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+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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"Matt: EmDash 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terraform the web has some variation of &#8220;Matthew&#8221; in their name? I was in a call set up by Matthew Prince, talking to Matt Taylor and Matt Kane, with my right hand there, <a href=\"https://matiasventura.com/\">Matías</a>.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, I&#8217;m going to tell you why this isn&#8217;t spiritually tied to WordPress at all, then why they haven&#8217;t solved plugin security, and finally offer some suggestions.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Spirit of WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress exists to democratize publishing. That means we put it <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/wordpress-everywhere/\">everywhere</a>. You can run WordPress on a Raspberry Pi, on your phone, on your desktop, on a random web host in Indonesia charging 99 cents a month, and you can run it scaled up on AWS or across multiple datacenters. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same code. When you download <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/playground/\">WordPress Playground</a> you&#8217;re running the same code that&#8217;s being attacked a thousand times a second at <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/\">WhiteHouse.gov</a>. That&#8217;s what we mean when we say <em>democratization</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s all built on open source and web standards. You can run it anywhere; there&#8217;s no lock-in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s why we do what we do. It&#8217;s really hard. You can come after our users, but please don&#8217;t claim to be our spiritual successor without understanding our spirit.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Spirit of EmDash</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think EmDash was created to sell more Cloudflare services. And that&#8217;s okay! It can kinda run on Netlify or Vercel, but good stuff works best on Cloudflare. This is where I&#8217;m going to stop and say, I really like Cloudflare! I think they&#8217;re one of the top engineering organizations on the planet; they run incredible infrastructure, and their public stock is one of the few I own. And I love that this is open source! That&#8217;s more important than anything. I will never belittle a fellow open source CMS; I only hate the proprietary ones.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to adopt a CMS that will work seamlessly with Cloudflare and make it hard for you to ever switch vendors, EmDash is an incredible choice.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Claimed Plugin Security</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another example of them not understanding the spirit of WordPress, the fact that plugins can change every aspect of your WordPress experience is a feature, not a bug! And their sandboxing breaks down as soon as you look at what most WordPress plugins do. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know we get a bad rep because there are 62k plugins with wildly variable engineering quality, and more every day, and when one installed on 0.01% of our user base has a vulnerability, a bunch of websites write breathless articles that get clicks saying &#8220;122,000 WordPress Sites Vulnerable!&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That, by the way, I think we&#8217;ll be able to fix in the next 18 months with AI. The plugin security <strong>only</strong> works on Cloudflare.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Critical Feedback</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I said, we had a call with Cloudflare on March 23rd, where they asked for feedback on this thing they built but didn&#8217;t tell us the name, said it would probably launch in their developer week towards the end of April, and some top colleagues and I offered to help. I wish I could say the things I&#8217;m saying in this blog post on that call, and if they had just shared the announcement post I could have, but in the spirit of open source here&#8217;s what I would have said:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If they had said the name I would have asked if they had any other options because I have an <a href=\"https://emdash.codes/\">amazing colleague named Emdash</a> who is doing some of the most exciting stuff with WordPress and AI. (BTW I think our Em will have more impact on the web than this in five years.)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I actually think the product is very solid, there&#8217;s some excellent engineering, migration tools, it&#8217;s very fast, and the Astro integration is nice.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I&#8217;d be surprised if this doesn&#8217;t get tens of thousands of sites on it.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The UI is in the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley\">uncanny valley</a> of being sorta-WordPress sorta-not. I know it wasn&#8217;t a weekend vibecode project, but it has some of that smell. Stuff breaks at the edges.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I think using TinyMCE is a regression, and they should adopt <a href=\"https://github.com/wordpress/gutenberg\">Gutenberg</a>, which we licensed and created to be used by other CMSes. (Correction: They use <a href=\"https://www.portabletext.org/\">Portable Text</a> not TinyMCE, but same UI criticism applies.)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash/tree/main/skills\">The Skills are amazing</a>, a brilliant strategy, and we need to do the same as soon as possible. I&#8217;ve been working on something similar and got some good ideas from their implementation.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I&#8217;m not going to say which parts, but they copied a lot of things we&#8217;re planning to kill. Build from first principles. Make it better. Skate to where the puck is going.</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a new CMS every other day. And that&#8217;s great! I love building CMSes and I totally get why other people do, too.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In Conclusion</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some day, there may be a spiritual successor to WordPress that is even more open. When that happens, I hope we learn from it and grow together. [removed &#8220;out of your mouth&#8221; sentence, too spicy for Western palates.] I&#8217;ve mostly focused on this post on just the software, but WordPress is also so much about the community — the meetups, the WordCamps, the art, the college programs, the tattoos, the books&#8230; The closest thing I&#8217;ve seen to a spiritual successor isn&#8217;t another CMS, it&#8217;s been <a href=\"https://openclaw.ai/\">OpenClaw</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Thanks to colleague <a href=\"https://bt.hn/\">Batuhan İçöz</a> for helping review this.</em></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, 03 Apr 2026 01:32:27 +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:5;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"WordPress.org blog: From AI to Open Source at WordCamp Asia 2026\";s: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=20341\";s: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:56:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/04/wcasia-2026-sessions/\";s: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:10931:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>April 9-11, 2026 | Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, India</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordCamp Asia 2026 brings the WordPress community to Mumbai, India, from April 9 to 11, with a schedule shaped around artificial intelligence, enterprise WordPress, developer workflows, product strategy, and open source collaboration. For attendees planning their time, the program offers a useful view of the ideas, tools, and practical challenges shaping WordPress today.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-82d461e8 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/event-pass/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get Your Event Pass</a></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/schedule/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WC Asia Schedule</a></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">About WordCamp Asia</a></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19211\" height=\"683\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2025/10/20250220-DSC_1853-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keynotes to Set the Stage</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The keynote sessions at WordCamp Asia 2026 help frame some of the biggest conversations at this year’s event.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20366\" height=\"1076\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-02-at-11.31.10-am.png?resize=1078%2C1076&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"1078\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/matt-mullenweg/\">Ma.tt Mullenweg</a>, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, is expected to speak about the future of the open web and the ever-evolving role that WordPress plays.</figcaption></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20346\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-11.47.01-am.png?resize=984%2C986&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"984\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/mary-hubbard/\">Mary Hubbard</a>, Executive Director of WordPress, will also join a fireside chat moderated by <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/shilpa-shah/\">Shilpa Shah</a>, focusing on leadership, education initiatives, artificial intelligence, and community growth.</figcaption></figure>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, they offer an early view of the themes and discussions unfolding across WordPress in 2026.<br /></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI, Automation, and the Future of WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artificial intelligence is one of the clearest threads running through the program. Sessions from <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/fellyph-cintra/\">Fellyph Cintra</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/fumiki-takahashi/\">Fumiki Takahashi</a>, and <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/nirav-mehta/\">Nirav Mehta</a> examine how AI is already influencing WordPress through Core discussions, testing workflows, plugin development, and day-to-day implementation. That same theme continues in sessions on marketing and content strategy, including <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/adeline-dahal/\">Adeline Dahal’s</a> work on structuring WordPress content to make it more machine-readable. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This cross-section of presentations shows how automation is moving from concept to practice. From autonomous testing with WordPress Playground to AI-supported development workflows, these sessions highlight applicable tools and skills that teams can start using right away, not just concepts. For attendees interested in where WordPress is heading, this is one of the strongest themes across the event.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Enterprise WordPress and Scalability</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enterprise sessions take that discussion further by focusing on scale, architecture, and operational complexity. <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/rahul-bansal/\">Rahul Bansal</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/james-giroux/\">James Giroux</a>, Anirban Mukherji, and Abid Murshed are among the speakers exploring how WordPress supports larger organizations, more complex commerce systems, and demanding digital environments. Their sessions look at growth, implementation, and the kinds of decisions that matter when WordPress is supporting business-critical work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other talks in this track focus on the realities of enterprise operations, including migration risk, observability, and long-term performance. Together, they show how WordPress continues to adapt to larger systems and more complex digital ecosystems without losing the flexibility that makes it widely used in the first place.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Developer Experience and Modern Practices</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The developer track stays grounded in both Core tools and everyday engineering practice. <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/ryan-welcher/\">Ryan Welcher</a> will cover the Interactivity API, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/jonathan-desrosiers/\">Jonathan Desrosiers</a> will look at automation in open source, and <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/takayuki-miyoshi/\">Takayuki Miyoshi</a> will introduce a schema-sharing approach to form management. These sessions point to a broader shift toward building WordPress systems that are more dynamic, maintainable, and easier to scale over time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These more technical presentations also include sessions on the WordPress HTML API, Content Security Policy, open source data pipelines, and evolving plugin standards. Rather than focusing on a single type of builder, this part of the schedule addresses developers working across infrastructure, security, front-end experiences, and long-term platform health.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community, Education, and Open Source</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The schedule also makes space for the people and ideas that support WordPress beyond engineering alone. A panel featuring <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/anand-upadhyay/\">Anand Upadhyay</a> and <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/maciej-pilarski/\">Maciej Pilarski</a>, moderated by <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/destiny-kanno/\">Destiny Kanno</a>, looks at education initiatives and student pathways into open source. <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/kazuko-kaneuchi/\">Kazuko Kaneuchi</a> will reflect on the story of Wapuu and the culture of contribution around WordPress. At the same time, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/kotaro-kitamura/\">Kotaro Kitamura</a> and <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/chiharu-nagatomi/\">Chiharu Nagatomi</a> will share how WordPress and its community shaped their professional journeys.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That wider perspective continues in sessions on product thinking, marketing, career growth, and business strategy. <span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Speakers, including <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/nabin-jaiswal/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nabin Jaiswal</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/himani-kankaria/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Himani Kankaria</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/julian-song/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Julian Song</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/karishma-sundaram/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Karishma Sundaram</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/sandeep-kelvadi/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sandeep Kelvadi</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/aviral-mittal/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Aviral Mittal</a>, <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/anh-tran/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anh Tran</a>, and <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/speaker/anna-hurko/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anna Hurko,</a> explore how WordPress works an</span>d connects with decision-making, discoverability, professional development, and organizational growth. Taken together, these sessions reflect one of WordPress’s long-standing strengths: its ability to connect software, learning, and community in the same space.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hands-on Workshops</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hands-on workshops round out the schedule, offering practical sessions for attendees who want to move from ideas to implementation. They include:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>From On-Demand to Cloud: Automate WordPress Installations Like a Pro</li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI + MCP to build, manage, and automate WordPress end-to-end</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building AI Agents with self-editing memory</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building Better WordPress Experiences with AI-Driven Development Workflows</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Explore the <strong><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/schedule/\">full schedule</a></strong> to plan your sessions, and get your <strong><a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/event-pass/\">event pass</a></strong> to join WordCamp Asia 2026 in Mumbai.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19213\" height=\"754\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2025/10/wordcamp-asia-2025-family-photo.webp?resize=1024%2C754&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mumbai is calling. See you at WordCamp Asia 2026! </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Note: </strong>Much of the credit belongs to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtechpooja/\">@webtechpooja</a> (<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtechpooja/\">Pooja Derashri</a>) for help in writing this piece.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></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, 02 Apr 2026 16:10:35 +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:\"Brett McSherry\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"Open Channels FM: FAIR Package Management for TYPO3\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551748\";s: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:58:\"https://openchannels.fm/fair-package-management-for-typo3/\";s: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:186:\"Key figures from the FAIR TYPO3 hackathon discuss the platform-agnostic FAIR protocol, its integration with TYPO3, and advancements in digital goods distribution across multiple systems.\";s: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, 02 Apr 2026 10:49:04 +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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:16:\"Matt: Taxonomist\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151765\";s: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:33:\"https://ma.tt/2026/04/taxonomist/\";s: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:6072:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m really excited to introduce a project I worked on with various AI agents the other night, which I think represents a new way we might build things in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, the problem: My WordPress site has 5,600+ posts going back decades, and I had some categories that were old and I didn&#8217;t really use anymore, and I wasn&#8217;t happy with the structure. Every time I made a new post, it irked me a little, and I had this long-standing itch to go back and clean up all my categories, but I knew it was going to be a slog.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let me present<span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"> <a href=\"https://github.com/m/taxonomist\" target=\"_blank\">Taxonomist</a>, a new open-source tool you can run with one copy-and-paste</span> command line that solves this problem. Here&#8217;s the idea:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You run this code in your terminal, and it spins up a Claude Code instance that asks you for your URL.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then it takes that and figures out what type of site you have, which APIs are available, and starts downloading all your posts locally for analysis.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sub-agents analyze every post against your current categories and thinks about suggesting new ones.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>It previews all the changes.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tries a variety of ways to authenticate against your site and make all the changes.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logs everything locally, so anything is reversible later.</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">THIS IS VERY ALPHA. PROBABLY BUGGY. BE CAREFUL WITH IT. PATCHES WELCOME. MAYBE MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR SITE BEFORE YOU CHANGE IT.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It kind of just worked. I ran it live against ma.tt and it cleaned up a ton of stuff pretty much exactly how I wanted. But there&#8217;s a lot of weird stuff happening here, so I don&#8217;t know quite what this is yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s very non-deterministic! There is some pre-written code, and probably could be more, but a lot of the code is generated on the fly by your agent. This creates interesting bugs where people testing with less powerful models had some odd behavior.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I kind of want a directory of these useful AI agents on WordPress.org, but also, there&#8217;s something a little strange about trusting a remote shell script to run on your machine.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I tested this with Claude, but there&#8217;s no reason Codex couldn&#8217;t use the repo in the exact same way, and I&#8217;d love to improve the quick start script to start by detecting all the agents you have, asking which you&#8217;d like to use, and also which directory you&#8217;d like to work in. I think we could kill the <code>cd taxonomist-main &amp;&amp; claude \"start\"</code> part of it.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Because much of the code and commands are generated on the fly from prompts, it&#8217;s very resilient! I&#8217;ve seen people try it, and it ran into errors with libraries or whatever, but it just figured out how to work around them.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I&#8217;d love it if, at the end of every session, there was a moment for self-reflection where the agent would take the repository and suggest upstream issues and PRs based on anything that went wrong. Then this could recursively self-improve very quickly.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are some obvious improvements to this, for example, doing this for tags. Sometimes it creates too many categories when you might only want 3-5 for your theme.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>One fun thing is a bunch of the work of this just uses public WordPress APIs, so you can run it against any site! I like using <a href=\"https://distributed.blog/\">distributed.blog</a> as a demo. It&#8217;ll still do all the fun downloading and analysis and everything, you just won&#8217;t be able to make changes.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I now have a local cache of all my WordPress posts I can do other interesting things with, and that&#8217;s cool.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The logging and reverting probably still has some bugs in it.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can riff with it along the way, so for example, it suggested I get rid of my <a href=\"https://ma.tt/category/audrey/\">Audrey category</a> because it didn&#8217;t have enough posts, and I asked it to look at all the companies on <a href=\"https://audrey.co/\">Audrey.co website</a> and categorize any posts that talk about them as Audrey, which created like 50 more.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>I want to check the GitHub repo for any updates before it starts, and maybe periodically, because it&#8217;s iterating and improving really fast.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&#8217;s not the default but the entire thing is way more pleasant if you run it with skip-permissions. So testing I usually run the one-liner, exit, resume with skip.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can see some of my prompt history in the Github but I apologize it&#8217;s not comprehensive, I also used Gemini and Codex with this and got lots of value from them.</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, not sure what this is, but please check it out, play with it, submit improvements or ideas, and think about what&#8217;s next. Might host a Zoom or something to brainstorm.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final thing I say is that this was a very different process of writing software for me. Instead of staying at the computer the entire time, I found myself going away for a bit, napping and dreaming about the code, coming back with new ideas and riffing on them. Maybe I&#8217;ll return to my <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep\">Uberman polyphasic sleep days</a>? Nap-driven development?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BTW I have lots of thoughts and feedback for <a href=\"https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash\">Emdash</a> but I thought this was more interesting, will try to get that out later tonight. One preview: TinyMCE is a regression; they should use <a href=\"https://github.com/wordpress/gutenberg\">Gutenberg</a>! We designed it for other CMSes and would be fun to have some common ground to jam on.</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, 02 Apr 2026 00:14:51 +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: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:8;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:95:\"WPTavern: #211 – Elliott Richmond on WordPress Content Creation, Education, and Pizza Plugins\";s: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=203465\";s: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:107:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/211-elliott-richmond-on-wordpress-content-creation-education-and-pizza-plugins\";s: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:60931:\"<details>Transcript<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:00:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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, WordPress content creation, education, and the unexpected diversion into a pizza plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 wptavern.com/feed/podcast, and you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head to wptavern.com/contact/jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So on the podcast today we have Elliott Richmond. Elliott&#8217;s been deep in the WordPress community for over 20 years, developing since the early days, back when WordPress was yet to be forked from b2. He&#8217;s freelanced, built with multiple CMS systems, and has contributed creatively to the community, including releasing a WordPress advent calendar way back in 2013.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He is an active WordPress developer, content creator on YouTube, and unexpectedly a part-time pizza vendor running a thriving pizza business powered entirely by WordPress tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many listeners will know Elliott for his technical videos, but today we discuss how WordPress has served as the glue for unexpected ventures, like scaling a local pizza business during lockdown, using WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins. Elliott&#8217;s experience showcases just how flexible WordPress can be, whether for websites, unique ordering systems, or even streamlining business processes for other niches.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, Elliott has been asked by Automattic to create content around wordpress.com, giving him early access to features, and allowing him to share his workflow and insights with a broader audience. He talks about his approach to content creation, balancing scripting versus improvisation, and details his low tech kit from iPhone cameras to DIY lighting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the episode, Elliott shares how community connections and feedback loops, especially via YouTube comments, shape his work, and he discusses the new opportunities for content creators within the WordPress ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re interested in WordPress beyond websites, curious about how to turn technical, know-how into educational video content, or just want to hear about WordPress powered pizza, and who doesn&#8217;t, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;d like to find out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to wptavern.com/podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so without further delay, I bring you Elliott Richmond.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am joined on the podcast by Elliott Richmond. Hello Elliott.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:03:35] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Hello. How you doing? Thanks for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:03:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You&#8217;re so welcome. Elliott and I have had a little bit of a chat prior to hitting the record button.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elliott&#8217;s one of those people who has been in my world for many years, because I&#8217;ve been vicariously watching what, this is going to sound a rather sinister. I&#8217;ve been watching what Elliott&#8217;s been doing for several years. And we&#8217;ll get into some of that in a moment. It&#8217;s a pleasure to have you on the podcast anyway. I feel like I know more about you than you will do about me, that&#8217;s for sure anyway. But welcome to the podcast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:08] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Thank you. Yeah, thank you for having me. I think if you put yourself out there, you are bound to attract stalking of some form.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:14] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s right. Okay. I hope it doesn&#8217;t come across as that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:18] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> No, not at all. Not at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> But will you just give us a little bit of your background? Obviously this is a WordPress specific podcast, so you can dip into your early childhood if you like, but maybe if we constrain it to WordPressy things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How long have you been using WordPress? What do you do at the moment? And then we can get into some of the fun things you&#8217;re going to be doing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:36] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, sure. So I&#8217;ve been using, or developing with, wordPress for over 20 years. So pretty much as old as WordPress is, but I was developing before that, building stuff. I&#8217;m self-taught developer, but I was building stuff in the early nineties for bands and stuff that I was in, creating music and just putting stuff out on the web.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then I realised, when I was working at an agency, it was a design agency, that there was definitely a market for the web effectively, but the company I was working for didn&#8217;t really want to get into it. So eventually when I went freelance, I was able to sort of self-teach myself all of the things I was interested in, which was web development. So I used all of the kind of CMSs like Joomla, Drupal, and eventually found b2 which was forked, ended up being WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, yeah, started seeing lots of communities popping up, meetups and I just reached out to people. And I&#8217;ve actually featured on WP Tavern before because of releasing an advent calendar I think it was, back in 2013, I think it was Christmas time. And it was basically just reaching out to other developers and asking them for code snippets. It was back in the day when WordPress was kind of, it was a blog but developers were using it in really creative ways like portfolios, and product databases where you had to use the category and tagging system to actually make things work, and then manipulate the templates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So there was lots of code snippets sort of flying about. So yeah, I just reached out to community and got about 30 developers submitting code, and then just released them as advent calendars.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, today I am still a developer and develop for WordPress, very passionate about WordPress. I&#8217;m a content creator, create stuff on YouTube, and I&#8217;m also a part-time Pizzaiolo. And if you don&#8217;t know what that is, that&#8217;s basically somebody who makes pizzas.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:06:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I can&#8217;t ignore that, and we&#8217;re going to get into that in a moment. But I&#8217;ve been having people on a variety of different podcasts for over a decade now, and you are the first, actually, that&#8217;s not true. I was about to say that you are the only person that I&#8217;ve ever interviewed who&#8217;s actually used b2 prior to it becoming WordPress. You are not, because I interviewed Matt Mullenweg once, and of course he, along with Mike Little, definitely used b2 because they forked it to become WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that really does give me an illustration of, you are right at the beginning. So you were one of the kind of founding members of the community, if you like, and goodness only knows, I&#8217;m sure you had no anticipation of what it was going to become.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:07:02] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> No, not at all. Yeah, Kubrick.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:07:05] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Old school. If you know what Elliott&#8217;s talking about, you can join the, what&#8217;s the word for somebody who&#8217;s been around in the community for a really long time? Well, anyway, one of those.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So tell us a little bit about the pizza thing. I don&#8217;t want to dwell on it for too long, if you don&#8217;t mind, but this is such an interesting little story. And curiously, it does have a WordPress spin at the end. So yeah, make sure to get that in as well because that&#8217;s fascinating.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:07:28] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, so during COVID, during lockdown, my wife and I just started a pizza delivery thing. Because all the kind of delivery shops were closing down and we have a community in our village and it was like, they&#8217;ve tried my pizzas before. So we thought, well, we&#8217;ll just roll it out and set it up. And people were saying, yeah, send me a pizza. So we thought, okay, well we can sell them to the rest of the community as well. And it was just going to be a temporary thing. Five years later, we employ five staff and it&#8217;s still going strong and we sell it as a licence to other people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the WordPress thing is, I mean in a million years I wouldn&#8217;t know that I&#8217;d be doing this five years later, but it&#8217;s all because of WordPress that has allowed me to do this. You know, it uses all WordPress products, it&#8217;s WooCommerce, WordPress itself, and some Jetpack stuff with the WooCommerce app. It glues everything together and it helps us to run a sort of micro business like that. And what has turned into a weekend, temporary thing has turned into a full-time business. So, yeah, it&#8217;s a, I don&#8217;t know if I can tell you any more about it really.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:08:28] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Well, you can, you mentioned that you&#8217;ve got a plugin that&#8217;s coming out fairly soon, aligned with people who wish to replicate your pizza business, but in their own locale.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:08:40] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, so to just give you the bigger picture, my wife is kind of like a bit of a marketing guru, and she sees opportunities where I can&#8217;t see them. She sees all the blind spots. So this whole model can be replicated by anybody. She didn&#8217;t force me, I was willing to do it, but she made me film all of my steps to make pizzas. So if you don&#8217;t know how to make pizza, there&#8217;s a full course to make it. There&#8217;s a whole module of the marketing that we use. There&#8217;s all secret little tips in there about doing stuff on social media, which I don&#8217;t do. My wife does all that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I&#8217;ve developed a plugin that works with WordPress and WooCommerce and it stitches everything together. So it&#8217;s got an ordering system, it&#8217;s got a slot system, it&#8217;s got a time-based system, so you can only put certain slots within certain times, and then it&#8217;s got a radius distance. So if you were outside of that radius based on your postcode, you can&#8217;t order pizzas, but you can collect them. And we do get people collecting from miles away that were passing last year, and they&#8217;ve driven a hundred miles to come down for the weekend because they&#8217;re passing to pick up a pizza. Honestly, you wouldn&#8217;t believe it. But I think the furthest somebody&#8217;s come is something like 120 miles. It&#8217;s crazy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, so people have been in touch with me like from, last chap was in Norway asking about his, could he use it for his brother&#8217;s bakery? And I said, yeah, absolutely. So anything that&#8217;s got like a restricted delivery zone, and maybe you want to just do it at certain times, you can do it. But you don&#8217;t even need to use the slot system, but you can set the radius distance. So if you want to do local deliveries, you can set a four mile radius, five mile, ten mile, whatever you want to set. Anything is doable really. Yeah, you can use the plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that&#8217;s kind of like the freemium Pizza Pilot. And then there&#8217;s a Pro version that we actually will bundle with our licensees. And we&#8217;ve got, it&#8217;s not like a franchise, it&#8217;s, you know, they buy the whole model once, and then they get the plugin bundled in. And, yeah, I&#8217;m just kind of like fine tuning it so that I can manage it. So if pizza does take over my life, I&#8217;m still, got my foot in WordPress and developing this product. So I&#8217;m happy about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:10:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s so interesting that you have WordPress as the sort of fulcrum of this entirely different side of your life, really. And it feels like it&#8217;s more than like a hobby project at the moment. It feels like it&#8217;s the underpinnings of a lot of what you do, albeit maybe the WordPress community don&#8217;t know about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But also curious that, and again, I might be reading between the lines, maybe you launch the pizza business and then kind of retrofit your procedures into your own dog fooding plugin, which now you are deciding to sell.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the fact that the technology stack that you knew inside out was able to facilitate that, you know, and a website can handle things like geolocation, that a website can handle things like payment, and the ability to add ingredients and things like that. All of that enabled you to launch that business, which is just so interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because most people who use WordPress, I doubt ever have that experience in life. You know, maybe they&#8217;re building things for clients, or they try a little hobby project. But you&#8217;ve got, I don&#8217;t know, it just sort of perfectly slotted in and, well, serendipity seems like the right word. Everything just sort of seems to slot in perfectly, and how wonderful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:11:46] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, I think it all kind of happened at the same time, because I just mentioned to Rachel about, you know, during lockdown these businesses are shutting down and people are going to pivot. Because I was talking to the WordPress community and they were talking about how their businesses were pivoting, like their restaurants. And I said, I could set this up as a website. So it all came together kind of all at once really.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One thing I&#8217;d have to say is that I like doing complex things with WordPress, and I&#8217;m really interested in the way that people do stuff with WordPress. So we have somebody that comes to our Meetup that is a gardener, and they come religiously to our Meetup. You&#8217;d think, well, why is a gardener coming to the Meetup? Well, it&#8217;s because they run their whole invoicing system and business, the gardening business, through WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it&#8217;s like, oh, that&#8217;s interesting. So there&#8217;s so many different things you can do with WordPress. So the one thing I&#8217;m grateful for is all of my experience that WordPress has given me and the opportunities in terms of my career, being able to sell, you know, development packages to clients, and picking up complex jobs in that sense. Because without, it wouldn&#8217;t be the glue for the pizza thing, and it wouldn&#8217;t have happened that easily.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:12:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right. Genuinely, absolutely fascinating. I think we could probably do the entire podcast about that, but there is another story to tell. As I said, I&#8217;ve been looking at Elliott online for quite a while and then, I don&#8217;t know when it was, but it was certainly quite recently, we are recording this in March, 2026, quite recently that I learned that you are going to be working with Automattic. I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s for Automattic, but certainly for the wordpress.com side of things. I could spoil what you are doing and misrepresent what it is. Probably best to just hand it over to you, and tell us what this gig is, this project that you&#8217;ve got running through 2026.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:13:27] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, so I have to shout out to Michelle Frechette because she basically reached out to me and suggested an introduction with Stacey Carlson, who is Automattic&#8217;s Affiliate and Influencer Director. And she&#8217;s obviously picked up some of my videos and she just said to me that, do you fancy us sponsoring a video or two about wordpress.com and how I felt about Automattic products? I said, yeah, why not? I use them all the time, every day. So it&#8217;s definitely up my street.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I put some stuff together and she basically just told me that the Automattic leadership team, which directly is Matt down, were broadly supporting content creators. So yeah, I was on board with it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And my mind just went on overdrive. Basically, Stacey said to me, would you like to do this thing? And I was like, yeah. She said, okay, well, we&#8217;ll have a chat in a couple of days or whatever. And I was like, I put concepts together and I sent about three or four different ideas. And it was like, yeah, okay, let&#8217;s do this. And it&#8217;s basically how I use WordPress, what I did, the whole pizza thing, what I do from day to day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I put these videos together and then it created another opportunity and another introduction to a lady called Brit Solata, who&#8217;s head of Influence Marketing. Big inspiration for me is another guy called Jamie Marsland, who&#8217;s actually the head of the wordpress.com YouTube channel, because he basically raised his profile by using WordPress and turning hard concepts like using the Block Editor into really easy to understand videos.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he had the genius idea of creating the speed challenge, which was kind of viral. Again, he lives down the road from me, believe it or not, less than five, six miles away. So there&#8217;s a funny story behind that. We&#8217;ve known each other for like 15 years, connected through social media and whatever channels there are that we used to use. And we actually met for the first time, face to face, at WordCamp Europe in Greece. And it always tickles me because the first thing he said is like, we&#8217;ve known each other for years, but this is the first time we&#8217;ve met, and we have to come over the other side of Europe. So it&#8217;s not great for our carbon footprint, which always makes me chuckle.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, he was a great inspiration. And since then we went out for a coffee or two and he inspired me really to start doing my YouTube stuff. And I think that&#8217;s really what got me recognised through Michelle, Stacy, and Brit. And then Britt suggested that we do something for the rest of this year. So I&#8217;m going to be doing videos about wordpress.com, what&#8217;s coming up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress has always been a moving target. It uses multiple different types of technology, right? So there&#8217;s always different things happening and changing. And with the advent of AI, there&#8217;s a lot of stuff coming into the whole project. So, yeah, that&#8217;s kind of where we&#8217;re at.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:16:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I have a lot of questions around that actually. So the first thing I&#8217;m going to ask is, is the intention to make long form content, or are you hoping to make more short form content? And really behind that question is what you just said about the fact that WordPress is in a real period of flux. On the .org side, we&#8217;ve got WordPress 7 coming around, which is going to be transformational, but I also feel that any video that gets made to coincide with 7 is quickly going to go out of date because we&#8217;re in such a rapid period of flux.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So just conscious about that, really, whether or not the content that you are going to be creating, and forgive me for using this word, is more disposable, if you know what I mean? So the kind of content that you&#8217;ll throw together in the anticipation that in 4, 3, 2 months time, you might have to reshoot it again. So, yeah, just wondering what the constraints are on the kind of content that you&#8217;re going to be making?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:17:01] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> There aren&#8217;t really constraints in that sense, but I think the whole nature of WordPress is ideal for that kind of scenario. So we are going to do long form content and then spinoff of that is going to be the short form as well, because you can just do that with the modern tech that you can use today anyway.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But yes, I think if you&#8217;re working in the Core team and you&#8217;re doing documentation, and it&#8217;s always been a thing, getting documentation out has always been a problematic thing. And if you&#8217;re working on something and you&#8217;re deep into it, it&#8217;s difficult to get that stuff out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think over the years it&#8217;s got better because you&#8217;ve got prominent people in Core, in the team, working at Automattic that are pumping stuff out. Justin Tadlock and the other chaps and Birgit is putting stuff out with Gutenberg Times and things like that. So it has got a lot better, but definitely there is an opportunity for content creators to fill a gap in terms of new things that are coming, what&#8217;s going to be changing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And also the way that people consume that content because YouTube and all the social, other social platforms, not that they&#8217;re great, TikToks and all that, but there&#8217;s definitely an opportunity for that content to be absorbed by different people. So there&#8217;s definitely a gap there for content creators to make people aware about those changes and new developments that are coming to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:18:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I&#8217;m in the lucky position in that for this podcast there isn&#8217;t really a laundry list of things that I have to cover. It&#8217;s very much up to me what I wish to have on the podcast. So you are an example, you know, decided to do this, and here we are doing it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I did wonder if you were, you know, you mentioned some names there over at Automattic. I don&#8217;t know if there&#8217;s going to be some things that they will require you to do because that&#8217;s in line with what .com has just released or what have you. Or if you really are, you know, the reins are off, do what you like Elliott and just make sure that you post us and tell us what&#8217;s going on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m imagining there will be some sort of guidance and, okay, this thing&#8217;s about to launch, it would be really welcome if you produce the piece of content explaining why we&#8217;ve done it, and how it works and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:19:03] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> There&#8217;s no guardrails in that sense. It feels very fluid and flexible. Yes, there are kind of like things, we&#8217;d love you to do this, and I&#8217;m more than happy to do that because it&#8217;s definitely on my street anyway.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The products that are sort of being talked about are products that I use every day, so it has synergy, you know? It&#8217;s not like I&#8217;m having to do something that I wouldn&#8217;t be comfortable doing. It&#8217;s stuff I love doing and I love teaching other people anyway. So in terms of that whole community thing, I think when communities come together, the most I get out of it is actually learning from other people, not just teaching them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And actually just by teaching somebody, or telling somebody about something, they give you feedback and the feedback loop there is super important, especially for a project like WordPress. Without that feedback loop, potentially, it&#8217;s not going to be a thing that anyone will use anyway. So just by doing something with the community or publishing something is useful feedback.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There may be something that is sort of created and developed that I don&#8217;t necessarily agree with, but I can still put it out there, say whether I like it or don&#8217;t like it, and then ask somebody, you know, what&#8217;s your feeling? Have you used it? What&#8217;s your feedback? Get some comments. That is feedback. And that&#8217;s how you improve things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:20:14] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> YouTube is a phenomenal feedback loop actually. I mean, I know you&#8217;ll probably be getting feedback from within Automttic and what have you as well, but I long for the comments on a WordPress blog to be like the comments on a YouTube video. It seems that everybody&#8217;s quite willing to get the keyboard out and hammer out thousands of replies on a YouTube video. It really does capture that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so, especially if during the content you provoke the audience to comment, and to give you feedback, because you may well be making another piece of content, which will be guided by the comments and what have you. I think it&#8217;s amazing for that. And kind of like pretty, pretty untapped. Usually when you watch content, it is just, okay, I&#8217;ve decided what I&#8217;m going to do. There it is. It&#8217;s an isolated, atomised piece of content. But the idea of going and asking for, what shall I do next? Or something akin to that is really great. And I hope that works out for you. I fully anticipate that it will, because like I said, the comments are usually fairly voluminous.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:21:09] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s interesting because some of the comments actually inspire you to create your next piece of content. So it&#8217;s always good. Sometimes it is difficult because you can see that it&#8217;s negative feedback. But actually I think that negative feedback is a positive thing because you can respond in a positive way. Or you can just take that feedback and then feed it back into the ecosystem and that&#8217;s how things get changed. So any negativity is a positivity in my book.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:21:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, nice. I think you have to armour yourself with things like that when you go on social media and post content, don&#8217;t you? Because it doesn&#8217;t matter how perfect it is, and how well aligned it is, there&#8217;s always somebody lurking somewhere who is willing to derail your day with a comment like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you going to be doing this then on official, so you&#8217;ve made the content, you&#8217;ve created the video, and yada yada. We can get into the process of that in a moment. I&#8217;d be kind of interested to know what you do. Are you going to be posting this on official WordPress channels, or is this that you are being hired to create the content and then put it out on your own channels? Or is it, does it come with the official stamp of the wordpress.com YouTube channel or something like that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:22:13] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> No, it&#8217;s on my channel for my audience. So I&#8217;m free to do whatever I want really. I can do my own stuff but there is a, kind of an agreement we have to meet certain months and content that will be aligned with whatever&#8217;s happening at wordpress.com or at Automattic. But yeah, there&#8217;s no restriction. It&#8217;s kind of on my channel to my audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:22:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Is it very much then going to be YouTube, like screen shares of the kind of things that you&#8217;ve been doing with a code editor or in the backend of WordPress, or a plugin that you&#8217;ve installed and have played with or what have you? But obviously on the .com side of things as opposed to the .org side of things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:22:47] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> I don&#8217;t want to give too much away, but I&#8217;m given kind of a little bit of early access to stuff that, I found it difficult to find it but it is available, you can get to it, but I needed some pointers. But it&#8217;s going to be a mix of technical stuff. You&#8217;ve seen my stuff, I&#8217;d like to get technical content simplified and I use graphics. And, I mean, if I look at my first stuff, it was nowhere near as polished as it is today. but I like to use animation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s difficult concepts to get over, especially with templating and patterns and template parts and things like that. And if you can simplify that to users, to use this stuff with more knowledge. But there&#8217;s also stuff about AI that&#8217;s, I mean it even confuses me today, like MCPs and, what&#8217;s that? And it&#8217;s like large language models and things like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So there&#8217;s complex stuff that I&#8217;m really looking forward to getting my teeth into because I can try and simplify it. And that&#8217;s what I like doing in terms of like graphics and analogies. And hopefully it makes sense to people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:23:46] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So it&#8217;s going to be, I guess the one word that maybe I would encapsulate it as is educational. The idea is that you come in, learn a thing, or multiple things, and then go away. It&#8217;s not just that, oh look, here&#8217;s the latest new feature that&#8217;s shipping. It&#8217;s more, look, here&#8217;s the feature, but also here&#8217;s how you get to it and how you navigate it and what it does. And if you want to implement it, you must do this, yada, yada, that kind of thing. So educational.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:24:12] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. There&#8217;s lots of other things happening as well that are specifically for developers and not necessarily for wordpress.com. But yeah, engineering those things and putting those together to make something work in the way that you want it to, there is a technical barrier to that. So if I can simplify that and help others to get up and running, then great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there&#8217;s things like Xdebug that are not enabled by default in the Studio app that I think are really useful. Now I&#8217;ve used Xdebug for debugging my code for many years and I honestly cannot do without it. And I didn&#8217;t even know it was there, you know, that&#8217;s how hidden it was, until I saw a tweet like the other day, and it was, I think it&#8217;s recently been rolled out, but I&#8217;m like, I am itching to do a video on that, so that I can just let people know how to use it and what it&#8217;s beneficial for.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:24:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, you strike me as the kind of character that&#8217;s not going to be short of things to do content about. It&#8217;s more, which comes first. And I think that&#8217;s such a nice gig for you as well, in that you&#8217;re obviously a very curious individual. You know, you&#8217;ve been making videos for, this is going to come out the wrong way, but, you know, for no reason, if you know what I mean? You know, there was nobody prodding you with a stick saying, Elliott, we need another video now because you&#8217;ve been paid for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You were doing it because that&#8217;s something that you found enjoyable, and you like the experience of doing all of that. And then somebody comes along and says, you know what? I think we could well do with paying you for this. That must have been kind of, almost manna from heaven in a way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:25:34] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Absolutely. I mean, I feel so fortunate. I&#8217;m so grateful to Michelle Frechette for reaching out to me and making that contact because, yeah, I mean, it&#8217;s right up my street. You&#8217;ve seen, I&#8217;ve got guitars around the studio and I think it&#8217;s like, I&#8217;m the sort of person that I think it&#8217;s good to learn something new every day, regardless of what it is. And yeah, you have to be intrigued by something.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And particularly with code and technology, it&#8217;s changing all the time. You can do things in different ways. Very much the same as just fingering around a fretboard and trying to find that lick, or that nice harmonic tone that you never found before. And you think, ah, I can do this. I&#8217;m going to show my bass player that I can do this, or my guitar player, or whatever. You know, it&#8217;s a bit like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you get excited about the littlest things that maybe are not so exciting to a lot of people, but they are to me, and that&#8217;s why I do it. And if I can just impart that on somebody, that&#8217;s a bonus to me. And I do get that feedback on YouTube. So I&#8217;m always so grateful when I get positive feedback like that. So, yeah, long may it continue. And I&#8217;m not going to stop doing it because I find it fascinating and I really enjoy it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many stages to doing a video. You have to figure out what you&#8217;re going to talk about, the script, which I didn&#8217;t used to do. It was just kind of like, I know this thing, so I&#8217;m just going to jump on. But I now script things, break things down into concepts, and then know when I&#8217;m going to do some motion graphics. Then I do the headshots, and then I do the editing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when I&#8217;m done editing, I&#8217;m not done editing in like one day, I just do a couple of hours and I go back into the house and I just tell Rachael, I say, I absolutely love editing. It&#8217;s just like, it just really excites me. So it is just these little things. Not necessarily about WordPress, but yeah, figuring out how to get a concept across. And then I&#8217;ll sit and I&#8217;ll bore the tears off Rachael, try and explain this stuff to her, and she&#8217;s just patiently listening to me, you know, so I can get it out of my head.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:27:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> No, I think that&#8217;s the most credible way of getting to the perfect simulation of what it is you&#8217;re trying to educate people with. Because you trip over yourself, don&#8217;t you? And you realise, okay, that second point should have been the third. And the third should have been the second. And there was a better way of explaining that. I think it&#8217;s great that you do it that way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I&#8217;m also, pleased is the wrong word, but I&#8217;m curious that you script it as well. Because I know that the temptation is often easy, isn&#8217;t it? It&#8217;s just, okay, I know this stuff inside out, I&#8217;ll just go for it. That extra hour, two hours, three hours, whatever it may be, of disciplining yourself to write it down, I think you go a million more miles with that content. You know, you refine it, you work it through, you cut out the additional words that are not needed, that just sort of demonstrates to me that you are really, really serious about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:06] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> I say scripted, loosely scripted. It&#8217;s scripted not to the absolute T. It&#8217;s kind of like flashcard prompts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, no. No, no, no. Sorry. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:13] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> But there&#8217;s the structure, let&#8217;s say. And sometimes I do word for word. But if I go off piste, if I&#8217;m recording, I&#8217;m like, yeah, I&#8217;m just going brush over that. It&#8217;s not that important. It&#8217;s just an um or an ah, or an and and a the that shouldn&#8217;t be there, but whatever. I mean, if I watch back some of my stuff, I&#8217;m like, oh, did I really say that? I&#8217;m my worst critic, I guess.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The trick there is never to watch or listen to your own stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:35] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:28:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The problem is, if you are self editing, you have to listen to yourself, you know, for every hour that I record, I end up listening to myself for probably about four hours. It is purgatory. For example, the sentence that I&#8217;ve just said, I will listen back to and I will be ruing the day that I said it. It&#8217;s curious.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given that it&#8217;s on the .com side of things, and if, dear listener, you&#8217;re not familiar, we have sort of like this bifurcation, if you like, of WordPress. We have the .org side, which is the way you can go, wordpress.org, and you can download it and put it on a server and put it on your local machine and do what you like with it. And then the .com side, which is where Elliott&#8217;s work is going to be mostly living I guess, is the hosted side. So you go and you pay a monthly fee and you have access to WordPress over there, so you don&#8217;t have to think about the hosting or anything like that, that&#8217;s just taken care of.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you get a sense that there&#8217;ll be like commercial pressure there? That&#8217;s maybe getting to territory that you don&#8217;t wish to get into, I don&#8217;t know. But will, for example, you have to create content around certain features because it&#8217;s shiny and new? So instead of it being educational, it might slip into the more promotional, and I&#8217;m doing air quotes as I say that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:29:45] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> In my experience, little experience working with the guys at the moment, there&#8217;s been none of that. It&#8217;s literally, you have the free reign, do what you want. There is a benefit of putting a script together in that sense, because you can iron things out if you need to. But in all honesty, of the 10, 15 scripts I&#8217;ve already sent through, I&#8217;ve only had minimal feedback. They said, great, it looks great. Let&#8217;s go with it. And also, if it&#8217;s a new shiny thing, show me. I want to know about it. I want to tell others about it as well, you know?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:30:11] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right. So the overlap there is welcome to you, which is quite nice, isn&#8217;t it? It&#8217;s new, it&#8217;s interesting. I would like to mention it anyway.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:30:17] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> There is also another point. I think there&#8217;s a misconception between wordpress.com and WordPress, the standalone software. Because effectively it&#8217;s the same thing. When you use something like the Studio app, you&#8217;ve still got your local files and you can still develop your own stuff. You can get as complex as you want. You are just literally hosting it with the people that make this software. And you then know that you&#8217;re going to get the performance, you&#8217;re going to get all of the security stuff, you&#8217;re going to get all the benefits of hosting with a, on a platform that know the software. So there&#8217;s a win-win situation there in my opinion.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:30:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So you were mentioning earlier, Jamie Marsland, just down the road from you, who&#8217;s the head of WordPress YouTube. Obviously kind of a prolific content creator himself, and then got taken on by Automattic to carry on that journey. There&#8217;s obviously now you. I wonder if you&#8217;ve got any thoughts on how WordPress, and you might read Automattic in here or .com or whatever the right word is. I wonder how you view the seriousness with which they&#8217;re taking content creator content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because again, if I rewind the clock three or four years ago, it felt that there really wasn&#8217;t much coming out that had that kind of official stamp. We were kind of left to our own devices. We were going into Slack and reading comments, or we were going into GitHub queues for plugin developers and things like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it does seem that at some point in the last four or five years, somebody somewhere said, wait, no, video is it. We really have to invest in video. And it feels like you&#8217;ve been caught up in that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s no real question there. It&#8217;s more just an observation that video content by people who obviously are out in the community doing this with a serious intention. It&#8217;s more than just a hobby. It&#8217;s something they&#8217;ve got a track record of doing seriously. I wonder if you&#8217;ve spotted that trend as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:32:05] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I often look up stuff on YouTube. It used to be Google. How do I, I don&#8217;t know, mitre some wood together? You can go to YouTube now and you can find all of this stuff. Or how do you make the perfect naan bread or the perfect pizza, let&#8217;s say? So yeah, YouTube is definitely, in the last, I actually don&#8217;t think it, it&#8217;s always been there, but it&#8217;s probably, it&#8217;s only become sort of more prominent on my radar, I guess. So if that&#8217;s a result of what&#8217;s been happening organically, then yeah, I&#8217;ve just been sucked into it. But, yeah, I think it&#8217;s always been there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You always get from YouTube content creators about how much more difficult it is, I guess, because there&#8217;s more people doing it, so they&#8217;ve got less money to give people. But honestly, I&#8217;m not in it for the financial reward anyway. I mean, I do get paid ads and stuff, but it&#8217;s peanuts every three months, so I&#8217;m not in it for that at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So yeah, it&#8217;s definitely on my radar basically. I mean, in terms of editing and software, I still look up stuff. You know, even whether it&#8217;s WordPress or whether it&#8217;s command line stuff. Particularly now, if you drop AI into the title, you&#8217;re going to get loads of stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:33:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I mean, more and more if you go and ask a question of Google, you&#8217;re going to get the AI answer first, but then you&#8217;re just going to get like a big row of YouTube videos. You know, if you ask it a question beginning, how do I, or something along those lines, the AI often comes first.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m actually using a different search engine now. I use one called Kagi, which was actually by coincidence developed by the guy who used to run Manage WP, who then sold it and moved on to make this search engine. There&#8217;s another success story coming from the WordPress space. But if you ask it a question, you get the AI generated sort of response over three or four lines, and then after that, just a cavalcade of YouTube videos. And it really, I think, has become the default.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What I&#8217;m finding interesting about that is, I think that wordpress.com in this case, but you could read Automattic, are kind of putting their money where their mouth is and doing it in an interesting way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So rather than, let&#8217;s say, employing a team of content creators to do this, this, this, this, and this, they&#8217;re asking people like you to just get on with it. Just do what you were doing. I think that&#8217;s really interesting. And it&#8217;s hard to encapsulate what I&#8217;m saying there, but there&#8217;s a real level of trust. You know that you&#8217;ve got to do things, but nobody&#8217;s micromanaging you to tell you what to do. It sounds like nobody&#8217;s giving you, okay, we want this piece of exact content, and this one and this one and this one. It&#8217;s more, Elliott, you&#8217;ve got a track record, you&#8217;ve proven yourself, now crack on, but we&#8217;ll assist from the financial point of view. I think that&#8217;s a really nice model of allowing people like you to do what you do, and the trust that you&#8217;ve built up is all that was needed to get you started on that journey.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:34:47] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, there are kind of, who this is for, what&#8217;s good to do, what isn&#8217;t great to do. So there is, not guardrails as such, you&#8217;re given complete flexibility, but you are given a kind of like a brief, not template, it&#8217;s not template, it&#8217;s a, what&#8217;s this for? What&#8217;s the target?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Like an avatar kind of, something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:05] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah. Yeah, an avatar. I don&#8217;t find that restrictive in any way. If I did, I wouldn&#8217;t be doing it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> No, that&#8217;s really helpful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:11] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:12] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. But you&#8217;re given a lot of rope. It does sound like you&#8217;ve got a lot of leeway to do what you like. I mean, maybe there&#8217;s constraints around, you know, let&#8217;s not make content about the UI of Wix or Squarespace or anything like that. You know, that&#8217;s probably out remit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:28] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> That goes without saying.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, yeah. But certainly from my point of view, doing this podcast, WP Tavern, I can&#8217;t really sum it up, but I have that same freedom. I can have who I like on, nobody&#8217;s telling me what I can do and when it should be done. It was just a case of, okay Nathan, you&#8217;ve done podcasting, we would like you to do this one. And it sounds like a similar kind of offer was made to you, but on the video side. The trust behind that is hard to communicate, but it feels so nice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:35:57] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I&#8217;ve always said, because I&#8217;ve worked on my own for such a long time, since I was in my twenties, and I won&#8217;t tell you how old I am, but it&#8217;s been a few decades now, I literally am unemployable. I do work on a remote basis for a company, but it&#8217;s on a very minimal tech lead responsibility kind of arrangement. But I could not go into an office. I&#8217;m just conditioned not to be, someone breathing down my neck. I&#8217;ve just been conditioned to have that freedom and creativity that I love. And definitely without a doubt, I&#8217;ve been given this opportunity in the same respect. So I&#8217;m absolutely stoked about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:36:34] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I think that&#8217;s really lovely. You&#8217;ve got that history. And I think we see that in the community a lot. You know, you&#8217;ve got a history, and it&#8217;s your turn to shine, if you like.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, now the nerdy bit, right at the end. I want to know what your process is. Obviously being a content creator myself, I&#8217;ve got a whole load of software that I use and I flit around, but I&#8217;ve kind of stabilised on a few key pieces of software, which enabled me to do that journey.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m sure that there&#8217;s going to be people listening to this who have thought to themselves, I too would like to make videos, and I&#8217;m curious, what is your tech stack? I mean, we don&#8217;t need to go into absolutely everything, but I&#8217;m curious, what are the 3, 4, 5, whatever it may be, essential things that are either on your desk, or on your computer that make the whole thing easy and possible?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:37:18] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> My tech stack is so low key, it&#8217;s unbelievable. My lights, if I explain my lights to you, I&#8217;ve got basically a cat food pouch box, which is like six inches by four with a hole cut out of it, resting on an LED light with a bit of tissue paper over it. It&#8217;s that low key, low tech.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:37:34] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So it&#8217;s like a small shoebox with a hole cut in with tissue paper diffuse the light.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:37:39] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:37:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s so great. That&#8217;s so cottage industry. I love that. Yeah, because you could of course buy the $150 equivalent, but you know, the cat food box is lying around. That&#8217;s brilliant. Oh, I hope this keeps going. I hope you got more of these.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:37:55] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> If I could just turn the camera round. And the other thing is just an iPhone. I just use my iPhone. My iPhone is literally sitting on my computer now. So it&#8217;s good enough to do what I need to do with it. At some point it will upgrade, but for anybody who wants to do this out there, you know, you don&#8217;t need much kit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of the software, I just use the Notes app and I just jot down my ideas. I actually use the accessibility keyboard shortcut. So I literally, what I do is tap the key and just speak into my mic about the idea that I want to get across. And then that&#8217;s my brain dump. And then I&#8217;ll take that, read it back, break it down. It&#8217;s all in my own words, I then just get AI to polish it a little bit, so it kind of gives me the bare bones of my script. And then that gets me like 60, 70% there. But it&#8217;s literally my brain dump that&#8217;s polished, and then I repolish it again. So that&#8217;s one key bit of legwork that gets me going quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve picked up a lot of kit over the years from just producing music. I&#8217;ve got some NS-10s in front of me, studio monitors, so I can do all my sound balancing and stuff. The other key bit of software is DaVinci Resolve, which is, it&#8217;s got all of the motion graphics in it. It is a bit of a head spinner to get into it, but there&#8217;s lots of resources out there that can help you get to where you want to be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s lots of stuff out there that you can, like library stuff that you can subscribe to and pull in. But I&#8217;m always reluctant to do that because I&#8217;m the sort of guy that, I want to, even if it&#8217;s code, I want to get into it. I want to understand exactly how it works and do it myself. So working with nodes and animation in that sense has been, it&#8217;s been a big learning curve, but I&#8217;ve absolutely loved it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then just the editing is like DaVinci Resolve. And it has everything in it. I pay a licence for it because I want all the whistles and bells, but you can use the free version and I just cannot believe what you can get away with, with the free version. You get all of the motion graphics, you get all of the audio, you get the colour correction, plus all of the editing suite. It&#8217;s incredible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m just looking around to see what other stuff I&#8217;ve got, but yeah, that is literally about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:39:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think you&#8217;ve encapsulated perfectly. I mean, really you need a computer with a bit of editing software, and there&#8217;s many. Some free, some much more expensive. You can certainly pay a fortune for some editing software. But also camera, a little bit of lighting, I guess a backdrop and a quiet room would help. But that&#8217;s kind of really all that it takes. The key bit, of course, the bit that you are not mentioning of course is that script bit. That&#8217;s where the magic happens.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And people like you are able to turn difficult things into easy to consume things. For people like me who consume it, it all just looks so straightforward and easy. But I&#8217;m well aware that in the background there&#8217;s probably quite a lot of soul searching and rehashing and rethinking and you were saying, explaining to your wife and re-explaining to your wife and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so whilst the software and the iPhone camera and all of that are necessary to make it happen, I think the bit which makes your stuff, and people of your calibre&#8217;s stuff, stand out is that bit inside your head. The bit which only you can do in the way that you do it, you know? I&#8217;m grateful for all the stuff that you&#8217;ve done for many years, and long may it continue. You&#8217;re carrying on throughout 2026, I think is how it&#8217;s framed at the moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:41:02] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yep, or up to December at least that&#8217;s the arrangement. But I&#8217;m also allowed to do whatever, you know, my own stuff as well. So if you spot a video about me making pizza or preparing dough, somehow I can thread WordPress into that, I will. I probably can actually because I&#8217;ve got a dough calculator.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:41:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> With your pizza plugin, I&#8217;m sure that there&#8217;ll be ways of getting those messages across. I think we&#8217;ll knock it on the head there, as we say in the UK. Best of luck. I&#8217;m sure luck is not the thing that you need, but I hope it goes well, and I hope that you enjoy it and that obviously the crowd of people who come along gain a lot of knowledge from everything that you&#8217;ve done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just before we go, I think we should probably say where we find you online, where that YouTube channel is, or your website, whichever you prefer. Both if you like.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:41:46] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> Yeah, you&#8217;ll find me on YouTube, which is elliottrichmondwp. I do have an Elliott Richmond, which is all of my personal stuff, so don&#8217;t get that confused with the WordPress stuff. It&#8217;s elliottrichmondwp. And you can find my blogs and my brain dumps on elliottrichmond.co.uk. And that is double L, double T by the way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:42:07] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, as I was typing your name in, subconsciously it always ended up with one T. I don&#8217;t know what was going on there. But all the Elliots in my life have got a single T. E-L-L-I-O-T-T, and then Richmond, as you might imagine.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you go to wptavern.com and you look for the Elliott Richmond episode using the search functionality, then you&#8217;ll get that episode, I&#8217;m sure. And all of the links for anything that we have mentioned, so the YouTube channel and the website, what have you, that will all be in there, one click. Along with a transcript of everything that we&#8217;ve talked about as well. So Elliott Richmond, thank you. Good luck with 2026 and thanks for coming on the podcast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:42:46] <strong>Elliott Richmond:</strong> You&#8217;re welcome and thank you so much for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:42:48] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You&#8217;re very welcome.</p>\n</div></details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://elliottrichmond.co.uk\">Elliott Richmond</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elliott’s been deep in the WordPress community for over twenty years, developing since the early days, back when WordPress was yet to be forked from b2. He’s freelanced, built with multiple CMS systems, and has contributed creatively to the community, including releasing a WordPress advent calendar way back in 2013. He’s an active WordPress developer, content creator on YouTube, and, unexpectedly, a part-time pizza vendor, running a thriving pizza business powered entirely by WordPress tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many listeners will know Elliott for his technical videos, but today we discuss how WordPress has served as the glue for unexpected ventures, like scaling a local pizza business during lockdown using WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins. Elliott’s experience showcases just how flexible WordPress can be, whether for websites, unique ordering systems, or even streamlining business processes for other niches.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, Elliott has been asked by Automattic to create educational content around WordPress.com, giving him early access to features and allowing him to share his workflow and insights with a broader audience. He talks about his approach to content creation, balancing scripting versus improvisation, and details his low-tech kit, from iPhone cameras to DIY lighting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the episode, Elliott shares how community connections and feedback loops, especially via YouTube comments, shape his work, and he discusses the new opportunities for content creators within the WordPress ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you’re interested in WordPress beyond websites, curious about how to turn technical know-how into educational video content, or just want to hear about WordPress-powered pizza (and who doesn’t), this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elliott featured in WP Tavern before:  <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/24-wordpress-snippets-til-christmas-submissions-open-for-2019\">24 WordPress Snippets ’til Christmas, Submissions Open for 2019</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/pootlepress\"> Jamie Marsland on YouTube</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com\"> Gutenberg Times</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://xdebug.org\"> Xdebug</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://kagi.com\">Kagi Search Engine</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve\"> DaVinci Resolve</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@elliottrichmondwp\">Elliott&#8217;s YouTube channel</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://elliottrichmond.co.uk\">Elliott&#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:\"Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:00 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Developers\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551572\";s: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://openchannels.fm/testally-for-developers/\";s: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:157:\"The Hackathon team discusses their AI tool, TestAlly, focusing on improving accessibility for developers while enhancing collaboration and business benefits.\";s: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, 30 Mar 2026 12:14:48 +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:8:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:64:\"Open Channels FM: The Case for Connecting Decentralized Networks\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551253\";s: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://openchannels.fm/the-case-for-connecting-decentralized-networks/\";s: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:200:\"The discussion emphasizes the complexity of creating a universal decentralized social network, highlighting the importance of innovation, competition, and building bridges between differing protocols.\";s: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, 30 Mar 2026 07:47:04 +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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:20:\"Matt: JAŸ-Z Returns\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151726\";s: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:26:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/hov/\";s: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:851:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/29/t-magazine/jay-z-dean-baquet-interview.html\">he spoke to Dean Baquet in 2017</a>, JAŸ-Z hasn&#8217;t done an interview. Hov&#8217;s back! <a href=\"https://www.gq.com/story/jay-z-cover-interview-april-2026\">He sat down with GQ</a>, and it&#8217;s a lovely listen and read. </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We played enough defense, 2026 is all about offense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your morality defines who you are, not what you’ve attained.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div></figure>\";s: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, 30 Mar 2026 00:44:41 +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: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:15;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:99:\"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog #129 Artificial Intelligence, WordPress 7.0 and Gutenberg 22.8\";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=45087\";s: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:59:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-129/\";s: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:66144:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode, Birgit Pauli-Haack welcomes Beth Soderberg to discuss key updates in WordPress 7.0 and Gutenberg 22.8. They kick off with small talk about shifting seasons in Munich and Virginia before diving into the new content guidelines in Gutenberg 22.7, focused on standardizing editorial voice across AI and human content contributors. Both speakers express healthy skepticism about AI-generated content, stressing that while AI assists with research and “grunt work” like alt text or excerpts, the core value in writing remains human expertise and review. They caution about automation pitfalls and emphasize validating all AI outputs.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion shifts to the new WordPress AI connectors, which let users connect to services like OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic Claude, and others—including local providers such as Olama and European alternatives like Mistral. Birgit Pauli-Haack explains the evolving infrastructure allowing developers to add and switch connectors with ease, and encourages the community to experiment and test.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A central topic is the release of WordPress 7.0, with a highlight on the increased minimum PHP requirement to 7.4, likely to disrupt agencies with older sites. The admin’s new look-and-feel is poised to confuse some clients, demanding extra support from agencies. Beth Soderberg also celebrates practical improvements: cover block video embeds using external sources, block visibility by screen size, pattern overrides, breadcrumbs block, and streamlined font management. Both speakers note the importance of hidden, friction-reducing features and the advancement of developer-facing infrastructure. The episode closes with a preview of ongoing enhancements in Gutenberg 22.8 and beyond.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-129/#shownotes\">Show Notes</a> / <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-129/#transcript\">Transcript</a></p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Editor: <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-reed/\">Sandy Reed</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logo: <a href=\"https://markuraine.com/\">Mark Uraine</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Production: <a href=\"https://icodeforapurpose.com\">Birgit Pauli-Haack</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"shownotes\"><strong>Show Notes</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special Guest: Beth Soderberg</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://bethink.studio/\">Bethink Studio</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bethsoderberg/\">WordPress.org Profile + Slack</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Talks by Beth Soderberg</strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-122-gutenberg-21-8-and-wordpress-6-9/\">Gutenberg Changelog #122 – Gutenberg 21.8 and WordPress 6.9</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2025/07/25/my-process-for-building-a-custom-wordpress-theme-in-2025/\">My Process for Building a Custom WordPress Theme in 2025</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2020/04/16/bill-ericksonellen-bauer-beth-soderberg-case-studies-how-to-prepare-your-theme-for-gutenberg/\">Bill Erickson,Ellen Bauer, Beth Soderberg: Case Studies – How to Prepare your Theme for Gutenberg</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/?s=beth%20soderberg&amp;sort=newest\">And more</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/ai/2026/03/23/guidelines-lands-in-gutenberg-22-7/\">Guidelines Lands in Gutenberg 22.7</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/ai/2026/03/25/call-for-testing-community-ai-connector-plugins/\">Call for Testing: Community AI Connector Plugins</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-provider-for-openrouter/\">AI Provider for OpenRouter</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-provider-for-ollama/\">AI Provider for Ollama</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-provider-for-mistral/\">AI Provider for Mistral</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai/\">AI Experiements plugin</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WordPress Core and Gutenberg</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/wordpress-6-9-2-retrospective/\">WordPress 6.9.2 retrospective</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-2/\">WordPress 7.0 RC2</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/\">What’s new in Gutenberg 22.8? (25 March)</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dev Notes</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/16/pattern-overrides-in-wp-7-0-support-for-custom-blocks/\">Pattern Overrides in WP 7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/pattern-editing-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Pattern Editing in WordPress 7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/block-visibility-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Block Visibility in WordPress 7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/dimensions-support-enhancements-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Dimensions Support Enhancements in WordPress 7.0</a> </li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/custom-css-for-individual-block-instances-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Custom CSS for Individual Block Instances</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/new-block-support-text-indent-textindent/\">New Block Support: Text Indent (textIndent)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/18/introducing-the-connectors-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Introducing the Connectors API in WordPress 7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/introducing-the-ai-client-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Introducing the AI Client in WordPress 7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/client-side-abilities-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Client-Side Abilities API in WordPress 7.0</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Stay in Touch</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Did you like this episode? <a href=\"https://lovethepodcast.com/gutenbergchangelog\"><strong>Please write us a review </strong></a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ping us on X (formerly known as Twitter) or send DMs with questions. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gutenbergtimes\">@gutenbergtimes </a>and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph\">@bph</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<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>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Please write us a review on iTunes! <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/itunes/\">(Click here to learn how)</a></em></li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"transcript\"><strong>Transcript</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Welcome to our 129th episode of the Gutenberg Changelog podcast. In today&#8217;s episode we will talk about WordPress 7.0 and Gutenberg 22.8. I&#8217;m your host, Birgit Pauli-Haack, curator of the Gutenberg Times and full-time core contributor for the WordPress open source project sponsored by Automattic. With me today, and I&#8217;m really happy about that, is again Beth Soderberg, founder and CEO of Bethink Studio, a full-service boutique agency and of web experts to tackle any project. Beth has been a longtime WordPress theme builder and WordCamp speaker. She&#8217;s also been an early adopter of the blog editor and block themes. Beth, how are you today? Welcome to the show.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I am well. How are you today? Thank you for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>I&#8217;m good, I&#8217;m good. We have winter in Munich again. It was spring and now it&#8217;s back to winter. So I&#8217;m happy to get out of the town for WordCamp Asia next week. So yes, I&#8217;m really happy about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>We&#8217;ve been switching from winter to spring every day here. Every day in Virginia. Yep. It&#8217;s different every day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. So what&#8217;s the weather doing? Well, I don&#8217;t know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>No, I&#8217;ve had to look every morning because it&#8217;s in the last week I&#8217;ve been outside in a winter coat and a tank top and rain boots and you just don&#8217;t know. You wake up and it&#8217;s a surprise.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Well, it&#8217;s the beauty of surprises. But who likes surprises? I want my spring be steady.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg:</em> Yeah, I agree.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Announcements</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>All right, so under the announcements we have one thing that&#8217;s that content guidelines landed in Gutenberg 22.7. We didn&#8217;t really talk about it with Maggie Cabrera at the last episode, but the WordPress AI team has launched guidelines. They are live experiments in the Gutenberg 22.7 or Gutenberg plugin and this project creates a single source of truth for site standards and ensures that everyone, humans and AI tools, follow the same editorial voice and content rules. By providing this infrastructure layer, WordPress can finally maintain a consistency across content contributors. So that&#8217;s so far from the experiment post that I&#8217;m definitely going to share in the show notes. When you want to use AI for helping you produce content, you definitely want to store some of the standards somewhere. And the experiment lets you do this on your website in your interface with a nice interface for that. I don&#8217;t know how I feel about this because I have been using AI quite a bit in the last two years and some of it was for content creation ideas. But the writing is still kind of mostly a human factor. But it helps me for research and it helps me for learning. So I&#8217;m not quite sure how that translates to a WordPress site, but I guess if you have ongoing content reproduction that is more service oriented, then you might want to use the help of LLMs or something like that. What do you think?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I&#8217;m skeptical for the same reasons. I think that I have had clients ask for something like this. But the more those clients have actually used AI to create content, the more those very same people who had announced that they were going to create all of their content through AI decide that they are going to use AI for research and then create their content. So the AI in actual practical use has been more about reducing friction in that discovery research phase of writing and less about creating the writing itself until you get to the editing part when it becomes helpful again for grammar. But that actual connecting ideas and proving expertise piece is where AI can&#8217;t do it. And you need something, somebody who actually understands what they&#8217;re reading to piece together the logic of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>I can also see, and we will see this in that you use AI to write an excerpt or to give you suggestions for titles or make sure that there&#8217;s an alt text on the image. I think these grunt work tasks kind of thing of AI is really helpful, but I think the human ideas are still. Well, humans hallucinate so much better than AI can ever can. Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>How can we possibly replicate that? And I think there&#8217;s also a place for it with things like you mentioned the alt text. Right. Having it generate them all and then validating that it did it correctly is much faster than writing it all yourself. That is where we&#8217;re going to see these things actually become practical. Right. There&#8217;s a lot of big ideas about it, which makes sense when you&#8217;re dealing with a new technology and an innovation in a major workflow. But in actuality, I think that&#8217;s more how people are going to use it. And I think if people set it up to automate everything and then never look at it, never validate it, that&#8217;s people are just going to get in trouble over that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And I, you know, I use it a lot to generate fake content so that I can show someone what something will look like knowing that the content I&#8217;m showing them is not real. Right. But when you&#8217;re dealing with real content, the biggest mistake I&#8217;ve seen over and over again, and humans will learn because we always eventually do. But the mistake is not reviewing what AI has done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, definitely. Yeah. It&#8217;s not a replacement. It&#8217;s a tool that you need to validate like any other tool you have to do. I can see that if you have a longer text like for 4,000 words or something like that, you could actually use AI to identify the gaps. If a reader goes through it and say, okay, there is a gap because it didn&#8217;t explain why something happens. I think those tips are really helpful, especially when you have longer text or you want to focus on one problem and just kind of figure out what&#8217;s in scope and out scope. But I think that&#8217;s more like an advisory kind of thing and not a doer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, validating. Because sometimes I love Grammarly Pro. Grammarly the free version is very annoying, but if you pay it becomes a really useful tool. But even then, the content suggestions it makes, sometimes they tighten up your language and they make it. They add the commas, which is the thing that I don&#8217;t do naturally on my own apparently. But sometimes they change the meaning completely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And that&#8217;s when you&#8217;re like, nope, thanks for the suggestion. That&#8217;s a no.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I think how this type of thing used well, will make people more efficient. But I also can see it creating a mountain of work for somebody who doesn&#8217;t actually need to go through all of these ridiculous suggestions about it. And I think that deciding when to use it, when it makes sense, those strategic decisions about how to use it are going to be what makes it either something that really helps somebody in their publishing workflow or really hinders somebody else.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Well, if you&#8217;re a single blog blogger having a little editor go through that and give you some tips that might not be a bad idea, but sometimes. But right. If you have been blogging for many, many years, you don&#8217;t need things like that. It changes your voice and it changes the outlook. That&#8217;s what the guidelines are actually for that you can create some of the guidelines as it meant to be to help AI to streamline some of that stuff and also to know about what you want to do. And that certainly helps.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community Contributions</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Speaking of AI, what I found in so in 7.0 WordPress. So getting closer to that release, there is now a new connectors page that you could connect to an OpenAI to Google Gemini or to Anthropic Cloud from your site. And if you have certain tools that help you with those connections. So there are AI providers for other AI systems like I just discovered three of them. One is the AI provider for Open router or router depending on which English speaking country you go to. It&#8217;s a little bit different. So open, I say Router is a service that lets developers use many different AI models like those from Google OpenAI but also others through one simple connection. And the provider was developed by Jonathan Bossenger who is on the AI team and talks about AI on the developer blog. There&#8217;s also an AI provider for Ollama, and Ollama is a local system where you can connect local LLMs so you can download an LLM set and Ollama helps you connect that with the task that you want to do. The benefit of Ollama is that it&#8217;s on your server and it doesn&#8217;t go out to the third-party services, but you still need a provider and connector to it. You can do this on any VPS connection or virtual private server system because you have room and space there to download and add certain things. But it&#8217;s definitely important for companies that want to not get data outside of their system. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the last one is for Europeans. The AI provider for Mistral. Mistral AI is a French AI company founded in 2023 by a former Google DeepMind and Meta researchers and they built and publish large language model and be a respected independent AI in Europe. Speaking of this, what that all comes together is that the AI team and with that Lauri Saarni published a call for testing for community AI connector plugins. There are certain links to the plugins and the connectors, so it would be really cool if you&#8217;re interested in that part of it, to actually go ahead and test things and report back what you find and what you didn&#8217;t find and how it all works for your site. It&#8217;s a totally different approach for working with the site using AI as we discussed. But it might be pretty interesting for developers to connect with all those AI providers and provide services in a plugin or something like that. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you are not a developer, you can install the AI Experiments plugin that also comes from the core AI team and it will show up on the Connectors page with a link to the plugin and what you can do with it. And it has these things like create an excerpt or check the alt text or create a featured image just so you can kind of get a feel for these kinds of works on the WebPress site. Do you have, do you think you have a need for. To kind of use some of the providers for your agency or for some clients?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I think for some clients it has started. I think that for the agency itself, not yet. We have started to do more writing publicly, but really what we&#8217;re doing is turning internal communications to clients into public facing documentation so that we can point to them more easily. So it&#8217;s not something we need help with. In the same way, I think for some clients we have started to integrate things like this in an experimental way. Right. And there are, as with anything that&#8217;s new, people don&#8217;t know how to use these things yet. And I am not against experimenting with a new thing. I love the new stuff, but at the same time I&#8217;m cautious about putting new things into a production environment without really making sure that it makes sense. Some of these, in terms of experimentation, like I will install them and actually Grammarly is a great example. It took me several years to decide that I was fine with it because I tried it and it was annoying. And then a few years later I tried it again and it was still annoying. And then one day I realized that it really was like their premium suggestions really were fixing my comma issue, which is a known issue I have with writing and grammar. I just don&#8217;t put commas anywhere.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>I put them in randomly and so there&#8217;s a few commas.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>But you know, I experimented with the tool probably three times before I was like, you know what, let me try the premium version and see how that goes. And I tried it and a few days later I was like, yeah, this is actually making my writing better. But it was one of those, like I was monitoring over time if it really made sense with my workflow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, yeah. And that&#8217;s how I approach it too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, yeah, yeah. That&#8217;s how I felt about these. And I think what&#8217;s exciting about it is that the infrastructure to do it is becoming more full fledged. But that does not mean people know how to do it yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And so that&#8217;s the next step is that experimentation phase collectively of how, what. How can we make these tools that we&#8217;ve now created function in the best way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>So I really appreciate that the WordPress core developers think about the plumbing of all these services and putting it all the foundation in to open up that total space for freedom for the developers. And there&#8217;s a standard there on how to approach certain. So if you are as a site owner, don&#8217;t have a plugin that kind of taps into LMMs and you open up Gemini for it, you couldn&#8217;t switch just easily to Claude when you think that&#8217;s a better fit for that problem, but the plugin will still work. So that&#8217;s actually what this whole connector thing is about. And it just came up as for the AI providers, but actually the connector API is for any external service standard. So a standard for any external service. So if you need the OpenStreetMap on your site and you have an API key, the plugin can actually use the connectors API to monitor those API keys and just put it in there. The plugin doesn&#8217;t have to come up with its own interface for that, which a lot of plugin developers did for the last 15 years. Yeah. But now they can could actually throw away that piece of the plugin and just tab into the connectors API and don&#8217;t have to maintain that piece of the code.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s Released &#8211; WordPress 7.0 RC2</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> But anyway, so that&#8217;s kind of the bigger picture behind it. And that&#8217;s all coming with WordPress 7.0, which we are now getting to the more practical stuff of WordPress 7.0. So first of all, the WordPress 7.0 release candidate 2 has been published this week. It&#8217;s crunch time. The final release is only two weeks away. So if you haven&#8217;t tested it, now is really the time to get in there and figure out if your theme plugins and sites actually still work with 7.0, and the developer notes are published. The field guide is in the works and I will continue the list of dev notes in the show Notes like we did the last two episodes. I also know because I have been working on it. The Gutenberg Times Source of Truth is almost done and will be published before this episode actually hits your favorite podcast app. So you get an additional link there. So, Beth, did you get a chance to look over the WordPress 7.0 features? What are the most important ones for you and your fellow agency owners and developers? Is there anything that you are really excited about?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yes and yes. So the first thing that I think is going to be honestly hugely problematic for a lot of agencies is the change in PHP minimums, because I think that there are. I know that there are a lot of folks sitting on older sites, older themes, maybe they&#8217;re stuck at PHP 7.1 and there are old things out there. And I think that this PHP requirement jump is going to catch some people off guard. So it jumps from it&#8217;s we&#8217;re now requiring 7.4.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And if you do, it&#8217;s already 6.9.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah. But I think this is going to hit harder. Okay. Because people are going to want the new stuff. Like there&#8217;s a lot in here that is really great and I&#8217;m starting with the thing that I think is going to be most disruptive because I think that people are going to want the other stuff, right? And so I think that that&#8217;s going to catch some people off guard. The other thing that I think is going to be really important is the new admin look and feel because people have been training their clients for many, many, many, many, many years with what it looks like now. And there is a client education need here because when the admin changes, even in minor ways, you get clients that come back and say, what happened? I don&#8217;t know how to do it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Okay, Even if nothing changes except the color, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Where did it go? Why is this different? And did I do something? Did I write the, that human element of like, hey, you&#8217;re okay, it&#8217;s gonna look a little different, but I promise you&#8217;re gonna be able to do it. Just holler if you have any questions. Right? Because I think that there&#8217;s a lot of at least working with long term clients where you become sort of an advisor on the technology rather than a day to day implementer. And for those folks with something like this, I, what I like to do is say, hey, heads up, we are doing, we never do the major core updates right away. I am a let me see how it goes for everyone else.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Type and then if it seems okay, then I&#8217;ll go for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> So you&#8217;re one of the ones who wait for 7.0.1.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Absolutely. Unless it&#8217;s been like three weeks and there isn&#8217;t one. Yeah, right. So I either wait for a period of time or I wait for a point release. And if there&#8217;s a point release, I wait at least 24 hours to make sure there&#8217;s not another point release. But point being though, that this is a big enough shift in terms of what people will see and what people can do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Which part of the admin is actually the one that will disrupt people&#8217;s minds.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Just I think it looking different at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Oh, okay. So we should never change that. Is that what you&#8217;re kind of thinking?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>No, we should absolutely change it. But because we have not changed it for many, many, many years, it will be a surprise. And I think that it&#8217;s easy as folks who are in these systems every day to be like, wow, they finally fixed that. That&#8217;s great. That might be my reaction to many of these changes. Right. But I also know when I log in to pay my credit card. And they&#8217;ve changed it all. And even though the buttons are the same, it looks different. I don&#8217;t have as much confidence about clicking the button. And there&#8217;s this. The vast majority of people who are maintaining the contents on these sites day to day are marketing people, communications people, regular everyday writing people. And they are not sitting there thinking about how the structure of the software works all the time the way we do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. But they still get their work done.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>They still get their work done. What I like to do with clients is just reduce friction by increasing confidence.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Right. And so, like, my message to them is going to be, hey, you need to know that this is going to look different, but your workflow in terms of the things you know how to do is the same. Don&#8217;t let it freak you out. You&#8217;ve got this. Keep going. Right. But like, just that little bit, because that&#8217;s. That is 100% what gets people. It&#8217;s the smallest stuff. They just need to know, like, hey, the problem&#8217;s not me. Oh, wait, there&#8217;s not a problem. It&#8217;s fine. And then they&#8217;re good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. Yeah. It&#8217;s the first five seconds. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>It&#8217;s that psychological adjustment. And I think because it hasn&#8217;t changed for so long that it&#8217;s just going to be something that I mentioned.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Is there anything else that you are really excited about or is it just.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I know. Okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Things change. Okay. I don&#8217;t like it to change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Things change. I&#8217;m really, really excited about the cover block video embeds.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>That is really, really going to reduce the size of things as they load for a lot of websites. And that is fabulous. In addition to improving workflow, all of the things around block visibility by screen size make me really happy. I&#8217;m really happy about the changes in the header block. And I&#8217;ve been building this into themes for years. And the only thing that makes me nervous about it is that I need to go back and see how it impacts the things I&#8217;ve already built that replicate this feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>But you mean the navigation overlays?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>The navigation overlays. Yeah. Because you&#8217;re going to have such increases in both accessibility compliance and SEO optimization just by virtue of having the option to manage your headings visually versus syntactically. So I&#8217;m very excited about that. I love that our revisions menu now has visual changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Because I know that most people looking at the markup that&#8217;s been in there lately are like, I don&#8217;t know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. I have to squint so much to look through the code to find things. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And then there&#8217;s a few exciting changes to the navigation and the better workflows for pattern overrides. Yeah, it was there before, but it was one of those mystery off menu features if it was there, if you knew how to find it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, yeah. Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>So those are the things I&#8217;m most excited about. I think there&#8217;s some other cool stuff in there and I am excited about the general infrastructure that we were just referencing that is being solidified with this release. And I think that piece may not be as exciting on the outset because it&#8217;s infrastructure. It&#8217;s like nonprofits have a hard time funding infrastructure process projects. It&#8217;s the same reason. But it lays the groundwork for a whole new level of experimentation. I&#8217;m excited to see where that goes and I recognize I think you said it very well a few minutes ago the thoughtfulness to create an extensible infrastructure that has gone into these features in the roadmap and sort of planning moving forward.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>You mentioned the cover block video embeds. That means that you can have a video just to catch up with our listeners. It&#8217;s to use a URL to YouTube or to Vimeo and pull that in into a cover block instead of uploading the video to the website because that reduces the cost of hosting and bandwidth for the website. Definitely. And it also you don&#8217;t have to maintain the speed and all that on your own server. So it&#8217;s always good to offset that into a different service. How are you feeling about the manage the fonts from the appearance menu directly instead of hunting it down under the fonts typography menu on the slobber styles,</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg:</em> I&#8217;m feeling really good about that. It remains to be seen for me the biggest issue I have with font management. I am not sure it might be addressed here, but I need to experiment. When you get a font from a total third party non-standard like independent type foundry place getting those integrated, there has still been some friction. So I&#8217;m excited about it being easier to find in general. I think that&#8217;s great. .</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will be experimenting a little bit with if it reduces friction in some of these more edge cases. Because if you&#8217;re using a Google font it&#8217;s great and it&#8217;s been pretty good for a while. But if you are integrating something from another provider, if it&#8217;s a big provider the friction is not as bad. But if it&#8217;s like this obscure type foundry that makes like only these little types of historic fonts, which I run into recently, getting it actually integrated properly, it&#8217;s really hard because you&#8217;re dealing with not the most sophisticated type foundry in terms of the format of their files and they&#8217;re not necessarily plugging in as best as the totally optimized stuff from the more common sources. So, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Is it more a format issue or is it more kind of how it scales in different font sizes and different typography features?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>It&#8217;s a format issue with the font files themselves. And so I think some of it is probably an education piece for people who make fonts, but I also know that most developers don&#8217;t know that much about how fonts are made. And so when you put those two things together, you create some problems. But I think this is a huge step towards getting to the point of being able to solve the edge cases. Right. Because right now finding where you manage the fonts is difficult.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Right? Yeah, totally. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>We&#8217;re going in a great direction, getting into the nitty gritty of which font providers are supported and that I think that&#8217;s the next step from here, personally, because I do think there&#8217;s a homogeny that started from a type standpoint around everyone&#8217;s using Google fonts because they. It&#8217;s easy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. But it&#8217;s also problematic for European sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, right, yeah. Because the different requirements over whether you&#8217;re hosting the font files or Google is hosting the font files, like, then you&#8217;re getting all into all of these legal technicalities of where the font is and who owns it. And I&#8217;m glad I&#8217;m not a lawyer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, me too. So, all right, so there are a few developer goodies coming, so to speak, down the pipeline. The PHP-only block registrations and then the pattern overrides for custom blocks that you already mentioned. Those. I think there are a few smaller stuff like the HTML block enhancements where you can put the CSS separately from the JavaScript and the HTML. You could actually kind of create your own little app there, depending on what privileges you have. I found that there are some problems when you don&#8217;t have admin privileges. The HTML block really gets scrambled, but that&#8217;s an overall kind of problem with the capabilities, I think. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Oh, I forgot the breadcrumbs block. That. That&#8217;ll help a lot of things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>So. Yeah, yeah. I&#8217;m also sure that a lot of agencies and site owners already had that problem solved through like for instance, the Yoast SEO plugin had already programs for many, many years. Yeah, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>But I like my websites to be as lean and efficient as possible. And this feels like when, for a long time I was using Coblox for accordions. Right. And in the beginning, coblox had a lot of things that Core didn&#8217;t. And so you were using a bunch of things. And eventually it became that I was only using the accordion everywhere. And then one day it became possible to do the equivalent in Core and I was like, great, I can get rid of this plugin that&#8217;s only doing this one thing, but has all this other stuff. And I think that&#8217;s what makes me excited about this. Yeah. You can do it through Yoast. There&#8217;s a number of ways to do it. There&#8217;s some independent breadcrumbs block plugins that are really good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. I know that Justin Tadlock had a very good breadcrumbs plugin and he was advising on the core implementation there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, right. Yeah. And I&#8217;ve used Justin Tadlock&#8217;s breadcrumbs plugin for a long time, and I&#8217;m not going to rip it out of something just because it&#8217;s there. It works. It&#8217;s good. But for something else where, like, you only have this one thing that you&#8217;re really using in this big suite of plugins. Yoast is one of them. Jetpack is one of them. Any sort of like cadence blocks, code blocks, any collection of a large number of things when you&#8217;re only using one of them, you should be considering the idea that maybe you shouldn&#8217;t use it at all. And that&#8217;s what makes me excited about the ability to do this through Core, because it allows for some of that extra bloat to be stripped away in some circumstances.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. All right. Anything else that you want to kind of cover on 7.0 for your agency of developing theme building needs?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I think that the PHP-only block registration, we sort of glanced over it, but I think that&#8217;s a very exciting big deal. It opens up, you know, the whole challenge. I think from a developer standpoint, the whole time with Gutenberg has been, how do I level up to do this new thing? How do I level up to do this new thing? And this opens that door wider. And anything that we are doing to open that door wider is great. Similarly, there&#8217;s a few things in here that are just really tiny that I think will help people. They&#8217;re not like, again, reducing friction. So little enhancements to the query loop, adding some new navigation stuff that is just really tiny, but really Helpful dimension support for width and height. That sounds crazy, right? Like it&#8217;s little tiny stuff that reduces friction and stuff. So there&#8217;s more of that in here. Like the concept of the grid block being responsive is really great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Well, it was responsive before, but there was a setting where it wasn&#8217;t and that&#8217;s kind of changed now, right? Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>So, yeah, I just. There&#8217;s a lot of hidden goodies in here that reduce friction. I do think the biggest things to look out for are if your themes are compatible, if your plugins are compatible, and if you have built in things that replicate some of this functionality. How does that work? Because we&#8217;re starting to enter, at least for how I&#8217;ve been building themes, a zone where things I have done historically to account for some of these needs are being subsumed by core, which is great. I just don&#8217;t know how it&#8217;s going to work. So, you know, I think that&#8217;s going to be different for everyone in terms of which things it is. But hopefully, and I say hopefully because I know that we have a unified development philosophy about how we build our themes and there&#8217;s sort of a continuous logical thread for our themes as they&#8217;re built over time. Hopefully agencies who have an internal logic to how they have been building themes can look at this list and say we should look at how we do that and make sure it still works. Yeah, right. Because there&#8217;s also going to be agencies where they have a mishmash of things and they don&#8217;t know and it&#8217;s going to be a one off for each site to see what happens. And you know, that goes for anybody who&#8217;s inherited themes too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, but that&#8217;s also for any of the WordPress releases. Yeah, you have to go through a certain testing phase there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, I think that&#8217;s true. And I think some of this is honestly that it&#8217;s been a while since we&#8217;ve had a major release and so the quantity of little things feels more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, absolutely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And I think that&#8217;s part of why my reaction is this way, because I haven&#8217;t had this thought process.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>At least five months.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>At least.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah, six months. Nine came out December 2nd.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Right. And so as somebody who was used to the four times a year cadence, it is longer and what&#8217;s packed into it is greater. And so I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s necessarily bad, but it is an adjustment in terms of absolutely how you review things and what you&#8217;re looking for. And it&#8217;s more of a. This one feels more like a surprise. Not that it is a surprise, but it feels more like a surprise because it is not on this schedule that I had come to expect. Right. And I think we&#8217;re getting towards a new schedule, which is really great. But until we are all psychologically adjusted to whatever that new schedule is, it&#8217;s going to be a slightly bigger task to review because there&#8217;s more. And psychologically it&#8217;s going to be like, oh, right, I guess that&#8217;s happening and you&#8217;re, you know, you got to go do it. Yeah. So I just think it&#8217;s just. There&#8217;s a little more and the timing is not as predictable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. And I think that the break that was in Twenty Twenty-Five kind of skewed that anyway. Yeah. So we had an April 25, we had a release, and then the last. The next one wasn&#8217;t until December. Yeah. So there were eight months that kind of 15 Gutenberg plugin releases. It didn&#8217;t feel that much that it is now in 7.0, because that was just kind of coming up out of that pause. And now there&#8217;s a real excitement about the Real Time collaboration. There&#8217;s excitement about AI. Yeah. So, yeah, it feels that there are quite a few heavy new features in there that also kind of drown out some of the really quality of life things that we have been waiting for quite a bit here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Right. Yeah. And I. I think it&#8217;s like coming back from a long vacation, like, oh, ooh, this is really exciting, you know, but that&#8217;s how. That&#8217;s how it feels and it&#8217;s good. But it is, absolutely. I think that Twenty Twenty-Five, you didn&#8217;t have to be as vigilant because it wasn&#8217;t happening.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yep, it was a good break.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I think everyone needed it. Honestly, I think everyone really needed it. I know I needed it. But it is, you know, getting back into the. The groove of things is. Is where we are now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>So. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>For which I am thankful, but it&#8217;s still an adjustment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Me too. Yeah. And now with 7.0 kind of out the door almost. Yeah. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gutenberg 22.8</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are looking at Gutenberg 22.8 that has been released. Was released this week also kind of what comes into 7.1. It&#8217;s already starting and people are discussing things. So although there were quite a few PRs that were either all part of the new WordPress UI package that hasn&#8217;t been merged into Core yet, or it&#8217;s bug fixes for the connectors or the Real time collaboration for 7.0, so some of the PRs are actually backported to the release candidates and the beta to the release candidates. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But let&#8217;s talk about some of the things that will not be in 7.0, but definitely in 7.1 and what&#8217;s new in the Gutenberg plugin. So the first thing is the navigation support for the current menu item. So in theme JSON, meaning when you have a navigation and you&#8217;re on a current page that&#8217;s part of the navigation, how do you signal that you are at the current page right now in the navigation? And that has been missing for quite a while or people have just did some CSS workaround of that, but now you can actually style that in theme JSON. And so this is cool. What&#8217;s also cool is that there is an interface for the states like Hover Focus current. I&#8217;m not sure if that&#8217;s going to be in there, but it&#8217;s also part of making the navigation and the hover states and the pseudo support that comes into 7.0, but now it comes also to the interface. So that&#8217;s pretty cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>That&#8217;s my favorite part.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Which one?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg:</em> The navigation stuff again. The interface around the navigation has gotten a lot better in various iterations of Gutenberg, but there&#8217;s still some stuff that you&#8217;d think you would be able to do that you can&#8217;t. And that&#8217;s what some of this is filling in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Birgit Pauli-Haack: There have been some great work. Some of it gets into 7.0 and some of it is still ongoing. So I really like the navigation that&#8217;s actually in 7.0, that you can create pages and publish them and have them in the navigation in one workflow kind of thing. You don&#8217;t have to get out of it. You may have to think about it. You just kind of create the page and then you fill it in with content later.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah. And I&#8217;ve seen that in other systems. I don&#8217;t remember what that is. One of those things where some of these changes, you&#8217;re like, you know, I saw that once somewhere. Was it Joomla? Was it Drupal? Was it whatever? I don&#8217;t know. But I liked it. And now it&#8217;s here. And that&#8217;s good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Absolutely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And that&#8217;s how I feel about that because I do appreciate the tiny little decisions that are being considered here by the core team because it seems very small. But the amount of friction you&#8217;re reducing and the amount of time you&#8217;re saving for people is huge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>It&#8217;s huge. Yeah. Yeah. And it&#8217;s millions of millions of site owners that kind of have advantage. Yeah. Do you want to take the next</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>thing, the tabs menu. So I think this is going to be fun too. So basically we&#8217;ve got a refactor of the tabs menu block. So it&#8217;s basically making this more efficient and making some templating changes to how the tabs block works. And if you look at the actual PR for it, there&#8217;s really good, very detailed descriptions of how. So it&#8217;s making it very clear of it&#8217;s no longer using the template block duplicated in PHP and instead it&#8217;s rendering with per tab context.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>And that&#8217;s like all gobbledygook to some listeners. Maybe, but like really what it&#8217;s doing is making it more efficient and making it more extensible from a code perspective.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>And also for theme developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, right. And making it more possible again, opening that door a little wider for more people to be able to work within the code infrastructure. Because that has been the thing that&#8217;s been the biggest challenge in terms of developer adoption of Gutenberg.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. And the refactor was also necessary to bring it in line with the approach for the accordion block so that certain methods and certain functions can be replicated in a similar way for the TAPS block. I was actually sad to hear that very early that it won&#8217;t make it into 7.0, but I think that was one of the reasons where they said, okay, let&#8217;s, let&#8217;s see if we can kind of align it a little bit more with the accordion block. And it&#8217;s no surprise that Sarah Norris, who has been a guest here at the Changelog quite a bit, she also created the accordion block and she has been now instrumental on the restructure of the tabs menu and inner blocks to get it in line and we have make it more streamlined for developers and theme builders.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>The one thing to add that is an exciting piece for especially theme developers is the addition of anchor support for the tabs. So that&#8217;ll help a lot in terms of things like navigation structures and feasibility. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>And also to kind of interlink different pages. You can link to some of the tabs if it&#8217;s interesting enough. Yeah. So I know that WooCommerce is using that for their products template. So they have built their own one back then and now they get a little bit closer to core, which makes it more extensible and also appreciative they don&#8217;t have to maintain the code for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yep, absolutely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Which is quite a bit. So right now I&#8217;m fishing around on my computer to find my notes again. So here we are. All right,</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>the next one, the showing one&#8217;s own presence and collaborative editing sessions is I think existentially important and just is really going to help this UI experience from the baseline that&#8217;s being released in 7.0.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>So yeah, I&#8217;m pretty sure that it will actually come to 7.0. That made it into the release. That&#8217;s good. So the next piece is the one that you can have the site logo and icon screen in the design panel. So in the site editor there&#8217;s another menu item now to update the site logo and the icon screen directly from the site editor. So you don&#8217;t have to go out into the settings page and upload everything that you need or into the site logo block or header. You can do it right there from, from the menu. So it&#8217;s really an interesting update to change the site logo and the site icon directly in the design site editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>It&#8217;s reducing friction. I think that there&#8217;s a workflow confusion. There&#8217;s the customizer that has become this vestigial organ that sometimes you need, sometimes you don&#8217;t need. Where&#8217;s this? Wait a minute, where do I add css? Is it over here? Is it over here? Is it over here? Could it be here? And I think that we&#8217;re pruning what we need to do through alternate interfaces through changes like this. And the more we can streamline, the better because the biggest confusion I&#8217;ve seen is actually with brand new or like more junior developers who do not know the quote old way. And so the idea that it&#8217;s even there, like they&#8217;ll get stuck because they can&#8217;t figure out where it could possibly be coming from. And then some old timer is like, oh, it&#8217;s over here in this menu that you can&#8217;t see anymore.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. Or yeah. So the site icon at the site logo has been a hidden place and only until now it&#8217;s kind of coming into the forefront. Yes. So the next thing is another one for the collaboration. I just wanted to point out that by default the collaboration on shared hosting is only. It&#8217;s limited to two users and there is also a method for the hosts to either enable that or disable the real time collaboration. So it might not be as obvious when you go on your site and looking for it. You might not be able to get real time collaboration out of the box. You might need to connect with your host to let that enabled because it&#8217;s such an additional load on a server. That certain server configurations are not meant for it to be in yet. So if you&#8217;re on a virtual private host, I think I mentioned it before, it wouldn&#8217;t. It was a different scenario. But it&#8217;s probably easier to get the collaboration working than if you are on a shared hosting with 10,000 websites on a. On a server where the hosting company will probably restrict that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah, I think that there&#8217;s going to be a lot of shifts in hosting, either requirements, configuration, pricing options, etc. as a result of all of these changes. And I don&#8217;t know what they&#8217;re going to be yet, but we do need to collectively remember that the AI features, the collaboration components, all of those things are resource intensive and are going to shift how hosting is being utilized and therefore the hosts are going to need to respond in order to account for the actual cost of that change. So I think that&#8217;s a big unknown right now and I think it&#8217;s, you know, there&#8217;s a few hosts where they&#8217;re locking in pricing for a few years, which is cool, but at the same time I&#8217;m like, I don&#8217;t know, in three years is this going to be enough to pay for that? What will it be in three years?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>So I think there&#8217;s a shift coming there and I am not gonna even pretend to know enough about all the details to know exactly how that&#8217;s going to play out, but I think that there&#8217;s enough shift in what types of resources we need from our hosting that there will be a shift. There has to be, because it&#8217;s just so much more resource intensive than what we&#8217;ve been doing in the past collectively.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> Yeah. And that is in line with what you said at the beginning, that the PHP requirements. Yeah, it always is also contributing to that because all the newer features. So there might be a. You can&#8217;t upload upgrade to 7.0 until you update your PHP. That&#8217;s totally sure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah. And I&#8217;ve read that somewhere. Somewhere I did read that there&#8217;ll be security releases on 6.9 for sites that can&#8217;t go, you know. But then you end up with a situation where you&#8217;re gonna. How many sites are gonna be stuck on 6.9 forever?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>But that has been a problem. Yeah. Because the security team is actually backporting, although officially the release is only supported to 6.8 or something like that, but security team actually backported all the security updates that came with 6.3 or 6.4 to 4 point something. WordPress 4 point something is probably 15 years old. So it&#8217;s still getting security updates. So that definitely is a backwards compatibility promise that even the security team there. It takes a lot of time to backport that. And John Blackburn, one of the leads on the security team, has actually done a retrospective of the latest security updates because you saw that too. It was a. It&#8217;s kind of a galore of releases. 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.4 beta. Yeah, it kind of was in within three days, I think there were four releases.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>It was a lot. Yes. All at once.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>I had a meetup here in Munich and we talked about it. I think the day the 6.4 came out that they were saying, well, is it all hacked or what happened here? Kind of how often do I have to update my WordPress site in a day? And he did a nice retrospective or explaining what happened and what was the reason for that. I&#8217;ll link it in the show notes if you&#8217;re interested. To listeners, it will probably be a little bit less prominent because of all the death notes that came out, but it&#8217;s on the blog on Core.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>I&#8217;m going to go back and listen to that because that hit during a particularly busy time, just for me personally in general. And so it was a little whiplashy to be like what is going on over there? And I think it will be good to be able to go back and just review so that I am aware moving forward of what exactly happened there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. And back to Gutenberg 22.8. I mentioned it before. There is a feature that implements the state UI for sudo selectors in the global styles. Maggie Cabrera mentioned that in the last episode. It&#8217;s now available in the Gutenberg plugin so you can test it out. It gives you a. In the global styles on the right hand side you can select the design for your pseudo selectors like hover and focus and all that. It&#8217;s really cool. Hover, focus, Focus, visible and active. Yeah, so you can change all those settings for buttons, for instance. And you don&#8217;t have to use theme JSON for it anymore. So this is pretty cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yes. And then this one, I think this is fascinating. There is a PR adding client side navigation block with interactive features. That just sounds really fun to experiment with. So what it&#8217;s doing is adding a variant to the Create Block interactive template that allows you to add client side navigation. So this is starting to support the again supporting the infrastructure that exists with actual tooling and UI to use it. So the way that it describes it, this variant provides a self contained working example that mirrors real world patterns, query parameter navigation for pagination, search results, filtered archives and works immediately after scaffolding with no posts or setup required. That&#8217;s really cool. That&#8217;s a really nerdy and very arcane and wonderful. So I&#8217;m excited about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. And that variant is for the Create block scaffolding feature, if I understood this correctly. Yeah, it&#8217;s a create block latest. So if you create a custom block, you can have the variant for your client side navigation and scaffold that up. That&#8217;s really cool. Yeah. Well, our developer advocacy team, we are working on a so-called showcase for all the good things that you could do with a website or theme, including some of the interactivity API features. And we will probably release that someday in the next two months I would think. And it will be a music site with albums and musicians and artists and using the tabs and using the playlist and block and then also kind of have some interesting changes in the theme. So it&#8217;s for custom post types and all that. So it&#8217;s going to be really cool. I know that Juan Ma Garrido who put the client side navigation template into the gray block scaffolding, he&#8217;s also creating a plugin to have the music play even if you navigate away from that page that had the list of the music. So it&#8217;s kind of really interesting to see. So you could use it for video and music. So things stay on the forefront on your browser even if you look at other pages on the website. So that&#8217;s one of the features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>The person, the, the part of me that likes to listen to podcasts from the website themselves really appreciates this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. So I, I definitely, once it&#8217;s out, I definitely gonna adopt it for the good changelog podcast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>So I think always through, we are through with booked. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg:</em> Lots of little, little things, but those are the big exciting things, I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Yeah. And there were actually 38 PRs that were backported as bug fixes to 7.0. So it&#8217;s still an ongoing work that is coming out in two weeks and people are still fixing it. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All right, well, I wish you and your agency all the best for that release that all the things that come in don&#8217;t disrupt your work or the work of your clients.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>We have a list. We know where to look for the problem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Excellent. Yeah. Well, I&#8217;m so happy that you were on the show with me. And as always, dear listeners, the show notes will be published on GutenbergTimes.com podcast this is episode 129 and if you have questions and suggestions or news you want us to include, send them to <a href=\"http://changelogutenbergtimes.com\">changelogutenbergtimes.com</a> that&#8217;s <a href=\"http://changelogutenbergtimes.com\">changelogutenbergtimes.com</a> so thank you for listening and I wish you all a great weekend. Well, or next week. And also toy, toy for the WordPress 7.0 release updates. We will hear each other again in four weeks once I get back from WordCamp Asia. And then we&#8217;ll tackle what&#8217;s coming in 7.1 and what has been in. Good work. Plugin 22.9 and 23.0. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you so much. Beth Soderberg, it was wonderful to have you and your perspective and your opinions on the show.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Thank you for having me. It was great to be here and to see you again and I wish you safe travels on all of your continuing travels.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Thank you. All right. Yeah, and you take care. And I&#8217;ll put in the show notes how people can connect with you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Sounds good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack: </em>Of course. All right, you take care. Bye Bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Beth Soderberg: </em>Bye bye. Thanks, everybody.</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:\"Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:59:05 +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: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:16;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:26:\"Matt: Community Antibodies\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151704\";s: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:43:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/community-antibodies/\";s: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:3022:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, I want to say how great the jazz scene is in New York. I caught a little Latin at my go-to <a href=\"https://guantanamerany.com/\">Guantanamera</a> last night, but the band seemed to be phoning it in a bit, so I walked over to <a href=\"https://jazz.org/dizzys/\">Dizzy&#8217;s</a> and heard an amazing big band performance by the <a href=\"https://divajazz.com/\">Diva all-women Jass Orchestra</a>, they had <a href=\"https://clintholmesmusic.com/\">Clint Holmes</a> leading vocals and I got <a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2m0W0n7zBYmRNs1QAgoa6Z\">Frank Sinatra / Count Basie vibes</a>, so great to see such a tight big band.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/\">WordPress</a>, last week it was fun to see the company some call <a href=\"https://x.com/WordPress/status/2032291317871468554\">parasitic WP Engine acquire WPackagist</a>. So a popular way to use WordPress with Composer, previously maintained by an <a href=\"https://outlandish.com/\">awesome co-op agency in London</a>, was now in the clutches of a company using <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2025/10/greenwashing/\">its capital advantage to try to openwash its alleged bad behavior</a>, probably in a <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/selling-your-company/\">process that wasn&#8217;t ideal for the sellers</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four days later, an awesome independent organization <a href=\"https://roots.io\">roots.io</a> released <a href=\"https://wp-packages.org\">WP Composer (renamed to WP Packages</a>, in OpenClaw fashion) with 17x faster cold resolves than WPackagist. <a href=\"https://wp-packages.org/wp-packages-vs-wpackagist\">Check out their comparison page</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-151706\" height=\"648\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/ma.tt/files/2026/03/composer-compare.png?resize=604%2C648&#038;quality=80&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"604\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s beautiful to see how resilient and nimble the antibodies in the WordPress community are. Major hat tip to <a href=\"https://benword.com\">Ben Word</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another type of <span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">antibody, Sid Sijbrandi, whom I <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2026/01/cancer-founder-mode/\" target=\"_blank\">previously talked about going into founder mode on his cancer</a>, gave <a href=\"https://sytse.com/cancer/\" target=\"_blank\">an incredible presentation</a> at the Open AI Forum abo</span>ut how he ran a bunch of N-of-1 experiments and therapies to cure his terminal osteosarcoma. He&#8217;s <a href=\"https://osteosarc.com/\">also open-sourced 25TB of his data for cancer research</a>. Incredible!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to see the future of health care, <a href=\"https://forum.openai.com/public/videos/event-replay-from-terminal-to-turnaround-how-gitlabs-co-founder-leveraged-chatgpt-in-his-cancer-fight-2026-03-18\">give Sid&#8217;s presentation a watch</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:\"Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:12:33 +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: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:17;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Matt: Stockfish\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151702\";s: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:32:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/stockfish/\";s: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:839:\"<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nobody is arguing that <a href=\"https://stockfishchess.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stockfish</a> is conscious, but Stockfish would kick Claude’s ass at chess.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kevin Lincoln in <a href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-27/ai-changed-chess-grandmasters-now-win-with-unpredictable-moves?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3NDY4MDEzNSwiZXhwIjoxNzc1Mjg0OTM1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQ0pTVzdLSVAzSkwwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIwNEFGQkMxQkYyMTA0NUVEODg3MzQxQkQwQzIyNzRBMCJ9.nIWazrd0HBbGwk_nzijL8lTm8uyCPXr1F7molURiExg\">AI Perfected Chess. Humans Made It Unpredictable Again</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:\"Sat, 28 Mar 2026 20:57:39 +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:18;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"Gary: Claudaborative Editing 0.2: now with 500% more collaboration!\";s: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:25:\"https://pento.net/?p=5697\";s: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://pento.net/2026/03/28/claudaborative-editing-0-2-now-with-500-more-collaboration/\";s: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:5416:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A week ago, I put together <a href=\"https://pento.net/2026/03/20/introducing-claudaborative-editing/\">a quick tech demo</a>, showing how an MCP server could be created for Claude Code that hooked directly into Gutenberg&#8217;s Collaborative Editing feature, allowing it to act as a digital collaborator on a post. The demo focused primarily on text generation, but that&#8217;s not really the benefit that I see coming with this kind of tool. Anyone can generate text, then copy/paste it into the editor. The real power comes from directly hooking into the entire post creation and editing process.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s New?</h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"A screenshot of the /review tool running on this post, prior to publication.\" class=\"wp-image-5711\" height=\"607\" src=\"https://pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/review-notes-1024x607.png\" width=\"1024\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"A screenshot of what Claude was doing behind the scenes when it was generating the review notes.\" class=\"wp-image-5714\" height=\"564\" src=\"https://pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/review-processing-1024x564.png\" width=\"1024\" /></figure>\n</figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since last week&#8217;s release, I&#8217;ve added a host of editing and review tools:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>/edit {tell the LLM how you want this post adjusted}</code><br />Automatically make simple (or even not so simple!) edits on your post, giving your writing a little extra polish.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>/proofread</code><br />Find and automatically fix simple spelling, grammatical, and punctuation issues.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>/review</code><br />Read the post, and leave notes (using Gutenberg&#8217;s Notes feature!) about suggested improvements to your post. This doesn&#8217;t touch your post content, leaving you to make use of the suggestions as you see fit.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>/respond-to-notes</code><br />If you&#8217;re happy with the notes left in the review, you can also have it automatically apply them, too!</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On top of that, I&#8217;ve also added an experimental <code>/translate</code> tool, to automatically translate a post into a different language. LLM translation quality varies significantly, though Claude is regularly considered to be quite good. It&#8217;s worth remembering that, like any LLM, the output is only as good as its input. If you&#8217;re translating to a language that it didn&#8217;t have much training data on, it&#8217;ll do a lot worse.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind The Scenes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MCP server now does a much better job of making use of the REST API, too: it now handles all block types (and does a pretty good job of guessing how to use blocks provided by plugins!). It can upload media, and it can handle all the post metadata, like categories, tags, excerpt, etc.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting It Running</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inspired by the recently released <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2026/03/20/plugin-directory-mcp-server/\">WordPress.org MCP server</a>, the install process got a refresh, too. If you&#8217;re running WordPress 7.0, you won&#8217;t even need to copy/paste the application password to connect to your site: just click the connect button in your browser, and your site will send credentials back to the installer! And if you&#8217;d prefer to avoid the magic, there&#8217;s still a <code>--manual</code> option to let you set it up the old-fashioned way.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"A screenshot of the initial installation of the claudaborative-editing MCP server, prompting the user to enter a site to connect to.\" class=\"wp-image-5700\" height=\"372\" src=\"https://pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/connect-1024x372.png\" width=\"1024\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Connect</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"The authorisation screen of the site that the MCP server is connecting to.\" class=\"wp-image-5702\" height=\"577\" src=\"https://pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/approve-1024x577.png\" width=\"1024\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Authorise</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"After authorisation, this screenshot shows the continu\" class=\"wp-image-5701\" height=\"667\" src=\"https://pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/install-1024x667.png\" width=\"1024\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Install</figcaption></figure>\n</figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s Next?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This release shows how easy it is for an LLM to talk to your WordPress site. What about the other way? If you&#8217;re working on a post, you don&#8217;t want to have to switch to a terminal to get spell checking done, so how can we provide this kind of functionality directly from the block editor? Let&#8217;s experiment and find out!</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, 28 Mar 2026 06:35:32 +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:\"Gary\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:112:\"Gutenberg Times: WordPress 7.0, Playground MCP, Gutenberg 22.8, PHP-only Blocks and more — Weekend Edition 362\";s: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=44834\";s: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:132:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth-playground-mcp-gutenberg-22-8-php-only-blocks-and-more-weekend-edition-362/\";s: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:33769:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hi,</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In less than two weeks, WordPress 7.0 is scheduled to be released. Are you ready? Or are you someone I used to be who waits two to three weeks to see what quirks early adopters find and if they warrant an early point release? Be that as it may, waiting only delays the inevitable, though, sooner or later you get to benefit from the new features and quality of life improvements to the Admin, Editor and Blocks. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first version of the <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/\"><strong>WordPress 7.0 Source of Truth</strong></a> has been published. It&#8217;s again a mammoth post of 4500 words, including 21 images and ten videos. I hope you enjoy the list of all the big and small feature and updates. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next week, I will be on my way to Mumbai. The next weekend edition will arrive in your inbox after WordCamp Asia, on April 17th, 2026. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yours, <img alt=\"💕\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f495.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /><br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PS: Should you be in Mumbai, grab a coffee of lunch spot <a href=\"https://calendly.com/pauli-haack/wcasia\">from my public calendar</a>, I&#8217;d love to meet you! </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">WordPress 7.0 </h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"Highlight grid WordPress 7.0\" class=\"wp-image-44936\" height=\"375\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/7-0_highlight-grid-2026-03-26.png?resize=652%2C375&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WordPress 7.0 </strong>Release candidate 1 <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/19/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-1-delayed/\">was moved to this week</a>. The <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-2/\">WordPress 7.0 RC2</a> was still on schedule for Thursday, though. Meanwhile, more Dev Notes were published.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/16/pattern-overrides-in-wp-7-0-support-for-custom-blocks/\"><strong>Pattern Overrides in WP 7.0</strong></a> is your heads-up to act before the release lands. WordPress 7.0 lifts the old restriction — Pattern Overrides now work with any block attribute that supports Block Bindings, not just a hardcoded Core block list. You opt in via the <code>block_bindings_supported_attributes</code> filter, and the post walks you through edge cases for static blocks where a <code>render_callback</code> may still be needed.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/pattern-editing-in-wordpress-7-0/\"><strong>Pattern Editing in WordPress 7.0</strong></a> explains that ContentOnly mode for unsynced patterns is now the default, meaning block structure and style controls are hidden from editors by default. Block authors need to audit <code>\"role\": \"content\"</code> attributes in <code>block.json</code>, theme authors should test their patterns, and plugin developers should verify UI components still render correctly under the new, more broadly applied editing modes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/block-visibility-in-wordpress-7-0/\"><strong>Block Visibility in WordPress 7.0</strong></a> dev note is relevant if your theme or plugin touches block markup server-side. The new <code>viewport</code> key inside <code>blockVisibility</code> metadata lets users show or hide blocks per device — mobile, tablet, desktop — via CSS, not DOM removal. If your code assumes <code>blockVisibility</code> is always a boolean, you&#8217;ll need to update it to handle an object too. No changes are needed if your blocks don&#8217;t interact with markup server-side.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> walks through <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yq7aVoJIOk\">one of WordPress 7.0&#8217;s most-requested features</a>: viewport-based block visibility. You&#8217;ll see exactly how showing or hiding any block by screen size works in practice — no extra plugins or CSS workarounds needed — and why it is relevant for responsive design. If you&#8217;ve been waiting for a native way to tailor content for mobile, tablet, and desktop separately, this is your preview before the April 9th release.</p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-showhide ng-block\" width=\"100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/dimensions-support-enhancements-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Dimensions Support Enhancements in WordPress 7.0</a> </strong>comprise width and height as first-class block supports. Block builders and theme designer opt in with a single line in <code>block.json</code>, set defaults in <code>theme.json</code>, and the sidebar UI comes for free. Themes can also define named <code>dimensionSizes</code> presets, giving users a consistent palette rather than free-form inputs. If your block has custom width/height attributes today, this is a good moment to consider migrating.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A long-requested feature finally lands in WordPress 7.0. The dev note on <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/custom-css-for-individual-block-instances-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Custom CSS for Individual Block Instances</a> </strong>hold all the details. The new <code>customCSS</code> block support — enabled by default for all blocks — adds a Custom CSS field in the Advanced panel of the block inspector, scoped automatically to that instance via a generated class. Block authors whose blocks wrap raw or opaque content should explicitly opt out via <code>block.json</code>. If your <code>render_callback</code> is in play, make sure your block&#8217;s outermost element is a standard HTML tag.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A typography feature requested since 2021 finally arrives in WordPress 7.0, the dev note on <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/new-block-support-text-indent-textindent/\">the new <code>textIndent</code> block support</a> </strong>has all the details for developers working on blocks or themes. Opt in with a single line in <code>block.json</code>, and a Line Indent control appears automatically in the Typography panel. Theme authors get <code>theme.json</code> configuration too, including a thoughtful <code>subsequent</code> vs <code>all</code> toggle that respects both LTR and RTL typographic conventions. No breaking changes — purely additive./</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 ships a new<strong> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/18/introducing-the-connectors-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Connectors API</a> </strong>— and if you build AI-adjacent plugins, this dev note belongs on your reading list. The new framework standardizes how WordPress registers and manages connections to external services — starting with AI providers — giving you a consistent admin UI, API key management, and auto-discovery via the WP AI Client. Three providers ship out of the box: Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. The <code>wp_connectors_init</code> action is your hook for registering additional connectors or overriding existing metadata.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Felix Arntz </strong>details<strong> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/introducing-the-ai-client-in-wordpress-7-0/\">the new AI Client landing in WordPress 7.0</a></strong> — a provider-agnostic PHP API that lets your plugin send prompts for text, images, speech, or video without touching credentials or provider logic. You chain methods on <code>wp_ai_client_prompt()</code>, declare model preferences, and WordPress routes to whatever the site owner has configured. Three official provider plugins cover Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. Client-side JS exists but remains admin-only for now.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jorge Costa</strong> details the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/client-side-abilities-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\"><strong>client-side Abilities API arriving in WordPress 7.0</strong></a>, the JavaScript counterpart to the PHP Abilities API introduced in 6.9. Two new packages handle it: <code>@wordpress/abilities</code> for pure state management and <code>@wordpress/core-abilities</code> for the WordPress integration layer that auto-fetches server-registered abilities via REST. You can register abilities with input/output schemas, permission callbacks, and annotations — laying the groundwork for browser agents and WebMCP integration.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gutenberg-22-8\">Gutenberg 22.8</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gutenberg 22.8 release lead <strong>Dean Sas</strong> highlighted in his post <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/\"><strong>What’s new in Gutenberg 22.8? (25 March)</strong></a>  the following features: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/#real-time-collaboration-improvements\">Real-time Collaboration improvements</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/#button-pseudo-state-styling-in-global-styles\">Button pseudo-state styling in Global Styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/#site-logo-icon-in-the-design-panel\">Site Logo &amp; Icon in the Design panel</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/#connectors-extensibility\">Connectors extensibility</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-8-25-march/#other-notable-highlights\">Other Notable Highlights</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real-time collaboration improvements and the Connectors extensibility will make it into the WordPress 7.0 release.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had a blast chatting with <strong>Beth Soderberg </strong>from <a href=\"https://bethink.studio/\">Bethink Studio</a> on the recording of Gutenberg changelog 129. We dove into some cool stuff like using AI, WordPress 7.0, and Gutenberg 22.8. It was such a fun convo, and we even touched on that little mental block some users might hit when they see the fresh new look of the wp-admin screens and try to wrap their heads around the change. The episode will drop into your favorite podcast app over the weekend. The 130th episode will be recorded after I return from WordCamp Asia.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45032\" height=\"185\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-12.00.17.png?resize=652%2C185&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f399.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /> The latest episode is <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-128-gutenberg-22-7-version-and-dev-notes-for-7-0/\">Gutenberg Changelog #128 – Gutenberg 22.7 Version and Dev Notes for 7.0</a> with special guest Maggie Cabrera </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-no-vertical-margin\"><img alt=\"Recording Gutenberg Changelog 128 with Maggie Cabrera and Birgit Pauli-Haack \" class=\"wp-image-44836\" height=\"185\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-13-at-17.41.45-1.png?resize=652%2C185&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-showhide ng-block\" width=\"100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-pocket-casts wp-block-embed-pocket-casts\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div></figure>\n</div></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Courtney Robertson</strong> at GoDaddy breaks down <a href=\"https://www.godaddy.com/resources/news/wordpress-7-0-real-time-collaboration-arrives-in-core\"><strong>what WordPress 7.0 brings when it ships April 9 at WordCamp Asia</strong></a>. Your editor finally gets real-time multi-user collaboration powered by Yjs, alongside visual block-level revisions, a Breadcrumbs block, Icon block, and customizable navigation overlays. Developers gain a provider-agnostic WP AI Client with a Connectors UI, PHP-only block registration, and Interactivity API improvements. The minimum PHP requirement bumps to 7.4 — worth flagging for clients on older hosting now.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A little over a month ago, <strong>Johanne Courtright</strong>, founder of Groundworx, launched<strong> <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/WordPressBlocks/comments/1rb20y1/welcome_to_rwordpressblocks/\">r/WordPressBlocks</a></strong>, a dedicated Reddit community for developers and builders working with the block editor. A longtime block developer and free plugin author, Courtright created the space because scattered conversations about custom blocks, theme.json, full site editing, and Gutenberg&#8217;s direction deserved a proper home. All skill levels welcome — come share tips, tools, wins, and frustrations.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re finding it a drag to edit <code>theme.json</code>, check out <strong>Sérgio Santos</strong>&#8216;s creation, <a href=\"https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=s3rgiosan.vscode-wp-theme-json-editor\"><strong>WP Theme JSON Editor</strong></a>. It&#8217;s a VS Code and Cursor extension that makes dealing with JSON way easier with its cool visual interface. You can easily tweak colors, typography, spacing, and block settings using the official WordPress JSON Schema. Plus, it’s got handy features like CSS variable autocomplete, CodeMirror 6 syntax highlighting, drag-and-drop for palettes and font sizes, and real-time validation, and you even get to play with some experimental WP core properties. I’m not sure if it’s really easier than writing JSON from scratch, but hey, that’s just a personal choice, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45040\" height=\"356\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-13.19.14.png?resize=652%2C356&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can now <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/blog/2026/03/16/how-to-build-a-wordpress-theme-with-telex/\"><strong>generate a block theme with Telex</strong></a>, Automattic&#8217;s experimental AI theme builder. You describe your site, hit &#8220;Enhance Prompt&#8221; to let Telex flesh out the design brief, optionally upload a reference image, then pick from four generated variations. From there you build out additional page templates, refine typography and colors conversationally, and download a ready-to-install ZIP containing your templates, styles, and theme.json — no PHP or CSS knowledge required.</p>\n\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-f81c9d4e86ef7571 wp-block-newsletterglue-container ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-vs ng-block-vs-1\" colspan=\"3\" height=\"0\" style=\"height: 0px;\"></div></div><div><div class=\"ng-block-hs ng-block-hs-1\" height=\"0\" style=\"width: 0px;\"></div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; text-align: none; color: #666666; background-color: #fdfcea; border-radius: 12px;\"><div class=\"ng-block-1c9dda55d4746e8a wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align: none; color: #666666;\"><p><strong> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2026&#8221;</a> </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. 2024 on. Updated by yours truly. </p></div></div></div></div>\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-cc12442ea9bcd264 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align: none; color: #666666;\"><p>The previous years are also available: <br /><strong><strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\">2020</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2021/\">2021</a></strong> | <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2022/\">2022</a></strong></strong> | <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/gutenberg-index-2023\">2023</a></strong> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/gutenberg-index-2024/\"><strong>2024</strong></a></p></div></div></div></div></div><div class=\"ng-block-hs ng-block-hs-2\" height=\"0\" style=\"width: 0px;\"></div></div><div><div class=\"ng-block-vs ng-block-vs-2\" colspan=\"3\" height=\"0\" style=\"height: 0px;\"></div></div></div></div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Troy Chaplin</strong> launched <a href=\"https://veilsoffate.com/\">Veils of Fate</a>, a choose-your-own-adventure game built in WordPress using the Interactivity API, post types, and taxonomies. Spanning 3 acts, 18 quests, and 112 scenes, the story was co-written with Claude AI. If you love interactive storytelling, this one&#8217;s for you. Nano banana handled the pixel art, Miles created the theme, and Kinsta provides the hosting. A family-inspired project: Troy&#8217;s kids are avid readers and his wife is a librarian.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WordPress Studio</strong> is a free, open-source local development tool powered by WordPress Playground that has been around for two years now. The team has now published <a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/wp-studio\">wp-studio</a> the CLI installer you can use to spin up local sites instantly — no Docker, NGINX, Apache, or MySQL required — sync them with WordPress.com or Pressable, share live preview links with clients, and tap into a built-in AI assistant that runs WP-CLI commands natively. It&#8217;s only early access to there might be dragons. <img alt=\"🐉\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f409.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /> Also available in WordPress Studio you can use phpMyAdmin to access the database and use it dark mode. </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45047\" height=\"491\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-13.53.48.png?resize=652%2C491&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Carlo Daniele</strong> at Kinsta walks you through <strong><a href=\"https://kinsta.com/blog/php-only-gutenberg-blocks/\">building PHP-only Gutenberg blocks</a>,</strong> a feature introduced in Gutenberg 21.8 that lets you register blocks entirely in PHP—no React, Node.js, or build steps required. Using the new <code>auto_register</code> support flag, your attributes automatically generate inspector controls in the editor. You&#8217;ll build a pricing card block and learn how to wrap legacy shortcodes as proper blocks, finally giving your PHP-side clients and developers a gentler path into the block editor. It will also come to a WordPress instance near you soon with WordPress 7.0. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;d rather watch a video for education, <strong>Brian Coords</strong> demonstrates <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS0pUU-cSpM\"><strong>how PHP-only block registration in WordPress 7.0 </strong>removes the build-tool barrier entirely</a> You&#8217;ll see a Hello World block built with custom fields, a WooCommerce integration using the Store API, and how to handle frontend JavaScript when backend JS has limitations. The real payoff comes when you combine PHP-only blocks with Claude Code skills, letting you generate blocks through conversation rather than scaffolding. The code is on <a href=\"https://github.com/bacoords/example-p...\">GitHub</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"playground-news\">Playground News</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On this episode of <em>The WP Minute+</em>, <strong>Eric Karkovack</strong> sits down with WordPress contributors <strong>Alex Kirk</strong> and <strong>Brandon Payton</strong> to <strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbsFmIqP0_g\">explore my.WordPress.net</a>,</strong> a browser-based WordPress sandbox built around privacy, portability, and AI. Think personal CRM, private family blogging, chat-to-blog workflows, and an AI playground — all running in your browser without a server. The demo shows how plugins become app-like modules, how messaging apps like Beeper can feed content in, and how AI can modify plugins live. Your data stays yours, portable across devices.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ai-in-wordpress\">AI in WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Fellyph Cintra</strong> announces that <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/playground/2026/03/17/connect-ai-coding-agents-to-wordpress-playground-with-mcp/\">AI coding agents can now connect directly to <strong>WordPress Playground via MCP</strong></a>, thanks to the new <code>@wp-playground/mcp</code> package built by <strong>Berislav Grgicak</strong>. One command wires up Claude Code or Gemini CLI to a browser-based Playground instance over WebSocket, letting your agent read and write files, execute PHP, manage sites, and navigate pages — all locally, without touching WordPress admin. Think plugin testing, live database debugging, and theme scaffolding driven entirely by conversation.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Gary Pendergast</strong>, long-time core committer, introduces <a href=\"https://pento.net/2026/03/20/introducing-claudaborative-editing/\">claudaborative-editing</a>, an MCP server — written by Claude Code, fittingly — that lets Claude edit WordPress posts live alongside you in Gutenberg. Built on WordPress 7.0&#8217;s Yjs-powered collaborative editing protocol, your changes and Claude&#8217;s sync in real time with no conflicts. A single <code>npx claudaborative-editing setup</code> gets you started. Claude appears in the collaborators list, edits at the block level, and even streams text character by character as it types. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Darin Koster</strong>, developer at Fueled, walks you through <a href=\"https://darinkotter.com/ai-featured-images/\"><strong>how AI featured image generation works</strong></a> inside the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai/\">WordPress AI plugin</a>. One button click kicks off a five-step chain built on the Abilities API: gather post context, generate an image prompt via an LLM, generate the image, optionally create alt text, then import and set it as the featured image — all in about 30 seconds. The post doubles as a practical demonstration of how WordPress&#8217;s AI building blocks can be composed into real editor workflows.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <strong><a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2026/03/26/462-debating-ais-impact-with-jamie-marsland-content-creativity-slop-and-the-future-of-wordpress/\">this lively WP Builds debate on AI, content, and the future of WordPress</a>,</strong> <strong>Jamie Marsland </strong>— Automattic&#8217;s head of YouTube and prolific WordPress educator — squares off against a gleefully curmudgeonly <strong>Nathan Wrigley</strong>. Marsland champions the new Claude–WordPress.com integration, which gives AI full context of your site for content, branding, and SEO. <strong>Wrigley</strong> pushes back on authenticity, AI slop, and eroding community skills. You&#8217;ll find both sides genuinely persuasive — and probably switch teams more than once.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2026/03/26/462-debating-ais-impact-with-jamie-marsland-content-creativity-slop-and-the-future-of-wordpress/\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45035\" height=\"342\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/WPBuilds462-Nathan-Wrigley-Jamie-Marsland.webp?resize=652%2C342&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></a></figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an example of how AI might change how you use WordPress, <strong>Jamie Marsland</strong> demonstrates that <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jywvzfo_w8c\"><strong>You can now Vibe Code with WordPress.com</strong></a>. on YouTube. He shows what&#8217;s possible once Claude is connected to your site via MCP, from building full landing pages and wiring up contact forms with a single prompt to running promotions across multiple sites, generating downloadable SEO reports, auditing for accessibility, and tracking activity with visual dashboards. Think of it as your WordPress workflow, but driven entirely by conversation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can learn more about the official WordPress.com connector for Claude in below blog post and video. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.com/blog/2026/03/20/ai-agent-manage-content/\"><strong>Your AI agent can now create, edit, and manage content on WordPress.com</strong></a> by Jonathan Bossenger </li>\n\n\n\n<li><br /><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujFGAuUc-x4\">It’s Official: You Can Now Use Claude with WordPress!</a></strong> also with Jamie Marsland</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-cc73c18320acfc4a wp-block-newsletterglue-container ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-vs ng-block-vs-1\" colspan=\"3\" height=\"0\" style=\"height: 0px;\"></div></div><div><div class=\"ng-block-hs ng-block-hs-1\" height=\"0\" style=\"width: 0px;\"></div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; text-align: none; color: #666666; background-color: #f8f8f8; border-radius: 8px;\"><div class=\"ng-block-1a702c8acd6ddc27 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align: none; color: #666666;\"><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.</p></div></div></div></div>\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-bea21a1909e96c7c wp-block-newsletterglue-image ng-block size-full is-resized\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"center\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;\"><a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/playnightly.json\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42874 ng-image\" height=\"45\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-12.06.44.png?resize=196%2C45&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border-style: none; border-color: transparent;\" width=\"196\" /></a></div></div></div></div>\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-3411999cfc2eecb8 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align: none; color: #666666;\"><p>Now also available via <a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/playnightly.json\">WordPress Playground</a>. There is no need for a test site locally or on a server. Have you been using it? <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">Email me </a>with your experience.</p></div></div></div></div></div><div class=\"ng-block-hs ng-block-hs-2\" height=\"0\" style=\"width: 0px;\"></div></div><div><div class=\"ng-block-vs ng-block-vs-2\" colspan=\"3\" height=\"0\" style=\"height: 0px;\"></div></div></div></div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? </em><br /><em>Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or</em><br /><em> send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, <br />send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n<div class=\"ng-block-aed2c272191385b3 wp-block-newsletterglue-separator ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"center\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; color: #666666;\"><hr style=\"background-color: transparent; color: transparent; margin: 0; border: 0; border-top: 1px solid #666666; width: 560px; height: 0;\" /></div></div></div></div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-showhide ng-block\" width=\"100%\"><div class=\"ng-block-c9ef08b7a605d5e1 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color: #666666;\" width=\"100%\"><div><div><div align=\"none\" class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 0.2; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align: none; color: #666666;\"><p><strong>Featured Image: </strong></p></div></div></div></div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity 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, 28 Mar 2026 03:40:00 +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:20;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:46:\"Gutenberg Times: WordPress 7.0 Source of Truth\";s: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=44884\";s: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:57:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/\";s: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:81175:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"welcome-to-the-source-of-truth-for-wordpress-6-9\">Welcome to the Source of Truth for WordPress 7.0!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you dive headfirst into all the big and small changes and pick your favorites, make sure to read these preliminary thoughts about this post and how to use it. If you have questions, leave a comment or email me at <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">pauli@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Huge Thank You to all collaborators on this post: Anne McCarthy, Sarah Norris, Ella van Durpe, Maggie Cabrera, Ben Dwyer, Jonathan Bossenger, Justin Tadlock, Dave Smith, Courtney Robertson and a lot more. It&#8217;s takes a village&#8230;</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-a8bb9ec1783f5f0c5623981a664fedce is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fbe4aca3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"text-decoration: none;\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estimated reading time</p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-time-to-read\">21–31 minutes</div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">at </p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-time-to-read\">4,858 words</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents\"><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#changelog\">Changelog</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#important-note-guidelines\">Important note/guidelines</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#overview\">Overview </a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#important-links\">Important links:</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#assets\">Assets </a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#tags\">Tags</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#priority-items-for-wordpress-7-0\">Priority items for WordPress 7.0 </a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#real-time-collaboration-rtc-enterprise-site-admin\">Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) [enterprise][site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#navigation-overlays-and-more-theme-builder-plugin-author-site-admin\">Navigation Overlays and more [theme builder][plugin author] [site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#treating-patterns-like-a-single-block-all\">Treating patterns like a single block [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#ai-in-wordpress-enterprise-developers-site-admin\">AI in WordPress [enterprise][developers][site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#visual-revisions-all\">Visual Revisions [all]</a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#new-blocks\">New Blocks</a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#breadcrumbs-block-all\">Breadcrumbs Block [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#icon-block-all\">Icon Block [all]</a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#block-editor-enhancements\">Block Editor enhancements</a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#custom-css-for-individual-blocks-enduser-site-admin-theme-builder\">Custom CSS for Individual Blocks [enduser][site admin] [theme builder]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#control-viewport-based-block-visibility-all\">Control viewport-based block visibility [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#anchor-support-for-dynamic-blocks-developer-plugin-author\">Anchor support for dynamic blocks [developer][plugin author]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#paste-color-values-in-the-color-picker-end-user-theme-builder-site-admin\">Paste color values in the color picker [end user][theme builder] [site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#dimension-support-for-width-and-height-theme-builder-site-admin\">Dimension support for width and height [theme builder][site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#email-notifications-for-notes-all\">Email notifications for Notes [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#block-attributions-groups-in-the-sidebar-all\">Block Attributions Groups in the sidebar [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#link-control-validation-end-user-site-admin\">Link Control validation [end user] [site admin]</a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#improved-blocks-and-block-handling\">Improved Blocks and Block handling</a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#pseudo-styles-for-button-blocks-theme-builder-site-admin\">Pseudo Styles for Button Blocks [theme builder][site admin] </a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#extra-divs-removed-from-blocks-in-the-editor-theme-builder-developer-site-admin\">Extra divs removed from blocks in the editor [theme builder][developer][site admin] </a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#universal-text-alignment-all\">Universal Text Alignment [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#cover-block-video-embeds-site-admin-end-user\">Cover Block Video Embeds [site admin][end user]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#gallery-block\">Gallery Block </a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#responsive-grid-block-site-admin-end-user-theme-builder\">Responsive Grid Block [site admin][end user][theme builder]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#heading-block-variations-site-admin-end-user\">Heading block variations [site admin][end user]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#html-block-enhancement-site-admin-themebuilder-end-user\">HTML Block Enhancement [site admin] [themebuilder] [end user] </a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#image-block-inline-editing-and-controls-site-admin-end-user\">Image block inline editing and controls [site admin][end user]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#math-block-improvements-end-users-site-admin\">Math Block Improvements [end users][site admin]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#paragraph-all\">Paragraph [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#query-loop-enhancements-all\">Query Loop Enhancements [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#verse-block-renamed-to-poetry-all\">Verse Block, renamed to Poetry [all]</a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#admin-workflow-updates\">Admin / Workflow updates </a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#manage-fonts-for-all-themes-in-a-dedicated-page-site-admin-theme-builder-enterprise\">Manage fonts for all themes in a dedicated page [site admin][theme builder] [enterprise]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#command-palette-in-adminbar-all\">Command Palette in Adminbar [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#view-transitions-all\">View Transitions  [all]</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#improved-screens-across-wp-admin-all\">Improved screens across WP-Admin  [all]</a></li></ol></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#developer-goodies-developer-enterprise\">Developer Goodies [developer][enterprise]</a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#php-only-block-registration\">PHP-only block registration</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#pattern-overrides-for-custom-blocks\">Pattern Overrides for custom blocks</a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#dataviews-data-form-components-and-fields-api\">DataViews, Data Form components and Fields API </a></li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/wordpress-7-0-source-of-truth/#ui-primitives-and-components\">UI Primitives and Components</a></li></ol></li></ol></nav>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"changelog\">Changelog</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any changes are cataloged here as the release goes on.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>March 27, 2026:</strong> First edition </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>March 30, 2026:</strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fixes for clarity and grammar.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changed feature image of the post.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>RTC: Added Introduce filters for the polling intervals (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76518\">76518</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>April 1, 2026:</strong> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Added information from  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/31/extending-the-7-0-cycle/\">Extending the 7.0 Cycle</a> by release lead Matias Ventura</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changed release date to TBD</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#real-time-collaboration-rtc-enterprise-site-admin\" id=\"#real-time-collaboration-rtc-enterprise-site-admin\" type=\"internal\">Real-Time Collaboration</a> section with additional information.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"important-note-guidelines\">Important note/guidelines</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try not to just copy and paste what&#8217;s in this post since it&#8217;s going to be shared with plenty of folks. Use this as inspiration for your own stuff and to get the best info about this release. If you do copy and paste, just remember that others might do the same, and it could lead to some awkward moments with duplicate content floating around online.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Each item has been tagged using best guesses with different high-level labels so that you can more readily see at a glance who is likely to be most impacted.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Each item has a high-level description, visuals (if relevant), and key resources if you would like to learn more.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"overview\">Overview </h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"Highlight grid WordPress 7.0 (still a work in progress) \" class=\"wp-image-44936\" height=\"375\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/7-0_highlight-grid-2026-03-26.png?resize=652%2C375&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: As always, what’s shared here is being actively pursued but doesn’t necessarily mean each will make it into the final release of WordPress 7.0.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 introduces several new features and performance enhancements.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key new features include:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Real-time collaboration: </strong>multiple users can now work on the same post. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Navigation overlays:</strong> Customizable mobile menus for more flexible styling. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Content focused pattern editing:</strong> Pattern editing now prioritizes the content editing experience with more available options when needed.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visual revisions: </strong>A new revisions screen inside the block editor gives a visual preview of the changes with an easy-to-understand color-coded system.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AI Foundation in WordPress: </strong>User can connect their site to an AI agent of choice to use the AI experiments plugin.  Plugin developers can use the Connectors API to register connections to external services.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, WordPress 7.0, entails:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two new blocks: </strong>the Icon block and the Breadcrumbs block.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Viewport-based block show/hide:</strong> Block visibility extended to customize display according to screen-sizes. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gallery lightbox navigation:</strong> improved browsing through images placed in a gallery.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Font management</strong> for all themes: The screen to upload and manage fonts is now available in the <strong>Appearance</strong> menu for classic and block themes.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many more quality of life changes for workflow and design tools made it into this release. You&#8217;ll find the complete list below. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/7-0/\">WordPress 7.0</a> is <s>set to be released on April 9, 2026 at <a href=\"https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/wordpress-7-0-release-on-contributor-day/\">Contributor Day of WordCamp Asia</a>.</s> <br />The new release date is soon to be announced. (see <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/31/extending-the-7-0-cycle/\">Ventura&#8217;s announcement</a>) </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of note, this release consists of features from the Gutenberg plugin version 22.0 &#8211; 22.6. Here are the release posts of those plugin releases: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/11/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-0-05-november/\">22.0</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/11/20/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-1-18-november-2025/\"> 22.1</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/03/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-2-dec3/\"> 22.2</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/17/gutenberg-22-3-december-17/\">22.3</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/01/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-4-20-january/\">22.4</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/02/04/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-5-04-february/\">22.5</a> | <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/02/25/whats-new-in-gutenberg-22-6-25-february/\">22.6</a>. Later Gutenberg releases contain bug fixes, backported to WordPress 7.0. release branches.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"important-links\">Important links:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/11/planning-for-7-0/\">Planning for 7.0</a> + <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/11/planning-for-7-0/#comment-48392\">update on Beta 1</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/7-0/\">WordPress 7.0 Development Cycle</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What’s new for developers:</strong> <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2025/12/whats-new-for-developers-december-2025/\">December</a>, <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2026/01/whats-new-for-developers-january-2026/\">January</a>, <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2026/02/whats-new-for-developers-february-2026/\">February</a>, <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2026/03/whats-new-for-developers-march-2026/\">March</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>7.0 Field Guide</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"assets\">Assets </h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this <a href=\"https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1s3vR7M60U7RcjKCu9Y5GHUo-SDA50jSP\">Google Drive folder</a> you can view all assets in this document.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tags\">Tags</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make this document easier to navigate based on specific audiences, the following tags are used liberally: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>[end user]</strong>: end user focus. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[theme builder]</strong>: block or classic theme author. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[plugin author]</strong>: plugin author, whether block or otherwise.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[developer]</strong>: catch-all term for more technical folks. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[site admin]</strong>: this includes a “builder” type. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[enterprise]</strong>: specific items that would be of interest to or particularly impact enterprise-level folks</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[all]</strong>: broad impact to every kind of WordPress user. </li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How can you use these? Use your browser&#8217;s <strong>Find</strong> capability and search for the string including the brackets. Then use the arrows to navigate through the post from one result to the next. </p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\">Short video on how to use the tags to navigate the post. \n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		</details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"priority-items-for-wordpress-7-0\">Priority items for WordPress 7.0 </h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"real-time-collaboration-rtc-enterprise-site-admin\">Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) <sup>[enterprise][site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Multiple users can now work on the same page at the same time, seeing each other&#8217;s changes as they happen. No more &#8220;someone else is editing this&#8221; warnings. Whether you&#8217;re co-writing a post, reviewing a layout, or making last-minute edits before publishing, everyone stays in sync without leaving the editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It represents the biggest step toward achieving full collaborative editing, not only for newsrooms and big publishing houses.  It also simplifies working on a site editing for agencies and their clients as well as designers and writers working together on a post. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A presence indicator in the editor header shows who’s currently editing. Under the hood, title, content, and excerpt now sync via <code>Y.text</code> for more granular conflict resolution, and numerous reliability fixes address disconnection handling, revision restores, and performance metrics. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75286\">75286</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75398\">75398</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75065\">75065</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75448\">75448</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75595\">75595</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can enable the feature via <strong>Settings &gt; Writing</strong>. Check the box next to <strong>Enable early access to real-time collaboration</strong>, in the <strong>Collaboration</strong> section. </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44905\" height=\"221\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Collaboration-Settings-Writing.png?resize=652%2C221&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The infrastructure implementation uses HTTP polling for universal compatibility,  CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Type) update data is stored persistently in post_meta on a special internal <code>wp_sync_storage</code> post type (one per &#8220;room&#8221;/document). </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sync provider architecture is designed so that the storage and transport layer can be swapped out. Updates are batched and periodically compacted. WordPress code initially limits simultaneous collaborators to two to protect hosts. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64622\">64622</a>). </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hosting companies have the option to add a different provider. There will be a <code>wp-config</code> constant that can be used to change the defaults. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Introduces JavaScript filters to allow third party developers to slow down or speed up polling via the RTC client. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76518\">76518</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more details, check out the Dev Note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/10/real-time-collaboration-in-the-block-editor/\"><strong>Real-Time Collaboration in the Block Editor</strong></a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Update:</strong> </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since October, WordPress VIP beta participants — spanning newsrooms, research institutions, and enterprise publishers — tested the real-time collaboration against live editorial workflows, reporting back what worked, what broke, and what they couldn’t live without. Their voices didn’t just validate the feature — they shaped it.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matias Ventura explains why <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/31/extending-the-7-0-cycle/\">the WordPress 7.0 cycle is being extended by a few weeks</a>: the real-time collaboration feature needs more time to nail its data architecture. After Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, expressed a preference to revisit the proposed custom table for syncing presence and content changes, the team is refining the design before committing. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal for custom table to keep a record of the changes to a post/page from each browser window, was discussed in the trac ticket (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64696\">64696</a>) </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plugin developers relying on metaboxes will want to take note — collaborative editing is disabled when metaboxes are present, making this cycle your window to migrate.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44945\" height=\"397\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Real-time-collaboration.png?resize=652%2C397&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"navigation-overlays-and-more-theme-builder-plugin-author-site-admin\">Navigation Overlays and more <sup>[theme builder][plugin author] [site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigation blocks now have customizable overlays and give user full control over mobile hamburger menus. A prominent <strong>Create overlay</strong> button in the side bar guides you through the setup, providing a selection of patterns to achieve various designs for your overlay. WordPress 7.0 comes with multiple built-in patterns including centered navigation, accent backgrounds, and black backgrounds. New blocks default to &#8220;always&#8221; showing overlays. The Navigation block sidebar section also shows a preview of the selected overlay template parts. You can also access the list of Navigation Overlays via <strong>Appearance &gt; Editor &gt; Patterns &gt; Template Parts.</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On GitHub you&#8217;ll find a list of all the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues?q=state%3Aclosed%20label%3A%22%5BFeature%5D%20Navigation%20Overlays%22%20label%3A%22%5BType%5D%20Enhancement%22\">Navigation Overlay enhancements</a>. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>The dev note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/04/customisable-navigation-overlays-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Customizable Navigation Overlays in WordPress 7.0</a> has everything you need to know.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\" id=\"block-697b3ef0-955a-4413-82a1-bf3bb5f25f68\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45002\" height=\"607\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Create-Overlay.png?resize=589%2C607&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"width: 541px; height: auto;\" width=\"589\" /></figure>\n</div></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make it easier for users to create custom overlays for their mobile navigation, four new patterns are now available for the navigation overlay template parts:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74847\">Overlay with black background</a> </li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74849\">Overlay with accent background</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74862\">Centered navigation with info</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74861\">Centered navigation</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45003\" height=\"979\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/navigation-overlay-patterns.png?resize=652%2C979&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Submenus: Always visible option</strong>: Users can now add navigation blocks to their overlays and toggle if they’d like to have the submenus always visible or not. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74653\">74653</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Page Creation in Navigation</strong>: Create pages directly from the Navigation block with helpful Snackbar notices and improved parent page search using relevance matching <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/72627\">(72627</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73836\">73836</a>).</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"treating-patterns-like-a-single-block-all\">Treating patterns like a single block <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get ready for a smoother, more intuitive experience when using patterns in WordPress 7.0.  It’s becoming much easier to customize your site&#8217;s design sections with a simplified editing workflow and an improved content-focused mode. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Users naturally stay in the safe lane without accidentally breaking designs. Agencies can hand off a site knowing clients can&#8217;t wreck the layout by default — they&#8217;d have to deliberately choose to go deeper.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What&#8217;s New for Patterns:</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Quick Content Edits:</strong> When you select a pattern, instead of seeing a list of individual blocks, you&#8217;ll see a clean, expanded inspector panel. This panel exposes all the editable text and image fields directly, organized for easy access. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Content-Only Focus:</strong> Patterns will now default to a <strong>Content-Only</strong> editing mode. This simplifies the experience by letting you quickly fill in the content without seeing all the underlying design tools.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Full Customization (If You Need It):</strong> If you <em>do</em> need to change the structure or design of a pattern, you can simply &#8220;detach&#8221; it. This gives you full access to all the individual blocks, just like before. Use the <strong>Edit Pattern</strong> button from the sidebar.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A Unified Experience:</strong> This new approach makes patterns feel like single, smart design objects with easy-to-update attributes, whether you&#8217;re using a pattern, a design section, or a partially synced pattern.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Head over to the dev note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/?p=122085&amp;preview=1&amp;_ppp=5a7fd37ffc\">Pattern Editing in WordPress 7.0</a> for the full picture. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ai-in-wordpress-enterprise-developers-site-admin\">AI in WordPress <sup>[enterprise][developers][site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 ships with a WP AI client API and a built-in Connectors screen — a centralized hub for managing all kinds of external service integrations, not just AI providers. Connect to OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini and WordPress automatically installs the right plugin and prompts you for your API key. Developers get a consistent framework to build on—enabling features like content generation, block building, and theme creation without reinventing the plumbing every time. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new Connectors page also sports a shout-out to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai/\">AI Experiments plugin</a> if users want to see AI features, like title, excerpt, or alt-text generation, in action.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44916\" height=\"415\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Connectors-Page-WordPress-7-0.png?resize=652%2C415&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the real value of this Connectors API is broader: any plugin that needs to connect to an outside service via API keys or other credentials can tap into this standardized connection management system. Users get one place to maintain all their integrations. And plugin developer a standardized way to tap into the plumbing.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read the dev note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/18/introducing-the-connectors-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\"><strong>Introducing the Connectors API in WordPress 7.0</strong></a> for all the salient details. </li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Core AI team also published a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/ai/2026/03/25/call-for-testing-community-ai-connector-plugins/\"><strong>Call for Testing: Community AI Connector Plugins</strong></a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visual-revisions-all\">Visual Revisions<sup> [all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How revisions work for the block editor was completely reimagined. The visual Revisions screen keeps you in the editor the entire time, activating a subtle revision mode right where you work, eliminating the need to jump to a separate screen. A timeline slider in the header allows you to browse through different versions, seeing content updates in real-time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system highlights visual differences, showing added and removed text, formatting changes, and outlining modified blocks instead of raw code. For long documents, a mini-map along the scrollbar indicates where changes exist, letting you jump directly to them, and the sidebar remains useful with a summary of the changes for the current revision. To simplify reverting, the &#8220;Update&#8221; or &#8220;Publish&#8221; button is replaced by a &#8220;Restore&#8221; button when you are browsing the history (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/74742\">74742</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yellow marks a changed section/block, in red you’ll find deletions and green are additions compared to the early version. </p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wes Theron</strong> has a short video on <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWN3d2KUNKk\">How to restore previous versions of a page or post in WordPress</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anne McCarthy also gives a great walk through the screens on Youtube:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"new-blocks\">New Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"breadcrumbs-block-all\">Breadcrumbs Block <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new native Breadcrumbs block in WordPress 7.0 provides dynamic navigational trails for the Site Editor. It automatically generates paths from the homepage to the current page, adapting to context.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The block handles hierarchical pages (e.g., &#8220;Home / Services / Web Design / Portfolio&#8221;) and includes taxonomy for blog posts (e.g., &#8220;Home / Technology / Your Post Title&#8221;). Beyond simple pages, it correctly constructs paths for archive pages (category, tag, author, date), search results, and 404 errors. For Custom Post Types, it includes the post type archive in the trail.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"Breadcrumbs block displaying post categories WordPress 7.0\" class=\"wp-image-44940\" height=\"227\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Breadcrumbs-flore-flowers.png?resize=652%2C227&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The block offers alignment options (left, center, right, wide/full), as well as other block design options. Additional settings are available for showing the last item as text or a link and consistent homepage handling (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/72649\">72649</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44951\" height=\"898\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gb-22-2-breadcrumb.png?resize=652%2C898&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dev note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/04/breadcrumb-block-filters/\">Breadcrumb block filters</a> has the details. </p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"icon-block-all\">Icon Block <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new Icon block empowers users to add decorative icons from a curated collection to their content. It utilizes a new server-side SVG Icon Registration API, ensuring icon registry updates propagate without block validation errors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The initial release is limited as it doesn&#8217;t yet allow registering third-party icon collections. Extensibility for third-party icon registration is planned for future release in 7.1, following further development on the Icon registry API architecture. A REST endpoint at <code>/wp/v2/icons</code> supports searching and filtering. The initial set draws from the <code>wordpress/icons</code> package (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/71227\">71227</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/72215\">72215</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75576\">75576</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"List of directions, illustrated with the icon block\" class=\"wp-image-44938\" height=\"192\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/icon-block.png?resize=652%2C192&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-editor-enhancements\">Block Editor enhancements</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"custom-css-for-individual-blocks-enduser-site-admin-theme-builder\">Custom CSS for Individual Blocks <sup>[enduser][site admin] [theme builder]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previously, applying custom CSS to a block instance required adding a custom class name and then writing a rule in the Site Editor’s global Custom CSS. This two-step process was complex for most users and inaccessible to content editors without Site Editor access.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new custom CSS block support introduces a Custom CSS input to the <strong>Advanced</strong> panel within the block editor sidebar, conveniently placed next to the familiar &#8220;Additional CSS Class(es)&#8221; field. You only need to add the CSS declarations (no selectors!) If you do need to target nested elements, use the &amp; symbol (for example, &amp; a { color: red; }). This field is focused purely on styling and will reject any HTML input. The field is guarded by the <code>edit_css capability</code> to see and use this powerful new field. The editor automatically adds a has-custom-css class for styling consistency. <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73959\">#73959</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74969\">#74969</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44920\" height=\"412\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Block-level-custom-CSS.png?resize=652%2C412&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dive into the dev note <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/custom-css-for-individual-block-instances-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Custom CSS for Individual Block Instances</a></strong> for the complete rundown.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control-viewport-based-block-visibility-all\">Control viewport-based block visibility <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you&#8217;re editing a post or page, you can now choose to show or hide any block depending on the visitor&#8217;s screen size. Select a block, click <strong>Show</strong> in the toolbar, and pick which devices — desktop, tablet, or mobile — should display it. You can also hide a block from the document entirely through the same modal. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized wp-duotone-unset-1\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44980\" height=\"282\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/note-on-visibility.png?resize=573%2C282&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"width: 519px; height: auto;\" width=\"573\" /></figure>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44944\" height=\"429\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Block-visiblity.png?resize=652%2C429&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the nitty-gritty, see the dev note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/block-visibility-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Block Visibility in WordPress 7.0</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anne McCarthy walks you through the feature: </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anchor-support-for-dynamic-blocks-developer-plugin-author\">Anchor support for dynamic blocks <sup>[developer][plugin author]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dynamic blocks now support Anchor (id attribute) functionality. The anchor reference is consistently stored within the block comment delimiter, enabling dynamic rendering on the front end. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74183\">74183</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paste-color-values-in-the-color-picker-end-user-theme-builder-site-admin\">Paste color values in the color picker <sup>[end user][theme builder] [site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Color pickers throughout the block styles sidebar, now offer support for pasting complete color values. You can now copy/paste the brand colors from a design document or website into the color picker box and don&#8217;t have to go through the process of selecting the right color and hue<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73166\"> (73166</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dimension-support-for-width-and-height-theme-builder-site-admin\">Dimension support for width and height <sup>[theme builder][site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 expands the Dimensions block supports system with three significant improvements: <strong>width</strong> and <strong>height</strong> are now available as standard block supports under dimensions, and themes can now define <strong>dimension size presets</strong> to give users a consistent set of size options across their site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dev Note <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/dimensions-support-enhancements-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Dimensions Support Enhancements in WordPress 7.0</a> has the details for block.development and theme builders.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"email-notifications-for-notes-all\">Email notifications for Notes <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collaborators can now get notified when someone leaves a note on their content. No more checking back constantly (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73645\">73645</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-attributions-groups-in-the-sidebar-all\">Block Attributions Groups in the sidebar <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The block editor sidebar is being reorganized to make controls easier to find. Block settings will be grouped into four clear sections: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Content</strong> (text, images, captions), </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>List</strong> (reordering and nesting for blocks like Lists and Social Icons), </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Settings</strong> (block-specific options), and </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Styles</strong> (typography, colors, spacing). </li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means you won&#8217;t need to hunt through toolbars or scattered panels — everything will live in a predictable place in the sidebar. Connected data sources will also appear directly next to the attributes they affect, so you can see at a glance what&#8217;s linked and where. It also means that for the transition a reordering of the sidebar and controls to be in different place than before. For instance. For an image block that includes the “Alt” text setting is now to be found in the content tab rather than the settings tab.  (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/73845\">73845</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s an example of the implementation for Patterns:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44943\" height=\"399\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Pattern-Attributes-in-Sidebar.png?resize=652%2C399&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-control-validation-end-user-site-admin\">Link Control validation <sup>[end user] [site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Link Control component in Gutenberg now validates the URLs, you enter helping to avoid broken links (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73486\">73486</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44950\" height=\"181\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Link-control-variation.png?resize=531%2C181&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"531\" /></figure>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"improved-blocks-and-block-handling\">Improved Blocks and Block handling</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pseudo-styles-for-button-blocks-theme-builder-site-admin\">Pseudo Styles for Button Blocks <sup>[theme builder][site admin] </sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Theme designers and developers can now style button states (hover, focus, active, and focus visible) directly within the theme.json, making it much easier to keep all design controls centralized and consistent. This reduces the reliance on custom CSS for things like button hover states (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/71418\">71418</a>). </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro cbp-has-line-numbers\"><span>JSON</span><span class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\" style=\"color: #575279; display: none;\" tabindex=\"0\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" readonly=\"readonly\" tabindex=\"-1\">{\n    \"styles\": {\n        \"blocks\":{\n                \"core/button\":{\n                    \"color\":{\n                        \"background\":\"blue\"\n                    },\n                    \":hover\":{\n                        \"color\":{\n                        \"background\":\"green\"\n                        }\n                    },\n                    \":focus\":{\n                        \"color\":{\n                        \"background\":\"purple\"\n                        }\n                    }\n                }\n            }\n    }\n}\n</textarea></pre><svg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><path class=\"with-check\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"></path><path class=\"without-check\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"></path></svg></span><pre class=\"shiki rose-pine-dawn\" style=\"background-color: #faf4ed;\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">styles</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">blocks</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">core/button</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">color</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">background</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #EA9D34;\">&quot;blue&quot;</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">},</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">:hover</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">color</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">background</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #EA9D34;\">&quot;green&quot;</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">},</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">:focus</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">color</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">background</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #EA9D34;\">&quot;purple&quot;</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">                </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">            </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"></span></code></pre></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More details are available in the Dev Note: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/09/pseudo-element-support-for-blocks-and-their-variations-in-theme-json/\">Pseudo-element support for blocks and their variations in theme.json</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"extra-divs-removed-from-blocks-in-the-editor-theme-builder-developer-site-admin\">Extra divs removed from blocks in the editor <sup>[theme builder][developer][site admin] </sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 introduced a new <code>HtmlRenderer</code> component, which renders HTML content as React elements with optional wrapper props. For theme authors, this means that several blocks will no longer have an extra wrapping <code>&lt;div&gt;</code> in the editor, allowing for consistent styling with the front end (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74228\">74228</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blocks that have been fixed are:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74255\">Archives</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74271\">Calendar</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74277\">Latest Comments</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74272\">RSS</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74228\">Tag Cloud</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"universal-text-alignment-all\">Universal Text Alignment <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly all text blocks now support the standardized text-align block support system, including Paragraph, Button, Comment blocks, Heading, and Verse. Plus, text justify alignment is now available. See <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/60763\">tracking issue</a> to follow along on the progress (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/60763\">60763</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cover-block-video-embeds-site-admin-end-user\">Cover Block Video Embeds <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Cover block this release comes with the ability to use embedded videos (like YouTube or Vimeo) as background videos in the Cover block, rather than being restricted to locally uploaded files. Offloading video to 3rd-party services helps reduce hosting and bandwidth costs. Also, the focal pointer is now available for fixed background. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73023\">#73023</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74600\">#74600</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44953\" height=\"416\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gb-22-2-embed-1.png?resize=652%2C416&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gallery-block\">Gallery Block </h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lightbox-navigation-site-admin-end-user\">Lightbox navigation <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Gallery block’s “Enlarge on click” lightbox now lets you navigate between images. When you click a gallery image, back/next buttons appear so you can browse through the rest of the gallery without closing the lightbox. Keyboard navigation (arrow keys) and screen reader announcements are fully supported. It also works with swiping on mobile, however the swiping isn’t yet visual/animated.  (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/62906\">62906</a>) and lightbox items still miss captions.</p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"content-tab-in-sidebar-site-admin-end-user\">Content Tab in sidebar <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For fast access to Alt text box the sidebar of the Gallery block shows a new content tab in the sidebar. </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44958\" height=\"340\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Gallery-content-sidebar-edited.png?resize=652%2C340&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"responsive-grid-block-site-admin-end-user-theme-builder\">Responsive Grid Block <sup>[site admin][end user][theme builder]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Grid block is now responsive even when you set a column count. Previously, you had to choose between setting a minimum column width (responsive, Auto mode) or a fixed column count (Manual mode)—a binary toggle that confused many users. Now you can set both: when you do, the column count becomes a <em>maximum</em>, and the grid scales down responsively based on your minimum column width. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can set neither, either, or both—the block handles all combinations gracefully. The confusing Auto/Manual toggle is gone entirely, replaced by clearer &#8220;minimum width&#8221; and &#8220;columns&#8221; labels with a plain-language description explaining the relationship between the two controls.. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73662\">73662</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"heading-block-variations-site-admin-end-user\">Heading block variations <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each heading level (H1-H6) is now registered as a block variation on the Heading block. These do not appear in the inserter, but the change does add icons to the block’s sidebar for transforming it between variations (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73823\">73823</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44963\" height=\"334\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Heading-handling.png?resize=652%2C334&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"html-block-enhancement-site-admin-themebuilder-end-user\">HTML Block Enhancement <sup>[site admin] [themebuilder] [end user]</sup> </h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The HTML block was redesigned to work now as a modal-based editor featuring separate tabs for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Admin can now use it for more powerful customizations, when HTML JS and CSS work on a single block. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73108\">73108</a>).  </p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"image-block-inline-editing-and-controls-site-admin-end-user\">Image block inline editing and controls <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 comes with a revamp of the image editing feature in the editor. It’s now easier to crop, rotate or zoom in on a particular image corner. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/72414\">#72414</a>) (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73277\">#73277</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"advanced-image-controlsimage-block-now-supports-the-focal-point-control-and-aspect-ratio-adjustments-for-wide-and-full-alignments-plus-reorganized-inspector-controls-with-a-dedicated-content-tab-73115-74519-74201\">Advanced Image Controls <sup>[site admin][end user]</sup></h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"advanced-image-controlsimage-block-now-supports-the-focal-point-control-and-aspect-ratio-adjustments-for-wide-and-full-alignments-plus-reorganized-inspector-controls-with-a-dedicated-content-tab-73115-74519-74201\">Image block now supports the focal point control and aspect ratio adjustments for wide and full alignments, plus reorganized inspector controls with a dedicated content tab. <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73115\">#73115</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74519\">#74519</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74201\">#74201</a></p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"math-block-improvements-end-users-site-admin\">Math Block Improvements <sup>[end users][site admin]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LaTeX input now uses a monospaced font, and style options are available for better mathematical expression editing (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/72557\">72557</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73544\">73544</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44972\" height=\"425\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Mathblock-updates-wp70.png?resize=652%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paragraph-all\">Paragraph <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new typography tool has been added for specifying the line indent of paragraph blocks (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73114\">73114</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74889\">74889</a>). Users and theme creators can specify line indentation rules for a single paragraph block and also at global styles / theme.json level for all paragraph blocks. For global styles and theme.json, it’s possible to choose whether all paragraphs or only subsequent paragraphs are indented, which accounts for different indentation standards around the world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dev note on <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/15/new-block-support-text-indent-textindent/\">the new <code>textIndent</code> block support</a> </strong>has all the details for developers working on blocks or themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44985\" height=\"525\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/TextIndent-standard.png?resize=652%2C525&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The example code sets a default indent value of 1.5em globally for paragraphs:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro cbp-has-line-numbers\"><span>JSON</span><span class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\" style=\"color: #575279; display: none;\" tabindex=\"0\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" readonly=\"readonly\" tabindex=\"-1\">{\n  \"settings\": {\n    \"typography\": {\n      \"textIndent\": \"true\"\n    }\n  },\n  \"styles\": {\n    \"blocks\": {\n      \"core/paragraph\": {\n        \"typography\": {\n          \"textIndent\": \"1.5em\"\n        }\n      }\n    }\n  }\n}\n</textarea></pre><svg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><path class=\"with-check\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"></path><path class=\"without-check\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"></path></svg></span><pre class=\"shiki rose-pine-dawn\" style=\"background-color: #faf4ed;\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">  </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">settings</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">typography</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">      </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">textIndent</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #EA9D34;\">&quot;true&quot;</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">  </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">},</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">  </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">styles</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">blocks</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">      </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">core/paragraph</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">typography</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">{</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">          </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #56949F;\">textIndent</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">&quot;</span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">:</span><span style=\"color: #575279;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #EA9D34;\">&quot;1.5em&quot;</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">        </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">      </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">    </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #575279;\">  </span><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #797593;\">}</span></span>\n<span class=\"line\"></span></code></pre></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More details can be learned in the Dev Note: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/?p=121744&amp;preview=1&amp;_ppp=b05f93cb55\">New Block Support: Text Indent (textIndent) </a></p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"columns-in-paragraph-blocks-all\">Columns in Paragraph blocks <sup>[all]</sup></h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that there is block support for typographical columns, the paragraph block can now handle text columns by default (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74656\">74656</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the front-end only, the Paragraph block now has a <code>.wp-block-paragraph</code> class. This change doesn’t affect global styles, which still use the <code>p</code> selector.(<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/71207\">71207</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"query-loop-enhancements-all\">Query Loop Enhancements <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Query loops now support excluding terms. When the block is locked it now hides design change and choose pattern options. <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73790\">#73790</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74160\">#74160</a></p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44986\" height=\"527\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Exclude-Terms-Query-block.png?resize=652%2C527&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verse-block-renamed-to-poetry-all\">Verse Block, renamed to Poetry <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Verse Block has been renamed to Poetry block (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74722\">74722</a>) Also it now utilizes <code>border-box</code> for its <code>box-sizing</code>, which guards against overflow issues and should make it easier to style without additional custom CSS.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"admin-workflow-updates\">Admin / Workflow updates </h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"manage-fonts-for-all-themes-in-a-dedicated-page-site-admin-theme-builder-enterprise\">Manage fonts for all themes in a dedicated page <sup>[site admin][theme builder] [enterprise]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A dedicated Fonts page is now available under the Appearance menu for all themes. Until now, font management has lived deep inside Global Styles, requiring navigation through several panels to install or preview a font. This new standalone page lets block theme users browse, install, and manage their typography collection in one dedicated space. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the hood, this page is built on a new routing infrastructure for the Site Editor, designed to improve navigation and support new top-level pages in wp-admin. View transitions are now wired into this routing layer, providing early zoom/slide animations when navigating between pages (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73630\">73630</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73876\">73876</a>, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73586\">73586</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Font Library and Global Styles also work with classic themes (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73971\">#73971</a>,<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73876\"> #73876</a>). Like the Media Library, you can access the Font Library as a modal or through a dedicated admin section—regardless of your theme type.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"blob:https://gutenbergtimes.com/e8865866-45a0-4807-94ac-02a8257ce1dd\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"command-palette-in-adminbar-all\">Command Palette in Adminbar <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instantly access all the tools you need with a single click using the <strong>new Command Palette shortcut in the Omnibar</strong>! In 7.0 Beta 5, logged-in editors will see a field with a ⌘K or Ctrl+K symbol in the upper admin bar that unfurls the command palette when clicked. The new command palette entry point streamlines navigation and customization, giving you full control from anywhere on your site – whether you’re editing, designing or just browsing plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"view-transitions-all\">View Transitions  <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">View transitions have been integrated into the WordPress admin in 7.0, enabling smooth transitions between screens.  The implementation for the front end is slated for the next WordPress 7.1 (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64470\">64470</a>) The result is a smoother page-to-page transitions using the CSS <a href=\"https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/View_Transition_API\">View Transitions API </a>— no markup or JavaScript changes required, just a progressive enhancement you&#8217;ll notice immediately when navigating between admin screens.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"improved-screens-across-wp-admin-all\">Improved screens across WP-Admin  <sup>[all]</sup></h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 is getting a CSS-only &#8220;coat-of-paint&#8221; visual reskin of the wp-admin, bringing the classic admin screens closer to the visual language of the block and site editors — no markup changes, no JavaScript, no functional changes, and all existing CSS class names and admin color schemes preserved. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64308\">64308</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>New default color scheme: &#8220;Modern&#8221; replaces &#8220;Fresh&#8221; as the default admin color scheme (#<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64546\">64546</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated buttons and input fields: primary, secondary, and link buttons, plus text inputs, selects, checkboxes, and radio buttons, now align with the WordPress Design System (#<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64547\">64547</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated notices: info, warning, success, and error notices refreshed for clarity and consistency (#<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64548\">64548</a>), including on the login screen</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated cards and metaboxes: dashboard widgets and metaboxes get modernized styling (#<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64549\">64549</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>New <code>wp-base-styles</code> stylesheet handle: consolidates admin color scheme CSS custom properties into a single reusable stylesheet, available across the admin and the block editor content iframe</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Login and registration screens: the WordPress logo updated from blue to gray to match the new design, and scheme styles now apply to login, install, database repair, and upgrade screens</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44993\" height=\"459\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Admin-new-coat-of-paint.png?resize=652%2C459&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"652\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"developer-goodies-developer-enterprise\">Developer Goodies <sup>[developer][enterprise]</sup></h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"client-side-abilities-api\">Client-side Abilities API </h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 ships a JavaScript counterpart to the server-side Abilities API introduced in 6.9. The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/client-side-abilities-api-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Client-Side Abilities API</a> arrives as two packages: <code>@wordpress/abilities</code> for pure state management usable in any project, and <code>@wordpress/core-abilities</code>, which auto-fetches server-registered abilities via the REST API. You can now register browser-only abilities — navigation, block insertion, and more — opening the door to browser agents, extensions, and WebMCP integrations directly in the client. </p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wp-ai-client\">WP AI Client</h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 ships a built-in <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/24/introducing-the-ai-client-in-wordpress-7-0/\">AI Client</a>,</strong> that gives your plugin a single, provider-agnostic PHP entry point — <code>wp_ai_client_prompt()</code> — for text, image, speech, and video generation. You describe what you need; WordPress routes it to whichever AI provider the site owner has configured via Settings &gt; Connectors. Official provider plugins cover Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. No credential handling, no provider lock-in, and graceful feature detection before any UI is shown.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"php-only-block-registration\">PHP-only block registration</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Developers can now create simple blocks using only PHP. This is meant for blocks that only need server-side rendering and aren’t meant to be highly interactive. When possible this feature also auto-generates sidebars for user input for suitable attributes and design tools. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To do so, call <code>register_block_type</code> with the new <code>autoRegister</code> flag. A <code>render_callback</code> function must also be provided. (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/71792\">71792</a>)</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dev note with all the details. <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/03/php-only-block-registration/\">PHP-only block registration</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pattern-overrides-for-custom-blocks\">Pattern Overrides for custom blocks</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since WordPress 6.5, <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2024/06/an-introduction-to-overrides-in-synced-patterns/\">Pattern Overrides</a> let you create synced patterns where the layout stays consistent but specific content can change per instance. The catch? Only four core blocks supported it: Heading, Paragraph, Button, and Image.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not anymore. Any block attribute that supports Block Bindings now supports Pattern Overrides by default. Block authors can opt in through the server-side <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/block-api/block-bindings/#extending-supported-attributes\"><code>block_bindings_supported_attributes</code></a> filter. This closes <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/64870\">a long-requested enhancement</a> and opens up synced patterns to custom blocks (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/73889\">73889</a>).</p>\n\n\n\n		<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\">\n			<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> </div>\n			\n			\n		</figure>\n		\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dataviews-data-form-components-and-fields-api\">DataViews, Data Form components and Fields API </h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A substantial API update introduces new layouts, validation rules, grouping options, and picker improvements affecting plugins using <code>wordpress/dataviews</code>. The Dev Note has all the pertinent details: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/04/dataviews-dataform-et-al-in-wordpress-7-0/\">DataViews, DataForm, et al. in WordPress 7.0</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ui-primitives-and-components\">UI Primitives and Components</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WordPress UI package just got a significant update, adding multiple new components and tools to help developers create more polished and accessible interfaces for WordPress users. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A new dropdown menu for creating <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74661\">standardized select controls</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74625\">tooltip component</a> for displaying helpful hints when users hover over elements.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The building blocks for <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74190\">creating form fields</a> with consistent styling and behavior.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A component that hides content <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74189\">from visual display</a> while keeping it accessible to assistive technologies.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74415\">standardized button component</a> for creating consistent interactive elements.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building blocks for grouping <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74296\">related form controls</a> together (fieldsets).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A component for <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74311\">displaying icons</a> consistently throughout your WordPress interface.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A building block for creating consistent <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/74313\">layouts around input fields</a> with standardized appearance and functionality.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A list of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes+7-0/\">all the dev notes can be reviewed from the Make Core blog</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></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, 27 Mar 2026 16:37:11 +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:21;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:66:\"Open Channels FM: Shaping Data Sovereignty and Internet Resilience\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2550900\";s: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:76:\"https://openchannels.fm/navigating-data-sovereignty-and-internet-resilience/\";s: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:388:\"In recent years, the concept of data sovereignty has become increasingly important. As more countries introduce or tighten regulations around where and how data must be stored and protected, companies serving the global internet community face a unique set of challenges. These regulatory requirements force hosting providers and infrastructure companies to think not just about [&#8230;]\";s: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, 27 Mar 2026 11:19:00 +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:8:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 7.0 Release Candidate 2\";s: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=20324\";s: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:69:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-2/\";s: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:8700:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second Release Candidate (“RC2”) for WordPress 7.0 is ready for download and testing!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This version of the WordPress software is under development</strong>.<strong> Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites.</strong> Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC2 on a test server and site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains crucial to ensure that everything in WordPress 7.0 is the best it can be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can test WordPress 7.0 RC2 in four ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Plugin</strong></td><td>Install and activate the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Direct Download</strong></td><td>Download the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-7.0-RC2.zip\">RC2 version (zip)</a> and install it on a WordPress website.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Command Line</strong></td><td>Use this <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/cli/\">WP-CLI</a> command: <br /><code>wp core update --version=7.0-RC2</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>WordPress Playground</strong></td><td>Use the <a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=8.0&amp;wp=beta&amp;networking=no&amp;language=&amp;multisite=no&amp;random=y4q1rn88xn\">WordPress Playground instance</a> to test the software directly in your browser.  No setup required – just click and go! </td></tr></tbody></table></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is <strong>April 9, 2026</strong>. The full <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/02/12/wordpress-7-0-release-party-schedule/\">release schedule can be found here</a>. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who helps with testing!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please continue checking the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> for <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/7-0\">7.0-related posts</a> in the coming weeks for more information.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s in WordPress 7.0 RC2?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What’s new in WordPress 7.0</strong>? Check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/02/wordpress-7-0-beta-1/\">Beta 1 announcement</a> and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes+7-0/\">7.0 Developer Notes</a> for details and highlights. For technical information related to issues addressed since <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-1/\">RC1</a>, you can browse the following links:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/commits/wp/7.0?since=2026-03-24&amp;until=2026-03-26\">GitHub commits</a> since March 24, 2026</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&amp;changetime=03%2F24%2F2026..03%2F26%2F2026&amp;milestone=7.0&amp;group=component&amp;col=id&amp;col=milestone&amp;col=owner&amp;col=type&amp;col=priority&amp;order=id\">Closed Trac tickets</a> since March 24, 2026</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How you can contribute</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is open source software made possible by a passionate community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help the world’s most popular open source web platform, regardless of your technical expertise.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get involved in testing</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Testing for issues is crucial to the development of any software. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your help testing the WordPress 7.0 RC1 version is key to ensuring that the final release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/02/20/help-test-wordpress-7-0/\">detailed guide</a> will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.0. For those new to testing, follow <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/handbook/get-setup-for-testing/\">this general testing guide</a> for more details on getting set up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What else to test:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/03/11/its-time-to-test-real-time-collaboration/\">Real Time Collaboration</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/02/27/call-for-testing-pattern-editing-and-content-only-interactivity-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Pattern Editing and content-only Interactivity</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you encounter an issue, please report it to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> of the support forums or directly to <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">WordPress Trac</a> if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report.  You can also check your issue against a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curious about testing releases in general?  Follow along with the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/\">testing initiatives in Make Core</a> and join the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/messages/core-test/\">#core-test channel</a> on <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/\">Making WordPress Slack</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Test on your hosting platforms</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Web hosts provide vital infrastructure for supporting WordPress and its users. Testing on hosting systems helps inform the development process while ensuring that WordPress and hosting platforms are fully compatible, free of errors, optimized for the best possible user experience, and that updates roll out to customer sites without issue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to test WordPress on your hosting system? <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/test-results-getting-started/\">Get started with configuring distributed hosting tests here</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update your theme or plugin</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For plugin and theme authors, your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for all users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for continuing to test your themes and plugins with the WordPress 7.0 beta releases. If you haven’t yet, make sure to conclude your testing and update the <em>&#8220;Tested up to”</em> version in your <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/how-your-readme-txt-works/\">plugin’s readme file</a> to <code>7.0</code>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find compatibility issues, please post detailed information to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forum</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Русский? 日本語? हिन्दी? বাংলা? मराठी? ಕನ್ನಡ?  You can <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev/\">help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages</a>. This release milestone (RC2) also marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a> point of the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/25/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-phase/\">7.0 release cycle</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An RC2 haiku</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>At first just a dream</em>,</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>RC2 flows like a stream</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>with seven-oh gleam.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Props to <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/amykamala/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>amykamala</a> </em><a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>annezazu</a> <em>for proofreading and review.</em></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, 26 Mar 2026 18:37:28 +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:12:\"Mary Hubbard\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:93:\"Open Channels FM: How AI and Cloud Tools Are Transforming WooCommerce Development and Testing\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551142\";s: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:100:\"https://openchannels.fm/how-ai-and-cloud-tools-are-transforming-woocommerce-development-and-testing/\";s: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:256:\"In this episode, Derek talks with WooCommerce\'s Brian Coords about how AI is reshaping e-commerce, from automating tasks to enhancing flexibility for developers and merchants. Brian shares insights on using AI for better workflows and community engagement.\";s: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, 26 Mar 2026 11:41:22 +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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:27:\"Gary: Embed All The Things!\";s: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:25:\"https://pento.net/?p=5677\";s: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:50:\"https://pento.net/2026/03/26/embed-all-the-things/\";s: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:3361:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over 10 years ago, we <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/09/30/feature-plugin-merge-proposal-oembed/\">introduced the oEmbed API to WordPress</a>, expanding how WordPress handled embedding to cover all WordPress sites. It was an intentional decision to focus on oEmbed at the time: we wanted to focus on the embedding mechanism that would give site owners maximum control over what their embeds looked like. The code we wrote back then still runs on tens of millions of WordPress sites every day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was something extra that continued to bug me, however. What about all the other sites? oEmbed provides rich embed experiences, but not every site needs that. Sometimes, you just need a card with an image and a description, which is where OpenGraph has similarly stood the test of time. It provides a straightforward method for both site owners to create simple, rich embeds, and for service providers like Slack, Discord, or even Apple Messages to safely create a rich card to place alongside links.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress has grown since then, too. The big change is Gutenberg, of course, which really brought forward the idea that the editor should be a rich content experience, that shouldn&#8217;t just be reserved for the front end. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With that in mind, I build a plugin to handle embedding all the other sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-plugin-directory wp-block-embed-plugin-directory has-custom-css wp-custom-css-6d0daac5\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/opengraph-fallback-embed/\">OpenGraph Fallback Embed</a></blockquote>\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a block plugin that tries to avoid you using the block it provides if at all possible! Instead, it hooks into the end of the Embed block rendering process &#8211; if the URL you pasted couldn&#8217;t be embedded all the normal ways, this plugin will try a few more fall back options: OpenGraph, Twitter Card tags, or even just a plain description in the meta tags. It&#8217;s the kind of plugin that you can install, and never have to think about again.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/screenshot-3-1008x1024.png?ssl=1\" /></figure></div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/screenshot-1-1008x1024.png?ssl=1\" /></figure><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/pento.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/screenshot-2-1008x1024.png?ssl=1\" /></figure></div></div></div></div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the nicest things about WordPress is how pluggable it is. Even as a long time WordPress Core developer, I don&#8217;t think everything needs to land in Core, sometimes a feature can live as handy little plugin. If you like everything just magically embedding, give this plugin a try!</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, 26 Mar 2026 03:12:58 +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:\"Gary\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"Matt: Ari &amp;amp; X\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151640\";s: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:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/ari-x/\";s: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:3274:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m in NYC for the <a href=\"https://luma.com/yb2jnbho\">Stephan Wolfram dev/ai/nyc conversation tomorrow</a> at the <a href=\"https://automattic.space/\">Automattic Noho space</a>. While walking back from the Apple Store in Soho where I had picked up a new Studio Display XDR to try out, ran into one of my favorite <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/ariathome\">YouTube accounts to follow right now, Ari at Home</a>! I ran into him <a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2731606952\">around 32 minutes into this Twitch stream</a>. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQLl7fZ9YxI\">Here&#8217;s how he set up his rig</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ran into <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ARIatTWIT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ARIatTWIT</a> walking back from <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Apple?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Apple</a> store with new Studio XDR. ? Offered to get him set up on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WordPress</a> or <a href=\"https://twitter.com/tumblr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Tumblr</a>. <img alt=\"🙂\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f642.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /> Carrying the display was my workout for the day. <a href=\"https://t.co/q3vgAG7Hxm\">pic.twitter.com/q3vgAG7Hxm</a></p>&mdash; Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/photomatt/status/2036910052074819932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 25, 2026</a></blockquote></div>\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A video I&#8217;ve shared with friends recently is <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmFwGQyBVsc\">when Harry Mack ran into Ari</a>, which was fun for me because they&#8217;re two of my favorite accounts to follow. Sorry I didn&#8217;t freestyle! I had to get back to do some work, which is why I got the monitor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other cool X/Twitter news, they launched an awesome feature today that lets you restrict replies not just to people you follow, but to people they follow as well. <a href=\"https://x.com/nikitabier\">Nikita</a> gave a hat tip to the conversation I had with <a href=\"https://x.com/levelsio\">Peter Levels / @levelsio</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Credit to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rsrbk123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@rsrbk123</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/striedinger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@striedinger</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/x_belous?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@x_belous</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/singhai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@singhai</a> for their work on this. <br /><br />And thanks <a href=\"https://twitter.com/photomatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@photomatt</a> for the suggestion <a href=\"https://t.co/Gr2iD1O73Y\">https://t.co/Gr2iD1O73Y</a></p>&mdash; Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nikitabier/status/2036869177173303398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 25, 2026</a></blockquote></div>\n</div></figure>\";s: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, 25 Mar 2026 23:48:04 +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:26;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"WordPress.org blog: WP Packages is Working the Way Open Source Should\";s: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=20214\";s: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:47:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wp-packages/\";s: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:8246:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When WP Engine acquired WPackagist on March 12, the WordPress developer community faced a familiar question: what happens when critical open source infrastructure ends up under corporate control? The community already had an answer in progress. Four days later, <a href=\"https://wp-packages.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WP Packages</a> (<a href=\"https://roots.io/wp-composer-is-now-wp-packages/\">formerly WP Composer</a>) launched as a fully independent, community-funded alternative, with some neat additional features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Built by <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/retlehs/\">Ben Words</a> from <a href=\"https://roots.io/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roots</a>, the team behind Bedrock, Sage, and Trellis, WP Packages is a new open source Composer repository for WordPress plugins and themes. <a href=\"https://getcomposer.org/\">Composer</a> is PHP&#8217;s dependency manager, and it is how many professional WordPress developers install and update plugins and themes in their projects. Every free plugin and theme in the WordPress.org directory is available through WP Packages. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/feed/#switch\">Migrating from WPackagist</a> can be done via a single script or a few terminal commands.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Happened and Why It Matters</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WPackagist was created in 2013 by Outlandish, a UK-based digital cooperative, and it served the WordPress Composer ecosystem for over a decade. In its later years the project suffered from deferred maintenance, slow update cycles, and little to no community input. When WP Engine announced the acquisition, developers raised immediate concerns about a private-equity-backed corporation controlling infrastructure this foundational to the WordPress developer workflow. WP Engine immediately updated the Composer <code>info</code> field to display a &#8220;WPackagist is now maintained by WP Engine&#8221; notice in every developer&#8217;s terminal. A small thing, but telling. That&#8217;s how corporate ownership changes the relationship between a tool and its users.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-c1abb2c1 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">And it only took less than 24h for this to pop up on every composer run:<br />&quot;Info from <a href=\"https://t.co/1EEb4PZ9N2\">https://t.co/1EEb4PZ9N2</a>: WPackagist is now maintained by WP Engine. Learn more at <a href=\"https://t.co/89b2hBWxd9\">https://t.co/89b2hBWxd9</a>&quot;<br />Which I\'m sure is a permanent message that will just shift to marketing. Prove me wrong<img alt=\"🤡\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f921.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /> <a href=\"https://t.co/HdcuQPkUqV\">https://t.co/HdcuQPkUqV</a></p>&mdash; Jonathan de Jong (@jonathan_dejong) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jonathan_dejong/status/2032389680415625239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote></div>\n</div></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ben had already started building a WPackagist replacement last August, long before the acquisition made headlines. When WP Engine&#8217;s deal landed, he accelerated the launch, <a href=\"https://roots.io/introducing-wp-composer-as-a-wpackagist-replacement/\">going live on March 16</a> with a fully <a href=\"https://github.com/roots/wp-composer\">open source repository on GitHub</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Open source repo ≠ transparent system. WP Packages makes everything public, including infrastructure and build process.</em> &#8211; <a href=\"https://x.com/retlehs/status/2034277432241385727?s=20\">Ben Word on X</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s also just a better tool. WP Packages supports Composer v2&#8217;s metadata-url protocol, which lets Composer fetch metadata only for the packages a project actually needs. WPackagist still relies on the older provider-includes approach, forcing Composer to download large index files before resolving dependencies. Cold dependency resolves on WP Packages are roughly 17x faster: 0.7 seconds for 10 plugins compared to 12.3 seconds on WPackagist.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WP Packages also uses CDN caching with public cache headers and serves immutable, content-addressed per-package files. Package naming is cleaner (<code>wp-plugin/</code> and <code>wp-theme/</code> instead of <code>wpackagist-plugin/</code> and <code>wpackagist-theme/</code>), metadata includes plugin and theme authors, descriptions, and homepage URLs that WPackagist has been missing for years, and updates sync every five minutes rather than WPackagist&#8217;s roughly 90-minute cycle.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"switch\"><strong>How to Switch</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Switching from WPackagist to WP Packages requires just a few terminal commands.</p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remove your existing WPackagist packages:</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code class=\"\"><code>composer remove wpackagist-theme/twentytwentyfive</code></code></pre>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li>Remove the WPackagist repository and add WP Packages:</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code class=\"\"><code>composer config --unset repositories.wpackagist &amp;&amp; composer config repositories.wp-composer composer https://repo.wp-packages.org</code></code></pre>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\n<li>Require packages with the new naming:</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code class=\"\"><code>composer require wp-theme/twentytwentyfive</code></code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alternatively, use the <a href=\"https://github.com/roots/wp-composer/blob/main/scripts/migrate-from-wpackagist.sh\">migration script</a> to automatically update your <code>composer.json</code>:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code class=\"\">curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/roots/wp-packages/main/scripts/migrate-from-wpackagist.sh &amp;&amp; bash migrate-from-wpackagist.sh</code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roots also provides a <a href=\"https://github.com/roots/wp-packages-changelog-action\">WP Packages Changelog Action</a> for GitHub workflows that tracks dependency updates using the new naming format. Projects using <a href=\"https://roots.io/bedrock/\">Bedrock</a> already ship with WP Packages configured out of the box.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Open Source Wins</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entire WP Packages project is public. The application code, documentation, and even the full Ansible deployment configuration are available on GitHub. Anyone can fork the repository and run their own WordPress Composer registry. Ben has also committed publicly that WP Packages will never use the Composer <code>info</code> field to push messages, ads, or upsells into developer terminals. That kind of restraint is easier to promise when a project answers to its community rather than to a corporate parent.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WP Packages is funded through <a href=\"https://github.com/sponsors/roots\">GitHub Sponsors</a>. Current sponsors include <a href=\"https://carrot.com/\">Carrot</a>, <a href=\"https://kinsta.com/\">Kinsta</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/\">WordPress.com</a>, and <a href=\"https://www.itineris.co.uk/\">Itineris</a>. The WordPress ecosystem has always been at its strongest when the community builds the tools it needs in the open. Ben saw a gap forming months before anyone else was paying attention, built something better than what existed, and released it for everyone. No acquisition required. No boardroom decisions about availability or pricing. Just developers solving a problem for other developers and sharing the result. Open source wins.</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, 25 Mar 2026 15:27:24 +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:\"Jonathan Bossenger\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:96:\"WPTavern: #210 – Zach Stepek on the Interconnected WordPress Ecosystem, Partnerships and Trust\";s: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=203274\";s: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:109:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/210-zach-stepek-on-the-interconnected-wordpress-ecosystem-partnerships-and-trust\";s: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:58169:\"<details>Transcript<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:00:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 interconnected WordPress ecosystem and how to build partnerships and trust.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 wptavern.com/feed/podcast, and you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you or your idea featured on the show. Head to wptavern.com/contact/jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So on the podcast today, we have Zach Stepek. Zach is what you might call a unicorn in the tech world, having held roles in design development, and much more. His experience spans everything from Cold Fusion and Flash, to JavaScript, WordPress, and WooCommerce. He&#8217;s worked with brands like IBM and MTV, in varied industries from medical records to e-commerce, and has spoken at WordCamps, WooConf, and contributed to the WordPress community through both agencies and product companies.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might know about WordPress, agencies, product companies and hosting, but might not have thought about how partnerships actually work in this ecosystem, or why they matter right now. Zach is here to explain just that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He starts off by sharing his journey into WordPress, his early challenges, and how an unexpected viral moment led him deeper into the ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He describes the three interconnected pillars of WordPress success, agencies or individuals, product companies, think plugins and themes, and hosting or infrastructure, and how each depends on the other to thrive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We discuss the current state of partnerships, how companies collaborate, why trust and values driven approaches are essential, and why the rapid rise of ROI driven, transactional thinking, is at odds with WordPress&#8217; open source routes. Zach explores the perils of short-term wins, and the value of nurturing long-term, mutually beneficial, relationships especially as economic uncertainty and the changes in the broader world are beginning to reshape how companies interact.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then we talk about the challenges faced by hosting companies, the role of product companies in innovation, and how agencies often bridge these worlds. Zach makes the case for cultivating relationship equity, not just revenue, and how a rising tide can lift all boats, if the community keeps its collective focus.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Towards the end, we discuss how the landscape has changed. Why community contributions matter more than ever, and what the future might hold as WordPress partnerships reach an inflexion point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re curious about how these invisible partnership threads bind the WordPress ecosystem together, and how true partnership drives success, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to wptavern.com/podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so without further delay, I bring you Zach Stepek.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am joined on the podcast by Zach Stepek. Hello Zach.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:00] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Hey Nathan, how you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:01] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Zach and I have been talking for a fairly lengthy period of time, probably close to an hour or something like that. And we&#8217;ve strayed into a variety of subjects, none of which have been related to this podcast, but it&#8217;s been very enjoyable. He&#8217;s a thoroughly sociable and humorous chap, let&#8217;s put it that way. So I&#8217;ve appreciated the last hour. It&#8217;s been an absolute bonus. You&#8217;ve cheered me up no end.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the listeners to this podcast, they may not know about you. They may not know what you do, or what you have done or whatever it may be related to WordPress. It&#8217;s a banal question, but I always like to introduce the podcast with it. Will you just tell us about yourself?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:36] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Yeah, so I am what you would hear referred to in the industry as a unicorn. I&#8217;ve been in multiple roles, from design to development. I started my career as a Cold Fusion developer, moved into Flash back in the day. Taught the Flex Framework everywhere from IBM to MTV. Spent time doing the teaching thing for about five or six years as an Adobe Certified Instructor. And then the bottom fell out of that industry, because of a letter that was written about Flash that you may remember.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of my contracts disappeared overnight. Within a week almost a million dollars worth of potential revenue had been cancelled. Back then I was very nice with my out clauses in my contracts, and I learned a very harsh lesson. Spent a year working support at a company that may have had something to do with the collapse of my industry, working for their care division and learned about the support industry there while learning new things. And one of those new things was WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I worked as an Experience Designer at a medical, an electronic medical records company, working on the design of their EMR software for a while. And then worked at a company called Comply365, where I dove deep into JavaScript and did a lot of demos of their forms platform, which is used by airlines all over the world to do the submission of service forms for aeroplanes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company actually started as a way to get rid of the giant binders that pilots used to carry that had the manuals. The company started as a digitiser of that material into a tablet application that pilots could carry in the pocket of a briefcase rather than it being a briefcase itself. So worked there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the years I was working on WordPress. I had been involved in bringing a record label back to Rockford that had folded. Rockford, Illinois is where I live. And we built a WooCommerce site to sell digital music. And that was my first exposure to WooCommerce.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Went on from there to work at a company and organisation called Oscar Mike and the Oscar Mike Foundation, which helps injured veterans participate in adaptive sporting events. They are a great organisation that had a WooCommerce website that was failing under traffic. In fact, the way I got that job was I knew the founder, Noah. And Noah had called me on Thanksgiving during dinner with my family. And he said, hey, I need your help. My website is down. And I said, okay, where is it hosted? And he said, I&#8217;m not sure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So four and a half, five hours later, we got the site back up. The problem is, he had been featured in an interview during an American football game. The interview was aired during the Thanksgiving Day game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. And so, you know, classic rivalry, the interview had happened in the Chicago Bears Locker room set, and was aired on TV all over Chicago. And so they were getting hit by a ton of traffic, and they got 14 orders before the hosting that was supporting their site died.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:08:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It went viral. One of the first examples of going viral.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:08:32] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Exactly. And so they got 14 orders and then the server just stopped. And so I had to do root cause analysis, and figure out what had happened. And we determined that it was because the email spool, because there was an email server on the same server as the web server, had filled with the new product order emails from WooCommerce. And because the server didn&#8217;t have a lot of power to begin with, it was a small VPS that had been donated to the organisation. Very grateful that that had happened because that was what got them started. But it was never designed for the level of traffic that they had received. And so after those 14 orders, delivering three emails a piece, the server ran out of memory because the email spool ran the server out of memory.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when a server runs out of memory, it causes a cascading effect that basically took down the website and everything related to it and hard crashed the VPS so that it could not recover. We didn&#8217;t have a login to go in and reset the VPS until four and a half hours later. So the window of opportunity had already closed by the time I had the login information, could reset the server, and we figured out what was going on. That led to me working there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worked there for a little over a year and a half. And I fell in love with WooCommerce and WordPress through that process, and ended up talking about that site at WordCamp, Milwaukee, 2015. And at the time Patrick Rauland was the Product Manager for WooCommerce at WooThemes, and he flew from Denver to Milwaukee to see my talk. And that led to a relationship with the WooCommerce team that has not stopped since.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it was really, really cool. I got to speak at WooConf as a keynote speaker in 2017. I had started an agency that started out small and became a force to be reckoned with in the three years that I was with it. Pivoted out of that for reasons that we don&#8217;t need to get into. And then moved into the hosting space, and I&#8217;ve been there since.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in that space I&#8217;ve been focused on partnerships. So as of today, I am a freelancer who is doing fractional work in the partnership space and also doing some work on WordPress websites again, so WooCommerce sites and the like. Making recommendations for hosting infrastructure and stability for scaling those sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:11:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That is such an interesting story. I mean, you&#8217;ve run the gamut of all of it really. And dear listener, there are so many other stories that could be filled in in between those things because Zach&#8217;s got a lot going on outside of the day job and the things that he&#8217;s just described, there&#8217;s an awful lot of other things going on as well. So what a rich and interesting life you have had.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hate to drag it back in a way to what we&#8217;re going to talk about, because given all of that exciting stuff, this may seem, you know, a little bit dry. But we&#8217;re going to get there because Zach wants to talk to us today about partnerships basically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just for the listeners Zach, this isn&#8217;t for your benefit, this is for the listener&#8217;s benefit, I think it&#8217;s fair to say that a lot of the people listening to this podcast, we&#8217;ve got developers, we&#8217;ve got people who have been in the space for years and years and years, but I get quite a bit of email and a lot of it says, you know, I&#8217;m new to WordPress and that kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And they really don&#8217;t know that events take place, that there&#8217;s this whole tapestry of people interconnecting, and hanging out in the real world. And that some of the companies that they may have heard of, they partner up with other companies. So plugin companies might partner up with hosting companies that then do other different things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you just want to paint a bit of a picture of what a partnership is in the WordPress space in 2026? Now I know that&#8217;s a very open-ended question, because there&#8217;s no two that&#8217;ll be alike, but just give us an idea.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:12:37] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> So I like to divide partnerships into two types. One is the relationship between creators or builders or agency owners, and the hosting companies that they use to host the websites for their customers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the other, well there&#8217;s two forms of the other, and that is product companies that build products around WordPress who partner with either agencies or hosts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve been writing a lot on LinkedIn lately about how I feel about partnerships, and part of it was this pivot into thinking in terms of ecosystems. And I&#8217;m not the first one to say that. Jonathan Wold has been saying that for a few years now, how WordPress is an ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there are basically these three layers that are interconnected and work together, right? And so for most successful site builds, you have either an individual or an agency who&#8217;s building the site. You have the product companies that build the software that is layered into WordPress that powers the site, whether that&#8217;s a theme like Ollie or Kadence, or a plugin for anything like Gravity Forms for forms or for Formidable Forms, or any of the other forum companies who will be really upset I didn&#8217;t mention them by name. Or an SEO plugin or any of these other ancillary tools that make WordPress more capable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so those two things, the agency and then the products need to work in harmony because the agency needs to understand the products well enough to implement them, and the product companies need to understand the agency&#8217;s needs well enough to serve them through their products and through support for those products.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then there&#8217;s a third layer, and it&#8217;s a layer that a lot of people think about in terms of more a vendor relationship than a partnership. And that is the hosting side, the infrastructure. When you start a company and you&#8217;re a retail company, one of the first things that you do is you go out and you look for where you&#8217;re going to put your retail store, right? And so you look for real estate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You want a couple of things. You want high traffic areas that can handle bringing you people, and that can also handle the amount of people you&#8217;re going to just get naturally, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you&#8217;re looking at things like traffic numbers that are going to go past your retail space. You&#8217;re looking at, population density, all of these other things. And where are you going to advertise in town? How are you going to be bringing people to you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the internet is very similar in its structure to what we do for a physical retail store. So your infrastructure, your hosting is like the address that you&#8217;re putting your retail store at. And so if you skimp on hosting and you go for somebody who offers $3 a month for unlimited websites, you&#8217;re putting yourself in the cheapest rent you can possibly pay for your storefront. And by doing so, you&#8217;re not going to have the ability to handle the same traffic as say, a location on Madison Avenue in New York might be able to. It&#8217;s different, right? It is a different setup. You could be on, in the Miracle Mile in Chicago. That&#8217;s great retail space. It&#8217;s incredibly expensive, but if your business can support it, that&#8217;s the place to be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are some other parallels we can talk about with some of the SaaS companies like Shopify that have created almost a mall. Because they&#8217;ve created this payments platform that allows them to expose stores to people, right? So shop pay will give you suggestions of other things that you can buy if you open the shop app on your mobile device. So it has a built in kind of discoverability, but that discoverability comes with a price. And that price is a percentage of your business forever. Even on their high end tiers, they still are getting a percentage of your business on Shopify Plus. That&#8217;s just how they make money.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So all of that to say, there are parallels between how we host a website and how we might position a retail space, right? So premium hosting is a big deal. It&#8217;s a huge deal, especially in e-commerce where scale matters because every visitor is a potential sale. Every sale is the only way your company makes money, right? The impetus of e-commerce is transactional. It is, somebody comes to your store, buys a product, you ship it to them, they receive it, and you have completed your contract with them to deliver the product that they asked for.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of that, if they come to your website and your site fails because you&#8217;re getting too much traffic, for example, it&#8217;s akin to if you were walking through a Best Buy and as you&#8217;re walking through the store, things around you just start to deteriorate. If you were walking through a store where the products you were looking at just stopped existing for fractions of time, like how long would you stay in that store?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:18:12] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Or you couldn&#8217;t quite pick the box up. You could get your hands on it, but then everything just stopped. You couldn&#8217;t lift it off the shelf. Yeah, that&#8217;s, you wouldn&#8217;t stay long is the answer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:18:22] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> No. No. And that&#8217;s the same thing that happens with bad infrastructure for e-commerce sites. So that&#8217;s that third pillar of partnership and what makes a successful WordPress site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:18:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Can I just ask a quick question around that? So before we penetrate deeper into that. So you mentioned these three things and you&#8217;ve got the, and you did them in that order. So we had agency, or that could be an individual, I guess, but let&#8217;s go with the agency word because it&#8217;s easier. Which then has some kind of relationship with the product companies. So themes, plugins, whatever that may be. So that&#8217;s the second tier, if you like. And then there&#8217;s the third tier, which is hosting, stroke, infrastructure. But let&#8217;s, again, let&#8217;s just call it hosting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you listed those things in order, but I&#8217;m imagining, and I could be wrong, that instead of it being like a layer cake, it&#8217;s more of a kind of an overlapping Venn diagram. The three things are in concert with each other. So a triangle if you like. So the agency, whilst in your description, it&#8217;s kind of next to the product company, well it&#8217;s also next to the hosting and infrastructure side of things as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, the partnerships that we&#8217;ll get into, it&#8217;s not bound from layer one to layer two, and layer two to layer three. Three goes to one, two goes to three, and so on. Have I encapsulated that right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:19:35] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Yeah, think of it almost as a Celtic knot, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:19:38] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, okay. Go Google that, dear listener.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:19:41] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> It&#8217;s this never ending connection of multiple pieces all forming a whole. And the interconnected nature of it doesn&#8217;t end, at least when things are working well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are product companies that have terrible support. There are infrastructure companies, hosting companies, that have terrible support. So those things, there are agencies that have terrible support, I mean this is not something that is only relegated to the product and hosting companies. Every layer has the potential for having pieces fall apart. The strength of the whole is only as strong as the weakest of the parts in the partnership.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:20:22] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s fascinating. So we&#8217;re imagining that these things are not just overlapping, they&#8217;re holding each other together. And at this point I&#8217;m kind of imagining almost like a bubble that you blow with those bubble kits that you get as a child. The whole thing is, those three things are holding that bubble together, but it just takes one of them, the little pop with the needle and doop, the whole thing sort of comes apart because, they are the underpinnings of each other. That&#8217;s really interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can I just make an observation at this point? And again, you can rail against it or agree. I don&#8217;t know where you&#8217;re going to go. It feels like the revenue side of those things, the giant if you like, in the room there, the one that traditionally seems to make the money, all the money, most of the money, lots of money, is the hosting infrastructure side of things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then the two other layers, you know, the product companies, the theme companies, the plugin companies, whatever. There are a few examples that escape velocity and managed to pull away from the earth&#8217;s gravity, you know, Gravity Forms might be a good example in fact, who have that trajectory, but they&#8217;re big. But the rest of it is just lots and lots of much smaller entities. So thousands, many, many thousands of smaller entities with a single theme, or a collection of plugins, or what have you. And the same, I think would be true for the agencies. Just lots and lots of that spread out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So in terms of demographics, the hosting companies, that seems to be a small number, but they make lots of revenue. Whereas the other two, the agency and the product companies, large numbers, all making less revenue individually, potentially. I know I&#8217;m drawing a lot of parallels that maybe are not necessarily going to hold up to scrutiny, but you get what I mean. That&#8217;s quite an interesting dynamic, because they&#8217;re relying upon each other and yet in some situations, you have a few players which might be able to punch above their weight because of their bank balance and the size of their business.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:22:11] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> No, absolutely. I mean we&#8217;re all familiar with the larger WordPress VIP level agencies, right? They&#8217;re the people who are out there in the community giving back the most frequently a lot of the times. So, you know, you see companies like Fueled who now has 10up as its WordPress practise within Fueled, right? And Fueled gives back a ton of open source technology just to the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s stuff that they built to serve their customers that they&#8217;ve given back to the community, because Jake has always been a good steward of the WordPress community in general. So he understands and recognises that the true benefit of an open source platform like WordPress is not only the things we can create on top of it because we have access to the code, but the community that can be created on top of the solutions we create.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So look at something like ElasticPress as an example. ElasticPress is an open source tool that also has been commercialised into a hosted product by Fueled. And it replaces search in WordPress with something that is much, much better, right? ElasticSearch is much better at searching indexed content than SQL is at searching a relational database for anything within it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It replaces something that is a bit of a hole in what WordPress can do with something that is better. And they gave it to the community. They gave it to the community, because it&#8217;s based on open source server software. So it made sense for the plugin that enables the use of this open source server with this open source CMS to also be an open source plugin. And because of that, they have community members that contribute back to the ElasticPress product when there are bugs that they find, and solutions to things that they find. And they have a constant feedback loop of how to improve their product.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that all happens because they decided to be good stewards within the WordPress community. They&#8217;re not the only ones. There are many. WebDevStudios just released Theme Switcher Pro. If you haven&#8217;t heard Brad talking about Theme Switcher Pro yet, you haven&#8217;t been on the internet around WordPress, because are absolutely right to be marketing what they built.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was, again, something that was built around a need. They saw a need for an easier way for people to move from where they were with classic themes, to block-based themes more gradually. So in large enterprises, it&#8217;s sometimes hard to just wholesale replace the theme of a website. So they built a solution that allowed you to replace parts of it, a little bit at a time and move to a block-based architecture over time rather than all at once.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so these companies are building tools around what WordPress can do to fit needs that they&#8217;ve found working with their customers. So in these cases, the agencies become the product companies, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then there are product companies that, they were built around solving a need. Things like Gravity Forms, or other form plugins, that were built to solve the problem with form submissions in WordPress. And all of these things are all participating in the same ecosystem, right? But if you build a site that has 75 plugins installed and one of them doesn&#8217;t play well with others, the whole thing comes tumbling down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:26:01] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, that&#8217;s a good analogy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:26:02] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> You look at that, and the reason we&#8217;re, that I&#8217;m focused right now on ecosystem building and on building this, a network of people who want to work together is because a rising tide lifts all ships, right? We want WordPress to continue growing as an ecosystem. And like you mentioned, hosting companies tend to be the ones with the most money in the room. That&#8217;s not always the case, but they make a good amount of money on hosting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think that hosting companies have a responsibility to be good stewards to the community in the same way that I just talked about WebDevStudios and Fueled being good stewards of the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so hosting companies are in a unique position where they can drive these values based partnerships that allow for agencies to meet product owners and product owners to meet agencies who are all part of their partner programmes, right? They all can invest together in their mutual success.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Values driven partnership is a long game, right? It&#8217;s kind of the difference between planting a forest and picking apples off of a tree. If all you want is the apples, you just strip the branches of all the apples and you move on. But if you&#8217;re planting a forest together, you&#8217;re thinking about ecosystem, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So in the best partnerships, both sides are invested in that mutual success. You care about your partner&#8217;s customers, their teams, the reputation they carry in the community. Revenue matters, but the revenue is just the result of doing all the other things well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:27:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> There&#8217;s so much to unpick here and I&#8217;m going to try and do some of that. So you&#8217;ve got this rising tide carries all boats thing, which I think is so important. We forget that at our peril.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But also I want to use the word synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You know, WordPress is so impressive because all these three layers, the agency, the product, the hosting company, because they&#8217;ve got overlapping concerns and it&#8217;s just over the last 20 odd years, it&#8217;s worked somehow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often on this podcast I say, I want to rewind, and that&#8217;s what I want to do. I just want to rewind back 22 odd years. There was no playbook for how this would turn out. We didn&#8217;t know that any of those three layers would exist. We didn&#8217;t know that there would be a thing like an agency, that there would be a freelance web developer, that that would be a thing. These industries didn&#8217;t exist.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We didn&#8217;t know that product companies would pop up because the plugin architecture and the theme architecture in WordPress would enable that, and it was okay to exchange money for those things. It turned out that was a thing with WordPress that you could do that other CMSs kind of pushed back upon. And then that hosting would become the bedrock of that whole thing as well. We didn&#8217;t know that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And 22 years later, with a lot of agreement, but a fair level of disagreement, I imagine along the way, those three pillars, for want of a better word, they&#8217;ve evolved and they&#8217;ve become what they are now. We are recording this in the year 2026, and I feel like there&#8217;s a change that&#8217;s happened at some point. I don&#8217;t know when it was, but it feels like that synergy, that unwritten, and yet completely understood by the WordPress community, that unwritten, unspoken, contract, in many ways. It feels like that&#8217;s maybe disappearing a little bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m probably overemphasising that, but do you sense that a bit? That the maker taker thing is kind of skewing it. That money has become such an integral part of the WordPress project, so many lives bound up with the money, the revenue that&#8217;s generated by the company that they work for and what have you, that it&#8217;s so easy to lose sight of that bigger piece. The rising tide carries all boats.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And instead of the rising tide, what we&#8217;ve got is circling the wagons. You know, looking out for ourselves, and making sure we&#8217;ve got what we need to survive. And of course, just forgetting, wait, the very fabric, the foundations upon which our business is built, we must maintain that in the next year, in the next two years, in the next five and ten years, otherwise we&#8217;re just, well we&#8217;re standing on sand, we don&#8217;t have a firm foundation. There was a lot there and there certainly was no question, but discuss.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:30:26] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> No, so what we&#8217;re seeing is this move toward, it&#8217;s unfortunate because I see it happening in a lot of companies right now. Where they&#8217;ve taken on investment. They no longer are fully in charge of their own destinies, because they now have people to answer to that want to get a return out of the money they&#8217;ve injected into the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the only thing that private equity generally sees is the dollar, or the pound, or the whatever your local currency is, right? That&#8217;s all they see. That&#8217;s all they see. And when you talk about an ecosystem of interrelated, interlocking pieces that all have to work in harmony, and then you have a force that&#8217;s in an industry that is interested only in transaction, that is at odds with how an open source community is built, right? So taking things to a transactional level only chases short term wins, because that relationship only lasts as long as you can continue to squeeze money out of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:31:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It is such an interesting juxtaposition with broader society. So you live in the US I live in the UK. We&#8217;re both democracies, and we&#8217;re both capitalist democracies. And from a very early age, the subliminal message being delivered to all of us is, work hard, produce things and just see what you can get out of it all. Charge what the market will bear, and the rest of society will figure all of that out. The market is the thing, and somehow it&#8217;ll all beautifully work and balance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is so different to that. This is something else. It&#8217;s some, there&#8217;s a philanthropic outside to it which, it&#8217;s very hard to encapsulate, but the whole 22 year history of it is built upon the shoulders of many, many thousands, tens of thousands of people who didn&#8217;t necessarily have that as the basis upon which they were working.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know, there was a lot of philanthropy, a lot of volunteer time, for want of a better word. And so projects like WordPress, it feels like, if the only metric for success by a WordPress company is going to be ROI for whatever reason, you mentioned having to repay the venture capitalists or what have you. But if ROI is the only metric upon which anything is based, you aren&#8217;t thinking about the rising tide carrying all boats. You are just thinking what&#8217;s the next month going to do, and what&#8217;s the next month going to do?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And again, I haven&#8217;t got a question in there, there&#8217;s just an observation. But there&#8217;s something intangible there. There&#8217;s something that our ecosystem requires in order to survive that it feels is harder to, conjure up in the real world in 2026 than it was say in, I don&#8217;t know, 2017 or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:33:24] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Yeah, well, and here&#8217;s the thing, okay. When you focus on these short-term wins only, and you ignore the potential of long-term partnership and of ecosystem building, you lose out on potential revenue because of shortsightedness, right? If all you&#8217;re trying to do is close the next sale as quickly as possible to make people who don&#8217;t really know your business happy, then you&#8217;re losing sight of the potential that comes from investing in long-term sales.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And agencies understand this, especially the more enterprise focused agencies who have sales cycles that are 12, 18, 24, sometimes even 36 months long. So when these companies start to put profit ahead of people, ahead of partnership. When profit is the priority, then anything they call a partnership programme is really just a house of cards. It might stand for a while, but it&#8217;s fragile. And when people get treated like line items instead of collaborators, that trust erodes very quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When every conversation becomes transactional, everyone, every layer that we talked about starts to just focus on protecting their own interests. And the irony is that the strongest growth comes from the opposite approach, right? When partners focus on people, they focus on shared wins. Those successes create real social proof.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then the community sees it. And the customers see it. And that reputation, that long-term investment in the community as a whole, in the ecosystem, is more powerful than any potential short-term revenue spike. Trust and reputation compound over time. It&#8217;s not something you develop in a single conversation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then the other thing that&#8217;s really important about this is what the community perceives, right? Love it or hate it, the WordPress community is very harsh to companies that they see as just trying to eek out profit without giving back, without doing the things that are required to support the very ecosystem that allows them to make money. And so community perception is hugely important, and that perception drives long-term growth. Short-term thinking damages your brand equity, long-term thinking builds it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trust, in this case, is the durable asset, right? It&#8217;s not what your MRR is or your ARR is. Those things are important because they allow you to support the business and the livelihoods that you are supporting as a company. But trust is the most important asset a company has. And when that starts to erode because the company stops acting like it used to, before the injection of capital, and starts acting like a business that is focused on only its capitalistic pursuit, trust starts to degrade, and then eventually it&#8217;s just gone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:36:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I&#8217;m imagining like a, I often like to kind of encapsulate things in my head and I&#8217;m kind of imagining a really tall skyscraper. And the scenario that you are describing is more death by a thousand paper cuts. It&#8217;s this slow erosion of that building. You know, imagine that building where the way that you&#8217;ve just described things, you might be removing one brick one day and then you come back another day and take a couple more. Before you know it, the whole thing starts to look shaky.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it&#8217;s not that giant, swinging wrecking ball that&#8217;s coming and in one hit has just demolished the whole thing. This is a slow, but potentially with a certain critical momentum and enough steam behind it, enough erosion of the fabric of the whole thing that it&#8217;s inevitable. Unless the brakes are put on, that slow erosion, the building will fall down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m wondering if that&#8217;s more a consequence of where we are at. And I don&#8217;t mean you and I or even the WordPress community. The confidence in economies worldwide, and the nature of what&#8217;s going on in the broader world, I wonder if those kind of concerns play in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you know more about the corporate side of WordPress businesses than I do. I don&#8217;t know what is happening at the top tier of a lot of those bigger businesses. The sort of third tier that you mentioned. I do wonder if there&#8217;s a more, how to describe it, bean countery kind of approach to businesses.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wonder if the calculus is much more now, what is the ROI? If we don&#8217;t see ROI, it&#8217;s not happening. Whereas in the year 2017, it would be, what&#8217;s the ROI? Well, yeah, we&#8217;ve got things which we can say we&#8217;ll make a profit from that, but we&#8217;ve also got the long bets. We&#8217;ve got the community side. We&#8217;re going to fly people to that event. We&#8217;re going to sponsor that person over there, two days a month because we know that they&#8217;re contributing to Core, and that&#8217;s part of this bigger rising tide carries all boats metaphor that we&#8217;ve been using. I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s true, but I wonder if the state of the world that we&#8217;re in, I wonder if that contributes a bit to it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:38:42] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> I think it does. I think there&#8217;s a lot of fear right now because the economy has not been as strong as what it had been in the past. We all dealt with a period of extreme recession. And despite some governments not wanting to say the word, right? The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shrink in economic factors across the board. And it was inevitable that that was going to happen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some countries were hit harder by inflation as a result of that than others. But it&#8217;s a reality that we&#8217;ve all had to deal with, because demand for things went up and the supply went down because the workers simply weren&#8217;t there to make the things. And that&#8217;s just basic economics in a capitalistic society, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, yes, there&#8217;s a lot of fear. There&#8217;s a lot of fear that is causing businesses to make decisions that they wouldn&#8217;t have, you know, as you mentioned, just eight years ago in 2017. And all you have to do is look at the sponsorship page on any WordCamp or any tech event. Even events as large as CloudFest. Look at the sponsor pages. Look at who&#8217;s there and compare it to what you&#8217;ve seen in the past.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The numbers are dwindling, right? The people who are willing to continue making those investments are dwindling. Companies, whether they are product companies or agencies or hosting companies, but especially hosting companies this year, are deciding not to send people to events. They&#8217;re just not. I have heard from multiple people that work at hosting companies that are not leaving their home countries this year. It&#8217;s a belt tightening across the board.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I understand that there&#8217;s a desire to tighten the belt and make sure that the company can survive through this current economic shift. And for hosting companies that own their own infrastructure, and even those who are renting infrastructure from a hyperscaler like Google or AWS, there&#8217;s a very scary thing on the horizon that we&#8217;re seeing, and that is the shortage of components for building servers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there&#8217;s this little thing that is an artificial term called Artificial Intelligence. They&#8217;re large language models people, they&#8217;re not Artificial Intelligence. There&#8217;s no intelligence there. They&#8217;re just regurgitating things they have read and digested, right? But these AI companies, these large language models take a tremendous amount of processing power.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I&#8217;m reminded of the first time that I visited a data centre. And I was in the data centre and across the aisle from what I was there to see was an AI company. And they had their servers there and the data centre had to retrofit additional cooling for the area where those AI servers were running. Whereas you could probably just wear a T-shirt and be fine in a data centre, in most cases. If you were in that area without a coat, it was bitterly cold, because there was just so much air that was chilled air being shot at these machines that were filled with graphics processors that were generating massive amounts of heat.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so you think about that, and you think about the level of hardware required to generate that amount of heat out of a simple server, and the difference in the number of components, the amount of RAM, the amount of processors, the number of graphics cards at $2,000 a piece that have to go into these massive beasts of servers. And the component shortage has a lot of hosts scared too. Not a lot of them thought in advance to buy a ton of RAM and a ton of processors, because we&#8217;ve never had a true supply shortage in that area except during the pandemic.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And at that time, everybody was slowed down. Now, nobody has slowed down. Demand is higher than ever before for hosting, and the infrastructure just isn&#8217;t there to support it. So as the prices of things like a stick of memory have gone up, the cost, the raw cost of hosting will go up too. And we&#8217;re just starting to see the beginning of that effect. But I think that companies that were built on $3 hosting are going to very quickly find that their model is no longer supported by component cost.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So yeah, there&#8217;s fear. There&#8217;s fear that is causing people to make decisions that are focused on revenue rather than relationship. And I think it&#8217;s incredibly shortsighted. I understand it. I get why fear is such a motivating factor, especially when you have lives that you&#8217;re responsible for. I&#8217;ve been there. But the important thing is remembering that, in everything you do, there are real humans behind these brands, behind these products, behind these agencies.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s really easy to talk about a whole bunch of companies like their logos on a slide. And in fact, that&#8217;s what some of these partner programmes are designed to do, collect logos. But that&#8217;s transactional, right? And all of these people are people. All of these teams are created from people, founders, developers, support staff. They&#8217;re all people, and they care deeply about the work they&#8217;re doing. At least in most cases, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:44:55] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. Just sort of interjecting there as well. The fear aspect that you mentioned for all of the reasons you&#8217;ve just described is so understandable where we are right now in 2026. And so ROI, it feels like it&#8217;s becoming the thing. The thing instead of anything else. And I wonder if that&#8217;s because there&#8217;s a vacuum on the other side where anything philanthropic, so let&#8217;s say for example, I don&#8217;t know, you contribute something by giving somebody a day a week to work on Core.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The calculus there is, well, we could do the ROI thing, or we could do this other philanthropic thing, but nobody will know about it. Only we&#8217;ll know about it. And if we write a blog post, then a few people will know, but almost nobody will see that that&#8217;s happening. And so there&#8217;s no kind of quid pro quo on the other side. There isn&#8217;t the recognition.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it feels like the wheels are beginning to turn, the cogs are starting to move around that. There seems to be some initiatives that are coming, which are going to try and address contributor hours, or badges, or whatever it is that you do. Some way of recognising, okay, that company did this, we need to lord that, and praise that, and recognise that, and write it down and keep a record of it so that we know in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And maybe that will be something which will be put into the spreadsheet. There will be an ROI on that thing because it&#8217;s more tangible. It will never be as tangible as the ROI of the dollar that you get back from the dollar that you spent. But at least it will be something. It&#8217;s not just sort of shouting into the void, we give that person a day, a month. Nobody knows. Nobody knows give that person a day, a month to contribute to Core. And maybe if we get to the point where those kind of things are recognised.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t know what that means. I don&#8217;t know how we make that and inflate that into something important. But maybe those kind of things start to need to matter in a way that they never did matter before, because they just didn&#8217;t need to matter. But now the landscape has changed. They now do need to matter, otherwise the revenue from these companies is going to dry up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:47:03] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Yeah, I think that&#8217;s, it&#8217;s really interesting because when you look at all of this, first of all, partnerships, what we started this whole conversation around. You mentioned the spreadsheet. Partnership success doesn&#8217;t often show up overnight on that spreadsheet, right? It&#8217;s like tending a garden. It&#8217;s not flipping a switch.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So every partnership you grow, see what I did there, it takes time. You have to build the trust. You have to learn how each other&#8217;s businesses work. If it&#8217;s a vendor relationship and it&#8217;s only built on affiliate income, right? The agency recommends you because you give them more money than another host to do so, well, are you going to learn about that agency&#8217;s business ever? No. But if you invest the time, you build that trust, you find out how each other&#8217;s businesses work. Over time, those relationships bear fruit. And the first casualty of fear is patience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:48:07] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I like that. That sounds like the strap line from a movie.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:48:13] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> You know, revenue is just a signal. It&#8217;s one signal, right? It&#8217;s not the only signal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:48:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s so interesting this, and it&#8217;s so difficult. So here we are, we&#8217;re doing this dance. It&#8217;s even difficult to describe even though we&#8217;ve poured the last, you know, hour into thinking about this, it&#8217;s very hard to get hold of. It&#8217;s really difficult to describe. It&#8217;s very difficult to work out, to calculate. And that maybe is it. Maybe that&#8217;s the problem where we&#8217;re at. We can&#8217;t calculate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like you said, it&#8217;s growing the garden, it&#8217;s turning up, doing things, things will blossom over time. It&#8217;s keeping the faith. It&#8217;s less circling of the wagons, more the rising tide carries all boats mentality.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Certainly this year feels like we&#8217;re going to go through something. And whatever comes out the other side, it will be interesting to see whether it was that wrecking ball, or whether it was people just taking a brick one at a time. Or whether it was adding stories to the building, you know, adding extra floors that didn&#8217;t exist before. It&#8217;ll be really interesting to see how this pans out because I think we&#8217;re at an inflexion point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:49:23] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> We are. And I know, you said it&#8217;s hard to measure. And I do agree that it&#8217;s hard to measure the impact of something like partnerships. Revenue is the most common signal to use for that, right? It&#8217;s the thing that makes the most sense to a business mind. And the revenue is what fuels business growth, I get that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I would posit that there are a few other metrics, a few other things we can start to look at to measure success beyond revenue. Now, like I said, revenue&#8217;s a signal. There are other signals too. What&#8217;s the trust between teams? How often are partners collaborating proactively? If you&#8217;re a hosting company, you see this pretty actively. How often are your customers having better outcomes because of the partnerships you&#8217;ve forged?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Relationship equity precedes the revenue. These outcomes matter. Partnerships compound slowly. And when you&#8217;re in an environment where patience is thin because fear is high, taking the time to develop true partnerships is hard. But it is always the people that do the hard work that succeed in the end.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:50:36] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think that&#8217;s the perfect place to put a pin in it. That was such an interesting conversation. I don&#8217;t claim to understand the nuance of it still. I don&#8217;t, certainly don&#8217;t claim to have the answer but it was fascinating chatting that through with you. I think there&#8217;s things to be addressed in the year 2026, and that certainly was an interesting foray into that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As much as I don&#8217;t want to end the conversation, I think now is probably the moment to do that. I just want to give you an opportunity to tell people where you are. You obviously had your bio at the beginning, but I don&#8217;t think you dropped a website or anything like that. So if you want to drop a social handle or a particular URL that people can find you, if they want to get into this conversation more deeply, go for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:51:18] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Yeah, so all of my eCommerce consultancy is done through mightyswarm.com. That&#8217;s my agency. The fractional partnership stuff that I&#8217;m working on, the fractional help, it will also run through that. It&#8217;s not quite updated to include that yet. You can find me at zachstepek.com, which is my personal site, talks a little bit about what I do. I&#8217;m in the process of rebuilding that, so it also encapsulates the other part of my life which is my concert and music photography, which we&#8217;ll talk about it another time. And I&#8217;m zstepek pretty much everywhere. So Z S T E P E K on all the social platforms that matter.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:52:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I will make sure that I put whatever you&#8217;ve just said into the show notes. So if you go to wptavern.com and you search for the episode with Zach Stepek then you&#8217;ll be able to find it. If you scroll down to the bottom, it&#8217;ll be under the beginning blurb, and the transcription and things like that. Go to the bottom. There&#8217;s a useful link section so it will all be there. So Zach, what a fascinating conversation that was. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much for chatting to me today.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:52:25] <strong>Zach Stepek:</strong> Thanks for having me. It was a lot of fun. It&#8217;s always good to talk to you.</p>\n</div></details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachstepek/\">Zach Stepek</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zach is what you might call a ‘unicorn’ in the tech world, having held roles in design, development, and much more. His experience spans everything from ColdFusion and Flash, to JavaScript, WordPress, and WooCommerce. He’s worked with brands like IBM and MTV, in varied industries from medical records to e-commerce, and has spoken at WordCamps, WooConf, and contributed to the WordPress community through both agencies and product companies.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might know about WordPress, agencies, product companies, and hosting, but might not have thought about how partnerships actually work in this ecosystem, or why they matter right now. Zach is here to explain just that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He starts off by sharing his journey into WordPress, his early challenges, and how an unexpected ‘viral’ moment led him deeper into the ecosystem. He describes the three interconnected pillars of WordPress success: agencies (or individuals), product companies (think plugins, themes), and hosting / infrastructure, and how each depends on the other to thrive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We discuss the current state of partnerships, how companies collaborate, why trust and values-driven approaches are essential, and why the rapid rise of ROI-driven, transactional thinking is at odds with WordPress’ open source roots. Zach explores the perils of short-term wins and the value of nurturing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships, especially as economic uncertainty and changes in the broader world are beginning to reshape how companies interact.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then we talk about the challenges faced by hosting companies, the role of product companies in innovation, and how agencies often bridge these worlds. Zach makes the case for cultivating relationship equity, not just revenue, and how a rising tide can lift all boats if the community keeps its collective focus.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Towards the end we discuss how the landscape has changed, why community contributions matter more than ever, and what the future might hold as WordPress partnerships reach an inflection point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you’re curious about how these invisible partnership threads bind the WordPress ecosystem together, and how true partnership drives success, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://www.elasticpress.io\">ElasticPress</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://themeswitcher.com\">Theme Switcher Pro</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://mightyswarm.com\">Mighty Swarm</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://zachstepek.com\">zachstepek.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://x.com/zstepek\">Zach on X</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachstepek/\">Zach on LinkedIn</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, 25 Mar 2026 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:28;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:44:\"Open Channels FM: Pink, Pixels, and Progress\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551330\";s: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:49:\"https://openchannels.fm/pink-pixels-and-progress/\";s: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:164:\"In this clip Jessica Malamud chats with Adam Weeks about Elementor\'s brand evolution, focusing on the right pink shade and design details that emphasize creativity.\";s: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, 25 Mar 2026 13:15:00 +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:8:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"HeroPress: An Eighth Grader’s Dream Comes True\";s: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:56:\"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=8545\";s: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:142:\"https://heropress.com/essays/an-eighth-graders-dream-comes-true/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-eighth-graders-dream-comes-true\";s: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:7323:\"<img alt=\"Pull Quote: The sense of community and belonging was strong.\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" height=\"512\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/032426.webp\" width=\"1024\" /><figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ray_mitchell_heropress.mp3\"></audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Here is Ray reading his own essay aloud.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When I was in eighth grade, I wanted to be a commercial artist. It wasn’t common thinking at the time (and for some it still isn&#8217;t) for art or design to be considered a practical career path. The thinking was, within art there was fine art for the people who could really paint or draw, and commercial art for people whose skills were passable; neither of which would lead to a comfortable lifestyle.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was just OK and never would be a fine painter, I was good enough at design for screen-printing and designing the posters and programs for the Jr. High fashion show or laying out the school newspaper. I liked it a lot, though I eventually pursued other career aspirations.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I start the story this way because later in life, WordPress gave me the opportunity to have the career I wanted when I was 14.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today I run Made for You Media, a well-respected digital marketing agency specializing in WordPress for local businesses, but the path here took many turns and had many ups and downs.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-i-got-here\">How I Got Here</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After attending college, the path I found myself on led me far from the world of art. I spent time working in a chemistry lab, in retail, then eventually to financial services. I spent almost twenty years working for the &#8220;Don&#8217;t leave home without it&#8221; credit card company, serving international markets in Asia and Latin America. During a stint in Canada, my wife grew tired of being away from family. With news that we would soon have a grandchild on the way, we started the process to move back home.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I knew that I wanted my own business. I planned to start a company to coach small business owners on how to build productive, high-functioning teams. Even though the dot.com bubble was long gone, I knew that even for a small, local company, I would need a good website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While closing out my days working in Canada, I would get home from the office around 7:30 in the evening, get something to eat, then from 9PM to about 1 or 2 in the morning, work on building, or trying to learn how to build, a business website. I repeated this routine for weeks until I had something professional looking.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hand-coded this first website in 2009 and it received lots of complements. However, as good as it looked on the outside, it seemed that things were always breaking under the hood. I had heard about &#8220;this WordPress thing&#8221; and started looking into it. I recreated my HTML site using the &#8220;theme that cannot be mentioned&#8211;but had great typography&#8221; and haven&#8217;t looked back.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pivoting-to-wordpress\">Pivoting To WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, the coaching business I built that initial website for failed, but what I learned in building my first WordPress site enabled me to start building websites for other people. During the autumn of 2010, I built my first site for a paying client. It took me forever, but I got it launched. After building a few sites I needed to learn more than what I could on my own at the University of Google. I started attending WordCamps.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamp Raleigh was the first WordCamp I attended, and it was a great experience. In WordPress, we often talk about “the WordPress community” and that’s what it was. The same people whose blog posts I read were there in person. Experts, people who in my mind were the stars of the WordPress galaxy, were there, talking, teaching, and sharing with regular people like me. We ate barbecue, joked, and laughed together just like at a family or school reunion. The sense of community and belonging was strong, and something I still cherish.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I got hooked on WordPress through <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chrisjean/\">Chris Jean</a>&#8216;s exuberant enthusiasm in talking about &#8220;the loop&#8221; and his new plugin. I bought the plugin even though at the time I didn&#8217;t understand what the loop was, I just knew from his excitement it had to be good. At another WordCamp <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sabreuse/\">Amy Hendrix</a> talked about how important it was to contribute back to WordPress, and she sunk the hook deeper. Over time, I went from attending WordCamp, to folding up chairs at the end of the day, to filming other people’s presentations, to delivering my own. I&#8217;ve since had the opportunity to speak at several WordCamps including a couple of times at WCUS.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-we-ve-become\">What We&#8217;ve Become</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years my company has built many websites using WordPress, mainly supporting local businesses in the US, but also internationally. We&#8217;ve been able to serve many non-profit organizations, allowing them to effectively and affordably serve their communities, leveraging the WordPress platform to attract volunteers and donations. I even had the opportunity to write my first book, Magical Websites for Coaches, an instructional text that showcases the power of WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I point this out because WordPress and the WordPress community enable someone who&#8217;s motivated to leverage their experience to start what can become a very profitable business at a very low cost. With the business lessons I&#8217;d learned over the years, a domain name and an affordable shared hosting plan (thanks <a href=\"https://dreamhost.com\">Dreamhost</a>) and a few business cards, I was able to launch my business. In the process, I&#8217;ve had the opportunity to make great friends and build lasting relationships, meet, and learn from some very smart and inspiring people, and after many years, have a successful career “doing commercial art&#8221; full-time at my own company.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fc43baa9 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" id=\"desktop\">\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading8545_22364b-5e wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" id=\"work-environment\">Ray&#8217;s Work Environment</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We asked Ray for a view into his development life and this is what he sent!</p>\n\n\n	<div class=\"hotspots-image-container\">\n		<img alt=\"Ray Mitchell&#039;s Desktop\" class=\"hotspots-image skip-lazy\" height=\"1922\" src=\"https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/desktop-heropress-ray-mitchell-scaled-1.webp\" width=\"2560\" />\n	</div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\">HeroPress would like to thank <a href=\"https://wpdrawattention.com/\">Draw Attention</a> for their donation of the plugin to make this interactive image!</p>\n</div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/an-eighth-graders-dream-comes-true/\">An Eighth Grader&#8217;s Dream Comes True</a> appeared first on <a href=\"https://heropress.com\">HeroPress</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, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +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:12:\"Ray Mitchell\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:20:\"Matt: Beautiful Hack\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151627\";s: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://ma.tt/2026/03/beautiful-hack/\";s: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:542:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s bad, but it&#8217;s so good. <a href=\"https://snyk.io/articles/poisoned-security-scanner-backdooring-litellm/\">As you read this deep dive into the LiteLLM backdoor hack</a>, <a href=\"https://www.aikido.dev/blog/teampcp-deploys-worm-npm-trivy-compromise\">or this one</a>, it&#8217;s really just quite impressive. The use of <a href=\"https://docs.internetcomputer.org/building-apps/essentials/canisters\">ICP canisters</a>, wow. Just as an engineer, I&#8217;d love to meet the minds behind this code.</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, 25 Mar 2026 03:13:32 +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:31;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 7.0 Release Candidate 1\";s: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=20229\";s: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:69:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-1/\";s: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:11493:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first Release Candidate (“RC1”) for WordPress 7.0 is ready for download and testing!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This version of the WordPress software is still under development</strong>. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended to evaluate RC1 on a test server and site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 RC1 can be tested using any of the following methods:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Plugin</strong></td><td>Install and activate the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Direct Download</strong></td><td>Download the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-7.0-RC1.zip\">RC1 version (zip)</a> and install it on a WordPress website.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Command Line</strong></td><td>Use this <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/cli/\">WP-CLI</a> command: <br /><code>wp core update --version=7.0-</code>RC1</td></tr><tr><td><strong>WordPress Playground</strong></td><td>Use the <a href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=8.0&amp;wp=beta&amp;networking=no&amp;language=&amp;multisite=no&amp;random=y4q1rn88xn\">WordPress Playground instance</a> to test the software directly in your browser.  No setup required – just click and go! </td></tr></tbody></table></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is <strong>April 9, 2026</strong>. The full <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/02/12/wordpress-7-0-release-party-schedule/\">release schedule can be found here</a>. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who helps with testing!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please continue checking the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> for <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/7-0\">7.0-related posts</a> in the coming weeks for more information.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s in WordPress 7.0 RC1?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What’s new in WordPress 7.0</strong>? Check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2026/02/wordpress-7-0-beta-1/\">Beta 1 announcement</a> and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes+7-0/\">WordPress 7.0 Developer Notes</a> for details and highlights.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RC1 contains more than 134 updates and fixes since the Beta 5 release. You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 5 using these links:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/commits/wp/7.0?since=2026-03-12&amp;until=2026-03-24\">GitHub commits</a> since March 12, 2026</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&amp;changetime=03%2F12%2F2026..03%2F24%2F2026&amp;milestone=7.0&amp;group=component&amp;col=id&amp;col=summary&amp;col=owner&amp;col=type&amp;col=priority&amp;order=id\">Closed Trac tickets</a> since March 12, 2026</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Features since Beta 1</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The release squad in conjunction with project leadership identified additional features that were not ready for beta 1 but are included in RC1 as supporting requirements for flagship features of the release.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64730\">AI Connectors Screen</a> &#8211; A new admin screen for connecting AI providers to your site and an <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64791\">API for registering additional ones</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/75757\">The Command Palette</a> is now available via a <code>⌘K</code> or <code>Ctrl+K</code> shortcut in the admin bar.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to look deeper into the details and technical notes for this release? These tickets and pull requests are just some of the latest updates:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76700\">#GB-76700</a>: Client Side Media as plugin only</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76722\">#GB-76722</a>: Add support for non-AI providers on Connector&#8217;s Screen</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76736\">#GB-76736</a>: New activation hook to enable RTC by default</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64904\">#64904</a>: <code>WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION</code> constant for RTC</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76704\">#</a><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76643\">GB-76704</a>: Increased polling intervals for RTC</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76643\">#GB-76643</a>: Real Time Collaboration is opt-in by default</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76460\">#GB-76460</a>: Toggle to turn RTC session notifications on/off</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/62046\">#62046</a>: Update PHP AI Client package to 1.3.1</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/76550\">#GB-76550</a>: Revisions: Show changed block attributes in sidebar</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/62067\">#62067</a>: Single config option to disable all LLM related features</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63697\">#63697</a>: OPCache added to <code>Site Health &gt; Info &gt; Server</code></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The final release is on track for April 9, 2026.</strong> As always, a successful release depends on your confirmation during testing. So please download and test!</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How you can contribute</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is open source software made possible by a passionate community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help the world’s most popular open source web platform, regardless of your technical expertise.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help test this release</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Testing for issues is crucial to the development of any software. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. Your help testing the WordPress 7.0 RC1 version is key to ensuring that the final release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/02/20/help-test-wordpress-7-0/\">detailed guide</a> will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.0.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What to test:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/03/11/its-time-to-test-real-time-collaboration/\">Real Time Collaboration</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2026/02/27/call-for-testing-pattern-editing-and-content-only-interactivity-in-wordpress-7-0/\">Pattern Editing and content-only Interactivity</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you encounter an issue, please report it to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> of the support forums or directly to <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">Trac</a> if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Test on your hosting platforms</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hosting systems provide vital infrastructure for supporting WordPress and its users. Testing on hosting infrastructure ensures that WordPress and hosting systems are fully compatible, free of errors, optimized for the best possible user experience, and that updates roll out to customer sites without issue. Thank you to all <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/test-results/\">web hosts who test WordPress</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to set up testing on your hosting system? <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/test-results-getting-started/\">Get started with configuring distributed hosting tests here</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update your theme or plugin</h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For plugin and theme authors, your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for all users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for continuing to test your themes and plugins with the WordPress 7.0 beta releases. With RC1, you’ll want to conclude your testing and update the <em>“Tested up to”</em> version in your <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/how-your-readme-txt-works/\">plugin’s readme file</a> to <code>7.0</code>. If you find compatibility issues, please post detailed information to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forum</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/\">testing initiatives</a> and join the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/messages/core-test/\">#core-test channel</a> on <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/\">Making WordPress Slack</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Русский? 日本語? हिन्दी? বাংলা? मराठी? ಕನ್ನಡ?  You can <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/translating/\">help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages</a>. This release milestone (RC1) marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a> point of the 7.0 release cycle. However, strings will not be available for translation until RC2 later this week.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An RC1 haiku</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>RC1 arrives</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>with momentum, sped up time</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and jazz on the mind.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Props to <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>4thhubbard</a>, <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>desrosj</a>, <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeffpaul/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>jeffpaul</a>, <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chaion07/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>chaion07</a>, <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>audrasjb</a>, <a class=\"mention\" href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorbin/\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>jorbin</a> for collaboration and review.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"></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, 24 Mar 2026 19:32:15 +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:10:\"Amy Kamala\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:100:\"Open Channels FM: Bridging the Gaps: Why Multiple Decentralized Social Protocols Are Still Necessary\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551031\";s: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://openchannels.fm/bridging-the-gaps-why-multiple-decentralized-social-protocols-are-still-necessary/\";s: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:168:\"In decentralized social networks, hope for one universal protocol is unrealistic; instead, building bridges and embracing diversity fosters innovation and connectivity.\";s: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, 24 Mar 2026 14:03:17 +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:8:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"Open Channels FM: How to Prepare, Network, and Recharge During Business Conferences\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551163\";s: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://openchannels.fm/how-to-prepare-network-and-recharge-during-business-conferences/\";s: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:215:\"In this episode, Bob and Cami chat about maximizing conference experiences, sharing tips on client communication, essential gear, avoiding burnout, and the importance of balance—plus some hilarious travel stories.\";s: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, 24 Mar 2026 13:45:57 +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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:16:\"Matt: WP.com MCP\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151570\";s: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:33:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/wp-com-mcp/\";s: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:395:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you host your WordPress on <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/blog/2026/03/20/ai-agent-manage-content/\">WordPress.com your AI agent can now manage your entire site</a>, including updating posts or pages, making drafts, pretty much all the things you normally do with WordPress. Hook this up to your OpenClaw, Hermes, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, whatever and have fun!</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, 23 Mar 2026 21:57:15 +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:35;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:27:\"Matt: Miriam’s Sweet Site\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151598\";s: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:29:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/miriam/\";s: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:570:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long-time WordPresser <a href=\"https://miriamschwab.me/\">Miriam Schwab just rebuilt her WordPress site with Claude Code and it looks amazing</a>. Go check it out, this is what is possible now with proper prompting. I&#8217;d love to see a WordCamp keynote from Miriam on her process in this. (And she&#8217;s doing this while missiles are flying overhead. Wow.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Update: <a href=\"https://miriamschwab.me/i-didnt-think-this-site-would-get-much-attention-ever/\">She blogged a bit about the process</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:\"Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:41:25 +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: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:36;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:26:\"Matt: Bay Lights are Back!\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151572\";s: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://ma.tt/2026/03/bay-relighting/\";s: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:3092:\"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-151574\" height=\"340\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/ma.tt/files/2026/03/TBL_Longview-1024x576.jpg?resize=604%2C340&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"604\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tonight, a project very near and dear to my heart, the <a href=\"https://illuminate.org/projects/thebaylights/\">Bay Lights in San Francisco</a>, are officially re-lighting after a three-year hiatus. It&#8217;s been an incredible journey getting here. I literally mortgaged my apartment in 2013 to help fund them the first time around, and it&#8217;s such an honor to see them relit now with better technology and new programming from the amazing artist <a href=\"https://villareal.net/\">Leo Villareal</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you&#8217;re looking down at the lights from a penthouse or top office, or up at them from the water along the Embarcadero, this is truly an art project that illuminates the soul of everyone in San Francisco, radically accessible and open.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve heard they&#8217;re still raising around 500k to close out the project. You <a href=\"https://sif.illuminate.org/\">can dedicate a light here for someone special</a>. I&#8217;m going to do one to <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2016/04/in-memoriam-chuck-mullenweg/\">honor my father, who passed in 2016</a>. If you&#8217;d like to be part of San Francisco&#8217;s boom loop and have a pleasant twinkle of enlightenment every time you see the bridge, I encourage you to donate as well!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you live somewhere with a view of the bridge, think of it as buying a piece of art you&#8217;ll enjoy every night, and also having that warm feeling of being part of making San Francisco more beautiful for everyone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m on the board of Illuminate, which only has two full-time employees, and I&#8217;ve never seen another non-profit generate so much public joy and benefit with so few people. They&#8217;re also behind <a href=\"https://illuminate.org/projects/golden-mile-project/\">the Golden Mile</a> and the <a href=\"https://illuminate.org/venues/golden-gate-bandshell/\">live music at the Golden Gate Bandshell</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please consider <a href=\"https://sif.illuminate.org/\">making a one-time donation of a light, which is anywhere from $100 to $2,500</a>, or <a href=\"https://illuminate.org/donate/#donate\">become a recurring member of the Illuminate Tribe</a>, or if you are really part of making San Francisco better consider <a href=\"https://illuminate.org/donate/#illuminary\">being an Illuminary at 50k/yr</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, thank you to all the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/\">WordPress</a> community members who have done so much to support this project and help them fundraise and improve their website. It&#8217;s such a great example of the WordPress open source spirit and ethos.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco is so back! Let&#8217;s go!</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, 21 Mar 2026 02:08:55 +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:37;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:23:\"Matt: Introducing Me.sh\";s: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:23:\"https://ma.tt/?p=151564\";s: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:27:\"https://ma.tt/2026/03/mesh/\";s: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:662:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Very excited to share that the <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2025/06/clay/\">Clay.earth team that joined Automattic last year</a> is re-launching under a new, <a href=\"https://me.sh/stories/mesh\">very cool name and brand: Mesh</a>. Imagine something that joins you (me) to everyone you&#8217;re connected to. It&#8217;s going to be a very important layer of the distributed identity and social work we&#8217;re doing. It&#8217;s an amazing app <a href=\"https://me.sh/\">you should try out if you haven&#8217;t yet</a>. Available on the web, <a href=\"https://me.sh/start\">MacOS, Windows, iOS, and even the Vision Pro</a>. Stunning design.</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, 20 Mar 2026 21:32:34 +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: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:38;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"Gary: Introducing claudaborative-editing\";s: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:25:\"https://pento.net/?p=5656\";s: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://pento.net/2026/03/20/introducing-claudaborative-editing/\";s: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:5159:\"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Human editor&#8217;s note: The post below was written by Claude Code. I personally don&#8217;t use LLMs to write for me, but I figured I&#8217;d make an exception just this once. Using entirely LLM-generated content isn&#8217;t a workable approach to writing good copy, but I&#8217;m interested in seeing how we can use these tools to interact with and improve the writing process!</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve been using Claude Code for more and more of my daily work, and one thing that&#8217;s been bugging me is the gap between &#8220;Claude wrote some text&#8221; and &#8220;that text is on my blog.&#8221; There&#8217;s always a manual copy-paste step, formatting fixups, and the general friction of moving content between two worlds. So I built a bridge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https://github.com/pento/claudaborative-editing\">claudaborative-editing</a> is an MCP server that lets Claude Code collaboratively edit WordPress posts in real time, right alongside you in the Gutenberg block editor. You open a post in your browser, Claude opens the same post from the terminal, and you both edit together — changes sync live via WordPress&#8217;s collaborative editing protocol.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, this very post is being written by Claude, using the tool. It&#8217;s claudaborative-editing all the way down.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it works</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress 7.0 introduced real-time collaborative editing, built on <a href=\"https://yjs.dev/\">Yjs</a> — the same CRDT technology that powers tools like Figma and Notion. claudaborative-editing speaks this protocol natively: it maintains a Yjs document that mirrors your post, syncing changes back and forth with WordPress via HTTP polling. The CRDT handles merging, so simultaneous edits from you and Claude just work — no conflicts, no overwrites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting started takes about 30 seconds:</p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>npx claudaborative-editing setup</code></pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The setup wizard validates your WordPress credentials and gives you the <code>claude mcp add</code> command to register the server. After that, Claude Code can connect to your site and start editing.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Claude can do</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The server exposes a full set of block-editing tools. Claude can list and open posts, read the current block structure, insert and remove blocks, update text content and attributes, move blocks around, and save. It works at the block level — the same granularity Gutenberg uses — so edits are precise and merge-safe.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a nice touch, too: when Claude writes or updates text, the changes stream into the editor character by character, like watching someone type. It&#8217;s a small thing, but it makes the collaboration feel real.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also see Claude show up in the collaborators list — it registers its presence through the same awareness protocol that shows human editors, so you know when it&#8217;s active on a post.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s next</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While writing this post, I ran into a few things I wished the tool could do — so I filed some issues to track them:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/pento/claudaborative-editing/issues/1\">Media upload and image insertion</a> — I can write the text for a blog post, but I can&#8217;t include screenshots or diagrams yet. Being able to upload and insert images would make for much more complete drafts.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/pento/claudaborative-editing/issues/2\">Post metadata</a> — categories, tags, excerpts, featured images, and publication status. Right now a human still needs to handle all of that before hitting publish.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/pento/claudaborative-editing/issues/3\">Closing a post without disconnecting</a> — currently the only way to stop editing a post is to disconnect from WordPress entirely, which means you need to reconnect if you want to open a different post.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tool is open source and available on <a href=\"https://github.com/pento/claudaborative-editing\">GitHub</a>, and you can install it right now from npm with <code>npx claudaborative-editing setup</code>. You&#8217;ll need WordPress 7.0 or later with collaborative editing enabled — flip the switch under Settings → Writing, create an application password, and you&#8217;re good to go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing what people do with it. If you try it out, I&#8217;d love to hear how it goes — file issues, send PRs, or just let me know. Happy claudaborating! <img alt=\"🤝\" class=\"wp-smiley\" src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f91d.png\" style=\"height: 1em;\" /></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, 20 Mar 2026 05:41:37 +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:\"Gary\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"Open Channels FM: Open Channels FM Announces the Launch of Channel 4\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551284\";s: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:75:\"https://openchannels.fm/open-channels-fm-announces-the-launch-of-channel-4/\";s: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:152:\"Open Channels FM introduces Channel 4, a new podcast platform for diverse discussions, fostering creativity and authenticity beyond existing categories.\";s: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, 19 Mar 2026 14:05:00 +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:8:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:158:\"WordCamp Central: WordPress Campus Connect Jinja 2025 Recap: Piloting Africa’s First and Largest Campus Connect Program Across 12 Campuses in Eastern Uganda\";s: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:40:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/?p=13899712\";s: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:179:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2026/03/wordpress-campus-connect-jinja-2025-recap-piloting-africas-first-and-largest-campus-connect-program-across-12-campuses-in-eastern-uganda/\";s: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:32575:\"<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bringing WordPress and Web Design Skills to Over 1,200 Students Across Eastern Uganda</strong><br /></h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-356\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5887-1024x545.jpg\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WPCC Jinja at Mpumudde High School Jinja</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over a five-month period (with a two-month holiday/national elections  break) the WordPress Jinja community successfully piloted <strong>Africa’s first and largest WordPress Campus Connect program</strong>, reaching <strong>12 schools and institutions across Eastern Uganda</strong>. Through hands-on workshops, mobile ICT labs, and student-led digital clubs, the initiative introduced <strong>1,293 students and 81 educators</strong> to WordPress, open source, and practical digital skills. Designed to bring technology education directly into classrooms where opportunities are often limited, the program empowers young people to explore digital careers, build online portfolios, and connect with the global WordPress community. Despite a two-month holiday and national election break, along with national exams and national teacher strikes, the first edition of Campus Connect Jinja demonstrated how open-source learning and imparting of WordPress and web design skills can grow sustainable student communities and inspire the next generation of digital creators.<br /><br /><strong>Why Campus Connect?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>While WordCamps and meetups often bring together developers, designers, and professionals already working in technology, Campus Connect focuses on students who are just beginning their digital journeys. It creates opportunities for young people to encounter WordPress early, discover what open source means, and begin building skills that can shape their future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The launch of Campus Connect in Jinja builds on years of student-centered initiatives already taking place within the local WordPress community. From <strong>free web design hackathons for students</strong> to <strong>youth-focused workshops held alongside WordCamps</strong>, our local organizers have steadily worked to make technology education more accessible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Campus Connect represents the next step in that journey: a structured outreach program that connects schools directly with the global WordPress ecosystem while cultivating the next generation of open-source contributors.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-360\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5073-1024x768.jpg\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WPCC Jinja at Jinja Senior Secondary School</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When our WordPress Jinja community concluded <strong>WordCamp Jinja 2025 (our 4th WordCamp)</strong> hosted at Jinja Senior Secondary School, one moment stood out clearly: the enthusiasm of the students who had attended and participated actively. Their curiosity about WordPress, web publishing, and open-source technology revealed a powerful opportunity. What we had witnessed should not remain a one-time experience. From that realization, the idea of bringing the <strong>WordPress Campus Connect initiative to Jinja</strong> was born.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Campus Connect is designed to bring WordPress directly into classrooms and learning spaces where opportunities in technology are often limited. The program focuses on introducing students to open source while equipping them with practical digital skills that can shape their future careers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through the initiative, the WordPress Jinja community set out to:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Introduce WordPress in classrooms where opportunities in technology are often limited</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Empower young people with hands-on digital skills that prepare them for careers</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Build sustainable student-led communities through clubs and ongoing activities</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connect local talent with global contributors, creating new opportunities for mentorship and collaboration</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By meeting students where they are on their campuses and within their schools, Campus Connect ensures that WordPress communities will continue to grow long after the first workshops are completed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the vision quickly revealed a significant challenge. Many schools in and around Jinja lack access to functioning computer laboratories or digital infrastructure. Without computers, students would have little chance to explore WordPress, learn web publishing, or participate in the open-source ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Determined not to leave anyone behind, the WordPress Jinja community partnered with local ecosystem partners that could provide <strong>mobile ICT laboratories and laptops</strong>. With these resources, the community launched a five-month outreach program that brought WordPress training directly to schools across Eastern Uganda both with in-house labs and our mobile ICT labs from partners.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the end of the program, <strong>more than 1,200 students and educators across twelve institutions</strong> had participated, including schools serving learners with disabilities.</p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Jinja Campus Connect Model</strong></h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Each Campus Connect visit followed a structured learning model designed to combine <strong>technical training, digital literacy, and career exploration</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>All sessions included:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Introduction to WordPress and the open-source ecosystem</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hands-on website creation and content publishing</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digital storytelling and blogging</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Responsible digital citizenship and online safety</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Career pathways including freelancing, entrepreneurship, and digital work</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Every visit concluded with the formation of a <strong>Student-Led WordPress and Digital Skills Club</strong> within the host institution.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>These clubs serve as satellite communities connected to the <strong>WordPress Jinja Meetup</strong>, ensuring that the learning continues long after the workshops end. Over time, the clubs will become fully integrated within their schools according to institutional guidelines and eventually organize their own student-led WordPress activities.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through these clubs, Campus Connect plants the seeds of sustainable local communities that can continue learning, collaborating, and contributing to open source.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://photos.app.goo.gl/TJpYJJDtDVQC47dCA\">Google Photos Link:</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our Journey of Impact: Campus by Campus Highlights</strong></h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Macedonian Vocational Institute</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-364\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_4594-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-365\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_4600-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-363\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_4813-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-362\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5012-1024x441.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Macedonian Vocational Institute, Jinja &#8211; 102 Students and 5 Teachers &#8211; 4th October 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At Macedonian Vocational Institute, the session centered on the practical value of WordPress for vocational and entrepreneurial careers. Students explored how websites and online portfolios can help artisans, technicians, and young professionals present their skills, attract clients, and grow their businesses. Through hands-on demonstrations, participants were introduced to web design, content creation, and the basics of WordPress development, while also learning how open-source tools can create opportunities beyond the classroom. A student WordPress club was further strengthened during the visit to support continued practice and portfolio building.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Jinja Senior Secondary School</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-371\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5073-1-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-373\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5118-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-374\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5314-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-372\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5601-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Jinja SSS &#8211; 253 Students and 6 Teachers &#8211; 9th and 11th October 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jinja Senior Secondary School, which hosts more than 5,000 students, served as the launch point for the Campus Connect outreach program. Across two engagement sessions, an introductory session and a deeper hands-on session, students were introduced to WordPress fundamentals, website creation, blogging, and the wider culture of open-source collaboration. They explored web design, digital storytelling, and creative publishing while also gaining exposure to WordPress development concepts. The visit concluded with the establishment of a student WordPress satellite community that will eventually become a student club, led by student coordinators from the school leadership and Science and ICT Club, who will guide blogging activities and peer learning within the school community.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Mpumudde High School (Horizon Campus) Jinja</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-377\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5805-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-379\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5845-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-378\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5864-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_5887-1-1024x545.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">MHS Jinja -169 Students and 8 Teachers &#8211; 23rd October 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Campus Connect session at Mpumudde High School focused strongly on digital storytelling and youth expression. Students examined how WordPress can be used to publish ideas, document school activities, and amplify student voices in meaningful ways. Alongside practical work in creating blog posts and structuring pages, participants were introduced to the basics of website creation and open-source participation. The session encouraged students to see digital platforms not only as technical tools, but also as spaces for creativity, identity, and shared learning. A student club was formed to carry this momentum forward.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Gloryland Christian College, Jinja</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-385\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6219-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-382\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6277-1024x589.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-383\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6312-1024x618.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-384\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6331-1024x545.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">GCC Jinja &#8211; 59 Students and 4 Teachers &#8211; 31st October 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Students at Gloryland Christian College engaged in a session that combined technical learning with conversations about responsible digital participation. Alongside hands-on website creation, they explored blogging, online publishing, and the importance of credibility, ethics, and thoughtful communication in digital spaces. The training introduced students to the possibilities of WordPress while also encouraging them to think critically about how content is created and shared. The visit concluded with the formation of a student WordPress club to guide continued learning and practice.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Royal Secondary School, Buwenge</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-386\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6407-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-388\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6415-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-389\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6442-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-387\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6523-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Royal SS Jinja 61 Students and 6 Teachers &#8211; 4th November 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At Royal Secondary School, the workshop emphasized the role of WordPress in school communication and community storytelling. Students explored how websites can be used to highlight school initiatives, student clubs, and local projects while learning the foundations of web publishing and site structure. The session connected digital skills with the power of sharing local experiences and preserving community narratives online. By the end of the visit, students had begun to see WordPress as a practical tool for both expression and visibility, and a student WordPress club was established to continue the work.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Jinja Tech Hub</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-394\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6641-1024x538.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-392\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6643-1024x638.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-393\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6644-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-391\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6776-1024x719.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Jinja Tech Hub &#8211; 47 Students and 5 Instructors &#8211; 18th November 2025</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The engagement at Jinja Tech Hub leaned into entrepreneurship, freelancing, and digital innovation. Participants explored how WordPress can be used to create business websites, showcase services, and build strong professional portfolios. The session also introduced broader ideas around WordPress development, site structure, and the value of open-source skills in the digital economy. For many participants, the training connected technical knowledge with real pathways into work, enterprise, and self-employment.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Busoga Light College, Jinja</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-396\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6803-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-397\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6805-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-398\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6815-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-399\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_6821-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">BLC Jinja &#8211; 63 Students and 10 Teachers &#8211; 6th December 2025 and follow up holiday visit on 11th January</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Busoga Light College hosted an extended Campus Connect engagement that allowed students to move beyond introduction into deeper exploration. Participants learned how to organize content, build digital portfolios, and manage simple websites while strengthening their understanding of WordPress as both a technical and creative platform. Teachers took an active part in the sessions, reinforcing the school’s support for digital skills development. A follow-up visit in January created space for mentorship and helped the newly established WordPress club continue applying the skills students had begun to develop.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Phase Two</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After the holiday and national election break, the Campus Connect initiative resumed in February 2026, following a national mandate from the Government of Uganda for schools to re-open on 10th February due to elections in January. This second phase extended the program’s reach to additional institutions across Eastern Uganda and brought the WordPress learning experience to even more students.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Nsuube SDA Secondary School</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-402\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7312-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-403\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7319-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-404\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7367-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-401\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7445-1024x886.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Nsuube SDA Jinja &#8211; 126 Students and 6 Teachers &#8211; 12th February 2026</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At Nsuube SDA Secondary School, students were introduced to WordPress as both an educational and creative platform. The session highlighted how blogging, digital storytelling, and personal portfolios can support academic work while also helping students share their ideas with wider audiences. Through practical demonstrations, participants learned the basics of website creation and content publishing in ways that connected directly to school projects and self-expression. The visit concluded with the formation of a student club that will continue practicing and building on these foundations.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>9. Kaliro High School</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-405\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7453-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-407\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7458-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-408\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7459-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-406\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7472-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Kaliro High School &#8211; 152 Students and 12 Teachers &#8211; 21st February 2026</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kaliro High School recorded one of the largest turnouts during the second phase of the program. Students showed strong enthusiasm for blogging and digital storytelling, especially around the idea of sharing school activities, community experiences, and student perspectives online. The workshop combined practical page-building exercises with broader discussions about digital literacy and the growing importance of online communication in education and everyday life. A student club was established to support continued collaboration and peer learning after the visit.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10. Jinja North Secondary School (Butembe Heritage Campus)</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-409\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/2.RAW-01.COVER_-1024x771.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-411\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7875-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-412\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_7900-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-410\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8065-1024x460.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">JNOSS &#8211; 131 Students and 8 Teachers &#8211; 23rd February 2026</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At Jinja North Secondary School, the sessions focused on hands-on website creation and the wider opportunities that digital skills can unlock. Students explored how WordPress knowledge can connect to freelancing, online services, and entrepreneurship, while teachers participated actively in discussions about integrating digital learning into the school environment. The training positioned WordPress not just as a publishing tool, but as a gateway to practical and marketable skills. A student WordPress club was formed to sustain interest and continued engagement.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>11. H.E.L.P International Vocational Institute, Jinja</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-414\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8098-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-418\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8375-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-417\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8418-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-415\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8648-1024x683.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">HELP Jinja &#8211; 53 Students and 8 Teachers &#8211; 25th February 2026</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At H.E.L.P International Vocational Institute, the training highlighted WordPress as a professional tool for vocational graduates and young entrepreneurs. Students explored how websites can be used to present technical skills, market services, and create portfolios that speak to real-world opportunities. The session blended practical exercises with discussions about visibility, client outreach, and digital professionalism, helping participants connect their vocational training with the demands of an increasingly online economy.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>12. C.H.I.M.E Secondary School and Vocational Institute</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-420\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8816-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-422\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8855-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-421\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_8962-1024x768.jpg\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-419\" src=\"https://events.wordpress.org/campusconnect/2025/jinja/files/2026/03/IMG_9091-1024x758.jpg\" /></figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">CHIME Jinja &#8211; 79 Students and 5 Teachers &#8211; 28th February 2026</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The final Campus Connect engagement took place at C.H.I.M.E Secondary School and Vocational Institute, where students explored WordPress as a bridge between academic learning and vocational development. The session covered blogging, portfolio creation, and communication platforms that can support both school-based and practical career pathways. It also emphasized collaboration, creativity, and digital presence as essential skills for young people preparing for the modern world. A student WordPress club was established to carry the program forward within the school.</p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Synergy of Local Community Efforts: </strong></h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lessons and Reflections</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many long term community-driven initiatives in Africa, the Campus Connect program encountered several logistical challenges.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nationwide teachers’ strikes in 2025 disrupted school schedules</li>\n\n\n\n<li>National examination periods and elections</li>\n\n\n\n<li>School timetable changes were sometimes communicated late</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photography volunteers, mostly university students experienced delays in compiling and editing event documentation</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these challenges, the initiative continued successfully thanks to the dedication of community volunteers and partners.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Acknowledgement and Appreciation</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The success of our Campus Connect event series reflects the strength of collaboration within both the local and global WordPress ecosystems. We extend our gratitude to the <strong>Global WordPress Campus Connect sponsors</strong>, whose continued support for open source and education makes initiatives like this possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also thank the local ecosystem partners in Jinja who have continuously worked with our WordPress Jinja Community and whose non-financial support and collaboration enabled the program to reach students across Eastern Uganda; Rotary Club of Jinja City, Hello World Africa, Xerus, World Educare Network for mobilizing schools through their partner networks, Tech Reach Africa for providing a mobile ICT laboratory, GDG Cloud Jinja and other local technology communities for technical expertise and mentorship, Community volunteers, educators, and school administrators.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this collective effort, students who might otherwise have been excluded from digital opportunities gained access to tools, knowledge, and skills that many around the world now consider a fundamental part of modern education.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>By meeting students where they are within their schools and communities Campus Connect ensures that the WordPress ecosystem continues to grow, inspiring the next generation of creators, innovators, and open-source contributors.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Road Ahead: What’s Next</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the successful and massive pilot of Campus Connect Jinja, we will focus on increasing sustainability, formalizing and onboarding the student communities/clubs that were formed and expanding the regional WordPress ecosystem. With more than 1,200 students and about 100 educators introduced to WordPress and open source, the goal now is to continue the momentum and build long-term learning pathways for students and educators and create bridges between them and the general local WordPress community and opportunities.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supporting and Formalizing Active Student WordPress Clubs</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The student WordPress and digital skills clubs established during the Campus Connect visits will now be gradually fomalized and onboarded according to the by-laws within their respective schools as well as onboarded officially through the Student Club program with their student leaders to be able to optionally organize their own events. For now, these clubs each with their own leadership and faculty support will act as <strong>satellite communities of the WordPress Jinja Meetup</strong>, supporting continued learning, student-led workshops, blogging initiatives, and participation in the wider WordPress ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Upcoming Jinja events</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The next major event for the Jinja community will be <strong>WordCamp Jinja 2026 tentatively happening in September 2026</strong> led by Joan Namunina, co-organizer from our WordPress Jinja Meetup, where many of the students, educators, and partners involved in Campus Connect are expected to reconnect, share their experiences and continue building the future of open source in Eastern Uganda.</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, 19 Mar 2026 13:10:16 +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:\"Mohammed Kateregga\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:91:\"Open Channels FM: Building Trust at Scale and Navigating Agency Challenges in the Age of AI\";s: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:34:\"https://openchannels.fm/?p=2551086\";s: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://openchannels.fm/building-trust-at-scale-and-navigating-agency-challenges-in-the-age-of-ai/\";s: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:206:\"In this episode, Adam and Marc discuss agency challenges in digital marketing, focusing on AI\'s impact, client expectations, and the importance of communication and efficiency in managing multiple websites.\";s: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, 19 Mar 2026 11:42:39 +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:\"Bob Dunn\";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:21:\"\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:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:96:\"WPTavern: #209 – Simon Pollard on Navigating the New Normal for WordPress Community and Events\";s: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=203117\";s: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:110:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/209-simon-pollard-on-navigating-the-new-normal-for-wordpress-community-and-events\";s: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:61768:\"<details>Transcript<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:00:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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, trying to navigate the new normal for WordPress community and events.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 wptavern.com/feed/podcast, and you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you or your idea featured on the show. Head to wptavern.com/contact/jukebox and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So on the podcast today we have Simon Pollard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simon has been building with WordPress for many years. Originally from Devon in England, he&#8217;s worked as a professional web developer across locations, eventually landing at Illustrate Digital, where he&#8217;s been for six years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simon&#8217;s not just a coder. He&#8217;s been deeply involved in the WordPress community, not only organising, but helping to grow the Bristol WordPress Meetup from a casual get together in a pub, to a thriving, officially backed event with dozens of regular attendees.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like many in the WordPress ecosystem, Simon wears multiple hats. He&#8217;s a musician, a devoted dad, and an accidental community leader who found himself at the heart of local WordPress organising. But COVID-19 changed all that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In today&#8217;s episode, Simon explains what happened to WordPress Meetups during and after the pandemic. How vibrant communities fizzled out. How hard it was to bring people back. And the new challenges of connecting when traditional social media platforms no longer bring everyone together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simon talks about his own journey, how he paused on events, shifted his social life to music, and struggled to hand the Meetup keys to new organisers. Eventually, a call from an old friend drew him back and he was faced with the new reality. Smaller groups, fractured channels, and the question of how to keep the in-person spirit of WordPress alive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We get into the irreplaceable value of real life connection, the warmth in the room, and the need to rethink what gets people to in-person events now. Is it hybrid events? Perhaps it&#8217;s music? Something beyond pure WordPress talks? We discuss what&#8217;s been lost, what still matters, and what it might take to build the new era of WordPress community in a distracted, always connected, world.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re curious about the future of WordPress Meetups, if you felt the ebb and flow of community during the past few years, or if you just want to know how to find your people again, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to wptavern.com/podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so without further delay, I bring you. Simon Pollard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am joined on the podcast by Simon Pollard. Hello Simon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:03:42] <strong>Simon Pollard:</strong> Hello Nathan.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:03:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Very nice to chat. Simon and I have met for the first time, just sort of 10 minutes ago. We&#8217;ve had a little bit of a chat. And as is so often the case, Simon has a musical instrument in the background. I don&#8217;t know what that is, but there&#8217;s definitely a thing there. WordPressers often have musical instruments.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:03:57] <strong>Simon:</strong> There&#8217;s more behind me as well. And randomly, I&#8217;ll bring in another fact, so I&#8217;m in a very casual band of predominantly mid forties internet developing type people. And, yeah, we&#8217;re all the same, we all play instruments. And randomly we all, without being connected in any way, can work in the same one building in Bristol, which is co-working in individual offices and we all found out we&#8217;re all in the same building. And that wasn&#8217;t how we met.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think probably anybody listening to this has figured out by your accent that you&#8217;re from the UK. And you mentioned Bristol just there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:27] <strong>Simon:</strong> Well, Brizzle if I&#8217;m going to be correct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right at the top of the podcast, we typically ask the guests to just give us a little potted bio, a moment or two just telling us who you are. And as it&#8217;s a WordPress podcast, just give us your background with WordPress, I guess, as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:04:40] <strong>Simon:</strong> Yeah, well, I&#8217;m from Devon originally, which the English people will pick up on the accent potentially. I try to hide that away, but every now and again a little bit of farmer will come out and it&#8217;ll be oh, argh. And then, yeah, so I was born in Devon, moved away into to Cheltenham, been to Cardiff and then ended up in Bristol and worked at various places amongst all of them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bristol was where I finally got my kind of proper web job, an actual proper official web job. And the first company I started used WordPress as one of the platforms, and that&#8217;s from where I started off my kind of professional career. Moved around a few places since then as developers do, but always kind of staying in the area. And then currently, I am now at Illustrate Digital. Been there for six years, joined at the start of 2020, so that was an interesting progression, we&#8217;ll cover that later.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During my time in Bristol, it was someone else who originally raised the idea of a Meetup for of WordPress devs to kind of meet up and have a chat. So myself and a few others met up with this one guy called Henry, and we just met at the pub, sat around a table and had a chat and said, what are you doing? What do you need help with? What would we like to talk about?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it kind of progressed from being, so we had a few more kind of casual chats, managed to grow. I think there was about six of us met originally and we kind of grew a bit and then said, oh, should we try doing like talks and making it a bit more official? So we progressed onto that. Struggled to find speakers, which I think is the story of absolutely every Meetup is find someone to talk. So I ended up doing a lot of talks myself, which I didn&#8217;t mind, but there was only so many times I can involve cats and WordPress together in the same thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then it grew a bit. The key point for me is we took on someone who was a project manager by trade, who was also a developer. And they created a Trello board, and then suddenly we got organised. And I don&#8217;t know how, we kind of reached out, I remember now as I&#8217;ve just literally spoken to Jenny Wong who works over at Human Made, and she was assisting and she said, you know, is there anything I can do?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she came over, I was working in Bath at the time. So she came over in person, back in the day when you met in person. Came over to Bath and we sat down and had a coffee and a chat, and she gave me all the tips and advice she could to kind of help build the Meetup and get it bigger and try and get things working.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also helped us get official backing. So we got the WordPress official backing for the Meetup, which is brilliant because that gave us funds. That allowed us to start hiring venues which is brilliant. So all the worry of paying for kind of costs or anything for the venues got covered by WordPress. We still reached out for sponsors, and the sponsors gave us money for food. Food is obviously a good tool to get people in as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It just kind of grew. And I&#8217;m not sure what made it grow or how it grew, but it just kind of fed through. But this was back in the day when social media was less run by maniacs and you were happy to post on Twitter and Facebook and it kind of grew from that. I already had quite a good Twitter following, so I just kind of shouted there all the time and tried to pull in everybody and anyone who isn&#8217;t at all connected to the internet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We went to Facebook, I got a friend of mine, was a bit of a social media guy, he set us up several kind of media accounts and added his advice. And then, yeah, just kind of moved on, and we were getting in a good crowd. Towards the end of 2019 into 2020 we were getting say 30, 40 people coming along to the Meetup, which is really impressive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we&#8217;d fill out a room, we&#8217;d get catering in, that would all get done. We had an account, we were that kind of organised, so we had an actual bank account to put our sponsorship money in. We were in profit at one point. So it was crazy. It was just going, yeah, going really well. Lovely kind of gathering, it was just a nice thing. We ran monthly. The organising team grew to about six or seven of us, because there was so much to do. So there&#8217;s plenty of us involved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yeah, it was going great, all going along lovely. 2020 came about and then suddenly COVID, and that was it. It kind of stopped because it had to, and none of us had the appetite to do the video side of things. We didn&#8217;t really have the technology, or the means, and it was just too much with everything else that was going on in the world. So it kind of petered out, and as did my involvement in the community, as much as in person involvement kind of faded out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I looked back and, yeah, the last meetup that I attended was in 2020, before just the other week when I&#8217;ve gone back, but like the last one was 2020 was the last, looking at my logs, the last Meetup I attended in person, which is quite sad to look back. But this all changed around. I&#8217;ve gone very off topic of what I actually do. I think I just went into this hole.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:08:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, no, it&#8217;s great because obviously what the listener doesn&#8217;t know is that you and I already know this is what we&#8217;re destined to talk about. So you&#8217;ve given us the full introduction. So I&#8217;ll just take over for a minute, if that&#8217;s all right? Because that&#8217;s really the case, I think you could map that across all of the WordPress Meetups within the UK.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So prior to COVID, things seemed to be going great guns. There were lots and lots happening. I don&#8217;t know the exact number, but there were many. I could pluck out of the air several, and probably, if you combined all of the numbers of those, it was hundreds of people, you know, getting out of their house, going to an event, sharing expertise but also, like you said, the social side of things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then this moment in time, this kind of sword of Damocles, if you like, suddenly that we didn&#8217;t know was there, dropped. Killed the whole thing overnight for good reason. You know, there was a really legitimate reason for everybody to stop moving around. But it seemed to have changed something for good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now what&#8217;s curious about that is I remember being in that COVID time, and I remember being utterly fed up and bored, and praying for the time when things would just return back to normal. And with great speed, actually, with the benefit of hindsight, looking back, that almost seems like I watched a COVID TV program. You know, it seems like, obviously I know it was real to me, but it all seems so in the rear view mirror now. It was almost like it was part of a fictional book or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I fully expected that the minute all of the guards, and the protections, and the legislation came away, that I would just drop back into everything that I&#8217;d done before. And so for me, that&#8217;s what happened. I went immediately back to everything, you know, attending events, and all the other different things that I do in my own spare time that have got nothing to do with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the curious thing is, for me at least anyway, is that I appear to be different. You know, you&#8217;ve just gone back, within the last few weeks or so. What changed for you? Have you had the time to be introspective and think to yourself, why, Simon, did I not just resume what I was doing before?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:10:59] <strong>Simon:</strong> Yeah. So I mean it&#8217;s twofold for me. Yeah, I&#8217;ve been very reflective over the last kind of few weeks on this because I&#8217;m just reaching out again and seeing people. It&#8217;s like, I&#8217;ve not seen you in six years and it&#8217;s kind of crazy. Well I mean I spoke to them online and responded to comments here and there but, yeah, for me it was twofold.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So during the COVID times I was fortunate enough to have a baby, which changes everything again anyway. And that just became my focus. So whilst working full time and also having a child, that was my focus. The evenings, when I used to have the time to go to the Meetups and everything, in the evening, if I had any spare time, I would just prefer to sit. I didn&#8217;t want to do anything else. I didn&#8217;t have any energy. I was spent. I was enjoying a glorious moment of sitting, and if I was lucky watching a bit of TV. Yeah, it took it all out of me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I&#8217;ve put things on pause in that sense. I wasn&#8217;t really doing anything. Yeah, as you&#8217;ve mentioned the guitars and everything, used to go to gigs a lot as well, but that kind of went on hold. The music side ironically kicked off after. So that&#8217;s something that did come in first. So whilst I didn&#8217;t go to Meetups, some other people, when things got back reached out to me and said, oh, I&#8217;m running a band, do you fancy joining that? So that became my kind of social outlet instead. So my focus went on that, and playing in a band and just meeting up with them. So that was my social interaction.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, that was someone I knew through, not through Meetups but through events they used to run, I think it was Future of Web Design, or future of, one of those that was down in London. A lady called Michelle, who also has a child, used to live behind me, back in the day in Bristol. She&#8217;s moved away. And then she just dropped a message on one of the other social platforms, which I&#8217;ll go back to, and just said, oh, do you fancy joining a band, I do drums? I didn&#8217;t even know she played drums. Like, she&#8217;d been playing drums since kind of school and it just came out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that was my social outlet for a while. So I was doing that, and that was good because that was like once a month or so we&#8217;d just meet up and have a few hours. My wife could look after my little girl. And so that was my focus for a while and that kind of kept me content for a while moving forward. But I think, yeah, I lost the kind of the urge or the will. I didn&#8217;t really have the capacity to run the Meetup that I used to be involved with.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there were a couple of failed attempts to hand it over. Several people came in and said, oh, I&#8217;d like to have a go at running that. So it&#8217;s brilliant. So I kind of was like, here&#8217;s the keys, off you go. Even still had the Trello board and everything that we had.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And one tried and failed. I think another one did and I just kind of left it. So I assumed nothing really was happening on that. Until recently, it was last year I believe when some of the original team, a lady called Janice who was there at the very first pub round table with me, I think we&#8217;ve been to every Meetup ever since. She moved into retirement because she was a web developer and was like, don&#8217;t want to stop doing things. And she liked the community and she thought, right, well, if no one&#8217;s going to get this up again, I&#8217;ll do it again. And she was in the team at the end as well, so she&#8217;s already had the experience. She pulled together some of the others of the team. So still another couple of people, Michael and Rob who used to kind of be managing as well, they&#8217;re back in it as well and they started bringing it back to life.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so I kind of saw this last year, the Meetups kind of started filtering through. And because I&#8217;m still connected to a lot of these people I found out, trying to remember how it came, it might, would&#8217;ve been something like LinkedIn or somewhere, or even emailed and that kind of came through. And it was like, oh, I need to go along to that one time, I really need to go along. And even one of my friends was talking, I was like, brilliant, I&#8217;ll go and see him, I&#8217;ve not seen him in ages. And then I had an operation that put me out of action for a while.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that came in, so even when I was just about ready to go. And then finally, turn around to this year and then, yeah, another good friend of mine Ross Wintle, who is a developer, who I think a lot of people hopefully will know, he works doing stuff for ACF in particular, which is why I harass him all the time. But I&#8217;ve known him for ages. He was talking, I was like, right, I&#8217;ve got to go along because he&#8217;s talking. I&#8217;ve not seen him in six years, and it&#8217;s a great chance to see everyone. And I was so glad I did.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of it, whilst it was smaller, it was still just a lot of the same people. So I think I kind of took in that seeing the people didn&#8217;t really appreciate the size but still it was kind of nice. It still felt the same. It was still the nice, friendly atmosphere which you get with WordPress. I think you get that across the board. Not just in Meetups, but devs talk to other devs which you don&#8217;t necessarily get in other industries. I would happily tell another dev, for what I would call a rival, inverted commas, company, how to do something if they were stuck, which you wouldn&#8217;t necessarily get in other industries.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that filters through, for me, for the Meetup side. The atmosphere, it&#8217;s just very friendly and welcoming. And talking at it is a joy, because you will never get heckled. No one&#8217;s going to do that. Unless it&#8217;s a friend of yours and they&#8217;re teasing you, because you know them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s just such a nice kind of crowd, and that&#8217;s where I started doing talks. And I don&#8217;t think I would&#8217;ve ever done a talk if it wasn&#8217;t in front of such a nice crowd and you knew you could kind of do what you wanted. You can make a mistake and no one&#8217;s going to pick you up on it. And then a lot of the time they were just interested to hear what you had to say. It was just, yeah, nice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think I&#8217;ve already talked myself into doing a talk again. So there&#8217;s a good reason to go back. So got to think about that. Yeah, and then I said, well, I used to have a network of people, so how do I reach out to that network of people that I used to do and pull them in? Like, how do I go, right, okay, we are doing all right here but as always, looking for people to talk? So how do I reach out to those people?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that&#8217;s kind of the next point is, the next thing that changed was the social network seemed to almost turn evil in places like Twitter, which used to be a nice go to, and you&#8217;d message everyone. Everyone kind of jumped ship because, for good reason. No one seemed to jump ship into the same boat, and everyone was doing their own thing and there was no confined next to step of where you get in touch. And that&#8217;s where I&#8217;m currently at is, six years down the line, what&#8217;s the way to kind of network now on the internet with these people and get in touch with those I may have lost touch with?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:16:34] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s so interesting. I&#8217;m going to unpack a lot of what you said there. I&#8217;ve been making my little notes as you&#8217;ve been going along, but there&#8217;s a few things there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the first thing is that it&#8217;s curious you, for reasons that you&#8217;ve explained very well, you know, the family being the easy one to grasp. You know, you had a very, a different life out the other side of COVID. And so the constraints around that, and the possibilities of socialising were diminished regardless.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn&#8217;t have that, and so I did sort of just drop back into where I was before. But what&#8217;s curious is that clearly isn&#8217;t the pattern. You know, we hear about, not just in the WordPress space, but lots of sort of social enterprises, clubs and things that were going on all over this country, kind of lost their way. They couldn&#8217;t attract the people back.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So something happened, I think, to us during that period of time. I don&#8217;t know if we just became habituated to sitting in more and, you know, more accustomed to watching the telly. I don&#8217;t know if they&#8217;re ingrained into us somehow, was this fear of the outside world. That&#8217;s really overdramatising it, but hopefully you can grasp what I mean. You know, just this idea that outside, bad, inside, good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:17:44] <strong>Simon:</strong> It was two years of being told to stay inside. And whether of not, that&#8217;s going to sink in isn&#8217;t? At some point, without even thinking.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:17:50] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. But then it just means that, when eventually the guardrails are pulled off, and obviously they weren&#8217;t just pulled off in one fell swoop. It was this sort of slow experimental phase, where you could be with a few people and then more people, and then that all got pulled back again, and then it all began again. Eventually, where we are now is you can do basically everything again. There&#8217;s no restrictions whatsoever.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the community, the WordPress community in particular, I do wonder if we probably went into our screens a bit more than the typical person might do. Because, you know, we&#8217;re on our screens doing the work. Six o&#8217;clock maybe would&#8217;ve rolled by in the year 2018 and we would&#8217;ve closed the laptop, shut the computer down, and then done the other things. But then for a period of three or four years, we just carried on, on the screens and met on Zoom, or just carried on watching Netflix or whatever it may be. And then untangling all of that on the other side, proved hard, hard to do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then the bit that you just said, I&#8217;ve never thought about that. The social media, the shattering of social media where people have decided that this platform over there is not for them anymore. And, okay, I&#8217;m going to either discontinue using social media, or go to somewhere else and there really isn&#8217;t that, what do they call X? They used to call it the town square or something like that. And that&#8217;s a long time since that happened. But there&#8217;s now, there&#8217;s no replacement for that. There&#8217;s no one place you can go to. Everything&#8217;s shattered over multiple accounts. There&#8217;s no question there, but I don&#8217;t know if you wanted to respond to any of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:19:15] <strong>Simon:</strong> That&#8217;s where I am at the minute was I moved on, I tried different things and that&#8217;s randomly how I got the band notification was off one of those. But I can&#8217;t even remember now what platform that was. And I think I&#8217;ve closed the tab on my browser, and I&#8217;ve long since forgotten and not really gone back into it because it was a handful of people. And I spent a lot of time building up my Twitter following, and I just lost the urge to kind of do that all over again. And followed enough people for a while but then kind of lost the interest in that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, yeah, I don&#8217;t know, it&#8217;s weird. It&#8217;s just because there isn&#8217;t really anywhere that&#8217;s taken over that was, I mean Twitter was the key one for me. That was because I managed the account for the Meetup as well. So I could post on their behalf, but I could also kind of tie in and connect myself. I could retweet myself and retweet other people, and you could get those connections in place which is harder to do now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was my go-to, and then I don&#8217;t really know now, yeah, where to reach out. And even, one of the things raised at the Meetup I went to was, someone asked a question. It was like, well I&#8217;m not sure I can answer that for you immediately. We need to kind of sit down in front of a computer or something. But how do we communicate in between this and the next Meetup? How do we talk? What is the way to communicate now, that&#8217;s standard? You give out an email address or something that, I don&#8217;t know. Is that the way you communicate? I seemed very lost and almost forgotten how to socialise outside of actually being there in person. The in-betweens, which I&#8217;ve been doing for years and years, what&#8217;s the in-between way of talking?</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[00:20:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s strange that that&#8217;s a thing really, isn&#8217;t it? But it definitely is a thing. I suppose the piece of the jigsaw puzzle where it fits into this podcast is that if you are new to WordPress and you&#8217;ve never been to any of these events, and you&#8217;ve recently started going, a bit like you have done again. You go and you look at the event and you&#8217;ll think, okay, this is nice. Here&#8217;s the collection of people. But if you were to go pre 2019, so 2017, 2018 in particular, you were probably looking at the same event with, I don&#8217;t know, five times the number of people, 3, 4, 5, maybe even 10 times the number of people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so whatever that period was, whether it was COVID or a variety of other things, the numbers have dropped. And I think, whilst it&#8217;s not, I&#8217;m using air quotes at the moment, whilst it&#8217;s not necessary to have community for an open source CMS software project, certainly helps.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It helps that these people gather. It helps that they gain empathy. They sort of start to understand each other. It helps so that they feel a connection. You know, they&#8217;re going to join different teams because, oh, that person&#8217;s in that team and I know that person. It helps because it enables you to share knowledge and hopefully, instead of 10 people falling over the same problem, one person does, and shares their experience to the other nine. And yada, yada, yada.