 <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dinhtungdu/\">Tung Du</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desaiuditd/\">Udit Desai</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/grapplerulrich/\">Ulrich</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vabrashev/\">vabrashev</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vagios/\">Vagios Vlachos</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/valchovski/\">valchovski</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/valentinbora/\">Valentin Bora</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vayu/\">Vayu Robins</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/veromary/\">veromary</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/szepeviktor/\">Viktor Sz&#233;pe</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vinkla/\">vinkla</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/virginienacci/\">virginienacci</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/planvova/\">Vladimir</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vortfu/\">vortfu</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/voyager131/\">voyager131</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vtieu/\">vtieu</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/webaware/\">webaware</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/westonruter/\">Weston Ruter</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/whodunitagency/\">Whodunit</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/earnjam/\">William Earnhardt</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/williampatton/\">williampatton</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/planningwrite/\">Winstina</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpdesk/\">wpdesk</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpdo5ea/\">WPDO</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexandreb3/\">WPMarmite</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wppinar/\">wppinar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yahil/\">Yahil Madakiya</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yashrs/\">yashrs</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yoancutillas/\">yoancutillas</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yohannp/\">yohannp</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yuhin/\">yuhin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ysalame/\">Yuri Salame</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/yvettesonneveld/\">Yvette Sonneveld</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tollmanz/\">Zack Tollman</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/zaheerahmad/\">zaheerahmad</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/zakkath/\">zakkath</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/zebulan/\">Zebulan Stanphill</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/zieladam/\">zieladam</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chesio/\">Česlav Przywara</a>.\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many thanks to all of the community volunteers who contribute in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/\">support forums</a>. They answer questions from people across the world, whether they are using WordPress for the first time or since the first release. These releases are more successful for their efforts!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, thanks to all the community translators who worked on WordPress 5.5. Their efforts bring WordPress fully translated to&nbsp;46 languages at release time, with more on the way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more about volunteering with WordPress, check out&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/\">Make WordPress</a>&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">core development blog</a>.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"></div>\n</div>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 11 Aug 2020 19:03:52 +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:\"Matt Mullenweg\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:12;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:66:\"WP Mobile Apps: How Do I Connect My WordPress.com or Jetpack 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:33:\"http://apps.wordpress.com/?p=4037\";s: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://apps.wordpress.com/2020/08/11/how-do-i-connect-my-wordpress-com-or-jetpack-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:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1593:\"<p>To access a site hosted with WordPress.com or connected to WordPress.com through the Jetpack plugin, log in with your WordPress.com credentials. After clicking on the <strong>Login button</strong>, select <strong>Continue with WordPress.com. </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also select the others options to <strong>Continue with Google</strong> or <strong>Continue with Apple</strong> if the email address linked to these services matches the email address of your WordPress.com account. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, <em>enter the email address</em> associated with your WordPress.com account and click <strong>next</strong>. From there you can either choose to receive a login link to be sent to your email address or click on the link to &#8220;enter your password instead&#8221; to use your password to log in.  If you select the option to receive a login link, you&#8217;ll be given the option to open Mail where you should have received a new email with a button to click to <strong>&#8216;Log in to the app&#8217;</strong>. This link expires in one hour and when clicked should redirect you to the app where you will see a list of your sites and have the option to either Connect another site or press &#8216;Done&#8217; to start managing your WordPress.com connected sites. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>See the login procedure below:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li></ul>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 11 Aug 2020 08:16:03 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7:\"Rebecca\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:13;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:116:\"WPTavern: Astra Theme Suspended and Reinstated, Themes Team Works Toward Delisting Strategy for Guideline Violations\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102960\";s: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:275:\"https://wptavern.com/astra-theme-suspended-and-reinstated-themes-team-works-toward-delisting-strategy-for-guideline-violations?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=astra-theme-suspended-and-reinstated-themes-team-works-toward-delisting-strategy-for-guideline-violations\";s: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:11208:\"<img />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The Themes Team <a href=\"https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/87407#comment:3\">suspended Astra</a> from the official theme directory just a few short weeks after it became the first non-default WordPress theme to <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/astra-becomes-the-only-non-default-wordpress-theme-with-1-million-installs\">surpass one million active installs</a>. The reason: the theme was breaking the directory&rsquo;s ban on affiliate links. The theme has since been reinstated. However, it has been delisted from the popular themes list.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Themes Team handed down an initial five-week suspension, the story continued to unfold through various channels over the weekend and into the start of the new week. Brainstorm Force, the company behind the theme, <a href=\"https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/87407#comment:4\">argued that it did not violate</a> the affiliate link rule because the theme was simply filtering referral IDs of third-party plugins.  The plugins were technically supplying the links. The company also asked for lenience because this was its first violation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the initial discussion, the Themes Team has reinstated the theme while bumping it off the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/\">popular themes list</a>. The goal is to make sure existing users still have access to updates while providing a method for dealing with guidelines violations, a method that does not go to the extreme of outright suspension. The team also added an additional week of punishment after finding a sixth affiliate-related violation missed in the initial review.  Astra will now be delisted for a total of six weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Astra is not the first suspension of a popular theme over the years. These high-profile suspensions can lead to the loss of thousands of dollars in revenue if the theme&rsquo;s business model relies on traffic from WordPress.org. In 2017, a <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/zerif-lite-suspended-from-wordpress-theme-directory-300k-users-left-without-updates\">five-month suspension</a> of the Zerif Lite theme left its creators with a <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/zerif-lite-returns-to-wordpress-org-after-5-month-suspension-and-63-decline-in-revenue\">decline of 63% in revenue</a>. Zerif Lite&rsquo;s user count was around one-third of Astra&rsquo;s current total.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While it will take some time to see the results, being delisted will likely cut into Brainstorm Force&rsquo;s revenue. The theme upsells a <em>pro</em> version of their theme. It is a common <em>freemium</em> model that many theme companies employ.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress.org theme review guidelines <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/#selling-credits-and-links\">ban affiliate links</a>. More precisely, the guideline is as follows:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Themes are not allowed to have affiliate URLs or links.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Technically, Brainstorm Force did not directly output affiliate links via its theme. Instead, the theme injected the company&rsquo;s referral ID into affiliate links for third-party plugins when they were active on a user&rsquo;s site. In and of itself, this type of injection is nothing nefarious. The plugins themselves allow for such filtering of their affiliate links, presumably to entice theme authors to make a few dollars by recommending and integrating with them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the Astra theme, the question is whether it violated the affiliate guideline. When the rule was written, the Themes Team was most likely thinking about direct links within the theme and not a scenario where a theme was injecting a referral ID or filtering an existing link from a plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Themes Team, at least two of the affiliate IDs in Astra were for plugins that the theme recommended but did not actually integrate with or support in any way. In at least once instance, the theme automatically updated a database option for the Monster Insights plugin to add an affiliate ID &mdash; automatically updating any database option without user action is generally not allowed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of individual opinions on the Theme Team&rsquo;s complete ban of affiliate links, it is not a cut-and-dry situation of simply allowing or disallowing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;It is also about needing to understand the legal impact of disclosures,&rdquo; said Carolina Nymark, a team representative. &ldquo;It is not something that the team can take responsibility for, nor look away if authors do not follow it.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Astra&rsquo;s Apology and Response</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Sujay Pawar, a co-founder of Brainstorm Force, published an <a href=\"https://wpastra.com/open-letter/\">open apology on the Astra blog</a>. However, this apology post created its own controversy within the community. The current post was not the first apology. Pawar changed his original post and removed some of the earlier promises he made to the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to multiple sources within the community and a <a href=\"https://wpastra.com/open-letter/#comment-62065\">comment on the post</a>, he had promised to dedicate 16 hours from one of the company&rsquo;s senior developers to contribute work for the Themes Team. Along with this contribution, he promised to spend 5% of the company&rsquo;s resources toward open source development and to donate to future WordCamps.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;These last few days have been very emotional for me and the entire team,&rdquo; said Pawar. &ldquo;I have never been in such a stressful situation in my life. As you can imagine, I wrote many versions of this apology and just wasn&rsquo;t sure what was the best way to do it.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some people in the community, changing the post&rsquo;s content seemed suspicious. He had changed it around the same time the theme was reinstated on WordPress.org. However, the issue was likely the result of bad timing. Pawar was forthcoming about having written the original post and later removing parts of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;My initial apology did include the specifics of how we are planning to increase our commitment to WordPress, but after more thought, I felt it wasn&rsquo;t the right place to share that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want our contributions to be overshadowed or tied back to a rule violation. We still plan to honor our commitment, and we will release those details in a dedicated post.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pawar has no hard feelings for the Themes Team. For him, it has been a high-stress weekend that he will no doubt recover from. He is attempting to rectify the situation the best he can.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I have a lot of respect for all members of Themes Team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They work tirelessly to move the WordPress ecosystem forward. I 100% believe that guidelines must be enforced because it&rsquo;s the only way to ensure that WordPress keeps growing. As one of the most popular theme authors, it&rsquo;s our goal to lead by setting a good example and work together with the TRT to set better standards.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Long Term: Delisting Themes Instead of Suspending</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The Themes Team does not have a lot of options when it comes to punitive measures for guideline violations. In a large part, this is the result of limitations of the software in use. The team simply needs better tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The punitive measures the team has right now is suspend it or do nothing,&rdquo; said William Patton, a Themes Team representative. &ldquo;There is no in-between, and in a lot of cases, neither of those two options are ideal. From past experience, I have found that asking authors repeatedly for changes is either ineffective or they fix it but the behavior returns after a short time. Suspension has been quite effective in some cases but it is quite a lot of work for the team to manage and maintain lists or time frames of what happened when and to revisit after a given time.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patton said that the threat of suspension without action is ineffective. However, actually going through with suspending a theme often has implications for end-users. In some cases, there may be an urgent security update that users need to get, but the suspension system does not make that easy to manage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is now an <a href=\"https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5362\">open meta ticket</a> to offer theme directory administrators the option to delist a theme. In effect, this would keep a theme such as Astra available in the directory if someone knows the direct URL. It would also allow the theme author to provide updates, such as security fixes, to users without direct approval from the Themes Team. However, the theme would not be available through the popular themes list or search.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This offers the team a less drastic option than a full-on suspension and has no negative drawbacks for existing theme users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, the team found what they described as a &ldquo;hacky&rdquo; method of essentially delisting Astra. Because the popular themes list algorithm uses the theme&rsquo;s publication date to help determine a theme&rsquo;s popularity, the team changed this date for the theme to push it down the popular list. It is not a perfect solution, but it provided a quick middle ground between doing nothing and suspension, at least until a more permanent solution is in place. It also gives them an early chance to test out the effects such a measure would have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Punitive measures have always been a struggle for the team. On the one hand, they do not like to suspend themes for wrongdoing, regardless of whether such wrongdoing was intentional. On the other, they must attempt to provide a fair playing field for all theme authors. Threats of punishment for guideline violations ring hollow if there is no follow-through. It is not an easy position, and team members can quickly become victims of harassment or unwanted private messages from theme developers and outsiders.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We had several occasions where theme authors would &lsquo;follow us home&rsquo; with blame and different kinds of suggestions,&rdquo; said Nymark.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the ways the Themes Team has been dealing with this is by using the relatively anonymous &ldquo;@trtmessenger&rdquo; account when suspending themes. This is the route the team took when handling the Astra theme suspension and followup decisions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team has dealt with attacks toward individual members over the years on various decisions it has made. In many cases, the representative who delivered a particular decision, regardless of their personal role in it, bared the brunt of the negative feedback. Far too often, it was a case of shooting the messenger, and the current reps have found a workable solution for this issue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;This is an account that enables messages to be sent without one single person being held accountable for the message,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;It is intended to prevent anyone from getting any negative feedback directly from a decision.&rdquo;</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, 10 Aug 2020 21:29:25 +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:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:14;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:52:\"WPTavern: New WordPress Plugins Disable Unsplash CDN\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102767\";s: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:149:\"https://wptavern.com/new-wordpress-plugins-disable-unsplash-cdn?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-wordpress-plugins-disable-unsplash-cdn\";s: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:9548:\"<p>In light of the recent conversations about the Unsplash plugin&rsquo;s CDN, several extensions have popped up this week for disabling it. By default, the plugin serves images from the CDN but saves copies to the WordPress media library in case the plugin is disabled or removed. The plugin does not currently have an option to change this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/disable-unsplash-cdn/\">Disable Unsplash CDN</a> is the first to be published to the WordPress.org directory for changing the plugin&rsquo;s default behavior. There are no options or settings &ndash; activating it turns it on. Xaver Birsak, a prolific WordPress plugin author, created it to help users who may experience slower page speed caused by the Unsplash CDN.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve followed the release of the official Unsplash plugin as well the strange one-star rating from Matt Mullenweg which is think is not appropriate,&rdquo; Birsak said. &ldquo;The problem he mentioned was, in addition to the Unsplash license, the fact that images are being served from Unsplash (Imgix) servers. I don&rsquo;t think that this is totally unnecessary from Unsplash as a CDN can serve images much quicker in most cases. For some users this is maybe not the case.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birsak was referencing Matt Mullenweg&rsquo;s recent <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/topic/i-wouldnt-recommend-using-this/\">one-star review</a> of the Unsplash plugin, which drew the ire of many plugin developers whose ability to monetize their products can hinge on getting decent reviews. The review called the plugin &ldquo;sketchy&rdquo; and called into question the practice of making the CDN the default:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>It&rsquo;s unclear why they want you to use their CDN and make that the default, it&rsquo;s probably to support their&nbsp;<a href=\"https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-unsplash-for-brands/\">new advertising business model</a>&nbsp;and get analytics for it. Running a CDN is expensive, and if you&rsquo;re not paying for it then you are the product. I would not be surprised if Unsplash hotlinked images broke at some point in the future.</p><p>If you want a CDN, you should run one for your entire site, not just certain images from a single source &mdash; in fact having multiple CDNs running at the same time could slow down your site because of the additional DNS lookups.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Birsak said he checked the plugin and found a simple solution for bypassing the hotlinking, which only requires a few lines of code. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Since it&rsquo;s so easy, and others may find it useful, I released this plugin,&rdquo; Birsak said. &ldquo;Nowadays with GDPR and the invalidation of the Privacy Shield people are more likely to be concerned about sending data to third party services. So disabling the CDN should at least be an option.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress developer <a href=\"https://tomjn.com/\">Tom Nowell</a> also created a quick plugin to disable Unsplash&rsquo;s CDN, which is now <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/tomjn/a7036d369d6f8082dd1eb256c651696e\">available on GitHub</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have qualms with Unsplash themselves but I did miss having the option to choose for myself,&rdquo; Nowell said regarding the plugin&rsquo;s CDN default. &ldquo;Rather than argue to add it, I spent a little time and built the plugin, it&rsquo;s only small so didn&rsquo;t take much time. As for the CDN, it&rsquo;s nice to save bandwidth, though for local development it&rsquo;s always faster to switch it off.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Unsplash Plugin Will Not Add an Option to Disable the CDN &ndash; Its API Guidelines Require Apps to Use It</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The plugins that disable Unsplash&rsquo;s CDN could immediately become obsolete if Unsplash decided to build in an option into the official plugin to do the same. The company has confirmed the team has no current plans to so. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The CDN is a feature that dynamically serves the right size and format of image, and includes performance optimizations not available via additional plugins like WordPress.com&rsquo;s Jetpack or most CDNs,&rdquo; Unsplash co-founder Luke Chesser said. &ldquo;We do this to improve the performance of the image loading and allow Unsplash contributors to count the number of times their images have been seen.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to sharing this data with contributing photographers, Unsplash advertisers also need this data to continue getting value from the new <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-unsplash-for-brands/\">Unsplash for Brands</a> business model. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The total monthly cost in 2019 for the company&rsquo;s image hosting with <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://imgix.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Imgix</a> was <a href=\"https://medium.com/unsplash/what-does-unsplash-cost-in-2019-f499620a14d0\">$42,408</a>, which means Unsplash spends north of $500k per year to serve optimized images via its CDN. Chesser said the cost of the CDN is &ldquo;very low relative to the number of requests and traffic it can serve,&rdquo; given how optimized and performant the image serving infrastructure is. Last year Unsplash sent petabytes of data through Imgix&rsquo;s CDN for 250 million variations of the library&rsquo;s source images.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We treat brands as contributors as they also share images on Unsplash,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;We report downloads and views back to them. So yes, the view and download counts do matter to our business from a monetary perspective, but to be clear, if you take away brands, we would still have this requirement as it&rsquo;s central to growing the library and encouraging more contributors.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Providing stats to brands undoubtedly helps pay the bills and keeps the lights on, so it is no wonder the requirement to use the CDN will remain in the WordPress plugin. In fact, this requirement was built into <a href=\"https://help.unsplash.com/en/articles/2511245-unsplash-api-guidelines\">Unsplash&rsquo;s API guidelines</a> in 2018 and applies to all applications accessing the collection:</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;<em>All API uses must use the hotlinked image URLs returned by the API under the <code>photo.urls</code> &nbsp;properties. This applies to all uses of the image and not just search results. &ldquo;</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, Unsplash received more traffic from its API partners than from the company&rsquo;s own website and official apps. Any successful monetization strategy that hinges on advertising will need to deliver those stats and requiring applications use the CDN in order to use the API is one way to do that. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt Mullenweg recently <a href=\"https://twitter.com/photomatt/status/1290739168537001984\">asked</a> what these API guidelines mean for existing WordPress plugins, like <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/instant-images/\">Instant Images</a>, that serve Unsplash images without using the CDN. The plugin has more than 50,000 active installations. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;When we released the updated guidelines we applied them proactively to new apps and worked with developers on a case by case basis over a one year period to consider hotlinking and downloads for legacy apps,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;Instant Images was built before we made the update to the guidelines and so we exempted them long ago, along with&nbsp;a number of other legacy apps.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instant Images plugin developer Darren Cooney said he will not be adding an option to his plugin for turning on the CDN and declined to comment further on his reasons. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I will say that I think the CDN should be opt-in and it should be more clear what happens on the Unsplash side when the CDN is in use,&rdquo; Cooney said. &ldquo;What is tracked, why it&rsquo;s tracked and what benefit do added views provide the contributors.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p> When asked whether Unsplash plans to update the plugin to deny API access to sites that have added a plugin to disable the CDN, Chesser said no. WordPress plugins weaponizing themselves against each other is not unheard of, although it is unusual and frowned upon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t do things like that,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;I think anyone who knows our team and our community will know that we always try to take reasonable actions as we&rsquo;re representing a lot of contributors and a large community. If a user wants to install a plugin to deactivate the CDN but still access the library, they can do that by all means, but we don&rsquo;t want to build, promote, and support that functionality ourselves because it works against our community,&nbsp;our business, and our mission.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is Unsplash is a business, and a business needs to make money. Certainly a company doesn&rsquo;t commission a WordPress plugin from a team of the caliber of <a href=\"https://xwp.co/\">XWP</a> without hoping for a return on that kind of investment. The plugin&rsquo;s setup process makes it effortless for users to connect to the Unsplash API, but there isn&rsquo;t any transparency during this process regarding what data users are agreeing to send Unsplash. The plugin needs to be more forthcoming about the data the CDN collects on views and downloads. This would go a long way towards establishing more credibility with skeptics. Those who are wary of the requirement to use the CDN can use a plugin to disable it or install an alternative like Instant Images. </p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 07 Aug 2020 21:45:21 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:15;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:111:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 8.7 Adds Minor Changes, Updates Block Pattern Designs, and Continues Full-Site Editing Work\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102950\";s: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:263:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-8-7-adds-minor-changes-updates-block-pattern-designs-and-continues-full-site-editing-work?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gutenberg-8-7-adds-minor-changes-updates-block-pattern-designs-and-continues-full-site-editing-work\";s: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:5390:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">On Wednesday, the Gutenberg team pushed what was primarily <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-august-5/\">minor enhancements and bug fixes</a> to the WordPress platform&rsquo;s primary project. Everyone is mostly gearing up for the WordPress 5.5 release, so we are not seeing any major features dropping at the moment. However, steady work continues on improving the Gutenberg plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 8.7 contains over 30 bug fixes, in which nearly a third were accessibility-related changes. Around half of the new enhancements focused on updating block patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can look forward to several minor enhancements that should improve the editor, such as the Buttons block getting a proper <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24249\">preview in the inserter</a>. The monitoring solution behind auto-saving should also <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/23962\">work more consistently</a> with this update.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest user-facing enhancement is the change in <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24263\">dealing with invalid blocks</a>. The latest version of the plugin makes the <em>attempt block recovery</em> option the default. This change hides the <em>resolve</em>, <em>convert to classic</em>, and <em>convert to HTML</em> options under the sub-menu (ellipsis button). This is a nice touch and makes the most sense. Attempting to recover a block should generally be the first step when correcting invalid block output.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block Pattern Updates</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><img /></li></ul>Updated block pattern designs.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">I can now proceed to eat my earlier words of <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/decision-time-what-block-patterns-should-ship-with-wordpress-5-5\">frustration with block patterns</a>. Or, perhaps I can praise myself in some small way for pushing the Gutenberg team to up their game. I was unhappy with the abysmal designs that were originally going to ship with WordPress 5.5. The team has taken what was looking to be one of the most disappointing first outings for a feature and turned it into something the project can be proud of.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It did not take much. A photo here. A touch of pizazz there. The Don Quixote images and text bring a cohesive theme to the patterns, breathing a touch of life in an otherwise desolate and barren feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The &ldquo;large header with a heading&rdquo; pattern <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24141\">dropped the blinding background</a> gradient and replaced it with an image. The &ldquo;quote&rdquo; pattern <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24140\">now has a face</a> instead of an impersonal icon. Even the &ldquo;two images side by side&rdquo; pattern <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24139\">fits in thematically</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If anything, I am not a fan of the long pattern names. &ldquo;Large header with a heading and a button&rdquo; and &ldquo;three columns of text with buttons&rdquo; do not exactly roll off the tongue. Nor do they make it easy to write about them. I do not wish the pain of typing them out on any support volunteers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>At least we are working with a somewhat decent set of patterns going forward, and that is enough to be thankful for at this point. I will now await the first theme author to truly impress me with custom patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Experimental Features Update</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Site editor beta.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Much of the work for this release centered on the plugin&rsquo;s experimental features. The bulk of it went toward post-related blocks. At this point, these features are so experimental that even experienced developers outside of the inner Gutenberg circle have trouble following the progress. It is nice to see the continual movement in this area. However, from a user viewpoint, it is not even ready for a quick look. Enable at your own risk. Wait until the product is a bit more polished.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I typically enable Gutenberg&rsquo;s experimental features once a month or so. I want to keep up with the progress and not feel out of the loop. Such was the case over the past couple of days as I tinkered a bit more with the full-site editing and demo templates features. I am unsure what I was hoping for. Mostly, I wanted some indication of a bright future &mdash; one that I fully expect to be realized at some point. I wanted to be wowed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I understand why the <em>wow</em> factor is not there. The feature is far from ready. More than that, I know that, as a developer, you have a vision of the finished product in your head, and as the UI is in flux, others cannot see that vision. It is a step-by-step process that you simply have to continue working through.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am still of the belief that full-site editing will not be close to a viable feature until 2021. Even with all hands on deck, four months is too small of a window to make anything remotely competitive to existing solutions out there. When full-site editing does land in core WordPress, it needs to do so with a bang, not a whimper.</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, 07 Aug 2020 21:33:21 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:16;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"WPTavern: Is WP Notify the Silver Bullet WordPress Needs to End Admin Notification Spam?\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102877\";s: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:219:\"https://wptavern.com/is-wp-notify-the-silver-bullet-wordpress-needs-to-end-admin-notification-spam?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-wp-notify-the-silver-bullet-wordpress-needs-to-end-admin-notification-spam\";s: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:5192:\"<p>A short while ago, Justin Tadlock posted an article titled <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wptavern.com/are-plugin-authors-to-blame-for-the-poor-admin-notices-experience\" target=\"_blank\">Are Plugin Authors to Blame for the Poor Admin Notices Experience?</a>. If you haven&rsquo;t already, I recommend reading his article. It describes in detail one question I&rsquo;ve been pondering since I originally posted the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/08/05/feature-project-proposal-wp-notify/\">WP Notify feature project proposal</a> almost a year ago now: Will a new notification system for WordPress solve the notification spam, or just move it elsewhere?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer might not be as simple as we think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have been building, maintaining, and supporting a number of free, paid, and client plugins for the past five years. During that time I have also been an active contributor &mdash; as much as I possibly can outside of work and my personal life &mdash; to the WordPress open source project. Now that&rsquo;s definitely a drop in the ocean compared to some folks, but whenever I see the mess that can occur when multiple plugins or themes register admin_notices on EVERY SINGLE ADMIN PAGE, it strengthens my resolve in the idea that WordPress needs a centrally managed notification system.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you read Justin&rsquo;s article, or you are a plugin or theme developer yourself, you know that the notifications system (aka admin notices, a reference to the WordPress <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/admin_notices/\" target=\"_blank\">hook that prints these notices</a>) in WordPress is limited at best. We need to be honest with ourselves, however, admin notices was not designed to function as a notification system. Admin notices should really only be used to display useful information to the user about state changes in the system. Messages like when a post has been updated or deleted, or a database upgrade is required. Short, useful, and more importantly, relevant.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As developers, we usually look for the root cause of a problem. And in the case of admin notices, the root cause is not the current notification system, or the fact that plugin developers use it for things other than, well, admin notices. The root cause is the fact that there has never existed a mechanism for notifications other than admin notices to be displayed to the user. This means that whenever a plugin developer has needed, or in fact wanted, to communicate with their users, via &ldquo;in app messages,&rdquo; admin notices has been the only way they can do so.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to let your users know about a new upgrade? Admin notice. Want to ask them to leave a review? Admin notice. Your premium license is about to expire! Admin notice. Hey, we&rsquo;ve got a new sale on our premium products! Admin notice. It all soon adds up to an almighty mess.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&rsquo;s the problem with a project like WP Notify. We&rsquo;ve had admin notices, in its current iteration at least, since 2011. That means we have been using it for all our user facing messages now for nine years at least &ndash; nine years of plugin and theme developers using admin notices to send messages to users.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have children, imagine telling your nine year old that the way they have been walking is wrong, and they now need to learn a completely new way of doing it. Good Luck!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, as much as it pains me to admit it, WP Notify is not the silver bullet that will magically fix the problem at its core. As Matt Mullenweg pointed out in the comments on Justin&rsquo;s article, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think a notification center is the solution to this problem. It may be useful for other reasons, but not that one.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, not having a specific solution for notifications other than those that are necessary, means that developers will keep on doing things the way they have always been. Enforcing new guidelines around the current functionality nine years later is going to be hard, especially since enforcing these guidelines will have to be done by a small group of volunteers, namely the theme and plugin review teams.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>By building WP Notify, we create a new and hopefully better way for plugin and theme developers to connect and communicate with their users. At the same time, we provide a tool by which we can more easily enforce any new guidelines. A guideline could be created for example, that unless your message is strictly within the realms of informing the user about state changes in the system, it needs to be displayed in the notifications center, and not as an admin notice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So no, I don&rsquo;t believe WP Notify will be a silver bullet solution. We&rsquo;re not going to build it, ship it, and suddenly all the notification spam goes away the next day. That kind of change takes time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I do believe it&rsquo;s a step in the right direction.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you agree with me, why not <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-notifications/\">join our merry band and help us build it</a>.&nbsp;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 07 Aug 2020 14:06:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:17;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:70:\"WPTavern: Automattic Relaunches P2, Self-Hosted Version on the Roadmap\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102891\";s: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:183:\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-relaunches-p2-self-hosted-version-on-the-roadmap?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=automattic-relaunches-p2-self-hosted-version-on-the-roadmap\";s: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:4890:\"<p>Automattic&rsquo;s relaunch of P2 is <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/p2/\">now in Beta</a>. This is the long-awaited update to the company&rsquo;s internal collaboration software that is also used on WordPress.org and other self-hosted sites via a theme. For years, Automattic, which now counts more than 1,200 employees in 77 countries, has had P2 at the core of its written communication tools. It is used as a complement to Slack and video conferencing, providing a public collaboration space for conversations which might otherwise be hidden away in emails. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The older version of P2 functioned as a dependable workhorse with few changes over the years, but the beta introduces some marked improvements that make it more versatile than before. It is now seamlessly integrated with the block editor and includes a streamlined invitation system for onboarding new team members.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>P2 has a fresh design that has come a long way since its roots as an <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2009/05/how-p2-changed-automattic/\">evolution of the Prologue microblogging theme.</a> Many things about WordPress have changed since P2&rsquo;s first launch 11 years ago but threaded conversations have endured as a useful collaboration format. Mobile support is one of the things that has improved significantly. Users can get notifications via the web, email, and the WordPress mobile apps.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;It works on the WordPress apps perfectly but it&rsquo;s handled as a normal WordPress site, without any P2 specific functionality,&rdquo; Automattic&rsquo;s P2 launch lead Jon Burke said. &ldquo;P2 specific functionality and improvements are on the mobile app product roadmap. The browser version on the other hand has all the particularities that P2 has.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The beta version of P2 is free and each instance comes with 3GB of storage space for images and files. Users can create as many as they like. The product is built on top of WordPress.com&rsquo;s infrastructure but functions as a scaled back version of a blog &ndash; essentially a WordPress for teams. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pricing for the commercial upgrade has not yet been determined, according to Burke, but the roadmap includes a hefty list of features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have integrations with third party services, project management features, more storage space, custom URLs, more customization options, etc,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;We plan to introduce multi-site functionality, too, so an organization can create multiple P2s while sharing the same user base, have cross-posting, a common glossary, and other advanced features.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the diverse myriad of blocks pouring into the WordPress ecosystem, every P2 has the opportunity to be unique, depending on which features it introduces through the editor. Burke said Automattic plans to allow admins to extend their P2 instances with plugins in the enterprise version.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>P2 Set to Roll Out on WordPress.com, Self-Hosted Version Coming &ldquo;Eventually&rdquo; </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>P2 is just now entering beta but many fans are already eagerly awaiting a self-hosted version. Burke said it is coming &ldquo;eventually,&rdquo; but the team hasn&rsquo;t yet worked out how it will be structured. The project is not currently available on GitHub.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;With this launch version behind us the P2 team will turn to this but don&rsquo;t yet have a time-line,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;The team will need to now define how the backend admin will look.&rdquo; The updated P2 is also coming to power conversations on WordPress.org further down the road.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t yet have a target date but it is on the product roadmap,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This P2 version has been more than a theme or plugin update &ndash; it&rsquo;s really a product concept- so we can&rsquo;t simply update the WordPress.org P2 theme; it requires additional progress.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>P2 seems like it would be a good fit for Automattic&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://happy.tools/\">Happy Tools</a> suite of products for distributed teams. A version of P2 with more features may roll out under this brand once the beta concludes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Given the sudden global shift to remote work we really wanted to get out a stable product as soon as we could,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;That really made WordPress.com the most expedient pathway to get P2 into peoples&rsquo; hands.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Now that we have launched this version, we will make decisions around where the next releases will live. P2 has been envisioned as being part of the Happy Tools suite. But we are going to learn from the early users on WordPress.com and prioritize the next steps. We know that some users will need a premium version on WordPress.com in order to secure a custom domain and other features so we will update that shortly.&rdquo;</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, 06 Aug 2020 22:10:46 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:18;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:124:\"WPTavern: Plugin Rank Provides Insight Into WordPress Search Results, Competitive Analysis, and Email Reports 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:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102835\";s: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:289:\"https://wptavern.com/plugin-rank-provides-insight-into-wordpress-search-results-competitive-analysis-and-email-reports-for-developers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=plugin-rank-provides-insight-into-wordpress-search-results-competitive-analysis-and-email-reports-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:6181:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Iain Poulson announced that <a href=\"https://pluginrank.com/\">Plugin Rank</a> is open to the public yesterday. It is a new service that allows plugin authors to track their rankings by keyword on the official WordPress plugin directory. The service is geared toward plugin authors with freemium offerings.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tools were already in place for Poulson to build the service.  He just needed to build his service on top of them.  &ldquo;Plugin Rank leverages the WordPress.org API to retrieve a set of plugins for a search term,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the same API that WordPress uses when a user searches for a plugin inside their WordPress dashboard or when searching on the plugin directory.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poulson described how a user might search for a membership plugin by typing &ldquo;membership&rdquo; in the search box. The WordPress API returns a set of plugins that best match that term, based on an internal ranking algorithm. The Plugin Rank service uses this same, underlying technology.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Plugin Rank will check the API daily to find the latest positions of the plugins for the keywords being tracked by Plugin Rank customers,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This data is then used to show position movement and charted to show an overall picture of how the plugins are ranking.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Plugin dashboard screen.\n\n\n\n<p>The idea for the service was born from work he and others were doing at <a href=\"https://deliciousbrains.com/\">Delicious Brains</a>, a WordPress development company, a few months ago. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d started to work on improving the copy in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-migrate-db/\">WP Migrate DB</a> plugin readme.txt files to rank higher in search results,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Brad Touesnard set up a Google sheet with all the keywords we wanted to rank for, a link to search the keyword on wordpress.org, and columns for each month. He started to record the position the plugin appears for each keyword every month. Or that was the idea, when we remembered!&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poulson began using the same system for <a href=\"https://wpusermanager.com/\">WP User Manager</a> and <a href=\"https://intagrate.io/\">Intagrate</a>, two freemium plugins he had in the plugin directory. However, it did not take long to realize the futility of that system.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The sheer manual nature of the task of setting up the sheet, monthly checking, and trying to remember to do it made me think there must be a better way,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I started to work on an app to do it for me.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides simply providing a particular plugin&rsquo;s rank, Poulson said the service provides information that can help plugin developers raise their rankings in the search results.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Competitive analysis against other plugins.\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The competitor analysis in Plugin Rank gives you an insight into the top 50 plugins that rank for the keywords you care about,&rdquo; said Poulson. &ldquo;It gives you insights into what those plugins are doing that make them rank higher than you. Do they have a high amount of the keyword in their readme? Do they have it in their title or tags? Do they answer the bulk of their support requests? Do they have a large number of five-star ratings?&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>A Premium Service with a Premium Price</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Plugin Rank is the first service of its kind in the WordPress industry. Therefore, Poulson had to look outside of traditional WordPress channels to get a sense of how to <a href=\"https://pluginrank.com/pricing/\">price the new service.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I looked at similar SEO tools for traditional search engines, like <a href=\"https://ahrefs.com/\">Ahrefs</a> and <a href=\"https://www.semrush.com/\">SEMrush</a>, and tried to base my pricing on how valuable it can be in relation to other marketing channels,&rdquo; he said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only time and feedback will decide whether he found the sweet spot between offering a valuable service and what plugin developers are willing to fork over. The Starter tier allows plugin authors to track up to five keywords for a single plugin. It also includes email reports and competitor analysis. The $9 per month price tag is low enough for developers to dip their toes in and decide whether it is worth upgrading for tracking more keywords and plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The $49 Plus plan allows up to five plugins and 50 keywords. It also includes tracking for multiple languages. The $119 Pro plan bumps the plugin count to 20 and keyword number to 500.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, Plugin Rank is offering a 21-day free trial, which is a no-brainer for any freemium plugin author who might even be remotely interested in the service. <em>I have no doubt I would sign up if I was still in the freemium plugin game.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Most developers and companies will invest heavily and get good results from content marketing and SEO improvements, and their WordPress.org plugin listing will receive little attention,&rdquo; said Poulson. &ldquo;But for freemium plugins, it can be a huge channel for getting people using their plugin and buying the up-sells. So it&rsquo;s priced with that in mind.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Future of the Service</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The <em>knowledge</em> of where a plugin stands in the rankings and having the data readily available will undoubtedly help many plugin authors. However, knowledge is merely the beginning of ranking higher. For developers who are not well-versed in marketing and SEO, they will need to develop new skills to make full use of what they learn from the service.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poulson seems interested in expanding the service beyond its initial goal of providing ranking data. Tutorials, videos, and other resources would be a nice value-add for those who buy into the service now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Plugin Rank&rsquo;s primary functionality at the moment is monitoring and getting access to data,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve got features planned that focus on how to make improvements, as well as tutorial-style content on the Resources page.&rdquo;</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, 06 Aug 2020 21:14:40 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:19;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:55:\"Post Status: Creating healthy virtual work environments\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=79424\";s: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:66:\"https://poststatus.com/creating-healthy-virtual-work-environments/\";s: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:738:\"<p>We\'re seeing the strain of isolation and 100% remote work without meetups, conferences, or other in-person opportunities to collaborate. In this episode of Post Status Draft, Cory and Brian discuss how to create healthy virtual work environments, including some tips for establishing better work days.</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Or watch this episode on YouTube:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h3>Sponsor: Pagely</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://pagely.com/\">Pagely</a> offers best-in-class managed WordPress hosting, powered by Amazon\'s Cloud, the Internet’s most reliable infrastructure. Pagely helps big brands scale WordPress.Thank you to <a href=\"https://pagely.com/\">Pagely</a> for being a Post Status partner!</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, 05 Aug 2020 23:10:17 +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:15:\"Brian Krogsgard\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:20;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"WPTavern: WordPress Cancels All In-Person Flagship Events Until 2022\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102777\";s: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:181:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-cancels-all-in-person-flagship-events-until-2022?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-cancels-all-in-person-flagship-events-until-2022\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3357:\"<p>As the world scrambles to invent and manufacture therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19, the World Health Organization has <a href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/01-08-2020-covid-19-emergency-committee-highlights-need-for-response-efforts-over-long-term\">declared</a> the pandemic &ldquo;a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come.&rdquo; Outbreaks vary in severity across the globe, making it impossible to host international conferences safely for many months (and possibly years) to come.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In consideration for the time and efforts of hundreds of volunteers who would be involved in planning in-person events, WordPress <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/08/04/announcement-flagship-events-in-2021\">announced</a> it will no longer accept any applications for flagship events in 2021:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Flagship events (i.e. large, regional WordCamps that attract an international audience) bring together people from all corners of the world, so until infection rates are effectively mitigated and/or a vaccine is widely available, these large scale events that typically host more than 1,000 individuals could become &ldquo;super-spreader&rdquo; events if a single infected person attends.&nbsp;</p><p>Applications for new flagship events (or regional events that cover multiple regions or countries) will not be accepted for all of 2021.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement comes on the heels of <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2020-canceled-due-to-pandemic-stress-and-online-event-fatigue\">WordCamp US canceling its virtual event</a> due to overextended organizers and online event fatigue for attendees. Up until this point, organizing teams from the large regional camps have been making their own determinations regarding the suitability of hosting an event online. The change announced this week prevents new events from applying and then inevitably having to transition to a virtual format.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Existing flagship events that were already in the pipeline will be allowed to continue as online events. These include WordCamps Europe, US, Asia, and  Centroam&eacute;rica. Of these, WCEU has already <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-europe-goes-virtual-for-2021-in-person-conference-to-resume-2022\">announced</a> an online event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/building-community-beyond-events/\">online events continue to evolve</a>&nbsp;to reflect community needs, the Community Team strongly encourages these flagship organizing teams to be creative in their approach,&rdquo; Hugh Lashbrooke said in the announcement. This challenge forces organizers to proceed only if they can  knock it out of the park in terms of creativity. Otherwise, it&rsquo;s simply hosting another online conference in the same tired format for the sake of tradition. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress is at an interesting point in its history where it can no longer rely on in-person events to drive enthusiasm, education, and growth for the community. Flagship WordCamps are a necessary casualty in the fight to slow the spread of the virus, but this early decision provides a welcome peg of certainty for those who normally invest a significant amount of time in making these events a reality.</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, 05 Aug 2020 21:57:52 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:21;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"WPTavern: Disable Comments Plugin Looking for New Owner, Highest Bid Goes to Charity\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102771\";s: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:211:\"https://wptavern.com/disable-comments-plugin-looking-for-new-owner-highest-bid-goes-to-charity?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=disable-comments-plugin-looking-for-new-owner-highest-bid-goes-to-charity\";s: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:4743:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Samir Shah is ready to part ways with his popular <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/disable-comments/\">Disable Comments</a> plugin. The WordPress extension has garnered over a million users and a solid 220 five-star reviews out of 229, but its owner no longer has the time to maintain it. Rather than simply give it away or sell it for profit, he plans to auction it for charity.  The highest bidder will donate to Effective Altruism Funds (EAF), a charitable organization, for ownership.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shah asks that those who are interested in bidding on the plugin contact him via his <a href=\"http://twitter.com/solaris_smoke/\">Twitter account</a>. He is also open to feedback on how to approach this at the moment.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He first released the Disable Comments plugin in 2011. This was during a time that he was working professionally with WordPress. His primary use case was with corporate clients who did not need any sort of commenting functionality on the site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;After repeating this implementation on several projects I ported it to a plugin,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The plugin became popular very quickly so it turns out this was a common use case.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shah used PHP and WordPress primarily between 2009 and 2015. However, the work his company has been doing has shifted his focus to other languages and platforms. He has not used WordPress professionally since 2016 but has continued maintaining this plugin for the community in his free time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;In the last year or two I&rsquo;ve found it hard to keep up with the maintenance of the plugin,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m increasingly unfamiliar with both the WordPress core (major changes like Gutenberg, for example) and with newer versions of PHP. It is time to find a new owner who is actively using WordPress.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disable Comments allows administrators to disable the comment functionality across the entire site. Users can also control it based on a specific post type or even disable comments across the network when used on a multisite installation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary use case is for disabling all commenting-related functionality. When this mode is enabled, the plugin hides comment links from all menus, removes comment widgets, hides the discussion settings screen, disables outgoing pingbacks, and more. Of course, it disables commenting on the front end too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shah also has a <a href=\"https://github.com/solarissmoke/disable-comments-mu\">&ldquo;must use&rdquo; version</a> of the plugin available on GitHub. This comes in handy for professional work where the developer does not want the client to accidentally deactivate the plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I never intended to make any money off this plugin, which is completely free to use,&rdquo; said Shah. &ldquo;I have however received a number of financial offers for it over the years (presumably because people value the large user base), and so the idea I had was to auction it. The highest bidder would pay their bid to my preferred charitable organization, and send me a receipt as proof of donation in exchange for ownership of the plugin.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is hoping that someone in the community will value a free plugin that does not generate revenue. With over a million active installs, there is a possibility that a company could directly or indirectly profit from ownership. Even if not, this would be a good opportunity for someone with the resources to give back to the WordPress community. There is an obvious need for this type of plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Shah says he does not spend much time on charitable work, he does try to donate a percentage of his annual income to charity and believes this is another avenue to do some good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in the privileged position at the moment of having sufficient income to meet my basic needs,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Selling the plugin for profit isn&rsquo;t going to alter my standard of living, and I&rsquo;m not interested in profit for its own sake. If I can extract some value from this plugin and give it to EAF then it will go some way to improving the lives of others.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said he chose EAF because it uses an evidence-based approach to distributing funds by focusing on empirical measures of impact. &ldquo;This felt to me like a better strategy than just picking a cause that I was personally attached to. There are particular areas of their work &mdash; e.g., the long-term future fund &mdash; that I think are especially important today.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will be interesting to see how this type of <em>sale</em> works out. What do you think of trading ownership of a plugin for a charitable contribution?</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, 05 Aug 2020 18:45:16 +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:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:22;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.5 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:34:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=8764\";s: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/2020/08/wordpress-5-5-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:2501:\"<p>The second release candidate for WordPress 5.5 is here!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.5 is slated for release&nbsp;on&nbsp;<strong>August 11, 2020</strong>, but we need&nbsp;<em>your</em>&nbsp;help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.5 yet,&nbsp;now is the time!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test the WordPress 5.5 release candidate in two ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Try the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a>&nbsp;plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option)</li><li>Or&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.5-RC2.zip\">download the release candidate here (zip)</a>.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you to all of the contributors who tested the&nbsp;Beta releases and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is a critical part of polishing every release and a great way to contribute to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plugin and Theme Developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 5.5 and update the&nbsp;<em>Tested up to</em>&nbsp;version in the readme file to 5.5. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a>,&nbsp;so those can be figured out before the final release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a more detailed breakdown of the changes included in WordPress 5.5, check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-1/\">WordPress 5.5 beta 1 post</a>. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/30/wordpress-5-5-field-guide/\">WordPress 5.5 Field Guide</a>&nbsp;is also out! It’s your source for details on all the major changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to Help</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English?&nbsp;<a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a>&nbsp;This release also marks the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a>&nbsp;point of the 5.5 release schedule.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>If you think you’ve found a bug</strong>, you can post to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta\">Alpha/Beta area</a>&nbsp;in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you! If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/reports/\">fill one on WordPress Trac</a>, where you can also find&nbsp;<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">a list of known bugs</a>.</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:\"Tue, 04 Aug 2020 19:12:30 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jake Spurlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"WPTavern: Redux Framework Relaunches, Focuses Efforts on Gutenberg Templates\";s: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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=98604\";s: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:195:\"https://wptavern.com/redux-framework-relaunches-focuses-efforts-on-gutenberg-templates?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=redux-framework-relaunches-focuses-efforts-on-gutenberg-templates\";s: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:13983:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">D&#333;vy Paukstys was rushing out another update with bug fixes yesterday morning as we chatted about the future of his popular <a href=\"https://redux.io/\">Redux Framework</a>. It was not the first update of the day. The Virginia-based developer is just over a week into what he has called the <em>soft launch</em> of Redux 4.x. It is a major reconstruction of a plugin that has been powering over 900,000 websites and has a strong developer audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The changes over the past week might seem risky to some. He has built a massive user base by providing one of the most <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/redux-framework/\">powerful theme and plugin options frameworks</a> in WordPress history. The plugin&rsquo;s new focus leans heavily toward the block editor, which is still one of the most controversial features of WordPress, even after nearly two years as part of the core platform.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paukstys needed to make a change. The developer-only approach was not generating the return on investment that he needed. The $7,000 in donations and subscriptions received in 2019 was not sustainable, especially when products on the Envato marketplace had generated at least $56 million on the back of Redux, according to data he had gathered. He was leaving far too much money on the table. Redux was a successful product on the surface, but developers were either unwilling to pony up the cash or the business plan was not working. It was time for something new.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was not merely time for a change because the business was essentially going nowhere. The game was and is still changing. Theme options, the bread and butter of Redux, will likely be a thing of the past in the next year or two. Themes will become far less reliant on options panels. Developers will need to build their offerings around the block system and plugins like Redux need to keep up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The writing was on the wall. The best time to profit from a theme options framework was the past decade. Whether it is the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/will-page-builders-remain-competitive-in-the-block-era\">block editor or a page-building plugin</a> like Elementor, design options are on the individual page level now, or at least not buckled into old-school concepts like theme options panels or the customizer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The times they are a-changin&rsquo;</em>, and Redux is changing with them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paukstys is no stranger to moving with the flow. It has allowed his framework&rsquo;s user numbers to continue growing over the years. In 2015, he shifted gears and focused on making sure his framework <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/redux-and-kirki-frameworks-join-forces-to-provide-better-support-for-the-wordpress-customizer\">supported the customizer</a>. This came after a controversial decision from the Themes Team to <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-now-requires-theme-authors-to-use-the-customizer-to-build-theme-options\">require the use of the customizer</a> instead of custom theme options screens. Paukstys was a vocal opponent of the decision and still believes the customizer never panned out. In hindsight, he may have been right; the customizer has felt like an abandoned project over the past couple of years. Still, he made the necessary moves to keep his options framework relevant when necessary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, he is propelling Redux into a new era in which blocks reign supreme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;If Redux didn&rsquo;t go into the world of blocks it would eventually be a thing of yesterday,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The future is blocks and that&rsquo;s where we are putting our focus. We&rsquo;re excited to once again be on the cutting edge and we hope our product can really help users, freelancers, and agencies build and improve their sites in ways they never have before.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What he and the Redux team has done is tack an entirely new set of user-focused features onto what was once a developer platform. Even the marketing has changed. Redux is now in the business of providing and upselling features to end-users. It is no longer taking a backseat to the theme and plugin authors who have profited in the millions upon its developer API. The team is taking the steering wheel and driving toward its own future.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Does the New Redux Do?</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Ice Cream shop template kit.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Redux still does all the things it has always done. Developers can build custom settings screens and offer whatever options they want to their own end-users. The most glaring addition is the new <a href=\"https://templates.redux.io/\">Redux Templates</a> feature, which directly integrates with the block editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Redux Templates acts as a block discovery library if you will,&rdquo; said Paukstys. &ldquo;We bring all templates provided by third-party plugins into a single library. You can essentially see and preview what&rsquo;s possible, click, and import.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Redux also has a built-in block dependency installer. When importing third-party templates or blocks, it will check if the plugin is installed and active. If not, it will take care of that for users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The end goal is to ease the trouble of finding advanced block templates. Currently, most of the block templating plugins are dispersed, projects wondering around the wild. Users cannot find what they need if they do not know where to look. Redux changes all of that. Currently, it supports 18 different block plugins. It serves to give more exposure to existing block plugins and helps users discover solutions they might not have otherwise found.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the post-editing screen, the plugin adds a new &ldquo;Templates&rdquo; button to the top toolbar. Once clicked, it opens a popup with its library of sections, templates, and template kits.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Viewing templates from the Redux library.\n\n\n\n<p>One of the nicer features of the plugin is its previewer. By clicking the preview button, users can see what a section or template looks like before importing anything. On the left side of the previewer, the plugin displays tabs that show what blocks are used and what required plugins would need to be installed and activated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Redux leaves little to the imagination. Any necessary information about what is being installed is directly available. Plus, it provides links to any plugins that might be installed.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Previewing a contact template.\n\n\n\n<p>The great thing is that the Templates feature does not lock the user down to the Redux plugin. If a user wants to deactivate Redux in the future, nothing will change with their blocks. It is primarily serving as a bridge between end-users and the massive world of block projects.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We see the future of options being diminished in the long run by blocks, so we found a way to move into that space to keep Redux always on the cutting edge,&rdquo; said Paukstys. His team completely rewrote the underlying framework and brought everything up to the WordPress coding standards.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move to support blocks is more of a repositioning of a project whose days were numbered.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paukstys stressed that Redux has every feature that it had before and even more. The team added CSS variables for developers if they prefer using them over a compiler. He feels like the core framework has improved drastically, which means old users can continue enjoying the features they have become accustomed to.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>A New Business Plan</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Make no mistake. Paukstys is looking to grow the revenue of his business and create a sustainable future for Redux. The <a href=\"https://redux.io/pricing/\">pricing plan</a> is clear and follows a model that has been successful for many commercial plugins over the years. The plans are tiered and range from $49 per year to $249, depending on the number sites the user wants automatic updates and support for.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The commercial plans offer new features for developers like automated Google Font updates, custom fonts integrated into all panels, unlimited widget areas, and dynamic search.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the big upsell is landing directly on the doorstep of end-users. Each of the commercial plans offers full access to over 1,000 sections and full-page templates. The breadth of options can almost be overwhelming, but the average user will be able to find nearly any type of template needed for their site. From restaurants to corporate offices to fitness studios, there is a little something for everyone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I was all too altruistic,&rdquo; said Paukstys of the previous years. &ldquo;I believed that if I helped people make money, they&rsquo;d give back. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. I&rsquo;ve worked for years with various pricing models, each doomed to fail.&rdquo; He had seen others rise to business success, quite often on the work that he had put in. It is not all about money, and he believes he has something of value to offer in return.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Development skill is not enough to breed financial success. Sound financial principles must back it up.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the catalysts for recent changes to his business plan was joining <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/\">Post Status</a>, which has a strong community of business leaders in the WordPress ecosystem. He credits Alex Denning, Kimberly Lipari, Haris Zulfiqar, Rich Tabor, and others as inspiration, helping him to shift his thinking around the business side of the project.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the lessons he has learned thus far are:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Developers are already starved. Focus on users.</li><li>Add-ons can be a bad model. A single pro/premium product is much easier to sell and manage.</li><li>The need for a revenue model. Don&rsquo;t expect people to just hand over money.</li><li>Use the audience you have. Don&rsquo;t cannibalize yourself.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Where we&rsquo;ve ended up is a <em>much</em> cheaper plan for developers and a powerful toolkit for users,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully, we&rsquo;re pushing Gutenberg into a greater place of value.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Moving Forward</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Naturally, not every user will be happy with the overhaul of the plugin. For years, Redux was geared specifically toward developers. It was an options framework.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Redux was for a completely different purpose which is for developers to create Options framework,&rdquo; wrote a user named James <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/topic/dishonest-and-bad-performance/\">in a review</a>. &ldquo;They have changed the plugin suddenly to a page builder something like that. It doesn&rsquo;t make sense and they are using the previous plugin&rsquo;s reputation.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a fair criticism. And, it was expected. The plugin has switched much of its focus to end-users. However, it has not removed the existing API and features that made it successful with developers in the past.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paukstys is clear that he is building on top of the reputation that Redux has earned and launching new features for end-users. He is unapologetic about trying something new to bring in a reasonable return on his years-long investment of time and resources. Launching a completely new and separate project would carry far more risk. It makes sense to build atop the mountain he had already built.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It won&rsquo;t make everyone happy. However, he said that the feedback has been &ldquo;shockingly positive&rdquo; in the week since the Redux 4 soft launch.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never realized how much users appreciated Redux,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Some of the changes to the framework broke sites, and everyone I have reached out to help has been so extremely gracious. It&rsquo;s so refreshing and honestly helps me to see why the WordPress community is such a great place to be. I fear developers are too harsh to one another. Users on the other hand, if provided kind support, are in turn incredibly kind.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If most of the feedback thus far is any indication of the plugin&rsquo;s future, do not expect to see pitchforks and torches.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He might have to take a few lumps with a few disgruntled users over the change. It comes with the territory. However, feedback will likely directly correlate with how well he serves users through the Redux support channels.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project will also benefit from a potentially new user base in the coming months and years. The plugin is dipping its toes into a new market while maintaining the features that got it to where it is today. It will be a bit of a balancing act, but the plugin must move with the times.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Future of Redux</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">This is a new era for Redux. In the immediate future, Paukstys and team will need to focus on ironing out all of the bugs and the transition to a new market. It is a time for reflection, careful listening, and attentiveness before diving headlong into new features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;In the past, we were 100% developer-centric,&rdquo; said Paukstys. &ldquo;That being said, we always had our eye on the user and wanted to fulfill their needs. Now we&rsquo;re expanding to support the users directly, as well as developers.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the newfound focus on end-users, there is potential for growth in other areas. Paukstys says the focus is 100% on the block editor at present. Branching out to support other major page builders like Elementor is not out of the question. However, Redux should be able to continue finding success by extending the core experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;When we started this adventure into the blocks space, we worried, given the limited number of blocks out there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But honestly, there&rsquo;s some amazing innovation out there, and it&rsquo;s been pretty great what we can build with Gutenberg.&rdquo;</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, 04 Aug 2020 14:21:45 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:24;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"WPTavern: Automattic Updates Press Page to Clarify Distinction between WordPress.org and WordPress.com\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102612\";s: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:249:\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-updates-press-page-to-clarify-distinction-between-wordpress-org-and-wordpress-com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=automattic-updates-press-page-to-clarify-distinction-between-wordpress-org-and-wordpress-com\";s: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:6031:\"<p>Last week, Automattic&rsquo;s marketing team made a positive step towards curbing the perennial branding confusion between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The company&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://automattic.com/press/\">press page</a> was updated with a notice to journalists who are writing about Automattic:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Automattic owns and operates&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.com/\">WordPress.com</a>, which is a hosted version of the open source WordPress software with added features for security, speed and support. Please append &ldquo;.com&rdquo; when referencing our product name.</p><p><a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\">WordPress</a>&nbsp;is open source software, which is written, maintained, and supported by thousands of independent contributors worldwide. Automattic is a major contributor to the WordPress open source project. If you would like to contribute to the WordPress open source project, learn more at&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/\">make.wordpress.org</a>.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This update was prompted by a recent <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caspar-hubinger_wordpress-activity-6688334765575176192-0-Eh\">conversation on LinkedIn</a> between Caspar H&uuml;binger, who works as a digital marketer at Human Made, and WordPress.com CMO Monica Ohara. H&uuml;binger had posted regarding an inaccuracy in a recent New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/business/matt-mullenweg-automattic-corner-office.html\">article</a> featuring Matt Mullenweg as an evangelist for remote work at Automattic. The article, which has since been corrected, misattributed Automattic as the company that &ldquo;runs the digital publishing platform WordPress.&rdquo; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>These kinds of mistakes are quite frequent, yet understandable, in publications that are not as familiar with the WordPress ecosystem. Yet, these errors often evoke a strong reaction from the project&rsquo;s community whenever they pop up in the media. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ohara commented on H&uuml;binger&rsquo;s post and exchanged direct messages where he made a case for clarifying the branding on Automattic&rsquo;s website. Ohara was amenable and the notice appeared shortly after the exchange.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several years ago H&uuml;binger created a <a href=\"https://wpisnotwp.com/\">website</a> to clarify the confusion between WordPress, the open source project, and WordPress.com. Post Status also has a <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/resources/wordpress-versus-automattic/\">resource page</a> that explains the difference between WordPress.org and Automattic&rsquo;s products, but these kinds of external resources never seemed to make much of a difference. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, H&uuml;binger prevailed upon the author of a TechCrunch article who referenced&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://wordpress.com/\">WordPress.com</a>&nbsp;as &ldquo;WordPress&rdquo; and worked with her on getting the difference documented in TechCrunch&rsquo;s internal editorial guidelines. After he had explained the problem, she replied: &ldquo;We had no policy on this. We&rsquo;re going to change it to .com (or make references to Automattic as needed), and note in our style guide.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked why he finds himself a champion of this particular cause, he said he often found himself angry when the name of the open source project he has dedicated most of his digital career to was confused with a commercial service built on top of it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a distortion of reality and I always felt sort of betrayed when it happened,&rdquo; H&uuml;binger said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I know that many of my community peers feel hurt to this day, even if some of them would probably shrug it off when asked. The word for it is resignation, and to me, it is poison to the human soul. From my perspective, Automattic&rsquo;s passiveness actively fed the narrative that they were profiting from the naming confusion, and that narrative &ndash; true or not &ndash; it keeps poisoning WordPress&rsquo; open source community.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although many times articles with errors confusing WordPress and .com were corrected afterwards, it can take a few days after the initial rush of traffic hits. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;So the message that &lsquo;Automattic runs/owns WordPress&rsquo; keeps being established for the public,&rdquo; H&uuml;binger contended when making his case to Ohara. &ldquo;Worse, the burden of flagging miscommunication when it happens and having it corrected in many cases is left to those who are harmed by it, i.e. open source contributors.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years people have speculated whether Automattic might rename WordPress.com to avoid the longstanding confusion. Many believe it will never happen, since the company undoubtedly benefits from tightly coupling its products to WordPress&rsquo; name recognition. Ohara declined to comment on whether any major branding changes are on the horizon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I will say that we&rsquo;re not trying to compete with the WordPress ecosystem,&rdquo; Ohara said. &ldquo;We want to help the overall ecosystem grow and I look forward to working closely with the community.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This small yet important change to Automattic&rsquo;s press page is the direct result of H&uuml;binger&rsquo;s persistent advocacy effort. It may not eliminate all future media errors, but it is a positive development that demonstrates someone is listening.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;While a dedicated press page will not be able to prevent future confusion of WordPress and WordPress.com altogether (because it simply isn&rsquo;t possible), my hope is that it will be seen as a first practical step to help heal the relationship between Automattic and parts of WordPress&rsquo; open source community, which so many Automatticians have made such incredible amounts of contributions to ever since the company existed, and that is another thing that is too easy to forget,&rdquo; H&uuml;binger said.</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, 03 Aug 2020 17:35:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: The Month in WordPress: July 2020\";s: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://wordpress.org/news/?p=8755\";s: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:68:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/08/the-month-in-wordpress-july-2020/\";s: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:11541:\"<p>July was an action-packed month for the WordPress project. The month saw a lot of updates on one of the most anticipated releases &#8211; WordPress 5.5! WordCamp US 2020 was canceled and the WordPress community team started experimenting with different formats for engaging online events, in July. Read on to catch up with all the updates from the WordPress world.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>WordPress 5.5 Updates</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>July was full of WordPress 5.5 updates! The WordPress 5.5 <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-1\">Beta 1</a> came out on July 7, followed by <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-2/\">Beta 2</a> on July 14, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-3/\">Beta 3</a> on July 21, and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-4/\">Beta 4</a> on July 27. Subsequently, the team also published the first <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-release-candidate/\">release candidate</a> of WordPress 5.5 on July 28.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.5, which is slated for release on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-5/\">August 11, 2020</a>, is a major update with features like <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-autoupdates/\">automatic updates for plugins and themes</a>, a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2020/07/22/proposed-block-directory-guidelines/\">block directory</a>, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/06/10/merge-announcement-extensible-core-sitemaps/\">XML sitemaps</a>, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/16/block-patterns-in-wordpress-5-5/\">block patterns</a>, and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/14/lazy-loading-images-in-5-5/\">lazy-loading images</a>, among others. To learn more about the release, check out its <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/30/wordpress-5-5-field-guide/\">field guide post</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in building WordPress Core? Follow<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\"> the Core team blog</a>, and join the #core channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Gutenberg 8.5 and 8.6</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The core team launched Gutenberg <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/08/whats-new-in-gutenberg-8-july/\">8.5</a> and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-july-22/\">8.6</a>. Version 8.5 &#8211; the last plugin release will be included entirely (without experimental features) in WordPress 5.5, introduced improvements to block drag-and-drop and accessibility, easier updates for external images, and support for the block directory. Version 8.6 comes with features like Cover block video position controls and block pattern updates. For full details on the latest versions on these Gutenberg releases, visit these posts about <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/08/whats-new-in-gutenberg-8-july/\">8.5</a> and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-july-22/\">8.6</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in building Gutenberg? Follow <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">the Core team blog</a>, contribute to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/\">Gutenberg on GitHub</a>, and join the #core-editor channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Reimagining Online WordPress Events</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Community team made the difficult decision <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/27/in-person-events-in-rest-of-year-2020/\">to suspend in-person WordPress events for the rest of 2020</a> in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team has also started working on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/13/reimagining-online-events/\">reimagining online events</a>. Based on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/13/reimagining-online-events/#comment-28505\">feedback from the community members</a>, the team decided to <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/moving-forward-with-online-events/\">make changes to the current online WordCamp format</a>. Key changes include wrapping up financial support for A/V vendors, ending event swag support for newer online WordCamps, and suspending the Global Community Sponsorship program for 2020. The team encourages upcoming online WordCamps to experiment with their events to facilitate an effective learning experience for attendees while avoiding online event fatigue. The team is currently working on a proposal to organize community-supported <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/building-community-beyond-events/\">recorded workshops and synchronous discussion groups</a> to help community members learn WordPress.<br /><br />Want to get involved with the Community team? <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/\">Follow the Community blog here</a>, or join them in the #community-events channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>. To organize a Meetup or WordCamp, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/virtual-events/welcome/applying-for-a-virtual-event/\">visit the handbook page</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>WordCamp US 2020 is canceled</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The organizers of WordCamp US 2020 have <a href=\"https://2020.us.wordcamp.org/2020/07/30/wcus-2020-an-update/\">canceled the event</a> in light of the continued pandemic and online event fatigue. The flagship event, which was originally scheduled for October 27-29 as an in-person event, had already planned to transition to an online event. Several WCUS Organizers will be working with the WordPress Community team to focus on other formats and ideas for online events, including a 24-hour contributor day, and contributing to the workshops initiative <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/building-community-beyond-events/\">currently being discussed</a>. Matt Mullenweg’s State of the Word (which typically accompanies WordCamp US) is likely to take place in a different format later in 2020.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plugin and theme updates are now available over zip files</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After eleven years, WordPress now allows users to update plugins and themes by <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/48390\">uploading a ZIP file, in WordPress 5.5</a>.&nbsp; The feature, which was merged on July 7, has been one of the most requested features in WordPress. Now, when a user tries to upload a plugin or theme zip file from the WordPress dashboard by clicking the “Install Now” button, WordPress will direct users to a new screen that compares the currently-installed extension with the uploaded versions. Users can then choose between continuing with the installation or canceling. WordPress 5.5 will also offer <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-autoupdates/\">automatic plugin and theme updates</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>Further Reading:</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2020/07/22/proposed-block-directory-guidelines/\">Block directory</a> is coming to WordPress with the 5.5 release. Plugin authors can now <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2020/07/11/you-can-now-add-your-own-plugins-to-the-block-directory/\">submit their Block plugins to the directory</a>.</li><li>The Core team has opened up the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/31/wordpress-5-6-whats-on-your-wishlist/\">call for features</a> in the WordPress 5.6 release. You can <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/31/wordpress-5-6-whats-on-your-wishlist/\">comment on the post</a> with features that you’d like to be included, current UX pain points, or maintenance tickets that need to be addressed. August 20 is the deadline for feature requests. </li><li>Editor features such as the new Navigation block, the navigation screen, and the widget screen that were originally <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2020/03/06/update-progress-on-goals/\">planned to be merged with WordPress 5.5</a> have been <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/02/editor-features-for-wordpress-5-5-update/\">pushed for the next release</a>. </li><li>The Theme team is inviting proposals on whether to allow themes to <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2020/07/13/proposal-allow-themes-to-add-a-top-level-admin-menu/\">place an additional top-level menu link</a> in the admin.</li><li><a href=\"https://buddypress.org/2020/07/buddypress-6-2-0-beta/\">BuddyPress 6.2 beta </a>is out in the wild, and the team will soon release the stable version. The update includes changes that will make BuddyPress fully compatible with WordPress 5.5.</li><li>WordCamp EU 2021, which was being planned as an in-person event in Porto, Portugal, <a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2021/wordcamp-europe-2021-will-be-online/\">is moving online</a>. The team is considering an in-person WordCamp EU in 2022. </li><li>The Polyglots team has prepared and finalized a <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2020/07/09/translation-editor-locale-manager-vetting-criteria-page-draft/\">Translation Editor &amp; Locale Manager Vetting Criteria</a> to provide more clarity on how global mentors assign PTE/GTE/Locale Managers and to help locale teams set their own guidelines. The document, which was finalized <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2020/07/09/translation-editor-locale-manager-vetting-criteria-page-draft/\">after a lot of discussion</a>, is now available in the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/translating/expectations/translation-editor-locale-manager-vetting-criteria/\">Polyglots handbook</a>.</li><li>Members of the Community team <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/03/proposal-recognition-for-event-volunteers-and-attendees-in-wordpress-org-profile/\">are discussing</a> whether WordCamp volunteers, WordCamp attendees, or Meetup attendees should be awarded a WordPress.org profile badge. The ongoing discussion will be open for comments until August 13.</li><li>The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-notifications/\">WP Notify project</a>, which aims to create a better way to manage and deliver notifications to the relevant audience, is on to its next steps. The team has finalized the initial requirements, and is <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/09/wp-notify-next-steps/\">kicking off the project build</a>.</li><li>The WordPress documentation team is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/tag/external-linking-policy/\" target=\"_blank\">considering a ban on links to commercial websites</a> in a revision to its external linking policy. The policy change does not remove external links to commercial sites from WordPress.org and only applies to documentation sites. The idea is to protect documentation from being abused, and to prevent the WordPress project from being biased. Discussion on this post is still ongoing, and a decision has not yet been made. Feel free to<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/tag/external-linking-policy/\"> comment on the discussion posts</a>, if you would like to share your thoughts on the topic. </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Have a story that we should include in the next “Month in WordPress” post? Please </em><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/month-in-wordpress-submissions/\"><em>submit it here</em></a><em>.</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:\"Mon, 03 Aug 2020 13:54:23 +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:\"Hari Shanker R\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"WPTavern: Big Orange Heart Opens 2020 Remote Work Wellbeing and Mental Health Survey\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102631\";s: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:213:\"https://wptavern.com/big-orange-heart-opens-2020-remote-work-wellbeing-and-mental-health-survey?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=big-orange-heart-opens-2020-remote-work-wellbeing-and-mental-health-survey\";s: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:3039:\"<p>A Big Orange Heart, formerly known as WP&amp;UP, has opened its 2020 <a href=\"https://www.bigorangeheart.org/survey-2020.html\">Remote Work Wellbeing and Mental Health Survey</a>. The charity organization focuses on supporting remote working communities with education and resources for mental and physical health. It is also home to a community of more than 4,700 members who support each other in growing their businesses and building new skills.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The survey asks fairly broad questions about your mental health and the mental health support in your work environment. It takes approximately three minutes and is completely anonymous.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Results from the 2019 survey showed that the majority of people in the WordPress community work alone and a significant percentage are dealing with anxiety and suicidal thoughts:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>8% of the WordPress community have had suicidal thoughts in the last 12 months</li><li>47% stated their workplace makes them feel anxious</li><li>56% of the WordPress community works alone</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Big Orange Heart founder Dan Maby believes these results are helping his team save lives. The charity is actively creating and maintaining services and a peer support network that encourage people to stay connected to their community, in order to reduce the isolation they experience. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Our 2019 results identified that almost 8% of all respondents had been dealing with sustained periods of feeling suicidal over the previous 12-months, twice the national US average,&rdquo; Maby said.&nbsp;&ldquo;This finding led to more training being provided in suicide prevention and support for our team, which enabled us to support multiple individuals that have contacted us requiring suicidal support, all of whom are still with us today.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are more people working alone remotely now than ever before due to the pandemic. Spend a short time on any social media network and you will likely hear several people say they are not doing okay. This survey helps the team at Big Orange Heart understand the extent of mental health related issues within the remote working community and informs various initiatives the organization plans throughout the year. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As a charity, like so many others at this time, we have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 global crisis,&rdquo; Maby said. &ldquo;Now more than ever we need to ensure our limited resources are used in the most effective way possible. Your anonymous data will allow us to best understand how we can help improve the lives of others within our community.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://www.bigorangeheart.org/survey-2020.html\">Remote Work Wellbeing and Mental Health Survey</a> runs for one month and will close on August 31st. Take the survey and check out Big Orange Heart&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://www.bigorangeheart.org/blog/\">blog</a> for several helpful posts on how to maintain your mental health while working during this crisis.</p>\n\n\n\n<p></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 01 Aug 2020 03:04:16 +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:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:27;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"WPTavern: WordPress 5.6 Wish List: Homepage Post Type Selection and Block Management\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102615\";s: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:211:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-6-wish-list-homepage-post-type-selection-and-block-management?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-5-6-wish-list-homepage-post-type-selection-and-block-management\";s: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:4584:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">With the WordPress 5.5 development cycle coming to a close, it is time to begin mapping out what features should land in WordPress 5.6 later this year. Earlier today, Chloe Bringmann <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/31/wordpress-5-6-whats-on-your-wishlist/\">asked the community to chime in</a> with its wish list on the Make Core blog.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As usual, I have a few thoughts. I tend to lean toward addressing some of the long-standing developer-friendly tickets because these features allow plugin authors to build better products for end-users in the long run.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A complete <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/open-call-for-wordpress-5-5-tickets-whats-on-your-wish-list\">custom post status API</a> tops my usual list of most-wanted features. I have already opined over this for my WordPress 5.5 wish list. It may be time for more realistic dreams. Maybe we will revisit it another year or two down the road. However, if any core leads want to give the feature a green light, I will gladly be the evangelist and get others excited about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Homepage Post Type Selection</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">For this release, I want to call out one of my other years-long wishes. WordPress should allow end-users to select any custom post type for display on the homepage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine a WordPress where users can head to their Reading Settings screen in the admin and select something other than their normal posts list or a page to appear on the homepage. <em>Have a forum plugin installed?</em> Maybe users want to list their latest topics or forums list. <em>Running an eCommerce plugin?</em> Users should be able to display their products. <em>Setting up a web design portfolio?</em> Display the most recent projects by simply selecting this choice in the admin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an area where the software has always catered to bloggers and has avoided throwing a little love to other types of sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, plugin authors must perform some crazy hacks to make this work. The WooCommerce <a href=\"https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/blob/master/includes/class-wc-query.php\">custom query class</a> is enough to make any developer give up. Not all of the code in that file is for the front page, but it has a frustrating amount to make something work that should be far simpler for plugin authors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason this needs to be in core WordPress is so that each and every plugin does not need to roll a custom solution. Plugins should be able to flag their post types during registration as &ldquo;allowed on homepage&rdquo; &mdash; not all post types are meant for this type of display. Then, WordPress should handle all the dirty work behind the scenes if a particular post type is selected by the end-user. The addition to the API for plugin authors would be simple, and plugins that are already hacking this feature together can drop a lot of unnecessary code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an existing <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/19958\">8-year-old ticket</a> for the feature. It has a few old and likely outdated patches and has not seen any real activity in the past four years. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see this feature in core WordPress and finally close the ticket.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block System Wish List</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Like most releases, the block system will be getting the most attention. The things that will land in WordPress 5.6 are mostly already set in stone, assuming a particular feature does not fall behind in development like widgets and nav menus did for the 5.5 release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the whole, I like the general direction the block system has been headed. If anything, I have been impatient with some things, such as awaiting the integrated <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/version-1-prototype-of-the-wordpress-admin-block-directory-announced\">block management screen</a> in the admin. For other features, such as full-site editing, I am still wondering whether they are realistic goals for the WordPress 5.6 release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would take a release and focus on tightening up and polishing the existing system. Take stock of the pain points &mdash; and there are many &mdash; that users are mentioning. Spend time working on smoothing out the editing experience before tacking on new features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is not going to happen. New features are what get developers up in the morning and excited about the project. Therefore, my fallback request is to bring on the block management screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&rsquo;s on your wish list?</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, 31 Jul 2020 21:15:24 +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:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:28;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"WPTavern: WordCamp US 2020 Canceled Due to Pandemic Stress and Online Event Fatigue\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102579\";s: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:211:\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2020-canceled-due-to-pandemic-stress-and-online-event-fatigue?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordcamp-us-2020-canceled-due-to-pandemic-stress-and-online-event-fatigue\";s: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:7146:\"<p><a href=\"https://2020.us.wordcamp.org/\">WordCamp US 2020</a>, which was originally scheduled for October 27-29, was officially canceled today. In April, organizers <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2020-goes-online-cancels-in-person-event\">transitioned to planning for it to be held as a virtual event</a>, but the tenuous situation with the pandemic in the United States and the stress on the event&rsquo;s large crew of volunteers has precipitated a full cancellation. The decision was announced on the WCUS website:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>It is with heavy hearts that we have made the decision to cancel this year&rsquo;s WordCamp US event. In light of the continued pandemic, online event fatigue for attendees, organizers, and volunteers, and the desire for WordCamp experiences to be&nbsp;<em>traditional</em>&nbsp;WordCamp experiences, we have made the difficult decision to stop this year&rsquo;s planning, and cancel WordCamp US 2020.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>After the pandemic started forcing WordCamps and meetups to go online, many community team members seemed to put on a brave face about adapting WordCamps to virtual events, but WCUS organizers are publicly recognizing the reality of online event fatigue. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Angela Jin, one of the lead organizers, said her team discussed how recent online WordCamps have struggled to meet traditional goals of connecting people and encouraging contribution. In light of attendees&rsquo; increasing online conference fatigue, WCUS organizers considered the cost of volunteers&rsquo; time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The Lead Organizers also took into consideration how many volunteers we have on this team, and how much time we were asking them to invest in an event that didn&rsquo;t seem to be able to offer the same level of joy or satisfaction that an in-person WordCamp would,<strong>&ldquo;</strong> Jin said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As you might imagine, this was a very upsetting realization, but the whole team spent time discussing together, and we believe that we made the right decision.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. passed more than 150,000 Coronavirus deaths this week and outbreaks are worsening right as schools are supposed to be opening. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise sharply in many states, renewed lockdowns and political tensions have put people on edge. Every day brings a fresh injection of bad news and the country is deeply mired in division ahead of one of the most contentious presidential elections in history. Late October is not an ideal time to try to host WordPress&rsquo; flagship WordCamp online. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>One WCUS organizer, who requested to remain anonymous, said he was angry that he invested more than 100 hours across various organizing teams and wished it had come sooner. He described how multiple personal stressors were impacting daily life and draining the team&rsquo;s energy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I feel everyone is tired and worn out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They are stressed &ndash; we are all losing friends [to COVID-19]. Everyone is fighting about politics and the work suffered.&rdquo; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>He reported that many organizers were not doing their parts and all tasks were delayed. Although he experienced a high level of frustration with how it was handled, he was relieved when the decision was announced. Many of the event&rsquo;s 50 organizers are also involved in coordinating local meetups and leading other WordCamps, and their energies are spread thin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;This will pave the way for something new and better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have to evolve as a community and one more zoom meeting is not it.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all organizers considered the time invested as a loss. Cate DeRosia, who has also helped organize WordCamp Grand Rapids in the past, said the lead WCUS organizers consulted with the entire team through a multi-step process and gave opportunities for their opinions to be heard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to imagine that as an organizer I&rsquo;d be disappointed by this decision, but that couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth,&rdquo; Cate DeRosia said. &ldquo;None of this is what I&rsquo;d hoped for, but the time I&rsquo;ve invested in WCUS has helped me grow relationships and learn new skills that ultimately help me further my career goals and make me a better volunteer in the future. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;COVID-19 has been unpredictable and made everything about life harder. By making this difficult decision now, we all get back a little of our time to invest in other areas instead of using up more energy and risking volunteer burnout for an event that ran the risk of getting lost amid other online events.&rdquo; </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>State of the Word May be Hosted as a Separate, Focused Event</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WCUS is encouraging speakers to apply again next year. Although all regular sessions on the program were canceled, some organizers will be shifting their focus to hosting a 24-hour contributor day along with producing some workshops and youth programming content.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt Mullenweg&rsquo;s annual State of the Word address is also expected to happen but will likely take a different format this year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Discussions about the State of the Word are still active; our understanding is that it will still happen, but possibly not in association with any other event,&rdquo; Jin said. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited about the potential for lots of smaller, focused, and educational ways for the community to connect online this year,&rdquo; Matt Mullenweg said. &ldquo;For the State of the Word I don&rsquo;t have a plan yet, I think there&rsquo;s less value to us watching the same thing at the same time if we can&rsquo;t hang out afterward, but it still would be fun to celebrate the great progress we&rsquo;ve been making with some sort of video. Stay tuned November-ish.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cancellation costs for WCUS are still being finalized. Prior to making it a virtual event, the original budget was close to $1 million, with the largest costs being the venue and catering. Jin said the team will publish a full accounting of expenses on the Community Team blog or the event site after the last round of discussions with vendors are complete.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s too soon to know if the WordCamp will be an in-person event in 2021. When asked if they will be hosting in St. Louis again, Jin said that any decisions regarding WCUS 2021 are paused for now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The WCUS team did invest a lot of time and energy into this event, but in a year when it is incredibly hard to plan anything, we did the best we could and adapted quickly,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sad, of course, as I miss seeing everyone at WordCamps, but even if it was time and energy invested in something that didn&rsquo;t happen, I spent time doing it with brilliant people who care just as much about WordPress as I do. It&rsquo;s been an immensely challenging year, and I&rsquo;m humbled to have been a part of this team, which has consistently supported each other and grown together in the face of adversity.&rdquo;</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, 31 Jul 2020 01:04:30 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"WPTavern: Post a Lot of Code? Try the Code Syntax Block Plugin for WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102574\";s: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:195:\"https://wptavern.com/post-a-lot-of-code-try-the-code-syntax-block-plugin-for-wordpress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=post-a-lot-of-code-try-the-code-syntax-block-plugin-for-wordpress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2934:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">I am always on the lookout for interesting syntax-highlighting plugins, particularly for those occasions when I write tutorials or other articles that lean heavily on code. Far too many plugins use shortcodes, custom blocks, or other odd solutions. However, there is one option that I intentionally overlooked when it was released over a year ago: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/code-syntax-block/\">Code Syntax Block</a> by Marcus Kazmierczak.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on the name, I assumed it was yet another standalone block. However, I have since given it another look and realized that this was note the case. It integrates directly with the core WordPress block. There are times when a new block is necessary, but this is not one of those times. Sometimes it is better to extend the existing blocks in core.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Code Syntax Block uses the <a href=\"https://prismjs.com/\">Prism JavaScript library</a> to add syntax highlighting on the front end of the site. The plugin is designed well. It loads its scripts and styles only when the code block is in use.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />Front end PHP code example.\n\n\n\n<p>The plugin does not load Prism in the editor, so the code output will use the default editor or theme styling. This may not appeal to those who want a one-to-one match between the back and front end.  I am comfortable with  the non-highlighted version in the admin while having the <em>pretty</em> output on the front end.  However, it would be nice to see an option or filter to enable highlighting in the editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of the box, the plugin uses the <a href=\"https://github.com/AGMStudio/prism-theme-one-dark\">One Dark</a> theme, which was created for the Atom editor and ported to Prism. Developers can overwrite the theme with either a custom <code>assets/prism/prism.css</code> file in their theme or by filtering the path or URL that gets loaded.  The Prism project has a <a href=\"https://github.com/PrismJS/prism-themes\">variety of themes</a> available that are plug-and-play.  Other themes exist outside of the official list too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the admin side, the plugin creates a new &ldquo;Settings&rdquo; tab for the code block and adds a few options that users can choose from:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Language</li><li>Show line numbers</li><li>Title for code block</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<img />Editor view of Code Syntax Highlighter\n\n\n\n<p>By default, the plugin does not support the full list of over 200 languages. Instead, it lists just over 40 of the most popular. The list is filterable, so anyone can add or remove languages with a few lines of code. There is also a filter hook for setting the default languages, which would be particularly useful for those who routinely post code snippets in the same coding language.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a few days of testing, I can safely say that Code Syntax Block is being added to my WordPress toolbox. I wish I had only given it a shot much sooner.</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, 30 Jul 2020 17:30:51 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:60:\"WPTavern: Bing Launches URL Submissions Plugin for WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102450\";s: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:165:\"https://wptavern.com/bing-launches-url-submissions-plugin-for-wordpress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bing-launches-url-submissions-plugin-for-wordpress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5150:\"<p>Bing has <a href=\"https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/july-2020/Get-your-WordPress-content-indexed-immediately-using-Bing-Webmaster-Tools-plugin\">launched</a> its first official <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/bing-webmaster-tools/\">plugin</a> for WordPress aimed at helping site owners get their content indexed immediately. Instead of waiting for a bingbot to crawl the site, the plugin notifies Bing of any new or updated content automatically using its <a href=\"https://www.bing.com/webmasters/url-submission-api\">Submit URL API</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Bing&nbsp;believes that the future for search engines is less about crawling to discover content and more about sharing new and updated content across the web, a fundamental shift in the way that search engines handle web sites,&rdquo; Bing Product Manager Fabrice Canel said. &ldquo;Instead of monitoring RSS, sitemaps and HTML pages to check for new pages, discover content changes and/or new outbound links, websites will notify search engines directly about relevant URLs changing on their website.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Search engines can take anywhere from several hours to a few weeks to <a href=\"https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6065812?hl=en\">crawl a website</a>. Bing&rsquo;s API allows site owners to get content indexed immediately, while eventually reducing the crawling frequency for sites where there are no changes. Users will need to <a href=\"https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/bingwebmaster/getting-access#using-api-key\">generate an API key</a> in order to configure the plugin for access to the Bing Webmaster Tools API.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p><br />The new plugin also introduces a few other options for managing URL submissions:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Toggle the automatic submission feature</li><li>Manually submit a URL to Bing Index</li><li>View list of recent URL submissions from the plugin</li><li>Retry any failed submissions from the recent submissions list</li><li>Download recent URL submissions for analysis</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Canel said the Bing Webmaster Team recommends using the new URL Submissions plugin as a complement to existing plugins that connect sites to Bing, such as <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/support/site-verification-tools/\">Jetpack&rsquo;s site verification tool</a>, and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/SEO/\">SEO plugins</a> that add XML sitemaps. Bing&rsquo;s plugin is different in that it focuses on enabling Bing to discover immediate changes on WordPress sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Sitemaps are a great complementary solution to our plugin to discover all URLs on WordPress sites, but we cannot monitor each sitemap all the time,&rdquo; Canel said. &ldquo;Only a small percentage of WordPress sites are publishing content every day. Most are nearly static and this is preferable to be notified instead of pulling content every so often for them. Same for sites publishing often, it helps to get the content quickly indexed instead of having to wait a long time.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bing doesn&rsquo;t usually get as much airtime as Google and its supporting tools, since Google continues to dominate the search market. Bing&rsquo;s market share is currently <a href=\"https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/\">hovering at 2.75%</a> of searches globally on all platforms as of June 2020. </p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"all-search_engine-ww-monthly-201906-202006\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\"></div><!-- You may change the values of width and height above to resize the chart --><p>Source: <a href=\"https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share\">StatCounter Global Stats &ndash; Search Engine Market Share</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The search engine has seen slow but steady growth in certain regions and platforms. Bing performs higher globally across desktop searches (6.08%).  In the United Sates, Bing&rsquo;s market share is sitting at 6.99% and is even higher on US desktop searches (13.35%):</p>\n\n\n\n<table><tbody><tr><th>Google</th><td>87.71%</td></tr><tr><th>bing</th><td>6.99%</td></tr><tr><th>Yahoo!</th><td>3.44%</td></tr></tbody></table><a href=\"https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/\">Search Engine Market Share in US &ndash; June 2020</a>\n\n\n\n<p>Bing may not boast a big slice of the search market pie, but the search engine served close to <a href=\"https://www.statista.com/statistics/752270/range-of-bingcom-based-on-unique-visitors/\">936.5 million</a> unique global visitors during the month of May 2020. More than half of Bing users have a bachelor&rsquo;s or post graduate degree and <a href=\"https://www.statista.com/statistics/742834/usa-bing-audience-share-by-income/\">38% of Bing users</a> have an income of $100,000 USD or higher. Depending on the demographic you are targeting, being found by Bing users may be one small factor in your site&rsquo;s overall success. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The search engine recently updated its <a href=\"https://www.bing.com/webmaster/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a\">webmaster guidelines</a> for the first time since 2012. If you&rsquo;re looking to optimize for Bing&rsquo;s audience, this document contains a detailed break down of how the search engine ranks content. </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, 29 Jul 2020 23:49:13 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:31;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:89:\"WPTavern: Upcoming in WordPress 5.5: Features and Changes Theme Authors Should Know About\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102535\";s: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:221:\"https://wptavern.com/upcoming-in-wordpress-5-5-features-and-changes-theme-authors-should-know-about?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=upcoming-in-wordpress-5-5-features-and-changes-theme-authors-should-know-about\";s: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:8147:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">August 11, the target release date for WordPress 5.5, is just shy of two weeks away. For developers who have not been completely on top of the upcoming release, now is a good time to start looking at how changes might affect their projects. Theme authors in particular can expect several new features and some breaking changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the most part, WordPress 5.5 will introduce new features that theme developers can begin to add to their themes. However, the two biggest changes that could negatively impact their themes will be automatic updates and direct HTML changes to the custom logo output.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside of the new features and changes, theme authors should catch up on our <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/tag/gutenberg\">coverage of the Gutenberg plugin</a> and test against its updates that are being merged into core WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Auto Updates</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">WordPress 5.5 will finally introduce <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/automatic-theme-and-plugin-updates-slated-for-wordpress-5-5\">automatic updates for plugins and themes.</a> It is a long-awaited feature and should be a good thing in terms of keeping end-users updated and running what is usually the most secure version of their extensions. However, the big downside to automatic updates is that most themes and plugins will not have the same level of quality control as core WordPress receives. Even the best development companies might have only a few people looking over the code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the flip-side, the automatic updates feature means that theme authors can push fixes out to end-users much more quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The big thing is that theme developers need to be aware that users will be enabling automatic updates. For some, this might not mean changing anything with their release cycles. For others, it might mean tacking on some extra time to ensure that extra quality control is in place. The success of automatic updates lies directly on the shoulders of the plugin and theme authors. It is a huge responsibility that should not be taken lightly. WordPress is placing a lot of trust in its development community to get this right.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>HTML Change for Custom Logos</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">As part of an <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/37011\">accessibility-related ticket</a> for WordPress 5.5, the core <code>get_custom_logo()</code> and <code>the_custom_logo()</code> functions will no longer <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/28/themes-changes-related-to-get_custom_logo-in-wordpress-5-5/\">output a link around the logo image</a> when viewing the site homepage. This change was made because the link itself points to the homepage by default and is unnecessary in that context.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, there are 183 themes in the official theme directory that target the link in their CSS. This does not necessarily mean that all 183 themes will be broken upon update. However, it likely means that some of them will need a tweak or two.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors are encouraged to target the <code>.custom-logo-link</code> class instead of any particular HTML element. The new change will add a <code>&lt;span&gt;</code> element rather than an <code>&lt;a&gt;</code> element on the homepage. Both will use the same class.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block Patterns Have Arrived</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">It is no secret that I am <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/block-patterns-will-change-everything\">downright giddy</a> about the prospect of theme designers being loosed upon the world, allowing their talents to shine via block patterns.  Patterns have been one of the missing features since the initial launch of the Gutenberg project. For theme authors, they represent that missing link between designing unique &ldquo;templates&rdquo; or &ldquo;sections&rdquo; and providing end-users a means to add them to their sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Block patterns are essentially groups of pre-configured blocks that users can insert into their posts or pages at the click of a button. The beauty of the system is that theme authors can design whatever patterns their hearts desire and make them easily available to their users. No need for complicated theme settings. No lengthy tutorials explaining how to recreate the demo. Design something in the block editor. Register it as a pattern. Let users insert it into a post and rejoice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an opportunity that theme authors have never had before. It is an opportunity to create beautiful designs without having to worry about overcomplicating it for the average user. It is a pivotal moment in WordPress theme design history. Theme authors have the chance to push the system and see what WordPress and its block editor are truly capable of.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Building a restaurant theme?</em> Provide users with multiple food menu patterns. <em>Creating something for novelists or other book authors?</em> Give users some layout options for showcasing their books.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/developers/block-api/block-patterns/\">block patterns API</a> removes many prior limits to what theme authors could realistically do. Now, it&rsquo;s time for those theme authors to take charge.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Line Heights and Custom Units</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The block editor has two new tools for end-users to take advantage of: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/27/new-block-tools-on-wordpress-5-5/\">custom line-heights and custom units</a>. Theme authors can opt into allowing users to edit the line-height of paragraphs and headings with the <code>custom-line-heights</code> theme support flag. They can also allow users to switch between various units, such as when defining the Cover block&rsquo;s height, with the <code>custom-units</code> flag. In addition to pixels, themes can define which units are supported.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allowing users to customize the line-height value for text can be tricky business. There are some situations where it is warranted. However, for theme authors who prefer to maintain a strict vertical rhythm, this could lead to disaster. This will likely come down to a personal choice for developers based on what type of theme they are building.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Accessible Widgets Navigation</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Starting with WordPress 5.5, theme authors will be able to opt into outputting more <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/09/accessibility-improvements-to-widgets-outputting-lists-of-links-in-5-5/\">accessible widgets</a>. By default, widgets that display unordered lists do so without any context. This can make it difficult for those using assistive technologies to navigate the site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors can now add <code>navigation-widgets</code> to the HTML5 theme supports array to add the new markup. WordPress will then wrap all core widgets with a <code>&lt;nav&gt;</code> element and an <code>aria-label</code> based on the widget title.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will not affect widgets from third-party plugins. Plugin authors should reevaluate their widgets to determine if they want to support this feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Template Functions Updates</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">WordPress is tacking on some nice features for its templating functions in the upcoming release. The first major change is that theme authors can pass data to template files. We have <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/theme-authors-can-pass-data-to-template-files-in-wordpress-5-5\">previously covered</a> this story on the Tavern. This feature, while years late, should still be useful for more complex theming setups and allow developers to bypass odd workarounds or in-house solutions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Template-loading functions, such as <code>get_template_part()</code> and others, will also <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/40969\">return a value</a> in WordPress 5.5. If the template is not found, the function will return a <code>false</code> value. Otherwise, it will return <code>void</code>. This will be helpful in situations where theme authors need to run a conditional to check if a template exists.</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, 29 Jul 2020 22:05:49 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 8.6 Adds Cover Block Video Positioning and Updates Block Patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102512\";s: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:215:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-8-6-adds-cover-block-video-positioning-and-updates-block-patterns?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gutenberg-8-6-adds-cover-block-video-positioning-and-updates-block-patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4671:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Gutenberg 8.6 <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-july-22/\">landed quietly last week</a>. Much of the focus right now is ironing out the remaining bugs for WordPress 5.5 during its beta cycle. However, that does not mean the Gutenberg project has come to a complete halt in terms of new features. The team is marching forward with extra goodies for those who use the plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest update of the plugin did not cover as much ground as normal, but it does include an enhancement for the Cover block when using a video background and several updates to block patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary focus for version 8.6 was squashing bugs. The development team addressed over three dozen of them while correcting a handful of performance issues. While new features and enhancements from 8.6 onward are not expected in the upcoming WordPress 5.5, most bug fixes should be included.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Focal Point Selector for Video Covers</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Selecting a focal point for a video background.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The Cover block has long allowed users to pick a focal point for background images. However, this feature was missing when users added a background video to the block. As of version 8.6, that is no longer the case. Both image and video backgrounds should work in much the same way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg now has a new &ldquo;<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/22531\">Focal point picker</a>&rdquo; option located under the &ldquo;Media settings&rdquo; tab when adding a video background. Users can select the focal point by dragging the circle icon in the video box or hardcode left and top percentage values in the input fields below it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not a particularly exciting development for most Gutenberg users.  Self-hosting video is not cheap and remains unused for most. However, for those who do use video backgrounds, it is one of those nice-to-have features that is there when needed.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Updated Block Patterns</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Inserting the updated quote block pattern.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The Gutenberg team updated several of the existing block patterns. For the most part, the pattern updates were minor cosmetic changes, tweaks that improve the overall design. The button-related patterns received simple changes, such as new <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/23848\">text labels</a> and <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/23849\">colors</a>. The developers also changed the colors and text of the large header patterns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team moved the header above the columns in the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/23853\">two columns text pattern</a> and changed the text to make the columns appear equal height by default. It is a poor use of textual columns, which would ideally be handled with CSS instead so that it works appropriately across screen sizes. Perhaps it would be better to have a &ldquo;Text Columns&rdquo; block in the long run.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nicest block pattern update was for the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/23881\">quote pattern</a>. It now has an image at the top and a separator at the bottom. It is akin to a single testimonial, which is more of a <em>pattern</em> than a basic quote.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme authors can also <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24042\">remove support</a> for the core block patterns with a single line of code: <code>remove_theme_support( \'core-block-patterns\' )</code>. This does not drop support for patterns altogether. For example, patterns added by plugins or the theme will still appear in the inserter.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Site Icon Used in Fullscreen Mode</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />Site icon appears in top left in fullscreen mode.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When writing in fullscreen mode, the &ldquo;back to posts&rdquo; link has utilized the WordPress logo in the past. In version 8.6, the user&rsquo;s custom <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/22952\">site icon will take its place</a>. However, this will only happen if the user has uploaded an icon via the customizer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am unsure how I feel about this change. In practice, it almost feels like clicking the icon should take me to the front end of the site instead of the post management screen. At least with the WordPress icon, it felt like it was pointing toward an admin-side screen instead. For my workflow, I would rather see this link/icon replaced with a button that toggles between fullscreen and normal mode, popping the admin menu back into place rather than departing the editing screen altogether.</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, 28 Jul 2020 20:59:49 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.5 Release Candidate\";s: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://wordpress.org/news/?p=8732\";s: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:67:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-release-candidate/\";s: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:2968:\"<p>The first release candidate for WordPress 5.5 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an important milestone in the community&#8217;s progress toward the final release of WordPress 5.5. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Release Candidate” means that the new version is ready for release, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible something was missed. WordPress 5.5 is slated for release&nbsp;on&nbsp;<strong>August 11, 2020</strong>, but we need&nbsp;<em>your</em>&nbsp;help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.5 yet,&nbsp;<strong>now is the time</strong>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test the WordPress 5.5 release candidate in two ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Try the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a>&nbsp;plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option)</li><li>Or&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.5-RC1.zip\">download the release candidate here (zip)</a>.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you to all of the contributors who tested the&nbsp;Beta releases and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is a critical part of polishing every release and a great way to contribute to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What’s in WordPress 5.5?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.5 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. To keep up, subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a>&nbsp;and pay special attention to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-5+dev-notes/\">developer notes</a>&nbsp;tag for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plugin and Theme Developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 5.5 and update the&nbsp;<em>Tested up to</em>&nbsp;version in the readme file to 5.5. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a>,&nbsp;so those can be figured out before the final release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;WordPress 5.5 Field Guide, due very shortly, will give you a more detailed dive into the major changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to Help</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English?&nbsp;<a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a>&nbsp;This release also marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a>&nbsp;point of the 5.5 release schedule.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>If you think you’ve found a bug</strong>, you can post to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta\">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you! If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/reports/\">fill one on WordPress Trac</a>, where you can also find <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">a list of known bugs</a>.</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:\"Tue, 28 Jul 2020 19:08:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:9:\"Jb Audras\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:89:\"WPTavern: WordPress to Stick with Online-Only Meetups and WordCamps for Remainder of 2020\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102462\";s: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:223:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-to-stick-with-online-only-meetups-and-wordcamps-for-remainder-of-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-to-stick-with-online-only-meetups-and-wordcamps-for-remainder-of-2020\";s: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:6256:\"<img />photo credit: <a href=\"https://stocksnap.io/photo/macbook-computer-JPZDGEMDH3\">Burst</a>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Community Team has officially updated its guidelines for WordCamps to be online-only events for the remainder of 2020. The six WordCamps on the <a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/schedule/\">schedule</a> through the end of the year were already planning on using an online format but the guidelines also include local <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/events/online/\">meetups</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The team acknowledges that this is not easy for the community that has been heavily based on in-person events and encounters,&rdquo; Timi Wahalahti said in the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/27/in-person-events-in-rest-of-year-2020/\">announcement</a>. &ldquo;Unfortunately, the global coronavirus situation does not seem to be slowing down to a level that would allow us organizing in-person events safely at this time.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guidelines will be re-evaluated in the first quarter of 2021, but some organizers are already planning for online events next year. WordCamp Europe 2021 is the first WordPress event to <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-europe-goes-virtual-for-2021-in-person-conference-to-resume-2022\">go virtual for the coming year</a>, with the in-person event resuming in 2022.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moving what was once a vibrant in-person gathering to a two-dimensional online format is a challenging endeavor, especially when the world is suddenly awash in online events competing for attention. Making virtual events stand out from the crowd is a new marketing challenge. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is something about the magic of WordCamps that gives momentum to ideas and collaboration. While you cannot replicate the chance meetings in the hallway and the priceless conversations over long dinners, online events have the benefit of being more geographically inclusive. The constraints of the pandemic are also challenging our assumptions about how online gatherings are supposed to work.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>WordPress Community Team to Explore New Event Formats, Redefine Relationships with Sponsors, Temporarily Cancel Swag Spending</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The necessity for virtual events has inspired discussion around some new event formats, including a new <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/building-community-beyond-events/\">proposal</a> that decouples online events from geography. WordPress Community manager Hugh Lashbrooke described how events might explore combining synchronous discussions with previously recorded workshops:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>What if we blended those two elements into a program that provides the flexibility of online content, with the value and sense of community that comes with learning together?</p><p>We could publish workshops in a central location (on&nbsp;<code>wordpress.org</code>, for better visibility and reach) and then invite learners to join live discussion groups that cater to different timezones. This &ldquo;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom\">flipped classroom</a>&rdquo; model allows people to learn at their convenience, and then come together for additional development.&nbsp;</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Lashbrooke suggested the workshops could be designed by people who would otherwise be speaking WordCamps and could possibly source content from WordPress.tv or talks that have been given at online meetups.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;There is also potential for longer courses, composed of multiple workshops, and a group that meets repeatedly over time,&rdquo; Lashbrooke said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So far the suggestions in  the comments include introductory workshops for WordPress. These would be timely for newcomers who have recently lost work and are looking to improve their online resumes or portfolios, or start up a new business. Beginner workshops have strong outreach potential if promoted outside of the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the first half of the year, the Community Team began transitioning to facilitating the needs of online events and have continued to work tirelessly to find ways for people to connect. In a recent <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/07/23/moving-forward-with-online-events/\">update</a>, WordPress community organizer Andrea Middleton explained that changes are coming for future online events, which may adopt another name instead of using &ldquo;WordCamp.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to the<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2020/05/11/financial-update-on-wordpress-community-programs/\"> financial position</a> of WordPress Community Support PBC (WPCS), the community team is ending programmatic support for online AV vendor expenses. WordCamps that are not yet on the schedule will be encouraged to get sponsorships if they require the use of a professional AV vendor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Likewise, we have paused plans to spend money on sending swag, T-shirts, or other typical WordCamp collateral,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s important to change our frame of reference for what&rsquo;s necessary to make online events, away from the WordCamp model. Just because we did things a certain way for WordCamps, doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s a high priority for online events.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sponsorships are also being re-examined, as online events haven&rsquo;t quite been able to deliver the same value to sponsors that traditional events did.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The value proposition of online sponsor booths is shaky, and we&rsquo;ve always prided ourselves in partnering with our sponsors,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;Looking ahead, we must examine how much funding we&nbsp;<strong>need</strong>&nbsp;to create events that meet the goals of the team, and let that determine how to best coordinate with our community sponsors to deliver value and further our mission.&rdquo; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The potential for in-person events for the coming year is still uncertain at this point, in the absence of a vaccine ready for commercial distribution. WordPress&rsquo; global sponsorship program has been temporarily suspended and the Community Team plans to work with global sponsors later this year to make a plan for 2021.</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, 28 Jul 2020 01:06:56 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"WPTavern: Are Plugin Authors to Blame for the Poor Admin Notices Experience?\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102405\";s: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:195:\"https://wptavern.com/are-plugin-authors-to-blame-for-the-poor-admin-notices-experience?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=are-plugin-authors-to-blame-for-the-poor-admin-notices-experience\";s: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:6619:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Last Thursday, Vova Feldman published an article asking that we <a href=\"https://freemius.com/blog/wordpress-admin-notices/\">stop blaming plugin authors</a> for the plethora of admin notices that users are bombarded with each day. <em>The real culprit?</em> The lack of a notifications mechanism in WordPress core.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Feldman&rsquo;s post was prompted by a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/scottbolinger/status/1280567235006742528\">tweet</a> in which Scott Bolinger called out plugin authors for letting admin notices get out of control:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Good lord WordPress plugin authors, this is out of control. <a href=\"https://t.co/0S42908C5T\">pic.twitter.com/0S42908C5T</a></p>&mdash; Scott Bolinger (@scottbolinger) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/scottbolinger/status/1280567235006742528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Feldman argues that laying the blame on plugin authors is the wrong way to look at the issue. While I agree that the underlying problem lies with WordPress, plugin authors have played their part in creating an atmosphere where they have become the scapegoat for everything wrong with the system.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have developed plugins since a fateful day in April 2007 in which I released a plugin that simply listed the current page&rsquo;s subpages. I have worked on 100s of plugins for clients and public release since then. In that time, I have maybe added a custom admin notice two times and only when the plugin had a major change, such as a database update. I reserved such notices for the OMGBBQ-very-important-you-need-to-read-this type of stuff. I considered it my duty to create an experience in which the user did not have to dismiss a notice every time one of my plugins received an update.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was not because I was cognizant of the growing issue of dozens of notices on some sites or how often users were being overwhelmed with them. For many years, I worked within a bubble where I simply focused on creating what I considered an ideal experience for my users. I always thought the admin notices system created an abysmal experience. It did not make sense to use it more than necessary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, there were likely a few times over the years where I should have added some sort of notices for changes. Instead, I avoided doing so altogether because WordPress lacked a notifications system. I missed some good opportunities for communication.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To a large extent, the issue stems from this lack of a proper notification system. However, plugin authors have perpetuated this broken system by continuing to use it when unnecessary. They have used it as a billboard to place their <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/black-friday-banner-gone-wrong-advertising-in-free-plugins\">holiday ads</a>. They have used it to upsell commercial versions of their products and services while prompting users for a five-star rating. There is plenty of blame to go around.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of placing blame, we should start asking what tools would solve problems for developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Need for a Better System</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Technically, WordPress simply has a hook and a set of common classes that developers can use in their HTML to provide some different colors for notices. There is no API, and without an API, it is impossible for even third-party plugin developers to even try their hands at creating various solutions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The closest thing WordPress has to an API is a little-known project from the Themes Team that provides a <a href=\"https://github.com/WPTT/admin-notices\">standardized method for theme authors</a> to add notices. However, the project covers only one aspect of admin notices, which is to create a consistent UI.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The admin notice issue cannot be properly addressed without identifying the problems that plugin authors have tried to solve within the system, which at least includes the following:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>User-oriented notifications, generally appearing after a user action.</li><li>Advertising commercial products and services.</li><li>Calls for plugin feedback or star ratings.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the primary issues with the current notification system is that it was created for the first item in that list. The other two items are not necessarily bad things. They are just poor usages of the system in place. However, there is no other standard method to handle those scenarios.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advertising is something we all must deal with in some form or fashion. I am unsure if there could or even should be a standard API for advertising. An outright ban of ads in the admin notice area could create a beast of its own, forcing plugin authors to come up with more obtrusive forms of advertising in other areas of the admin. I want to support advertising but not when that advertising wiggles its way to the top of every admin screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress provides no easy way for end-users to rate or review plugins from their admin interfaces. Having an easy way to provide direct feedback would be immensely helpful for both users and developers. While I am certain many people would argue against such integration with the WordPress.org site (there are arguments against any external integration out of the box), ratings and reviews would require an explicit opt-in from end-users because they would need an account on WordPress.org.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advertising and plugin feedback should not be a part of a discussion on admin notices. However, reality dictates that they are integral to the conversation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first order of business must be to create a new notification system from the ground up. It should provide a standard API for plugin authors while handing over full management capabilities to the site owners. Users should be able to disable notices altogether or even enable/disable notices on a per-plugin basis. <em>Notice that a particular plugin author provides useless notices?</em> Well, just disable notices from that plugin. The author lost their privileges.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>From that point, we can let the progress drive the discussion on what to do about advertising and calls for feedback. A new system may shift them to a new screen &mdash; out of sight out of mind &mdash; but not make those problems disappear.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than anything, it is time for a champion.  The project does not get done without someone who will pave the path forward and earn the green light for a new notifications system in WordPress.</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, 27 Jul 2020 21:40:41 +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:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.5 Beta 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://wordpress.org/news/?p=8719\";s: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/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-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:3766:\"<p>WordPress 5.5 Beta 4 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-81bd56b9-ea44-43ad-ab36-a5ae78b54375\"><strong>This software is still in development,</strong> so it’s not recommended to run this version on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-7cc1bbc6-17f9-44c5-8f67-da4e3059ad69\">You can test WordPress 5.5 Beta 4 in two ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-4840af57-f44b-4d9f-aa64-c6a452392e42\"><li>Try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option)</li><li>Or <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.5-beta4.zip\">download the beta here</a> (zip).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-a40528cb-eb3b-4c8a-8f5e-aa700f1ba086\">WordPress 5.5 is slated for release on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-5/\">August 11th, 2020</a>, and <strong>we need your help to get there</strong>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you to all of the contributors who tested the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-3/\">beta 3</a> development release and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is a critical part of polishing every release and a great way to contribute to WordPress. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-15d6d57f-905d-4a47-9f66-839468a5375a\">Some highlights</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-85da84ec-c841-42f9-8d3b-1a4537a61d10\">Since <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/02/wordpress-5-4-beta-3/\">beta 3</a>, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&changetime=07%2F22%2F2020..07%2F28%2F2020&milestone=5.5&group=component&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority\">43 bugs</a> have been fixed. Here are a few changes in beta 4:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Add <code>\"loading\"</code> as an allowed kses image attribute (see <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50731\">#50731</a>).</li><li>Add filter for the plugin/theme auto-update message in the Info tab of Site health (see <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50663\">#50663</a>).</li><li><code>$_SERVER[\'SERVER_NAME\']</code> not a reliable when generating email host names (see <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/25239\">#25239</a>)</li><li>Several backported fixes from Gutenberg are included in WordPress 5.5 Beta 4 (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24218\">See PR #24218</a>)</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-76156b2b-0a52-4502-b585-6cbe9481f55b\">Developer notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-3fe5e264-0a95-4f12-9a18-0cb9dc5955d1\">WordPress 5.5 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. To keep up, subscribe to the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> and pay special attention to the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-5+dev-notes/\">developers’ notes</a> for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-bc89fd56-47b0-439f-8e2c-4a642c80a616\">How to Help</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-3ff83a77-8b54-4061-ae2d-45fc984cbd76\">Do you speak a language other than English? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev/\">Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-9d871099-ec49-446c-8322-9e49b7498c10\">If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-bd71c1d3-39d9-4b2a-8193-3486497b45fd\">If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">file one on WordPress Trac</a>, where you can also find a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 27 Jul 2020 20:56:46 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"David Baumwald\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"Donncha: Crowdsignal Polls in your Block Editor\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://odd.blog/?p=89503098\";s: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:67:\"https://odd.blog/2020/07/27/crowdsignal-polls-in-your-block-editor/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2423:\"<div class=\"aligncenter crowdsignal-poll-wrapper\"></div>\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://crowdsignal.com/\">Crowdsignal</a> team at Automattic have been quietly working on a new <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/crowdsignal-forms/\">poll block</a> for the last few weeks. We finally made it public today on WordPress.org!</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>We set out with the task of creating a block that would allow the writer to quickly insert a poll in their posts using the block editor. More than that, it had to be simple to use. It also needed to be themed to match the look and feel of the website it would appear on.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve created a block that does that. It also records the votes collected on the Crowdsignal website where you can analyse the results using reports Crowdsignal users have always used.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>Search for &#8220;Crowdsignal Forms&#8221; on your plugins page to install it in the usual way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A free <a href=\"https://crowdsignal.com/\">Crowdsignal</a> account is required to use the block. We made it really easy to connect your site to your Crowdsignal account. If you don&#8217;t have one then creating a new account is simple too.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>The first 2,500 responses you collect are included in your free account, and further votes are recorded but free users are encouraged to upgrade if they want to do further analysis of all the data they collect.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Related Posts</strong><ul><li> <a href=\"https://odd.blog/2004/01/29/htmlarea-the-free-customizable-online-editor/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: HTMLArea &#8212; the free, customizable online editor\">HTMLArea &#8212; the free, customizable online editor</a></li><li> <a href=\"https://odd.blog/2003/04/02/cross-browser-rich-text-editor/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Cross-Browser Rich Text Editor\">Cross-Browser Rich Text Editor</a></li><li> <a href=\"https://odd.blog/2003/05/22/cross-browser-rich-text-editor-work-in-firebird/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Cross-Browser Rich Text Editor &#8211; work in Firebird?\">Cross-Browser Rich Text Editor &#8211; work in Firebird?</a></li></ul></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://odd.blog/2020/07/27/crowdsignal-polls-in-your-block-editor/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Source</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 27 Jul 2020 19:17:46 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7:\"Donncha\";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:11:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:36:\"HeroPress: HeroPress Gets A Surprise\";s: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:29:\"https://heropress.com/?p=3242\";s: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:117:\"https://heropress.com/heropress-gets-a-surprise/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heropress-gets-a-surprise\";s: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:1373:\"<img width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/heropress_cape_video_thumb-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Topher wearing his cape.\" />\n<p>A couple of months ago <a href=\"https://twitter.com/michelleames\">Michelle Frechette</a> approached me about being on a podcast for <a href=\"https://sentree.io\">Sentree.io</a>. I didn&#8217;t realize at the time I was going to be their inaugural guest! We had a great time, and things got back to normal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several weeks later Michelle said they sent me a thanks gift, which was very thoughtful, and that I should have someone video the unboxing. I never once imagined what they actually sent me.  Here&#8217;s the video.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>My family already has all sorts of ideas about how to use it at WordCamps. I just hope it survives being worn ALL DAY EVERY DAY.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s super well made, I snooped a little and found the etsy shop it came from. Really great embroidery and seaming. Really classy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks Sentree, and thanks Michelle.  :)</p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://heropress.com/heropress-gets-a-surprise/\">HeroPress Gets A Surprise</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" 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:\"Mon, 27 Jul 2020 13:31:00 +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:\"\";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"WPTavern: Develop, Test, and Showcase Blocks in Isolation With BlockBook\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102310\";s: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:185:\"https://wptavern.com/develop-test-and-showcase-blocks-in-isolation-with-blockbook?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=develop-test-and-showcase-blocks-in-isolation-with-blockbook\";s: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:4143:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Riad Benguella <a href=\"https://riad.blog/2020/07/22/introducing-blockbook-for-wordpress/\">released BlockBook</a>, a project that promises to overhaul how developers build blocks and more, on Tuesday. It is a development environment that allows creators to work with blocks in isolation, outside of WordPress. Developers can view individual block properties and test output from a defined block library.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>BlockBook is available as an <a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/blockbook-cli\">npm package</a>. Developers can also contribute to the project through its <a href=\"https://github.com/youknowriad/blockbook\">GitHub repository</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Benguella got the idea from <a href=\"https://storybook.js.org/\">Storybook</a>, which is an open-source tool for developing UI components for React, Vue, Angular, and other JavaScript libraries in isolation. It is an environment that makes development and testing more efficient for individual components. It also allows end-users the opportunity to test those components before they are brought into a project. The goal for BlockBook is to bring a similar system to WordPress block development.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;If we think about it a little bit, blocks are reusable units that can live on their own outside of any context, they can be edited visually, and they produce markup,&rdquo; wrote Benguella in the announcement post. &ldquo;They have in fact a lot in common with React Components. They are super-powered React Components.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He believes that BlockBook will be able to solve many of the issues around block development by taking the principles of the Storybook application and employing them into an environment specifically for building, testing, documenting, and sharing blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Benguella has a full <a href=\"https://youknowriad.github.io/blockbook/\">demo available</a> as a GitHub page. Developers can do the same with their plugins or simply host it as a static site on their own server.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />BlockBook example output of the Gallery block.\n\n\n\n<p>In his post, he identified three major challenges that his project is meeting head-on. The first, and most obvious for anyone who has delved into block development, is creating blocks within the WordPress environment. It is a tedious and inefficient process to develop and test blocks in the WordPress admin. By isolating the block code, developers can bypass many of the routine tasks every time they make a code change to a block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second challenge was to figure out a way to make theme testing much easier. For theme authors with one or two themes, testing block styling is relatively easy. However, for businesses, agencies, and others who maintain many themes, there is no good way to quickly see how individual blocks behave for each of the themes. BlockBook allows theme authors to register any number of themes. Essentially, developers add a few lines of code and point to the appropriate stylesheet. Once set up, testing is as simple as switching themes via a dropdown select and moving between individual blocks. All of this happens almost instantly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third part of the equation involves end-users. Currently, users have no good way to test blocks without installing a block plugin, heading to their editor, and tinkering around with it. If they do not like the block, they must start the process all over again. With BlockBook, developers can make their blocks available for testing beforehand. They can even allow end-users to beta test blocks and provide feedback without installing a plugin at all.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, that is still not quite as efficient as Benguella would like. It would rely on individual developers. For the long-term, he hopes the project becomes an official WordPress package. This creates the possibility of WordPress.org automatically building and hosting a BlockBook for plugins and themes, giving users a chance to test before installing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is something that could be revolutionary for users if the official WordPress project could take it on and create a solid user experience around it.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 24 Jul 2020 19:00:52 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"WPTavern: Unsplash Responds to Image Licensing Concerns, Clarifies Reasons for Hotlinking and Tracking\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102268\";s: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:247:\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-responds-to-image-licensing-concerns-clarifies-reasons-for-hotlinking-and-tracking?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=unsplash-responds-to-image-licensing-concerns-clarifies-reasons-for-hotlinking-and-tracking\";s: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:22930:\"<p>Concerns are mounting regarding Unsplash&rsquo;s terms and image licensing after the site <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-launches-official-plugin-for-wordpress\">launched its official WordPress plugin</a> this week. Several people commented on the restrictions and lack of clarity in the license. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The irony here is that this goes against Unsplash&rsquo;s own licensing for images,&rdquo; Aris Stathopoulos commented. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s vague and restrictive to the point where one doesn&rsquo;t even know if they can actually use the images they import.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt Mullenweg responded to Stathopoulos&rsquo; comment, saying, &ldquo;I agree, not sure if this should be allowed in the directory.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last time the site made a major splash in WordPress news was in 2017 after <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-updates-its-license-raises-gpl-compatibility-concerns\">revising its license</a> to prohibit the compilation of photos for the creation of a similar or competing service. Its new branded license made the library&rsquo;s images incompatible with the GPL and unable to distributed with WordPress themes and plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsplash co-founder Luke Chesser believes these comments are due to a misunderstanding about the license change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As you know, themes have a requirement that themes and their content be GPL compatible,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;Outside of themes, WordPress&rsquo;s application of GPL doesn&rsquo;t apply to content in plugins. That&rsquo;s why you can have a YouTube plugin, a Getty Images plugin, a Giphy plugin, etc. &mdash; none of this content is licensed under GPL. In most cases plugins serve content that has a very narrow usage license, much, much more restrictive than the Unsplash License.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why Unsplash Abandoned Creative Commons Zero Licensing</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To understand the sensitivity to Unsplash&rsquo;s licensing change, one must dust off a bit of web history. When the site first started in 2013, the images were licensed under the very permissive&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Commons Zero</a>&nbsp;license. It quickly grew from a Tumblr-hosted photo blog that shared &ldquo;10 new photos every 10 days&rdquo; for free, to one of the most popular photo libraries on the web. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chesser said the real life problems the Unsplash community encountered caused his team to change the licensing to protect photo authors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;People were downloading the images and reselling them on Getty and Shutterstock,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Even if the people doing this made no money, it was such a negative experience for Unsplash contributors that they would remove their images from Unsplash, removing content that was previously available to openly be created with.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Scraping of the site and the library had a similar effect as contributors would see their photos copied over to thousands of free image sites they never signed up for, or worse, their photos being made available to other sites with no attribution.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsplash contributors were likely not fully aware of the freedoms that the CC0 license affords. These problems may be undesirable applications of the license but they were not outright misuses. When Unsplash changed its license, approximately 200,000 images were no longer identified on the site as being part of the public domain. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creative Commons got involved after the organization started receiving questions from users in the open content and free software movements. Ryan Merkley, CEO of Creative Commons at that time, penned an <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/2017/06/22/unsplash/\">update</a> on Unsplash&rsquo;s licensing change to the CC community, expressing the organization&rsquo;s concerns.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Our intention is to ensure that CC community members understand what has happened to a service they have been using that incorporated CC tools, and to protect the content that was dedicated to the public domain,&rdquo; Merkley said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creative Commons called on Unsplash to properly differentiate the works that were previously shared under the irrevocable CC0 license so that they would not disappear from the public domain:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Following the switch to the new Unsplash-branded license, there is no marking of works that were previously shared in the public domain using CC0. The Unsplash API restricts/obscures the full CC0 collection, which we believe to be about 200,000 images, but it isn&rsquo;t possible to access the complete archive. In order to ensure that the commons is maintained, we hope that Unsplash will either a) properly mark all the works shared using CC0 and/or b) make available a full archive of the CC0 works so they can be shared on a platform that supports open licensing and public domain tools. Previous platforms that have gone under or abandoned open license tools have shared their CC archives for this purpose. We hope Unsplash will follow the same path.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsplash declined to identify these images at that time. When I asked Chesser if the company is willing to update their API to differentiate these works, he said they discovered the images were never CC0 to begin with because of Unsplash&rsquo;s terms: </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The 2017 license clarification I described was also brought about because the team from Creative Commons told us that the photos were not licensed under CC0 if there were additional terms stipulated on the terms page. Therefore, the photos were not actually under CC0, as they had been submitted with additional terms attached to them and we could not and can not distribute the&nbsp;photos under the CC0 license. As part of this, we renamed the license to the Unsplash License and clarified the main parts of the terms in the form of the Unsplash License.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The controversy over the license change struck a nerve with those who <a href=\"https://www.designernews.co/stories/84910-unsplash-images-are-no-longer-in-the-public-domain\">perceived the move to be unfair</a> to the community of creators who had been convinced to put their works in the public domain. Unsplash had become a household name on the backs of Creative Commons Zero licensing, with the images fetching more than <a href=\"https://medium.com/unsplash/unsplash-best-of-2017-eb36ee81236\">29 billion views in 2017</a>, only to abandon the license when it was no longer expedient for the growth of their community. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>That body of work that had been originally shared to the public domain was then deftly hidden away (and remains so) with no differentiation in the site&rsquo;s API to identify these images. This is what Mullenweg seemed to be referencing when he <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-launches-official-plugin-for-wordpress#comment-335431\">commented</a> on the plugin launch. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Encouraging hotlinking is also pretty suspicious, especially after the previous bait and switch,&rdquo; Mullenweg said. &ldquo;Maybe if there was a way again to find just the CC0 licensed images, which the Creative Commons also requested, this could be okay to promote.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chesser contends that the Unsplash community had no complaints with the decision and that the only people who were dissatisfied were those who were not contributors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;For anyone who feels that we somehow &lsquo;tricked&rsquo; our community, again, I&rsquo;d point back to the reaction from our actual contributor community &mdash; the people who generously submit their images to Unsplash for others to create with,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;We heard no complaints from this community when we clarified the License in 2017. Had there been an issue,&nbsp;had we somehow been taking&nbsp;advantage of their contributions, we would have certainly heard about it then, as our community are very passionate and vocal. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The only complaints we heard were from people from outside of the Unsplash community &mdash; including Matt &mdash; who have never submitted an image to Unsplash and aren&rsquo;t part of our community. On the internet, there will always be people who disagree with you &mdash; we focus on our community and expanding the number of people who have access to create with images.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This particular licensing conflict seems to have inspired a bit of lasting apprehension regarding Unsplash&rsquo;s willingness to change its license and terms in the future. Allowing a plugin to efficiently pump out thousands of images to WordPress sites could potentially make the platform&rsquo;s user base a vector for disseminating works that someday may not be available with the same freedoms. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Could the terms or licensing of that hotlinking change in the future, as the licensing did in 2017?&rdquo; Mullenweg asked in the comments.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I forsee no future scenario where our terms will ever meaningfully change,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;They will of course occasionally be refined, as all terms are&mdash;like when we added clarifications around GDPR compliance or when we add new features that require a legal definition. But our mission and goal are the same as they have always been: to enable anyone to create with visuals, and our terms will continue to reflect that.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a few in the WordPress community expressed that the license was not clear in terms of what users can do with the images, Chesser said he would be open to making a separate clarification document to address any legitimate concerns.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The actual license has been ruled as very clear by a lot of lawyers and we want to avoid complicating it\'s simplicity with more legalese, but we\'re open to making a separate clarification/side-letter/legal document which addresses any legitimate concerns</p>&mdash; Luke Chesser (@lukechesser) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/lukechesser/status/1286446954197770244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 23, 2020</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>When the 2017 licensing controversy happened, Richard Best, a technology and public lawyer based in New Zealand, said the new Unsplash license <a href=\"http://wpandlegalstuff.com/unsplash-gpl-compatibility-concern-red-herring/\">could use some clarification</a> regarding freedoms for downstream recipients. He suggested changes that rephrase it as follows: &ldquo;Unsplash grants&nbsp;<span>you and every person&nbsp;who comes into possession of the photos</span>&nbsp;a nonexclusive copyright license to&hellip;&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;These changes are intended to ensure that downstream recipients of the photos receive the same licence from Unsplash,&rdquo; Best said. &ldquo;Both the GPL and the Creative Commons licences are structured in this way. Without these changes, distributors of products like website themes may be concerned&nbsp;that the end users of their products will not receive the rights they need to use the photos for their own purposes.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chesser said the&nbsp;Unsplash License and terms were created by the same legal team that created the Creative Commons licenses. Any major differences regarding the freedoms for downstream recipients were likely considered and intentional. It may still be an important clarification, as the block editor continues to make it easier for users to create and share their own designs with images. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Unsplash Clarifies the Purpose of Hotlinking to the CDN and Tracking Views</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The official Unsplash plugin is different from other plugins created to connect users to the free image library in that it hotlinks images to the Unsplash CDN, ostensibly to reduce the site&rsquo;s bandwidth usage and speed up delivery.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The plugin uses the Unsplash CDN to serve Unsplash images while the plugin is installed and enabled,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;At the same time, every image used in a post will also be copied over to the local server and stored there. We store a copy of every image on the local WordPress install so that if the plugin is disabled or removed by the site owner, their posts can continue to serve the local images and don&rsquo;t break, however they lose the features of the Unsplash CDN.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CDN also supports dynamic resizing, compression, cropping, automatic file format conversion, and a number of performance improvements that Chesser said the service has implemented based on what the team as learned from serving tens of billions of images every month for 8+ years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;When we talked to publishers, these features were extremely important to them,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Rather than try to rebuild the wheel in WordPress, we wanted to offer these features to publishers as they aren&rsquo;t supported natively by WordPress and are table stakes for modern image serving.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Unsplash CDN exists to serve the needs of Buzzfeed, Trello, Adobe, Dropbox, Notion, and 2,200+ official <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/developers\">API integrations</a>. It also gives Unsplash contributors a better idea of the real number of views of the content they post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;This outsized distribution of their images is one of the main reasons that photographers post on Unsplash,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;A quick <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=unsplash%20views&src=typed_query\">search on twitter</a> gives you a good idea for how important this phenomenon is to our contributors.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One commenter <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-launches-official-plugin-for-wordpress#comment-335442\">said</a> that she was put off by the official plugin&rsquo;s requirement to authenticate, since competing plugins don&rsquo;t add this extra layer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;They can now force user sign ups to inflate their user base even though other plugins just serve images without any sort of authentication,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;What is the point in a user authenticating to only receive an API key? It&rsquo;s not like you can access Likes or your collection with only the API key.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Serving images from their CDN also allows them to track image views and URLs which helps inflate the download and view counts for their contributors. These other plugins like Instant Images downloads the file to your media library which would only count as a single download. I&rsquo;m going to stick with Instant Images as I don&rsquo;t feel like feeding the advertising machine.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Responses to the plugin&rsquo;s approach were mixed, but overall it seemed that most users were delighted to cut a few steps out of their workflow for posting images to WordPress. The plugin has more than 300 downloads in 48 hours.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Is Unsplash in Violation of the WordPress Plugin Directory&rsquo;s Guidelines?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After Matt Mullenweg raised concerns about the plugin&rsquo;s suitability for the directory, commenters called in similar concerns about the Pexels library, which Automattic uses in Jetpack.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsplash does not appear to be in violation of the official WordPress.org plugin directory guidelines. Earlier this year when asked about a different plugin that imports an Unsplash image, Plugin Team member Samuel Otto Wood <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C1LBM36LC/p1581854898429000\">responded</a> using an Unsplash-specific example: </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Let&rsquo;s simplify this right down to basics: Lets say you made a plugin that imports images from Unsplash into your site. That plugin is fine. It has no images in it, the purpose of it is to access a library of images and allow you to pull them into your site. You have to take actions to pull in those images. That is perfectly acceptable for being hosted on&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://w.org/\">w.org</a>. So, you can&rsquo;t use Unsplash images in your plugin hosted here. But if it pulls them from somewhere else via user action and intention, fine.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Chesser sees the concerns regarding the clarity of Unsplash&rsquo;s licensing as unwarranted, given Automattic&rsquo;s use of the Pexels library.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Pexels made a clone of the Unsplash License with the exact same restrictions shortly after we updated it in 2017,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;At no point has WordPress expressed any skepticism that the Pexels License is legally vague. Given that they have instead created multiple official partnerships with Pexels, including adding it to Jetpack, then I would expect that they consider the license to be legally clear.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Pexels and Unsplash licenses share similar restrictions but Pexels has more restrictions on how images can be used. Chesser believes the renewed concerns are entirely founded on Unsplash&rsquo;s controversial 2017 licensing change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Before 2017, we had a strong relationship with WordPress,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;Since then, WordPress has essentially cut off all ties with Unsplash and instead made partnerships with Pexels to integrate into WordPress features. What&rsquo;s strange though is that shortly after we clarified our license in 2017, Pexels did the same thing, adding the same restrictions&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.pexels.com/terms-of-service/#restrictions-on-use-of-the-service-and-content:~:text=to%20portray%20any%20person%20depicted%20in,engaging%20in%20immoral%20or%20criminal%20activities%3B\" target=\"_blank\">plus a few additional ones</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Specifically, you can see that they have the same restriction around&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.pexels.com/license/#flash-container:~:text=Don\'t%20sell%20unaltered%20copies%20of%20a,physical%20product%20without%20modifying%20it%20first.\" target=\"_blank\">reselling of content</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.pexels.com/license/#flash-container:~:text=Don\'t%20redistribute%20or%20sell%20the%20photos%20and%20videos%20on%20other%20stock%20photo%20or%20wallpaper%20platforms.\" target=\"_blank\">same restriction around recompiling and scraping of the site</a>. (Note: they use the word redistribute on the license page, but&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.pexels.com/terms-of-service/#intellectual-property:~:text=the%20right%20to%20compile%20any%20Pexels%20Content%20to%20replicate%20a%20similar%20or%20competing%20Service%3B\" target=\"_blank\">use the word compile in their terms</a>.)&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://xwp.co/\">XWP</a>, the agency that Unsplash partnered with to build the plugin, said the license is &ldquo;significantly less restrictive than Pexels, Youtube, Getty, Spotify and many other examples you&rsquo;ll find throughout the plugin directory.&rdquo; If this plugin is in violation, then many others would be called into question along with it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As rule 6 on the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress.org</a> plugin guidelines clearly state: &lsquo;Plugins that act as an interface to some external third party service (e.g. a video hosting site) are allowed, even for paid services,&rdquo; XWP CTO Derek Herman said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;As their high quality images are available as an API, we built a community plugin up to WordPress VIP coding standards so that Unsplash would work on a variety of use cases, from WordPress versions 4.9 to 5.4. Integration with APIs has been key to WordPress&rsquo; growth over the past few years.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Herman also cited several prominent examples of content integrations with varying licenses and terms that govern the content:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>A leading enterprise publishing plugin is <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/getty-images/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Getty Images</a>, which is a <a href=\"https://wpvip.com/plugins/getty-images/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress VIP partner plugin</a> and has long been used by larger organizations. It primarily sells &ldquo;restricted-usage&rdquo; images connected to a network of media sources like newspapers and freelancers.</li><li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/embeds/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress core has extensive oembed support for third parties</a>, which takes third-party URLs and parses them in a way to link to the site. While Amazon Kindle, Spotify and Youtube&rsquo;s content licensing rules are quite restrictive, the goal of these integrations are to encourage content creators to tell stories with what they find across the internet.</li><li>In its most recent release <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2020/07/07/87-easier-reach-customers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jetpack included two exciting new media integrations</a>&mdash;Google Photos and Pexels&mdash;which are certainly relevant here. Pexels actually has a &ldquo;<a href=\"https://help.pexels.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043229813-Can-I-use-photos-and-videos-from-Pexels-in-a-political-campaign-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">political views</a>&rdquo; clause in their license. As they do not define what is a &ldquo;political policy or viewpoint&rdquo; it could be viewed as too restrictive as nearly any post could be construed as being political.</li><li>There are a few other plugins using Unsplash in the WordPress ecosystem, such as <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/instant-images/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instant Images</a> (which has been in the directory for over three years). In fact, WordPress Release lead Riad Benguella wrote a great prototype plugin called &ldquo;<a href=\"https://wptavern.com/drop-it-plugin-brings-gifs-and-unsplash-photos-to-gutenberg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drop It</a>,&rdquo; which integrates with both GIPHY and Unsplash, and served as inspiration for us on this project.&nbsp;</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At the moment, it seems Unsplash is within WordPress.org&rsquo;s plugin directory guidelines, but if its terms and licensing are deemed incompatible, many media integrations in the plugin ecosystem will also be called into question. Users who object to Unsplash&rsquo;s method of delivery can always opt to use a plugin with a different approach. Those who want to support libraries that serve images with GPL-compatible licensing can check out the Theme Team&rsquo;s list of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/resources/#recommended-websites-for-images\">recommended sources</a> and look for plugins that integrate those.</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, 24 Jul 2020 17:24:29 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:93:\"WPTavern: Revised Block Directory Guidelines Proposal Updates Wording but Changes Little Else\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102315\";s: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:231:\"https://wptavern.com/revised-block-directory-guidelines-proposal-updates-wording-but-changes-little-else?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=revised-block-directory-guidelines-proposal-updates-wording-but-changes-little-else\";s: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:6513:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Yesterday, Alex Shiels <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2020/07/22/proposed-block-directory-guidelines/\">posted an update</a> to the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-plugin-guidelines/pull/70/files#diff-bcf4c6e86251a8d088c6bd5800c476ff\">proposed guidelines</a> for the WordPress block directory. The document adds eight rules for plugin authors to follow if they plan to add their one-off blocks to the directory. The guidelines are additional requirements on top of the existing plugin directory guidelines.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the wording and organization of the block guidelines received a revamp in comparison to the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-plugin-guidelines/blob/87a9a17eca6d4b39a6bb4b1f2c8dcf33aff26336/blocks.md\">original proposal</a>, the overall sentiment is unchanged. Shiels thanks community developers for the feedback on the original guidelines but does not go into detail about the things that changed as a result.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary guidelines are mostly expected, run-of-the-mill requirements for blocks. Developers need a <code>block.json</code> file. They should name stuff appropriately. Plugins should contain only a single block. Plugins should only touch the block editor. Blocks should work seamlessly once activated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The remaining guidelines are certain to be a disappointment or point of contention for some developers.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Monetization Still Not Allowed</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The largest <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/can-the-block-directory-and-business-interests-coexist\">feedback on the guidelines</a> we received here at the Tavern surrounded what is essentially a blanket ban on commercial interests for block developers. Blocks still cannot hook into a paid service or advertise within the admin. This limitation will obviously turn away many businesses that may have been looking forward to the block directory as a potential avenue for profit. Right now, one-off blocks will need to be built by those with altruistic interests, giving back to the community simply out of the kindness of their hearts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to do that, it is not attractive to developers who are primarily focused on putting food on the table. Hobbyists and larger businesses with the resources to give back will be well-suited to add blocks to the directory. However, it will give a lot of developers pause because it is unlikely a good return on investment. Instead, those developers are more likely to submit their blocks to the normal plugin directory with their normal upsell methods. This will only serve to make block discoverability harder for end-users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a missed opportunity to build a well-rounded system that is fair to both users and developers who need to make a living. Whether it is through the plugin tag system or specific guidelines on monetization, we could have built something that made everyone a little happy and a little mad, a compromise that merged a good user interface and experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not like there have been no proposals. In January, Luke Carbis wrote a detailed outline of <a href=\"https://carb.is/2020/01/block-business/\">how WordPress could provide a middle ground</a> between sustainability (business models) and accessibility (free options) with the upcoming block directory. His fear was that the block directory would be full of blocks without updates in a few years because the completely free model is unsustainable. His proposal was a badge-based system that let users know if a block contained ads, used a freemium model, or required a sign-in to a third-party service.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current guideline is not set in stone. This is the first version of the block directory. It is not out of the question that the team could change things as the directory grows over time.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>No Love for Server-Side Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The block directory guidelines are still heavily geared toward static blocks. PHP must be kept at a minimum and primarily be used to load any necessary scripts and stylesheets. Server-side blocks are not getting much attention at the moment, which may be a limitation of the software.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be great to see a way for some server-side blocks to be included in the block directory. For example, a breadcrumbs block would need to rely heavily on PHP to render its output. It is a dynamic block rather than static. This particular block would not be useful until full-site editing lands in WordPress, which is still several months away. However, I am getting the itch to turn an old breadcrumbs plugin of mine into a block. It would be neat to see it listed in the block directory.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are countless other scenarios. Post lists, product grids, and data pulled from external APIs are all good use cases for one-off blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Dependencies Are Not Allowed</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Given the way that WordPress works, it makes sense to ban dependencies on other plugins for any particular block to function. This is an old limitation that is rearing its head again. Every other modern framework uses some sort of dependency management to address this problem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The block directory has the potential to exacerbate the problem even further. Because plugins coming from this directory will be single blocks, it will often mean that developers are using the same bits of code across multiple projects. For example, an end-user may activate multiple block plugins that rely on the same JavaScript library. Because there is no 100%, sure-fire way to make sure only one instance of this library is loaded, users may be running multiple instances of it on their sites. It is not a new problem, but smaller block plugins mean that users are more likely to install more plugins. It increases the probability of running into this issue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there was any sort of basic dependency management for plugin authors to use in WordPress, it would solve a world of problems. Over the years, developers have created methods to minimize the issues stemming from the lack of such a system. However, nothing is foolproof without a standard to follow.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has also held developers back from building libraries, scripts, and tools that could benefit the entire development community as a whole. Everyone builds their own things in-house, and the block directory is making a promise for more of the same.</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, 23 Jul 2020 20:38:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"WPTavern: Google Delays Mobile-First Indexing Deadline to March 2021\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102262\";s: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:181:\"https://wptavern.com/google-delays-mobile-first-indexing-deadline-to-march-2021?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-delays-mobile-first-indexing-deadline-to-march-2021\";s: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:3509:\"<p>Google had set September 2020 as the deadline for when it would begin to fully switch over to crawling and indexing sites using mobile-first indexing but announced today that site owners will have more time to prepare. The deadline has been <a href=\"https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2020/07/prepare-for-mobile-first-indexing-with.html\">extended to March 2021</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mobile-first indexing is a long-term plan that Google began rolling out in July 2019 by enabling it for new domains. The company cited &ldquo;these uncertain times&rdquo; as the reason for delaying the next phase of the rollout. The announcement also referenced further testing that showed a number of common issues sites are having in making the transition. Google urged site owners to pay close attention to several important issues:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Robots meta tags on mobile version should match the desktop version or Google may fail to index or follow links on the page.</li><li>Do not lazy-load primary content based on user interactions (like swiping, clicking, or typing), because the Googlebot doesn&rsquo;t trigger these user interactions.</li><li>Avoid the bad practice of using smaller images on mobile to fit the smaller screen. Small and low quality image will not be favorably indexed.</li><li>Ensure content on the mobile version matches the desktop, since only the mobile version will be used for indexing and ranking in Search. </li><li>Include meaningful alt text for images.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Google also outlined several other tips for image and video markup and placement. The announcement is essentially a tutorial for how to improve common mistakes that can negatively impact mobile ranking and indexing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since mobile-first indexing is already enabled for most currently crawled sites, some speculated that the delayed deadline was due to hastily migrated mobile subdomain sites. John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, confirmed this is the case and advised site owners to avoid this dated approach and update at the nearest opportunity.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That\'s basically the inverse of how it was before, when desktop URLs were sometimes shown in mobile serps. Ideally, you\'d redirect by device type. M-dot sites do make things harder; for new sites I\'d avoid them, for older sites, I\'d fix with the next bigger revamp.</p>&mdash; &#127820; John &#127820; (@JohnMu) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JohnMu/status/1285877309862563840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 22, 2020</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the advent of responsive design, many WordPress site owners added plugins that would create a separate mobile site to provide a more mobile-friendly browsing experience. Website visitors soon expected the entire web to be available to them on the devices they carried around in their pockets. This is now the primary way that people interact with the web, and Google&rsquo;s mobile-first indexing is a reflection of this new reality.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your WordPress site is still relying on a plugin to create a separate mobile site, or if you are using a plugin for lazy loading, make sure that the solution you have in place is following  Google&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/mobile-first-indexing\">mobile-first indexing best practices</a>. There are still 9 months remaining before Google makes mobile-first indexing and ranking the default for the entire web.</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, 22 Jul 2020 23:20:37 +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:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:60:\"WPTavern: Zero BS CRM Rebrands and Relaunches as Jetpack CRM\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102138\";s: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:165:\"https://wptavern.com/zero-bs-crm-rebrands-and-relaunches-as-jetpack-crm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zero-bs-crm-rebrands-and-relaunches-as-jetpack-crm\";s: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:5649:\"<img />Jetpack CRM welcome screen.\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Mike Stott, co-creator of Zero BS CRM, <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2020/07/20/introducing-jetpack-crm/\">announced the launch of Jetpack CRM</a> on Monday. The news was the seemingly inevitable rebranding of the original plugin that he and Woody Hayday had built. Automattic, the owner of the Jetpack plugin, acquired the project almost a year ago. While <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/zero-bs-crm/\">Jetpack CRM</a> carries the &ldquo;Jetpack&rdquo; name, it is still a standalone project and has a <a href=\"https://jetpackcrm.com/\">dedicated website</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>CRM stands for &ldquo;customer relationship management.&rdquo; Such systems allow businesses to manage relationships through an interface but can vary extensively in user experience. The goal is to manage contacts, sales, and productivity through the software.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The duo of Stott and Hayday have had a bit of a journey in the past year. In August 2019, <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-zero-bs-crm-considers-rebranding-it-as-jetpack-crm\">Automattic acquired the project</a> and provided the resources for the team to continue working on Zero BS CRM. The <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/zero-bs-crm-3-0-improves-ui-changes-database-structure-and-becomes-more-extendable\">3.0 launch</a> in December 2019 was a massive undertaking that included a major database change and UI improvements. Since then, they have worked toward rebranding the project. Stott also did this with a newborn in his family.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When version 3.0 of Zero BS CRM launched, Stott said they were still discussing whether to rebrand and bring the plugin under the Jetpack umbrella. They were gathering user feedback at the time, but his primary focus was on developing features. The name was not the foremost thing on his mind. However, branding can make or break even a good project, and Jetpack is as close to a household name as any product coming out of the WordPress ecosystem. It made sense to lean on that branding.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Jetpack&rsquo;s mission is to help entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed by providing tools that keep their sites fast and secure,&rdquo; said Stott. &ldquo;We felt that from within the Automattic family, this was a great match. We created ZBS CRM with the same end goal in mind &mdash; helping you succeed through better customer relationships, so it just made sense.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After nearly a year beyond the acquisition, Stott feels like things are going great within the new environment at Automattic. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve found the right product fit within Automattic,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In Jetpack, we&rsquo;re happy that we can really push the CRM, and it&rsquo;s exciting to be part of the bigger WordPress family and being able to integrate with WooCommerce, etc.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Version 4.0 of the plugin primarily changes the branding in the admin and lightens the UI background. The team has also continued to add small changes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Looking ahead, we&rsquo;re excited to continue developing the CRM following user feedback,&rdquo; said Stott. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be working on our roadmap and, of course, how we can best integrate with the Jetpack family.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Growing and the Future</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Jetpack CRM currently has 3,000+ active installs. This is up from 2,000 since the launch of version 3.0 last December. It has been a slow road thus far. However, there is room for growth. The leading CRM plugin, Hubspot, has 100,000+ active installs. There should be plenty of room for competing plugins in the CRM market.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a massive opportunity for CRM in the WordPress space,&rdquo; said Stott. &ldquo;A CRM is not like installing an SEO plugin on every website you own &mdash; generally you&rsquo;d only have a single CRM for your business &mdash; but it&rsquo;s the core of your business. The fact that 3,000+ users and counting are choosing WordPress to run their CRM is a great start.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jetpack brand should help spur some of the growth, particularly if Automattic pushes it as an add-on within the primary Jetpack plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;[Jetpack] has substantial reach among website owners who would benefit from a CRM but may not know what a CRM is,&rdquo; said Stott. &ldquo;While we&rsquo;re happy that the plugin is still growing organically, we are just about set up to really push Jetpack CRM with full force.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stott believes the Hubspot comparison isn&rsquo;t apples-to-apples. Unlike Jetpack CRM, the Hubspot plugin pushes users to an app that is hosted off-site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;While this makes sense for some users, it doesn&rsquo;t really take advantage of the huge benefits that native WordPress plugins offer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Jetpack CRM sits on the user&rsquo;s servers. Users manage and control their own data &mdash; a huge win under the GDPR whereas a site owner you&rsquo;re legally required to know where your data is held. Not to mention that the plugin is also extendable.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stott said he has always loved the WordPress community&rsquo;s open-source approach and the freedoms that it provides to build something custom or extend what is already there. There should be ample opportunity for developers to extend Jetpack CRM&rsquo;s codebase.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;To my mind, there has never been a more exciting time for plugins like Jetpack CRM, which we envision as the &lsquo;business layer&rsquo; for modern entrepreneurs, much like WooCommerce has democratized eCommerce,&rdquo; he said.</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, 22 Jul 2020 19:21:47 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:44;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:57:\"WPTavern: Unsplash Launches Official Plugin for WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=101136\";s: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:159:\"https://wptavern.com/unsplash-launches-official-plugin-for-wordpress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=unsplash-launches-official-plugin-for-wordpress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6658:\"<p><a href=\"https://unsplash.com/\">Unsplash</a> has released its own <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/unsplash/\">official plugin for WordPress</a>, co-developed with the team at <a href=\"https://xwp.co/\">XWP</a>. The plugin seamlessly connects Unsplash&rsquo;s 1 million+ free high-resolution image library with the WordPress editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https://cloudup.com/cUQ5pBCD6jD\"><img src=\"https://cldup.com/3UUPV-2ayL.gif\" alt=\"Post usage 1\" width=\"1100\" height=\"612\" /></a>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can easily search Unsplash directly inside the custom block and insert images with attribution and alt description info automatically filled in. The selected images are download and added to the WordPress media library, saving users the trouble of having to leave their dashboards to search, download, and upload images. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsplash co-founder Luke Chesser described the project as &ldquo;bringing the internet&rsquo;s image library to the internet&rsquo;s publishing platform.&rdquo; Although the plugin is useful for any type of website &ndash; from small blogs to businesses, it was large publishing organizations that provided the impetus for Unsplash to develop an official integration for WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been working with a lot of publishers as they integrate Unsplash into their publishing flows to replace legacy solutions,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;With so many publishers being powered by WordPress, we saw a repeated need for a high quality integration that could be shared by all of the publishers. In order to best serve them, we needed to offer something that we could ensure met their needs both now and in the future.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/instant-images/\">Instant Images</a>, a plugin that boasts one-click Unsplash uploads, is currently the largest competitor to the adoption of the official plugin with more than 50,000 active installs. Many other plugins have also added some form of Unsplash integration in the past. Chesser said his team has loved seeing the variety of applications developers have created with their API and they were hesitant to create their own plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We saw a gap between the things big and small publishers were telling us, and the way the existing plugins had been developed,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Most existing plugins reupload the image to the WordPress library and then treat it as a standard image, which breaks a handful of things:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Image attribution to the original photographer is usually lost (or is no longer supported past the first usage)</li><li>The time it takes for the server to download the image and then reupload it can be slow</li><li>Out of the box, WordPress&rsquo;s current support for dynamic image URLs that adapt to the device connection and screen size is limited and by using the&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;CDN, we could ensure that the right size image is served to better optimize for performance.&rdquo;</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When developing the official plugin, Unsplash and XWP took feedback from publishers and aimed to improve on how existing plugins handled images. After testing it, I found the search feature was fast and setup was a breeze. The plugin handles everything for the user invisibly in the background and its integration with the block editor makes it feel like a natural part of WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Unsplash Aims to Increase Its Audience by Enhancing the Publishing Workflow for WordPress Publishers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As Unsplash looks to define a new economic model around photography, WordPress-powered sites are a major consideration, since the platform powers <a href=\"https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress\">more than 37%</a> of Alexa&rsquo;s&nbsp;top 10 million&nbsp;websites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven years after it started as a Tumblr blog, Unsplash is moving to directly monetize the site by working with brands to create photos that will appear in search results. &ldquo;Unsplash for Brands&rdquo; launched in December 2019 as an answer to the question of how Unsplash will make money. Companies pay to have their branded images show up prominently in search results alongside other organically ranking images that match users&rsquo; queries. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;While they serve completely different purposes, I think a lot of brands are growing tired of the state of digital advertising today, with Facebook and Google having a host of problems around privacy, targeting, and negative consequences for culture,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;Unsplash&nbsp;allows brands to influence the visual mindshare of the internet while having an authentic and positive impact on their audience.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Launching an official WordPress plugin is a strategic move for Unsplash as it puts those branded images in front of a larger audience with users searching directly within the editor. Although the company continues to push out new features to the&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;API, many publishers did not have the resources to create their own integrations.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;After so many conversations with publishers, both big and small, that want to integrate the&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;library but can&rsquo;t due to resources, we felt that we needed to offer something more ready to use than the raw API or SDKs,&rdquo; Chesser said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We built the current version of the&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;for WordPress plugin so that it meets those needs of publishers now, but we know that we can push it a lot further in the future.&rdquo; </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first iteration of the plugin mirrors the flow and features that a user would have while navigating unsplash.com, while keeping the writer inside the editor. Now that Unsplash is integrated into the WordPress publishing flow, Chesser sees the opportunity to add more interesting features. Open sourcing the plugin also has the potential to increase Unsplash&rsquo;s audience as developers extend its core features for use in other plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Using the context of the post, we can help suggest images or prefill a search using natural language processing,&rdquo; Chesser said. &ldquo;We can link together&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;images with other WordPress tools to help publishers edit and process images directly in their posts. And with a lot of the work from the plugin being focused on making&nbsp;Unsplash&nbsp;images work natively inside of the WordPress Media Library, we can even open-source the core in such a way that developers can extend and reuse the functionality, avoiding duplication across all of our third party WordPress plugins.&rdquo;</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, 21 Jul 2020 23:33:34 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:45;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"WPTavern: Why Accessibility Matters for WordPress Themes and Their Users\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102133\";s: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:189:\"https://wptavern.com/why-accessibility-matters-for-wordpress-themes-and-their-users?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-accessibility-matters-for-wordpress-themes-and-their-users\";s: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:13307:\"<p>&ldquo;Do you ever read the subtitles on a video so you didn&rsquo;t need to unmute it?&rdquo; asked William Patton, a representative from the WordPress Themes Team. &ldquo;Used the &lsquo;beep&rsquo; from a crosswalk to know when to cross the road? Found yourself reading the info panel at an airport? Those things are considered features, but in reality, they are aids for people with additional needs.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I talked with Patton and other reps from the Themes Team, it was clear they believed accessibility was a vital piece of the theme-building puzzle. The team has made small moves in the last year to bring more themes up to standards. However, it has been a slow-going process.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last July, the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-theme-review-team-initiates-new-long-term-plan-to-make-all-wordpress-org-themes-accessible\">team initiated a plan</a> to add a new guideline every two months or so that would address a single accessibility issue. It would become every theme author&rsquo;s responsibility to make sure they were meeting the new guidelines. It would be every reviewer&rsquo;s responsibility to understand how to test guidelines as they were implemented. Thus far, the team has required only that themes have a working skip-to-content link and keyboard-capable navigation menus.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every theme author was excited about the move. Some have still shown resistance a year later.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, we covered the Astra theme&rsquo;s news of hitting 1 million active installs. A <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/astra-becomes-the-only-non-default-wordpress-theme-with-1-million-installs#comment-335038\">commenter made a point</a> that the data shows that end-users do not care about accessibility &mdash; the Astra theme makes no mention of being accessibility-ready. The conclusion was that the Themes Team should not be implementing such guidelines based on the success of one of the directory&rsquo;s most popular themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are several things we could do to pick apart the original comment and the limited view of the situation, we can instead use it as a catalyst to discuss why accessibility is something that should be at the forefront of every theme author&rsquo;s mind. Patton, along with Themes Team representatives Carolina Nymark and Denis &#381;oljom, had a lot to say on the subject.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The overarching theme was that awareness is vital and that theme developers play a crucial role in making the web more accessible.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Awareness Is Key</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>&#381;oljom likened the awareness of accessibility to that of a cisgender person looking at the world from the perspective of a transgender person. Once he became aware of larger issues, he made sure to address gender-specific pronouns in his code comments, such as replacing instances of &ldquo;he&rdquo; with &ldquo;they.&rdquo; He hopes such small changes spark similar changes from others.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said the situation was the same with accessibility. &ldquo;It might not mean much to a person who doesn&rsquo;t have any disabilities, but putting yourself in somebody else&rsquo;s shoes changes one&rsquo;s perspective. This is why we started to include things like skip links, keyboard nav, etc.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team does not hope theme authors will merely become technically proficient at addressing accessibility issues in their themes. While that would be a help from a review standpoint, it addresses only the symptoms rather than root causes of the issues. Instead, by making more developers aware, they will begin to look at development from multiple perspectives. They will ask how a screen-readers will handle their theme. They will ask whether their colors have enough contrast for low-vision users to read. They will wonder if non-mouse users can navigate their users&rsquo; sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The technical stuff is the easy part. Changing perspectives and becoming more empathetic toward those who are different is much more difficult. But not impossible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;A lot of us who build for the web are lacking some basic insights into what it is like to have additional needs beyond what is our own normal,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;There is a saying: &lsquo;if you could see it through my eyes, you would see it differently.&rsquo; If you could see through the eyes of someone with color blindness or impaired vision, you quite literally would see things differently.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trouble with humans, in general, is that it can sometimes be hard to see things through someone else&rsquo;s eyes. Of course, there are tools to simulate accessibility issues for developers, so that helps. However, these tools do not replicate what it is like to walk through life with a particular impairment or disability. Some of us can only partially glimpse the difficulties that others may have when navigating the web. This does not mean that we cannot address the downfalls of the software we build and become more inclusive to all people, especially if we are proactive when issues are raised.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nymark identified a few areas where the community can improve awareness:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Make sure that all contributors are aware of the WordPress accessibility requirements so that all new features are accessible.</li><li>Highlight accessibility improvements when WordPress is updated.</li><li>Feature more diverse use cases and highlight areas where the accessibility that is built into WordPress has helped people share and access important content.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The themes team hopes that by making theme authors aware of accessibility issues, authors will learn that even small changes to their code and design can have a great positive impact,&rdquo; she said.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Is Accessibility Important to End-Users?</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Certainly, accessibility is important for <em>some</em> users. It certainly mattered to Guillermo Robles, a blind man who sued pizza chain Domino&rsquo;s in 2016 for an inaccessible website. The court case was important enough that it moved through the system all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ultimately, the <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/u-s-supreme-court-denies-dominos-appeal-to-determine-whether-websites-must-be-accessible\">higher court denied Domino&rsquo;s appeal</a> of an earlier ruling. The U.S. 9th Circuit court had previously ruled that business websites fall under Title III of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and must meet accessibility standards.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a landmark case in the U.S. for accessibility advocates last October. It is also worth remembering as we near the upcoming 30th anniversary of the ADA on July 26.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Domino&rsquo;s is a billion-dollar business. The company has enough money to fight such battles for years. They also have the money to hire world-class web developers to correct any accessibility issues.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, for small business owners, hiring a single developer, much less an entire agency or team, is often a non-starter. Many small businesses are fortunate to break even. WordPress and its ecosystem of free or low-cost solutions have democratized eCommerce on a scale previously unwitnessed. It means that mom-and-pop stores can have an online presence. It means teens can begin selling their custom art and a multitude of others can make money online without the backing of wads of cash.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For these small business owners, many are unaware of accessibility concerns. They pick up a few plugins and find a theme that suitably matches their branding. The possibility of an impending accessibility-related lawsuit is the furthest thing from their mind. This is a major reason that WordPress needs to be a leader in meeting accessibility standards. Themes, which are the part of the site that visitors will interact with, are possibly the most important part of that equation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some would argue that small business owners should understand the laws of their jurisdiction. That is true. However, it is also partly the responsibility of the software creators, says the Theme Team representatives.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Yes, the technology should account for additional needs,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;Yes, the tooling should enable people to make good choices with regards to this. Yes, it should be easy to meet a minimum level of accessibility in the things we create with ease. Yes, it should be a fair assumption that the choices available to pick from are accessible.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The web is inherently accessible out of the box. Raw HTML is read and output by web browsers in such a way that the content can be accessed by anyone. Patton says that it is the things that developers do from that point forward that makes that experience better or worse.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Trade-offs are made that are well-intentioned but not always helpful,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Design trade-offs are the easiest to point out. Taking text and embedding it into an image means that some of its value is lost in exchange for it looking pretty. Using closely matching colors for text and background might create an interesting effect to some people but for others, it makes it impossible to read. Sometimes it&rsquo;s about balancing those trade-offs with the needs of others, but it is those kinds of trade-offs that most people struggle to give up.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nymark described some more technical issues that the average end-user should expect to simply be a non-issue. For example, it is reasonable to assume that a theme installed from the official WordPress directory would be free from HTML, PHP, and JavaScript errors. These are items that users should not have to worry about checking before activating the theme on their site. The errors should simply not exist.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is that level of quality control that end-users should expect in terms of accessibility, an assurance that the theme does all the things it is supposed to do. It is not about whether end-users &ldquo;care&rdquo; about accessibility.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;If a form on a shop checkout page is not working, this can lead to loss of income,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Users rely on the technical solution provided by plugins and themes and expect everyone to be able to use their shop. Whether or not the site owner recognizes this as an accessibility issue is irrelevant because their page just needs to work.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why Theme Authors Should Care</h2>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;If those who choose themes don&rsquo;t consider accessibility and the theme author did not consider it, then the [visitors] of the sites built with those themes are the ones that lose out,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a huge leap to realize that low accessibility on your site directly equates to a reduction of potential users.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that end-users would naturally assume the themes they are picking from do not have accessibility issues. However, that assumption is typically far from accurate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Theme authors should care about the accessibility of their creations so that the people picking their themes don&rsquo;t need to use it as a deciding factor,&rdquo; he said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>My go-to response is that developers should concern themselves with accessibility because it is for the collective good. Humans should care about making sure that all other humans have the same freedoms that they enjoy, which are often take for granted.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even those who cannot view it from that perspective should be able to appreciate that it is a smart business decision. It makes little sense to leave money on the table, especially if you are a developer who is selling a theme or upselling additional features on top of a free theme. There is an entire segment of users that represents money lost.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, more and more countries are implementing laws around web accessibility. Over time, such laws will be commonplace, particularly in the business sector. Inaccessible themes will lose users as such laws are enforced. Now is a good time to get ahead of impending change.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>More Guidelines Ahead</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Themes Team has been slow about adopting additional guidelines surrounding accessibility. However, more are expected to land at some point. Team reps want to work with authors and reviewers alike to make the transition as painless as possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;We have not added anything else because theme authors are still not releasing themes with working implementations of skip links and usable keyboard navigation,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;When those two things become habitual, it will be time to introduce another aspect as a requirement.&rdquo;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next guideline in line is expected to be underlined links in the post content. This would be an easy win if the team can get past the current stage. Right now, the team reps are unsure when that will happen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;The fact that this has taken so long for authors to get this right probably indicates that we need to do better at guiding them to resources to learn how to do it and why it is important,&rdquo; said Patton. &ldquo;Perhaps that is a better avenue to pursue than looking to implement additional asks of them.&rdquo;</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, 21 Jul 2020 19:48:27 +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:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:46;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.5 Beta 3\";s: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://wordpress.org/news/?p=8706\";s: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/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-3/\";s: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:3830:\"<p>WordPress 5.5 Beta 3 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-81bd56b9-ea44-43ad-ab36-a5ae78b54375\"><strong>This software is still in development,</strong>so it’s not recommended to run this version on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-7cc1bbc6-17f9-44c5-8f67-da4e3059ad69\">You can test WordPress 5.5 Beta 3 in two ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-4840af57-f44b-4d9f-aa64-c6a452392e42\"><li>Try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option)</li><li>Or <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.5-beta3.zip\">download the beta here</a> (zip).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-a40528cb-eb3b-4c8a-8f5e-aa700f1ba086\">WordPress 5.5 is slated for release on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-5/\">August 11th, 2020</a>, and <strong>we need your help to get there</strong>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you to all of the contributors who tested the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-2/\">beta 2</a> development release and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is a critical part of polishing every release and a great way to contribute to WordPress. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-15d6d57f-905d-4a47-9f66-839468a5375a\">Some highlights</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-85da84ec-c841-42f9-8d3b-1a4537a61d10\">Since <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2020/02/wordpress-5-4-beta-2/\">beta 2</a>, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&changetime=07%2F15%2F2020..07%2F21%2F2020&milestone=5.5&group=component&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority\">43 bugs</a> have been fixed. Here are a few changes in beta 3:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Plugin and theme versions are now shared in the emails when automatically updated (see <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50350\">#50350</a>).</li><li>REST API routes without a <code>permission_callback</code> now trigger a <code>_doing_it_wrong()</code> warning (see <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50075\">#50075</a>).</li><li>Over 23 Gutenberg changes and updates (see <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/24068\">#24068</a> and <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50712\">#50712</a>).</li><li>A bug with the new import and export database Dashicons has been fixed (see <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/49913\">#49913</a>).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-76156b2b-0a52-4502-b585-6cbe9481f55b\">Developer notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-3fe5e264-0a95-4f12-9a18-0cb9dc5955d1\">WordPress 5.5 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. To keep up, subscribe to the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> and pay special attention to the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-5+dev-notes/\">developers’ notes</a> for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-bc89fd56-47b0-439f-8e2c-4a642c80a616\">How to Help</h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-3ff83a77-8b54-4061-ae2d-45fc984cbd76\">Do you speak a language other than English? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev/\">Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages</a>!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-9d871099-ec49-446c-8322-9e49b7498c10\">If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you!</p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-bd71c1d3-39d9-4b2a-8193-3486497b45fd\">If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">file one on WordPress Trac</a>, where you can also find a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</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:\"Tue, 21 Jul 2020 17:51:31 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jake Spurlock\";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:47;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"WPTavern: WordPress 5.5 to Remove Hulu from List of Supported oEmbed Providers\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102148\";s: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:201:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-5-to-remove-hulu-from-list-of-supported-oembed-providers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-5-5-to-remove-hulu-from-list-of-supported-oembed-providers\";s: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:2311:\"<p>WordPress 5.5 will be dropping Hulu oEmbed support after Hulu silently disabled its oEmbed API. This is the API that allows users to copy and paste a link into the editor and have it automatically embed the content, as opposed to copying a chunk of embed code. Documentation contributors <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/23920\">discovered that it wasn&rsquo;t working</a> while attempting to document the Hulu Embed block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birgit Pauli-Haack confirmed with Hulu that embedding is not currently an option. Hulu support did not elaborate on why it was removed.<a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-admin/edit.php?post_type=post\"></a></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Apologies for any disappointment! This isn\'t an available option at the moment, but we\'ll express your interest. If there\'s anything else we can help out with down the road, please don\'t hesitate to reach back out!</p>&mdash; Hulu Support (@hulu_support) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hulu_support/status/1283562756726300672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 16, 2020</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>The block currently displays an error when attempting to embed a Hulu link, stating &ldquo;Sorry, this content could not be embedded.&rdquo; As a result, WordPress contributors have <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/48512\">removed</a> both the block from the editor and the provider from core. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress has included Hulu <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/embeds/#okay-so-what-sites-can-i-embed-from\">oEmbed support</a> for the past 11 years, since it was first added in <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-2-9/\">WordPress 2.9</a> (December 2009). Services are <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/embeds/#okay-so-what-sites-can-i-embed-from\">logged</a> on WordPress.org as they are added or removed. Hulu was removed as soon as it was discovered that oEmbed support no longer worked, similar to other <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/45399\">previously unsupported providers</a> &ndash; most recently FunnyOrDie and Photobucket. This is a major loss of convenience for users who are trying to embed Hulu links but it lies outside of WordPress&rsquo; control. </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, 20 Jul 2020 22:48:08 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:48;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"WPTavern: Theme Authors Can Pass Data to Template Files in WordPress 5.5\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=102136\";s: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:189:\"https://wptavern.com/theme-authors-can-pass-data-to-template-files-in-wordpress-5-5?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=theme-authors-can-pass-data-to-template-files-in-wordpress-5-5\";s: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:4777:\"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Theme developers can finally rejoice. For the first time, it is now possible to pass data to templates via the various core template-loading functions. Enrico Sorcinelli <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/17/passing-arguments-to-template-files-in-wordpress-5-5/\">announced the change</a> on the Make Core blog this past Friday.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/21676\">feature was originally proposed</a> by Scott Kingsley Clark in 2012. Over the years, the ticket has received a dozen patches. It has survived a closure and arguments over why the feature should not go into core. Sorcinelli was a primary driver that kept the ticket alive for the last few years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress developers have been cleaning up some old-but-useful feature requests for the 5.5 release cycle. A couple of weeks ago, an 11-year-old ticket to allow users to <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/after-11-years-users-will-be-able-to-update-themes-and-plugins-via-a-zip-file\">update themes and plugins via a ZIP file</a> made the cut. Core developers even closed a 9-year-old ticket related to an <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/17232\">Internet Explorer 6 hack</a> &mdash; <em>progress</em>. However, for theme authors, one of the most important additions is control over passing data from one template to another.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, in PHP, variables can be passed from file to file because they remain in the same scope. However, that is not the case if the inclusion of the file is taken out of that scope by including the file from inside of a function. The scope is then limited to the function. That is how the template system works in WordPress. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it has meant that theme developers have had no built-in method of passing data from one template to the next.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine creating a variable in one template but needing to access that same variable in a sub-template. There is no shortage of methods to accomplish this, but many are inelegant.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;For years, theme developers wishing to pass data to template files have had to use less than ideal workarounds,&rdquo; wrote Sorcinelli in the announcement. The worst solutions typically involved creating a global variable. Others created custom template-loading functions on top of WordPress&rsquo;s existing system. The problem with all methods, regardless of which was ideal, was that no standard existed. Each theme would need to build its own solution, and plugins that touched the front end would often have a competing solution.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the WordPress template-loading functions now support an additional parameter of <code>$args</code>, which allows theme authors to pass along an associative array of data to the loaded template. The functions that support this new parameter are:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><code>get_header()</code></li><li><code>get_footer()</code></li><li><code>get_sidebar()</code></li><li><code>get_template_part()</code></li><li><code>locate_template()</code></li><li><code>load_template()</code></li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Any hooks associated with the functions also pass along the data.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <code>get_search_form()</code> function has supported a similar parameter since WordPress 5.2. In practice, it should work mostly the same, but the function has a couple of default values it sets.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>An additional benefit of having a standard method of passing data to templates is that the feature can be built upon in the future. For example, WordPress could eventually offer a hook for filtering the data, which could come in handy with child themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress template system still lacks the robustness of more modern frameworks, but this simple change will allow for a variety of applications.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One question remains: <em>is the arrival of this feature too late?</em> With WordPress on track to revamp the entire theme system to integrate with the upcoming full-site editing feature, will this feature be useful for only the next few months?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if most theme developers don&rsquo;t immediately jump on board the block-based themes bandwagon for another year, the feature could come in handy  until they do. Perhaps it will also have some usefulness beyond the current theming paradigm.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developers still do not have a clear picture of what theming with blocks will look like in the next few years. There may be situations where passing dynamic data is still necessary in the next system. Even if not, it will likely be a long while before there is mass adoption of block-based themes from the existing theme development community. In the meantime, many will be able to drop in-house solutions and use standard functions.</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, 20 Jul 2020 19:44:34 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:49;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"Matt: Corner Office Interview\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:22:\"https://ma.tt/?p=51861\";s: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:46:\"https://ma.tt/2020/07/corner-office-interview/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2488:\"<p>If you pick up a print edition of the Sunday New York Times today you&#8217;ll see <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/business/matt-mullenweg-automattic-corner-office.html\">the Corner Office interview with David Gelles in the business section</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<img />(Hat tip to <a href=\"http://www.maryconrad.org/\">Mary Conrad</a> for the picture, I haven&#8217;t seen it in person yet.)\n\n\n\n<p>A quote that seems to be resonating with people,</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>This column is called Corner Office, and most people who choose to have offices are usually the bosses. And I’ve been to the offices of billionaire C.E.O.s that have their own private bathroom, beautiful art and couches. But these are all things that you can have in your house. What I love about distributed organizations is every single employee can have a corner office.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes my corner office has been the corner of an airport floor next to a power outlet! I&#8217;ve also heard from colleagues that feel like their office feels like an unsupervised day care center since the quarantine started. The point I want to make is there&#8217;s a world of possibility that opens up when you move from the finite space of a shared office, and all the politics of dividing up the scarce resource of desirable space, to the <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713\">infinite game</a> where people can define their own &#8220;office&#8221; as the place where they will be most productive, and do so however they like with no penalties or restraints.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you had the best space in the legacy office, you probably liked it and may even have had motivated reasoning around ineffable things that happened in the office like &#8220;culture&#8221; that would be impossible without it, but the average experience of an entry-level worker was not as positive. Now there can be a much more even playing field. 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