>. CSS-Tricks (currently running on WordPress) has been a popular source of CSS (and at times WordPress) information for 15 years. Founder <strong>Chris Coyier</strong> said he &#8220;will be working with the DigitalOcean team as an advisor as we transition CSS-Tricks to DigitalOcean’s management,&#8221; but then he will &#8220;step back to focus on my other projects.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6244e47bc0f64 wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Maybe it\'s not so surprising. This week, I received an email from Digital Ocean announcing, &#8220;<a href=\"https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/why-is-my-account-now-a-team/\">Your personal account is now a team</a>.&#8221; (Teams are a relatively new feature for collaboration at Digital Ocean that\'s included with all new accounts — and now apparently all old accounts.) Digital Ocean is emphasizing its value for agencies, freelancers, and solo developers. As Digital Ocean CEO <strong>Yancey Spruill</strong> says in <a href=\"https://www.digitalocean.com/blog/css-tricks-joins-digitalocean\">his blog post about the CSS-Tricks acquisition</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-small-font-size\"><p>&#8220;CSS-Tricks will broaden and complement our existing library of content, furthering DigitalOcean’s reach with both frontend and full-stack developers, and supports our community strategy, a key differentiator for DigitalOcean in the cloud computing space.&#8221;</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong>— Dan Knauss</strong></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_38915f-90 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_38915f-90\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"fast-slow-and-stop\">Fast, Slow, and Stop</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mark Maunder</strong>, Founder & CEO of <strong>Wordfence</strong>, recently informed <a href=\"http://fastorslow.com\">FastOrSlow.com</a> users the service is shutting down on March 31st. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a lesser-known Wordfence property, Mark noted, &#8220;<strong>FastOrSlow</strong> never really gained much traction as a product&#8230; the total number of users we gained was just over 7,000&#8230; it isn\'t showing growth, and it is a burden on our operations team to operate. It\'s also outside our core business, which is cybersecurity.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6244e47bc1284 wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This is a shame. FastOrSlow developed into quite a beautifully designed and useful service I\'ve certainly taken for granted. I\'m not sure I even knew it belonged to WordFence. Rather than shut it down, I wonder if someone else might be interested in acquiring it?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong>— Dan Knauss</strong></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_435457-b8 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_435457-b8\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"how-page-experience-ranking-works\">How Page Experience Ranking Works</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If SEO is important to you, then check out <strong>Search Engine Journal</strong>&#8216;s <strong>Roger Montti</strong> summarizing the key details in a talk with <strong>Google</strong>&#8216;s Search Advocate, <strong>John Mueller</strong>: &#8220;<a href=\"https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-page-experience-ranking-factors-work/441622/\">How Page Experience Ranking Factors Actually Work</a>.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mueller addresses <strong>Core Web Vitals</strong> and says their &#8220;ranking signal might account for small changes, but it’s not the kind of signal that would result in a huge change&#8221; in a site\'s position in search results.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6244e47bc1573 wp-block-group has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Also good to know and a bit of a mythbuster: Mueller explains in the Q&A; part of his talk that <code>alt</code> text only impacts SEO for Google Image Search.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong>— Dan Knauss</strong></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_23dfb8-ea .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_23dfb8-ea\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"registering-a-custom-font\">Registering a Custom Font in the WordPress Editor for Block or Classic Themes </h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Geoff Graham</strong> demonstrates <a href=\"https://geoffgraham.me/adding-custom-fonts-to-the-wordpress-site-editor-ui/\">two ways to register a custom font</a> with the WordPress editor: the &#8220;future friendly&#8221; <code>theme.json</code> way and a PHP alternative for those working in classic themes.</p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_bff7db-6e .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_bff7db-6e\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"dont-peev-on-me\">Don\'t Peeve the Plugin Team: A Guide to Successful Plugin Submission at WordPress.org</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\'re a plugin developer or aiming to be one, then you might enjoy <strong>Ronald Huereca</strong>&#8216;s new guide through a series of workflows and <a href=\"https://mediaron.com/tips-tricks-for-wp-plugin-authors/\">tips for a successful plugin submission</a> to the wordpress.org plugin repo. An example:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>WordPress “hosts” your plugin. It isn’t a dev environment.</p><p>Excessive plugin commits will peeve the plugin review team. Do your development somewhere else.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_4b0634-c2 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_4b0634-c2\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"pipe-viewer\">This is not a pipe, it\'s Pipe Viewer</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tom McFarlin</strong> shares how developers can use <strong>Pipe Viewer</strong> to <a href=\"https://tommcfarlin.com/pipe-viewer-for-large-migrations/\">see what\'s happening between two applications</a>. His use case is a database migration. If you are importing the contents of a very large SQL file into <strong>MySQL</strong>, then you want to know its progress as the import is happening. Pipe Viewer can do that. </p>\n\n\n.kt-block-spacer-_a3cc97-d8 .kt-divider{width:80%;}\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_a3cc97-d8\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"just-cargo-cult\">Just Cargo Cult and Paste </h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mitchell Hashimoto</strong>, the founder of <strong>HashiCorp</strong> and creator of <strong>Vagrant</strong>, <a href=\"https://mitchellh.com/writing/contributing-to-complex-projects\">writes and shares</a> his processes for learning and contributing to complex software projects: &#8220;The first step to understanding the internals of any project is to become a user of the project.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, you need to learn how to build the project, and you don\'t have to know a great deal about it: &#8220;Don’t bother with <em>understanding</em> the build system, the dependencies, etc. Just cargo cult guides, websites, whatever you need to reliably and repeatedly go from source code to runnable binary on your system.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 18 Mar 2022 04:24:36 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"Post Status: Would WordPress benefit from public relations messaging around security issues?\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94729\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"https://poststatus.com/would-wordpress-benefit-from-public-relations-messaging-around-security-issues/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1737:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">After looking at the latest <a href=\"https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/the-state-of-wordpress-security-in-2021/\">WordPress security report</a> from <strong>Patchstack</strong>, <strong>Rob Howard</strong> <a href=\"https://masterwp.com/is-wordpress-security-getting-better-or-worse/\">challenges some of its numbers</a>. He believes core WordPress is more secure than the report indicates. He notes a significant overlooked statistic: &#8220;core WordPress vulnerabilities went from 22 in 2020 to just one in 2021.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rob also thinks open-source transparency about bugs and security issues &#8220;puts us at a bit of a public-relations disadvantage&#8221; that ought to be counteracted with positive messaging. No one outside of <strong>Shopify</strong> and <strong>Squarespace</strong> knows how many security issues those platforms had in any given year. That may be a competitive advantage in marketing. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\'t a bad idea:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#8220;It would benefit everyone if we could figure out a better public-relations solution to these announcements. When writers use only raw numbers (millions!) or low-context statistics (150%!), it degrades the WordPress brand for no good reason&#8230; we [also] need WordPress security messaging that <em>doesn’t</em> come from people who sell WordPress security software.&#8221;</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Not a bad idea at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\">What do you think — should we spin up the bright side of WordPress security issues? Would it make a difference that matters to market share, brand reputation, the WordPress community and ecosystem, or&#8230;?</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 18 Mar 2022 03:31:41 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"WPTavern: How To Build a Recipe Card via the WordPress Block Editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131630\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://wptavern.com/how-to-build-a-recipe-card-via-the-wordpress-block-editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9277:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Last summer, I was on a pattern-creating bender. In two months, I had designed just shy of 100 block patterns. Outside of work and necessary household duties, I spent every waking moment building things with the block editor for fun. I had complete creative freedom, no need to roll out a commercial product, and no one to please but myself.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an artist, I was living the dream. There was no pressure to do anything other than create whatever came to mind. Of course, I crashed after a while. The real world always catches up, but I built some neat patterns over the summer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was about a three-day stretch in mid-June where I focused solely on patterns for food bloggers and recipe sites. I distinctly remember my sister, who stayed over for the week, asking why I was on the computer instead of watching the movie on TV.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I angled my laptop in her direction and said, &#8220;Look at this. I&#8217;m building a way for food bloggers to insert recipe cards in their posts. You know, like that card you see after scrolling through 2,000+ words of someone&#8217;s life story when you&#8217;re just trying to find a recipe? Pretty cool, right?&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That may not be an exact quote, but it is close enough &#8212; <em>this is my story, so I will tell it like I remember</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had one of those pivotal moments during this stretch of building food-blogger patterns. <em>If I can do this now, eventually, designers will be able to create and bundle any layout with themes, and users can insert them at the click of a button</em>, I thought.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was already on board the block bandwagon at that point. However, there are always those moments where things seem to come together. The lightbulb clicks on. The stars align. Whatever you want to call it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, only a few patterns from the <em>Summer of &#8217;21</em> have seen anything beyond a folder on some obscure GitHub repository. For today&#8217;s entry into the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/category/building-with-blocks\">Building with Blocks</a> series, I pulled one out to share. It also provided an opportunity to rebuild it from scratch with newer block design tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Building a Recipe Card</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For this Building with Blocks tutorial, I will walk you through each step for creating a simple recipe card. I recommend activating the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/twentytwentytwo/\">Twenty Twenty-Two</a> theme for the same results. However, I intentionally only used black and white for the text, background, and border colors so that it transfers across as many themes as possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When finished, your recipe card should look similar to the following:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>While I encourage trying out each step for yourself, feel free to <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/justintadlock/2948ca4470b5e2fe1ba70b9e999e91d2\">copy the pattern HTML from Gist</a> and paste it directly into the editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final step of this walkthrough requires the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/social-sharing-block/\">Social Sharing Block</a> plugin by Nick Diego. If you prefer to stick with the core WordPress blocks, you can omit the last section.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 1: Card Group</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Group block with border.\n\n\n\n<p>Let us kick this walkthrough off with something simple. There is no need to complicate matters this early.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open a new post or page in your WordPress admin and add a Group block. In the block options panel on the right, look for the &#8220;Dimensions&#8221; section and set the &#8220;Block spacing&#8221; option to <code>0</code>. This is necessary to get the card design we are after. Then, add a border of your choosing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> you can add a background color for the entire card during this step. However, if you do, WordPress will add some default padding. So, you will also need to set the &#8220;Padding&#8221; option to <code>0</code>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 2: Card Image Header</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Image block for card header.\n\n\n\n<p>This is the first moment where you can really make a decision about your card. The two most obvious choices for a recipe card image are the Image and Cover blocks. I chose an Image and placed it into the Group block from Step #1.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The veggie pizza image is by <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/author/jenniferbourn/\">Jennifer Bourn</a> and is <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/99661f0787/\">available in the WordPress Photo directory</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you decide to add a Cover block, you can add the recipe title and description from Step #4 inside of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 3: Card Content Group</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Group block with padding after Image block.\n\n\n\n<p>Let us continue keeping things simple for now. We need to group the &#8220;contents&#8221; of the recipe card together. Again, add a new Group block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only change you need for this block is to add some space around it. In the block options panel in the sidebar, set the &#8220;Padding&#8221; option to <code>2rem</code> or your preferred value.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 4: Card Title and Description</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Heading and Paragraph blocks.\n\n\n\n<p>Inside the Group block from Step #3, insert a Heading block. Use this for the title of your dish. Then, insert a Paragraph immediately after for a description.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is more of a free-form step, so go crazy with as much or as little detail as you want to add.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 5: Card Meta</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Row block for recipe meta.\n\n\n\n<p>Thus far, everything should have been relatively straightforward. The previous four steps did not do anything complicated with the layout. This about to change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to create a four-column section showing cooking times and other recipe metadata for this step. The best solution in WordPress for this is the Row block. If you want, you can try it with Columns. Both experiences can feel a bit <em>janky</em> in small spaces.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add a new Row block inside the Group block you have been working in. I selected the &#8220;Space between items&#8221; option for the &#8220;Justification&#8221; control. This makes sure that everything is evenly spaced, but the choice is yours.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, click the &#8220;+&#8221; icon in the Row and add a Paragraph block inside it. For my first Paragraph block, I added the text &#8220;Prep Time&#8221; first. Then, I hit <code>Shift</code> + <code>Enter</code> on my keyboard to create a line break and added &#8220;2 Hours.&#8221; For fun, I popped in an emoji.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trick to making the rest of this easy is to get the first Paragraph block styled just like you want, duplicate it three times, and customize the text.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 6: Card Ingredients and Directions</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting Heading + List blocks for recipe ingredients and directions.\n\n\n\n<p>The hard part is out of the way. I promise. This next step is as simple as adding  Heading and List blocks for an Ingredients section and doing the same for a Directions section. These should still be placed in the same Group that the previous blocks were in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the Heading blocks, I set the level to <code>H3</code>. The only other settings change I made was to select the &#8220;Convert to ordered list&#8221; button in the toolbar for the list under Directions.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Step 7: Card Social Sharing</h3>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting a new Group and Social Sharing icons.\n\n\n\n<p>You cannot have a modern recipe card without a social section, <em>right?</em> You will need the Social Sharing Block plugin installed for this. Or, you can stop now with your completed card.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this section, insert a new Group after (not inside) the Group used to house the recipe content. Change the text color to white and add a dark background color. You can also tinker with the padding (I set it to <code>2rem</code>) or use a Spacer block if you want extra breathing room.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the &#8220;Like This Recipe?&#8221; text, add a Heading block with the <code>H3</code> level. Then, insert the Social Sharing block below it. Feel free to play with the design. I used centered justification and enabled the &#8220;Show labels&#8221; option.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is a wrap!</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Notes and Other Thoughts</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I wanted to use core WordPress blocks for everything in this recipe card. The social sharing section was the obvious roadblock, so I needed to rely on a third-party plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to many modern recipe cards that I have seen around the web, this solution still lacks two features:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Task-style checkboxes or radio inputs for crossing out ingredients or steps.</li><li>A &#8220;print this recipe&#8221; button.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For the task list, the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/todo-block/\">Todo Block plugin</a> by David Towoju works as a great alternative to the List block. It is lightweight and will allow site visitors to cross out items as they work through the recipe.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a print button, I do not have a recommended solution. It would not be particularly tough to do via code, and I would love to see a theme author take this pattern idea and run with it.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 18 Mar 2022 03:28:51 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"WPTavern: Newfold Digital Acquires YITH to Expand WooCommerce Expertise\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131606\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://wptavern.com/newfold-digital-acquires-yith-to-expand-woocommerce-expertise\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2669:\"<p>Newfold Digital, the parent company of Bluehost, Yoast, and Web.com, has <a href=\"https://newfold.com/newsroom/clearlake-and-siris-backed-newfold-digital-expands-e-commerce-so\">acquired YITH</a>, a WordPress plugin company with more than 100 WooCommerce extensions. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>YITH&#8217;s has more than 2.3 million active installs across its suite of products. The company hosts 31 plugins on WordPress.org, many that are lite versions with commercial upgrades. YITH&#8217;s most popular product, the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/yith-woocommerce-wishlist/\">YITH WooCommerce Wishlist</a> plugin, is active on more than 900,000 WooCommerce sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>YITH founder and CEO Nando Pappalardo said he started this endeavor in 2011, in a small apartment in Southern Italy. The project later became YITH, a company that has grown to employ 46 people. All YITH employees, including its leadership team, will join Newfold Digital as part of the acquisition.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The acquisitions of YITH and Yoast last year are a part of a long-term strategy to provide the best solutions to our WordPress customers and further our expertise,&#8221; Newfold Digital President Ed Jay said. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As a company providing WordPress solutions, we’re always looking for opportunities to create better customer experiences to help our customers succeed. YITH will allow us to offer a world-class WooCommerce experience and make it easier for our 7 million small business customers to thrive online, similar to how Yoast helped with SEO.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The YITH team currently maintains nearly 150 plugins, with a much smaller number available on WordPress.org. Jay said that Newfold Digital plans to work with YITH to &#8220;expand the plugins available in the directory to reach more online sellers.&#8221; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pappalardo confirmed that YITH will remain an independent brand, while improving its products and developing new e-commerce business solutions at Newfold Digital. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The only difference is that now we will have the strength and drive of a partner that will allow us to break through,&#8221; Pappalardo said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We have hundreds more [plugins] on the idea board. Our solutions will still be available on our website and through WordPress.org. There are no plans to remove our free products from WordPress.org or change our current support for them. Existing customers will continue to be able to use YITH products as they do today. Additionally, our team will be exploring new solutions for our customers but also finding ways to introduce YITH products at the beginning of the website process.&#8221;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 17 Mar 2022 22:10:47 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"Post Status: WordPress Podcast and Video Picks for the Week of March 14\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=94566\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-podcast-and-video-picks-for-the-week-of-march-14/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2316:\"<h2 id=\"h-my-podcast-picks\">My Podcast Picks</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Do the Woo:</strong> <strong>Robbie Adair</strong> sits down with <strong>Courtney Robertson</strong> to talk about <strong><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn.WordPress</a></strong> and <a href=\"https://dothewoo.io/learn-wordpress-woocommerce/\">how it can help you be a better <strong>WooCommerce</strong> builder</a>.</li><li><strong>WP Review:</strong> Joe shares his summary and thoughts from <strong>Patchstack</strong>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://wpreview.io/state-of-wordpress-security-in-2021/\">2021 WordPress Security Report</a>.</li><li><strong>Matt Report:</strong> <strong>Mayank Gupta</strong> talks about <a href=\"https://mattreport.com/hiring-a-wordpress-team/\">his strategy for growing a WordPress team</a>.</li><li><strong>WP Tavern Jukebox</strong>: <strong>Leonardo Losoviz</strong> on the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/18-leonardo-losoviz-on-the-block-protocols-efforts-to-make-blocks-work-universally\">Block Protocol</a>.</li><li><strong>Decoder</strong>: I greatly enjoyed<a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/authors/nilay-patel\"> Nilay Patel</a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/15/22977857/wordpress-tumblr-simplenote-internet-automattic-matt-mullenweg-interview\">interview</a> of <strong>Matt Mullenweg</strong>. They cover how <strong>Automattic</strong> is structured, <strong>Web3</strong>, and little more about how <strong>Tumblr</strong> operates and moderates content. It\'s one of the better recent interviews of Matt and worth a listen.</li><li><strong>The Tim Ferriss Show</strong>: This is another good recent talk with Matt, <a href=\"https://tim.blog/2022/03/09/matt-mullenweg-antarctica/\">this time with <strong>Tim Ferriss</strong></a> — in Antarctica! This one is a bit different — more personal. Why Matt doesn\'t curse, why he likely won\'t have children, and what Matt has found most helpful for enduring the grieving process since his father passed away. </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-videos-of-the-week\">Videos of the Week</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><strong>Scott Moore</strong></strong> explores the recently released beta of the WordPress core <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UAavWZDFCI\">Performance feature plugin</a>.</li></ul>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 17 Mar 2022 17:25:17 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"David Bisset\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:23:\"Matt: Decoder Interview\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:22:\"https://ma.tt/?p=55716\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"https://ma.tt/2022/03/decoder-interview/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:711:\"<p>In a podcast interview they&#8217;ve titled <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/15/22977857/wordpress-tumblr-simplenote-internet-automattic-matt-mullenweg-interview\">How WordPress and Tumblr Are Keeping the Internet Weird</a> (<a href=\"https://pca.st/eiqvxhqc\">listen on audio here</a>), I spoke with Nilay Patel on economics of abundance vs scarcity, <a href=\"https://srbachchan.tumblr.com/\">Amitabh Bachchan</a>, the future of Tumblr and adult content, Gutenberg, Promethean app design, web3, NFTs, and more. A nice follow-up to <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20804894/tumblr-acquisition-matt-mullenweg-ceo-automattic-wordpress-verizon-changes-vergecast\">our conversation in 2019</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 17 Mar 2022 08:31:28 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:113:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 12.8 Launches the Web Fonts API, Improves Group Nesting, and Adds Keyboard Shortcut for Links\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=131550\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:122:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-8-launches-the-web-fonts-api-improves-group-nesting-and-adds-keyboard-shortcut-for-links\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8802:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Gutenberg 12.8 landed in the WordPress plugin directory earlier today. I have been tinkering with many of the features as they were committed over the last couple of weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some things that I am excited about. The Web Fonts API is something I have patiently waited months for, but the ability to quickly nest Group blocks within other Groups has earned a spot in my most-loved enhancements list.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new keyboard shortcut for auto-completing links is now available. Users should also enjoy cleaner loading states for the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39275\">Media &amp; Text</a> and <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/38907\">Navigation</a> blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Web Fonts API</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Testing various web fonts.\n\n\n\n<p>The long-awaited <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/37140\">Web Fonts API</a> is in the Gutenberg plugin. The <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/proposed-web-fonts-api-not-coming-to-wordpress-5-9-possibly-landing-in-gutenberg-first\">road was long and bumpy</a> getting here, but it feels good to arrive at the destination.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors can now bundle font files with their themes and register them via <code>theme.json</code> or the <code>wp_register_webfonts()</code> function.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The downside is that the implementation only supports locally-hosted fonts. In the long term, this will create large theme ZIP packages as developers begin to ship global style variations, each with its own fonts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ari Stathopoulos, who has put months of work into the API, also has a patch that would <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39350\">integrate with Google Fonts</a>. The enhancement would solve the GDPR and related privacy issues because the font files would be downloaded from Google and loaded from the server. However, the feature seems to be a non-starter based on a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/36394#issuecomment-981970167\">comment from a lead developer</a> in a previous discussion.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent comment on my <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-web-fonts-api-has-arrived\">earlier coverage of the Web Fonts API</a>, Stathopoulos <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-web-fonts-api-has-arrived#comment-418942\">said the following</a> about his hopes for Google Fonts integration:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>For better or worse I don’t expect it will be merged, but it will be enough to start a discussion and eventually find a solution to all the issues that come with the use of 3rd-party webfont providers.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It is too early to see how the lack of a Google Fonts provider will play out with theme authors. However, I expect many will build a custom provider implementation or not use the new API at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Grouping Groups</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Putting a Group in a Group in a Group.\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever created a Group block, worked on a few things, and later realized you needed to wrap the original Group within another Group? Then, did you have to work through a complicated series of tasks of copying your current blocks and pasting them into an entirely new Group?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I feel your pain.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/39062\">no longer the agonizing process</a> it once was. If not for the new Web Fonts API, this would be the highlight of the release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the toolbar Options dropdown (vertical ellipsis), users should see a Group option when another Group is selected. Nesting them has never been easier than clicking that button.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Shortcut for Adding Inline Links</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Inline link inserter.\n\n\n\n<p>The latest update adds an <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/29172\">inline shortcut for links</a> by typing <code>[[</code> in a Rich Text area, such as a Paragraph block. This should be a welcome feature for users who like to insert links while writing but do not want their hands to leave the keyboard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first, I thought this feature was not working. The inserter did not appear as swiftly as expected, so I hit the spacebar on my keyboard, thinking I needed to trigger it somehow. However, that did not work. Essentially, it was slow for me, which may have been my computer or connection.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typing <code>[[</code> followed by some other characters seems to work the best. For example, if I am looking for the <em>What a Wonderful Day</em> post, I just start typing the post name: <code>[[what a...</code>. The link inserter appears by the time I am a few characters in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would love to see more of a Markdown-style auto-completer for links. Typing <code>[some text]</code> should trigger the link inserter. The <code>[[</code> syntax feels odd at the moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Either way, it is not something I would use in my workflow. I tend to get all the text in place and add links during the editing phase. The editor already makes it easy for my workflow by allowing me to highlight any text and paste a URL.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Core Blocks Shown First in Global Styles</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Block sorted in the global styles panel.\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg will now <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/39093\">show the core blocks first</a> in the global styles panel in the site editor. Those from plugins get pushed to the bottom of the pile.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This does not help much when looking for a single block among the dozens listed. Alphabetizing them would help, but it could also push oft-used blocks like Paragraph down the list. The sidebar has limited space, but I would like to see blocks grouped by their categories here.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Building Themes from the Site Editor…<em>almost</em></h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Exporting a customized Twenty Twenty-Two theme.\n\n\n\n<p>The latest release brings us one step closer to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/39189\">creating themes entirely</a> from the WordPress site editor. I <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-dream-of-exporting-wordpress-block-themes-from-the-site-editor-is-close-to-reality\">covered this feature</a> in more depth earlier this week.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users could download a ZIP file of their templates and parts from the editor in earlier releases. The new export includes the <code>theme.json</code>, <code>style.css</code>, and <code>index.php</code> files from the theme. The <code>theme.json</code> file also adds user customizations from the global styles panel.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technically, the export could be an entire theme (minus the screenshot) if it do