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This maintenance release fixes 33 bugs, including improvements to the block editor, accessibility, internationalization, and the Site Health feature <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/jaco/\">introduced in 5.2</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can browse the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&amp;resolution=fixed&amp;milestone=5.2.1&amp;order=priority\">full list of changes on Trac</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2.1 is a short-cycle maintenance release. <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?milestone=5.2.2\">Version 5.2.2</a> is expected to follow in approximately two weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can&nbsp;download <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/download/\">WordPress 5.2.1</a>&nbsp;or visit <strong>Dashboard → Updates</strong> and click&nbsp;<strong>Update Now</strong>. Sites that support automatic background updates have already started to update automatically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jonathan Desrosiers and William Earnhardt co-led this release, with contributions from 52 other contributors. 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J.</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikengarrett/\">MikeNGarrett</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dimadin/\">Milan Dinić</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mukesh27/\">Mukesh Panchal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/onlanka/\">onlanka</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/paragoninitiativeenterprises/\">paragoninitiativeenterprises</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/parkcityj/\">parkcityj</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/peterwilsoncc/\">Peter Wilson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/presskopp/\">Presskopp</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/youknowriad/\">Riad Benguella</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sergeybiryukov/\">Sergey Biryukov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/netweb/\">Stephen Edgar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sebastienserre/\">Sébastien SERRE</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tfrommen/\">Thorsten Frommen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hedgefield/\">Tim Hengeveld</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/timothyblynjacobs/\">Timothy Jacobs</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/timph/\">timph</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobiasbg/\">TobiasBg</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tonybogdanov/\">tonybogdanov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobifjellner/\">Tor-Bjorn Fjellner</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/earnjam/\">William Earnhardt</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fierevere/\">Yui</a>.</p>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6976\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:1;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n		\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:39:\"Tomorrow is WordPress Translation Day 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:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/tomorrow-is-wordpress-translation-day-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:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 10 May 2019 09:17:48 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"category\";a:2:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Documentation\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6:\"Events\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=6961\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:342:\"The fourth edition of WordPress translation day is coming up on Saturday 11 May 2019: tomorrow! 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A lot is happening on the day, so join in and you will learn how to through online sessions!</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>What can you expect?</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Live online training</strong>: Tutorials in different languages focused on translation and <em>localization</em>, or l10n, of WordPress. These are streamed in multiple languages</li><li><strong>Localization sessions</strong>: General instruction and specifics for particular areas and languages. These sessions are streamed in multiple languages.</li><li><strong>Internalization sessions</strong>: Tutorials about optimizing the code to ease localization processes, also called <em>internationalization</em> or i18n. These sessions are streamed in English.</li><li><strong>Local events</strong>: Polyglot contributors will gather around the world for socializing, discussing, and translating together.</li><li><strong>Remote events</strong>: Translation teams that cannot gather physically, will connect remotely. They will be available for training, mentoring, and supporting new contributors. They will also engage in &#8220;translating marathons&#8221;, in which existing teams translate as many strings as they can!</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of experienced WordPress translators and internationalization experts are part of the line-up for the livestream, joined by some first time contributors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you have or haven&#8217;t contributed to the Polyglots before, you can join in for WordPress Translation Day. Learn more about both local and online events and stay updated through the website and social media. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">WordPress Translation Day website</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/translatewp\">WordPress Translation Day Twitter</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/WPTranslationDay/\">WordPress Translation Day Facebook</a></li></ul>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6961\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:2;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:24:\"WordPress 5.2 “Jaco”\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:40:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/jaco/\";s: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, 07 May 2019 21:03:35 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"category\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"Releases\";s: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=6925\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:426:\"Version 5.2 of WordPress is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard. 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Whether you are a developer helping clients or you manage your site solo, these tools can help get you the right information when you need it.\";s: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:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31364:\"\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\">Keeping Sites Safer</h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_maintain-wordpress-cropped.png?fit=632%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6926\" srcset=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_maintain-wordpress-cropped.png?w=1206&amp;ssl=1 1206w, https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_maintain-wordpress-cropped.png?resize=300%2C237&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_maintain-wordpress-cropped.png?resize=768%2C608&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_maintain-wordpress-cropped.png?resize=1024%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Version 5.2 of WordPress, named “Jaco” in honor of renowned and revolutionary jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius, is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard. New features in this update make it easier than ever to fix your site if something goes wrong.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are even more robust tools for identifying and fixing configuration issues and fatal errors. Whether you are a developer helping clients or you manage your site solo, these tools can help get you the right information when you need it.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h3>Site Health Check</h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img src=\"https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_site-health.png?resize=205%2C143&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6927\" width=\"205\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_site-health.png?w=609&amp;ssl=1 609w, https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_site-health.png?resize=300%2C210&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" /></figure></div>\n\n\n\n<p>Building on the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/02/betty/\">Site Health</a> features introduced in 5.1, this release adds two new pages to help debug common configuration issues. It also adds space where developers can include debugging information for site maintainers.</p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<h3>PHP Error Protection</h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img src=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_error-protection.png?resize=202%2C228&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6930\" width=\"202\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_error-protection.png?w=487&amp;ssl=1 487w, https://i1.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/05/about_error-protection.png?resize=267%2C300&amp;ssl=1 267w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" /></figure></div>\n\n\n\n<p>This administrator-focused update will let you safely fix or manage fatal errors without requiring developer time. It features better handling of the so-called “white screen of death,” and a way to enter recovery mode, &nbsp;which pauses error-causing plugins or themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:79px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\">Improvements for Everyone</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Accessibility Updates</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of changes work together to improve contextual awareness and keyboard navigation flow for those using screen readers and other assistive technologies.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>New Dashboard Icons</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Thirteen new icons including Instagram, a suite of icons for BuddyPress, and rotated Earth icons for global inclusion. Find them in the Dashboard and have some fun!</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Plugin Compatibility Checks</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress will now automatically determine if your site’s version of PHP is compatible with installed plugins. If the plugin requires a higher version of PHP than your site currently uses, WordPress will not allow you to activate it, preventing potential compatibility errors.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\">Developer Happiness</h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-2-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/26/coding-standards-updates-for-php-5-6/\"><strong>PHP Version Bump</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The minimum supported PHP version is now 5.6.20. As of WordPress 5.2*, themes and plugins can safely take advantage of namespaces, anonymous functions, and more!</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/developer-focused-privacy-updates-in-5-2/\"><strong>Privacy Updates</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new theme page template, a conditional function, and two CSS classes make designing and customizing the Privacy Policy page easier.</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-2-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/miscellaneous-developer-updates-in-5-2/\">New Body Hook</a> </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.2 introduces a wp_body_open hook, which lets themes support injecting code right at the beginning of the &lt;body&gt; element.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/25/building-javascript/\"><strong>Building JavaScript</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the addition of webpack and Babel configurations in the wordpress/scripts package, developers won&#8217;t have to worry about setting up complex build tools to write modern JavaScript.</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*If you are running an old version of PHP (less than 5.6.20), <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/update-php/\">update your PHP</a> before installing 5.2.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>The Squad</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This release was led by&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ma.tt/\">Matt Mullenweg</a>, <a href=\"https://josepha.blog/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https://pento.net/\">Gary Pendergast</a>. They were graciously supported by 327 generous volunteer contributors. Load a Jaco Pastorius playlist on your favorite music service and check out some of their profiles:</p>\n\n\n<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aaroncampbell\">Aaron D. Campbell</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorbin\">Aaron Jorbin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/adamsilverstein\">Adam Silverstein</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/adamsoucie\">Adam Soucie</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/oztaser\">Adil &#214;ztaşer</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ajitbohra\">Ajit Bohra</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/schlessera\">Alain Schlesser</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aldavigdis\">Alda Vigd&#237;s</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexdenning\">Alex Denning</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/xavortm\">Alex Dimitrov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/akirk\">Alex Kirk</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/viper007bond\">Alex Mills</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tellyworth\">Alex Shiels</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/lexiqueen\">Alexis</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexislloyd\">Alexis Lloyd</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/allancole\">allancole</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/allendav\">Allen Snook</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/arena\">Andr&#233;</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/andraganescu\">andraganescu</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/afercia\">Andrea Fercia</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/andreamiddleton\">Andrea Middleton</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/euthelup\">Andrei Lupu</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aandrewdixon\">Andrew Dixon</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aduth\">Andrew Duthie</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nacin\">Andrew Nacin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/azaozz\">Andrew Ozz</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/rarst\">Andrey \"Rarst\" Savchenko</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nosolosw\">Andrés Maneiro</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/afragen\">Andy Fragen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/andizer\">Andy Meerwaldt</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aniketpatel\">Aniket Patel</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/anischarolia\">anischarolia</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/atimmer\">Anton Timmermans</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vanyukov\">Anton Vanyukov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/avillegasn\">Antonio Villegas</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/antonypuckey\">antonypuckey</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aristath\">Aristeides Stathopoulos</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpboss\">Aslam Shekh</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/axaak\">axaak</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/pixolin\">Bego Mario Garde</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/empireoflight\">Ben Dunkle</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/britner\">Ben Ritner - Kadence Themes</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bfintal\">Benjamin Intal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/billerickson\">Bill Erickson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/birgire\">Birgir Erlendsson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bodohugobarwich\">Bodo (Hugo) Barwich</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gitlost\">bonger</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/boonebgorges\">Boone Gorges</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/bradleyt\">Bradley Taylor</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kraftbj\">Brandon Kraft</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/brentswisher\">Brent Swisher</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/burhandodhy\">Burhan Nasir</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cathibosco1\">Cathi Bosco</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chetan200891\">Chetan Prajapati</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chiaralovelaces\">Chiara Magnani</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chouby\">Chouby</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chrisvanpatten\">Chris Van Patten</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dswebsme\">D.S. Webster</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/colorful-tones\">Damon Cook</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/danielbachhuber\">Daniel Bachhuber</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/danieltj\">Daniel James</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/diddledan\">Daniel Llewellyn</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/talldanwp\">Daniel Richards</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mte90\">Daniele Scasciafratte</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/nerrad\">Darren Ethier</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/drw158\">Dave Whitley</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davefx\">DaveFX</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davetgreen\">davetgreen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald\">David Baumwald</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbinda\">David Binovec</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/david.binda\">David Binovec</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dlh\">David Herrera</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dgroddick\">David Roddick</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/get_dave\">David Smith</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/folletto\">Davide \'Folletto\' Casali</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/daxelrod\">daxelrod</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dkarfa\">Debabrata Karfa</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dekervit\">dekervit</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/denis-de-bernardy\">Denis de Bernardy</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dmsnell\">Dennis Snell</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/valendesigns\">Derek Herman</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/pcfreak30\">Derrick Hammer</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/designsimply\">designsimply</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dhanukanuwan\">Dhanukanuwan</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dharm1025\">Dharmesh Patel</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dianeco\">Diane</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/diegoreymendez\">diegoreymendez</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dilipbheda\">Dilip Bheda</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/odminstudios\">Dima</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32\">Dion Hulse</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dency\">Dixita Dusara</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iamdmitrymayorov\">Dmitry Mayorov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ocean90\">Dominik Schilling</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/drewapicture\">Drew Jaynes</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dsifford\">dsifford</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/seedsca\">ecotechie</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/etoledom\">Eduardo Toledo</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iseulde\">Ella Van Durpe</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/edocev\">Emil Dotsev</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fabiankaegy\">fabiankaegy</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/faisal03\">Faisal Alvi</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/parsmizban\">Farhad Sakhaei</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/flixos90\">Felix Arntz</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/peaceablewhale\">Franklin Tse</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fuegas\">Fuegas</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/garrett-eclipse\">Garrett Hyder</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/garyj\">Gary Jones</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/soulseekah\">Gennady Kovshenin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sachyya-sachet\">ghoul</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/girishpanchal\">Girish Panchal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gziolo\">Grzegorz Ziółkowski</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/wido\">Guido Scialfa</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gutendev\">GutenDev <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/270d.png\" alt=\"✍\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/3299.png\" alt=\"㊙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\" /></a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gwwar\">gwwar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hannahmalcolm\">Hannah Malcolm</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hardik-amipara\">Hardik Amipara</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/thakkarhardik\">Hardik Thakkar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/luehrsen\">Hendrik Luehrsen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/henrywright-1\">Henry</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/henrywright\">Henry Wright</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryanshoover\">Hoover</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ianbelanger\">Ian Belanger</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iandunn\">Ian Dunn</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ice9js\">ice9js</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/zinigor\">Igor Zinovyev</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/imath\">imath</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ixium\">Ixium</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jdgrimes\">J.D. Grimes</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jakeparis\">jakeparis</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cc0a\">James</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/janak007\">janak Kaneriya</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jarred-kennedy\">Jarred Kennedy</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/vengisss\">Javier Villanueva</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jayupadhyay01\">Jay Upadhyay</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jaydeep-rami\">Jaydip Rami</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/parkcityj\">Jaye Simons</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jaymanpandya\">Jayman Pandya</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jdeeburke\">jdeeburke</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb\">Jean-Baptiste Audras</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeffpaul\">Jeff Paul</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cheffheid\">Jeffrey de Wit</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/miss_jwo\">Jenny Wong</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeremyfelt\">Jeremy Felt</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/endocreative\">Jeremy Green</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeherve\">Jeremy Herve</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jitendrabanjara1991\">jitendrabanjara1991</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnjamesjacoby\">JJJ</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joedolson\">Joe Dolson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joemcgill\">Joe McGill</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joen\">Joen Asmussen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/j-falk\">Johan Falk</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/johannadevos\">Johanna de Vos</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnbillion\">John Blackbourn</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj\">Jonathan Desrosiers</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jonathandejong\">Jonathandejong</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joneiseman\">joneiseman</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/spacedmonkey\">Jonny Harris</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jonnybojangles\">jonnybojangles</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joostdevalk\">Joost de Valk</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jordesign\">jordesign</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/koke\">Jorge Bernal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jorgefilipecosta\">Jorge Costa</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/keraweb\">Jory Hogeveen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jcastaneda\">Jose Castaneda</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/josephwa\">josephwa</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/builtbynorthby\">Josh Feck</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joshuawold\">JoshuaWold</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joyously\">Joy</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jplojohn\">jplo</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jrtashjian\">JR Tashjian</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jrf\">jrf</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/juiiee8487\">Juhi Patel</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/juliarrr\">juliarrr</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kadamwhite\">K. 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and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chesio\">Česlav Przywara</a>.\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, many thanks to all of the community volunteers who contribute in the <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>If you want 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\n\n\n<p>Thanks for choosing WordPress!</p>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6925\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:3;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n		\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:17:\"WordPress 5.2 RC2\";s: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:53:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-rc2/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 02 May 2019 16:17:59 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"category\";a:2:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Development\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"Releases\";s: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=6914\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:326:\"The second release candidate for WordPress 5.2 is now available! WordPress 5.2 will be released on Tuesday, May 7, but we need your help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.2 yet, now is the time! There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.2 release candidate: try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want [&#8230;]\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7:\"Josepha\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2472:\"\n<p>The second release candidate for WordPress 5.2 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 will be released on <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-2/\">Tuesday, May 7</a></strong>, but we need <em>your</em> help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.2 yet, now is the time!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.2 release candidate: try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (you’ll want to select the “bleeding edge nightlies” option), or you can <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.2-RC2.zip\">download the release candidate here</a> (zip).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For details about what to expect in WordPress 5.2, please see the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/wordpress-5-2-release-candidate/\">first release candidate post</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This release includes the final About page design. It also contains fixes for:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Proper translation of the recovery mode notification emails (#47093).</li><li>Improvements to the way Site Health works with multisite installs (#47084).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plugin and Theme Developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 5.2 and update the <em>Tested up to</em> version in the readme to 5.2. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a> so we can figure those out before the final release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/wordpress-5-2-field-guide/\">WordPress 5.2 Field Guide</a>&nbsp;has also been published, which details 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? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a></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/\">file 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>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em>It&#8217;s the start of May<br>and the release is coming.<br>We all give a cheer!</em></p>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6914\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:4;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"The Month in WordPress: April 2019\";s: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/2019/05/the-month-in-wordpress-april-2019/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 02 May 2019 09:00:26 +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:8:\"category\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Month in WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=6918\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:324:\"This past month has been filled with anticipation as the community builds up towards a big new release, plans some important events, and builds new tools to grow the future of the project. WordPress 5.2 Almost Due for Release WordPress 5.2 is due for release on May 7 with many new features included for developers [&#8230;]\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Hugh Lashbrooke\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8386:\"\n<p>This past month has been filled with anticipation as the community builds up towards a big new release, plans some important events, and builds new tools to grow the future of the project.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>WordPress 5.2 Almost Due for Release</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 is due for release on May 7 with many new features included for developers and end-users alike. <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/wordpress-5-2-field-guide/\">The Field Guide for the release</a> provides a lot of information about what is in it and what you can expect, including a few key elements:</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Site Health Check</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most highly anticipated features for v5.2 is <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/25/site-health-check-in-5-2/\">the Site Health Check</a>. This feature adds two new pages in the admin interface to help end users maintain a healthy site through common configuration issues and other elements that go along with having a robust online presence. It also provides a standardized location for developers to add debugging information.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Fatal Error Recovery Mode</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/fatal-error-recovery-mode-in-5-2/\">The Fatal Error Recovery Mode feature</a> was originally planned for the 5.1 release but was delayed to patch up some last-minute issues that arose. This feature will help site-owners recover more quickly from fatal errors that break the display or functionality of their site that would ordinarily require code or database edits to fix.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Privacy and Accessibility Updates</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with the headlining features mentioned above, there are some important enhancements to the privacy and accessibility features included in Core. These include <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/developer-focused-privacy-updates-in-5-2/\">some important developer-focused changes</a> to how privacy policy pages are displayed and user data is exported, as well as <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/02/admin-tabs-semantic-improvements-in-5-2/\">moving to more semantic markup for admin tabs</a> and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/notable-accessibility-changes-in-5-2/\">other improvements</a> such as switching post format icons to drop-down menus on post list tables, improved admin toolbar markup, and contextual improvements to archive widget drop-down menu.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>New Dashicons</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/resource/dashicons/\">Dashicons</a> library was last updated was over 3 years ago. Now, in the upcoming release, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/11/dashicons-in-wordpress-5-2/\">a set of 13 new icons will be added to the library</a> along with improvements to the build process and file format of the icons.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Block Editor Upgrades</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Block Editor has seen <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/17/whats-new-in-gutenberg-17th-april/\">numerous improvements</a> lately that will all be included in the v5.2 release. Along with the interface upgrades, the underlying Javascript module <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/09/the-block-editor-javascript-module-in-5-2/\">has been reorganized</a>, improvements have been made to <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/17/block-editor-detection-improvements-in-5-2/\">how the block editor is detected</a> on the post edit screen, and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/25/building-javascript/\">the Javascript build process has been enhanced</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/wordpress-5-2-release-candidate/\">WordPress 5.2 is now in the Release Candidate phase</a> and you can test it by installing <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">the Beta Tester plugin</a> on any WordPress site.</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>WordPress Translation Day 4 is Almost Here</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On 11 May 2019, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2019/03/01/global-wordpress-translation-day-4-is-coming/\">the fourth WordPress Translation Day</a> will take place. This is a 24-hour global event dedicated to the translation of all things WordPress, from Core to themes, plugins to marketing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the course of 24 hours, WordPress communities will meet to translate WordPress into their local languages and watch talks and sessions broadcast on <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">wptranslationday.org</a>. During the previous WordPress Translation Day, 71 local events took place in 29 countries, and even more communities are expected to take part this time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in WordPress Translation Day 4? Find out <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2019/03/22/global-wordpress-translation-day-4-info-for-event-organizers/\">how to organize a local event</a>, follow the updates on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/tag/gwtd4/\">the Polyglots team blog</a>, and join the #polyglots channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Block Library Project Gets Started</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/03/08/the-block-directory-and-a-new-type-of-plugin/\">the initial proposal</a> for a Block Library that would be made available from inside the block editor, work has been done to put together <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/04/02/call-for-design-installing-blocks-from-within-gutenberg/\">some designs</a> for how this would look. Since then the project has received a more direct focus with <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2019/04/26/block-library-installing-blocks-from-within-gutenberg/\">a planned out scope and timeline</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project is being managed <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/block-directory/projects/1\">on GitHub</a> and people interested in contributing are encouraged to get involved there. You can also keep up to date by following <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/\">the Design team blog</a> and joining the #design channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</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 results from the 5.0 release retrospective survey <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2019/04/26/5-0-release-retrospective-wrap-up/\">have been published</a> &#8211; this is the first time this kind of open retrospective has been done for a WordPress release and the results provide valuable insight into the project and its contributors.</li><li>The team behind the WordPress Coding Standards <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress-Coding-Standards/WordPress-Coding-Standards/releases/tag/2.1.0\">has released version 2.1</a>, including some very useful new sniffs.</li><li>The community <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2019/04/18/the-get-involved-table-at-wceu-2019/\">is looking for volunteers for the Get Involved table</a> at WordCamp Europe on 20-22 June.</li><li>Gutenberg has been ported <a href=\"https://github.com/VanOns/laraberg/\">for use within the Laravel framework</a> in a project dubbed Laraberg.</li><li>The 2019 WordCamp for Publishers event <a href=\"https://2019-columbus.publishers.wordcamp.org/2019/04/12/call-for-speakers/\">has opened its call for speakers</a>.</li><li>The Gutenberg team <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/add/blocks-in-widget-areas-rfc/docs/rfcs/blocks-in-widget-areas.md\">has published an RFC</a> regarding blocks being used in widgets.</li><li>WordCamp Europe, taking place on 20-22 June, has published <a href=\"https://2019.europe.wordcamp.org/schedule/\">the schedule for the event</a>.</li><li>The Community Team <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2019/04/18/2018-meetup-survey/\">has published the results</a> of the 2018 meetup group survey.</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>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6918\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:5;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n		\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"WordPress 5.2 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:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/wordpress-5-2-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:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 26 Apr 2019 01:28:10 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"category\";a:2:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Development\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"Releases\";s: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=6909\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:364:\"The first release candidate for WordPress 5.2 is now available! This is an important milestone as we progress toward the WordPress 5.2 release date. “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. 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WordPress 5.2 is scheduled to be released on <strong>Tuesday, May 7</strong>, but we need <em>your</em> help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.2 yet, now is the time!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.2 release candidate: try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (you’ll want to select the “bleeding edge nightlies” option), or you can <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.2-RC1.zip\">download the release candidate here</a> (zip).</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What&#8217;s in WordPress 5.2?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Continuing with the theme from the last release, WordPress 5.2 gives you even more robust tools for identifying and fixing configuration issues and fatal errors. Whether you are a developer helping clients or you manage your site solo, these tools can help get you the right information when you need it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Site Health Check and PHP Error Protection tools have brand new features, giving you peace of mind if you discover any issues with plugins or themes on your site. There are also updates to the icons available in your dashboard, fresh accessibility considerations for anyone using assistive technologies and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plugin and Theme Developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 5.2 and update the <em>Tested up to</em> version in the readme to 5.2. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a> so we can figure those out before the final release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/wordpress-5-2-field-guide/\">WordPress 5.2 Field Guide</a> has also been published, which goes into the details of 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? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a> This release also marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a> point of the 5.2 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/\">file 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>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<p><em>Howdy, RC 1!<br>With tools this interesting,<br>I can hardly wait.</em></p>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6909\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:6;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:51:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n		\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:20:\"WordPress 5.2 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:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/wordpress-5-2-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:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 12 Apr 2019 21:33:07 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:8:\"category\";a:2:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Development\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"Releases\";s: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=6885\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:316:\"WordPress 5.2 Beta 3 is now available! This software is still in development, so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version. There are two ways to test the latest WordPress 5.2 beta: try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want [&#8230;]\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:19:\"Jonathan Desrosiers\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4391:\"\n<p>WordPress 5.2 Beta 3 is now available!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This software is still in development,</strong> so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways to test the latest WordPress 5.2 beta: try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (you’ll want to select the “bleeding edge nightlies” option), or you can <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.2-beta3.zip\">download the beta here</a> (zip).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 is slated for release on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-2/\">April 30</a>, and we need your help to get there! Thanks to the testing and feedback from everyone who tried <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/wordpress-5-2-beta-2/\">beta 2</a>, nearly <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&amp;changetime=04%2F09%2F2019..04%2F13%2F2019&amp;milestone=5.2&amp;group=component&amp;col=id&amp;col=summary&amp;col=status&amp;col=milestone&amp;col=owner&amp;col=type&amp;col=priority&amp;order=priority\">40 tickets have been closed</a> since then. Here are the major changes and bug fixes:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The new Site Health feature has continued to be refined.</li><li>Plugins no longer update if a site is running an unsupported version of PHP (see #46613).</li><li>It’s now more apparent when a site is running in Recovery Mode (see #46608).</li><li>The distraction free button no longer breaks keyboard navigation in the Classic Editor (see #46640).</li><li>Assistive technologies do a better job of announcing admin bar sub menus (see #37513).</li><li>Subject lines in WordPress emails are now more consistent (see #37940).</li><li>Personal data exports now only show as completed when a user downloads their data (see #44644).</li><li>Plus more improvements to accessibility (see #35497 and #42853).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Minimum PHP Version Update</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important reminder: </strong>as of WordPress 5.2 beta 2, the minimum PHP version that WordPress will require is 5.6.20. If you&#8217;re running an older version of PHP, we highly recommend updating it now, before WordPress 5.2 is officially released.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-wordpress-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"rEVkMIfjDq\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/minimum-php-version-update/\">Minimum PHP Version update</a></blockquote><iframe title=\"&#8220;Minimum PHP Version update&#8221; &#8212; WordPress News\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" src=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/minimum-php-version-update/embed/#?secret=rEVkMIfjDq\" data-secret=\"rEVkMIfjDq\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Developer Notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 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/5-2+dev-notes/\">developers notes</a> for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to Help</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a> The beta 3 release also marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#soft-freeze\">soft string freeze</a> point of the 5.2 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! 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Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.2 beta: try the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (you’ll want to select the “bleeding edge nightlies” option), or you can <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.2-beta2.zip\">download the beta here</a> (zip).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 is slated for release on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-2/\">April 30</a>, and we need your help to get there! Thanks to the testing and feedback from everyone who tried <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/03/wordpress-5-2-beta-1/\">beta 1</a>, nearly <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&amp;changetime=2019-03-28..&amp;milestone=5.2&amp;group=component&amp;col=id&amp;col=summary&amp;col=owner&amp;col=type&amp;col=priority&amp;col=component&amp;col=version&amp;order=priority\">100 tickets have been closed</a> since then. Here are the major changes and bug fixes:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>We&#8217;ve added support for Emoji 12! <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1fa82.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\" /></li><li>A brand-new <code>wp_body_open()</code> template tag (and corresponding <code>wp_body_open</code> action) will let themes (and plugins!) add content right after the <code>&lt;body&gt;</code> is opened (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/12563\">#12563</a>).</li><li>Superfluous paragraph tags will no longer incorrectly appear in dynamic block content (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/45495\">#45495</a>).</li><li>The Site Health screens have received several bug fixes, tweaks, and performance improvements.</li><li>Crash Protection no longer interrupts plugin editing (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/46045\">#46045</a>).</li><li>Custom error handlers now load correctly (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/46069\">#46069</a>).</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Minimum PHP Version Update</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As of WordPress 5.2 beta 2, the minimum PHP version that WordPress will require is 5.6.20. If you&#8217;re running an older version of PHP, we highly recommend updating it now, before WordPress 5.2 is officially released.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-wordpress-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"C4d8QxYmh3\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/minimum-php-version-update/\">Minimum PHP Version update</a></blockquote><iframe title=\"&#8220;Minimum PHP Version update&#8221; &#8212; WordPress News\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" src=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/minimum-php-version-update/embed/#?secret=C4d8QxYmh3\" data-secret=\"C4d8QxYmh3\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\n</div></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Developer Notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. 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WordPress will now require a minimum of PHP 5.6.20. Beginning in WordPress 5.1, users running PHP versions below 5.6 have had a notification in their dashboard that includes information to [&#8230;]\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Aaron Jorbin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3851:\"\n<p>WordPress 5.2 is targeted for release at the end of this month, and with it comes an update to the minimum required version of PHP.  WordPress will now require a minimum of PHP 5.6.20.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beginning in WordPress 5.1, users running PHP versions below 5.6 have had a notification in their dashboard that includes <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/update-php/\">information to help them update PHP</a>. Since then, the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/stats/\">WordPress stats</a> have shown an increase in users on more recent versions of PHP. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-27-at-10.30.34-PM.png?resize=632%2C265&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Screenshot of the &quot;PHP Update Required&quot; widget from the WordPress dashboard. Contains information about detecting an insecure version of PHP, how it affects your site, and a link for information on upgrading.\" class=\"wp-image-6826\" srcset=\"https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-27-at-10.30.34-PM.png?resize=1024%2C429&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-27-at-10.30.34-PM.png?resize=300%2C126&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-27-at-10.30.34-PM.png?resize=768%2C322&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-27-at-10.30.34-PM.png?w=1046&amp;ssl=1 1046w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" /><figcaption>The dashboard widget users see if running an outdated version of PHP </figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>Why You Should Update PHP</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your site is running on an unsupported version of PHP, the WordPress updater will not offer WordPress 5.2 to your site. If you attempt to update WordPress manually, that update will fail. To continue using the latest features of WordPress you must update to a newer version of PHP. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>When updating to a new version of PHP, WordPress encourages updating to its recommended version, PHP 7.3. The PHP internals team has done a great job making its most recent version the fastest version of PHP yet. This means that updating will improve the speed of your site, both for you and your visitors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This performance increase also means fewer servers are needed to host websites. Updating PHP isn&#8217;t just good for your site, it also means less energy is needed for the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/03/one-third-of-the-web/\">1-in-3 sites that use WordPress</a>, so it&#8217;s good for the planet.  </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to Update PHP</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need help updating to a new version of PHP, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/update-php/\">detailed documentation is available</a>.  This includes sample communication to send to your host for them to assist you. Many hosting companies have published information on how to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/servehappy-resources/blob/master/tutorials/hosting-specific/tutorials-en.md\">update PHP</a> that is specific for them. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>5.6 now, but soon 7+</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the first increase in PHP required version for WordPress since <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2010/07/eol-for-php4-and-mysql4/\">2010</a>, but may not be the only increase in 2019. The WordPress core team will monitor the adoption of the most recent versions of PHP with an eye towards making PHP 7+ the minimum version towards the end of the year. </p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/update-php/#how-to-update-your-websites-php-version-for-a-faster-more-secure-website\">Update PHP today, so you can update WordPress tomorrow!</a></p></blockquote></figure>\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:30:\"com-wordpress:feed-additions:1\";a:1:{s:7:\"post-id\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"6810\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:9;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"\n		\n		\n				\n		\n				\n\n		\n				\n								\n										\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:4:{s:0:\"\";a:6:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"The Month in WordPress: March 2019\";s: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/2019/04/the-month-in-wordpress-march-2019/\";s: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, 01 Apr 2019 08:59:01 +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:8:\"category\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Month in WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=6846\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:1:{s:0:\"\";a:1:{s:11:\"isPermaLink\";s:5:\"false\";}}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:368:\"WordPress reached a significant milestone this month. With some exciting developments in Core, an interesting new proposal, and the return of a valuable global event, March was certainly an interesting time. WordPress Now Powers One-Third of the Web WordPress’ market share has been steadily increasing, and as of halfway through this month, it powers over [&#8230;]\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Hugh Lashbrooke\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:40:\"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7947:\"\n<p>WordPress reached a significant milestone this month. With some exciting developments in Core, an interesting new proposal, and the return of a valuable global event, March was certainly an interesting time.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<h2>WordPress Now Powers One-Third of the Web</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress’ market share has been steadily increasing, and as of halfway through this month, it <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/03/one-third-of-the-web/\">powers over one-third of the top 10 million sites on the web</a> (<a href=\"https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress/all/all\">according to W3Techs</a>, which tracks usage statistics for all major web platforms).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This growth of WordPress is only made possible by the large team of volunteers working to build the project and community. If you would like to get involved in building the future of WordPress, then <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/\">check out the Make network</a> for a contributor team that fits your skill set.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>WordPress 5.2 is on the Way</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/03/wordpress-5-1-1-security-and-maintenance-release/\">WordPress 5.1.1 was released this month</a>, with 14 fixes and enhancements, and the Core team is now focusing on the next major release, version 5.2. This release will include some great new features, along with <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/20/whats-new-in-gutenberg-20th-march/\">the latest updates to the block editor</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most anticipated new features is the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/20/the-improved-fatal-error-protection/\">improved fatal error detection</a> &#8211; this was removed from v5.1 shortly before release so that it could be improved and made more secure for this release. Along with that, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/04/minimum-php-version-update/\">PHP 5.6 is going to become the minimum required PHP version for WordPress</a>, a significant step towards a more modern web and <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/26/coding-standards-updates-for-php-5-6/\">updated coding standards</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/03/wordpress-5-2-beta-1/\">WordPress 5.2 is now in beta</a> and you can test it by installing <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">the Beta Tester plugin</a> on any WordPress site.</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>Proposal for a Central Block Directory</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With blocks becoming the new way to manage content in WordPress, more and more types of blocks are being developed to cater for different use cases and content types. In an effort to make it easier for content creators to find these block types, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/03/08/the-block-directory-and-a-new-type-of-plugin/\">there is a proposal</a> for a new type of plugin and a directory to handle it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The proposal outlines a new type of WordPress plugin that provides blocks and nothing else, named Single Block Plugins. The primary benefit would be to provide content creators with individual pieces of functionality and new types of blocks without the need to search for and install new plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Single Block Plugins would be hosted in a separate Block Directory section of the Plugin Directory and they would initially be JavaScript-based. Each plugin will register a single block, and they will be searchable and installable from within the editor itself. This puts blocks at the publishers’ fingertips &#8212; you no longer have to leave the editor to find them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in shaping this new type of plugin? Join in the conversation on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2019/03/08/the-block-directory-and-a-new-type-of-plugin/\">the proposal post</a>, follow <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/\">the Meta team blog</a>, and join the #meta channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Global WordPress Translation Day is Back</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On 11 May 2019, <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2019/03/01/global-wordpress-translation-day-4-is-coming/\">the fourth Global WordPress Translation Day</a> will take place. This is a 24-hour global event dedicated to the translation of all things WordPress, from core to themes, plugins to marketing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the course of 24 hours, WordPress communities will meet to translate WordPress into their local languages and watch talks and sessions broadcast on <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">wptranslationday.org</a>. During the last Global WordPress Translation Day, 71 local events took place in 29 countries, and even more communities are expected to take part this time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in the Global WordPress Translation Day? Find out <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2019/03/22/global-wordpress-translation-day-4-info-for-event-organizers/\">how to organize a local event</a>, <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/call-for-speakers/\">apply to be a speaker</a>, follow the updates on <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/tag/gwtd4/\">the Polyglots team blog</a>, and join the #polyglots channel in <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/chat/\">the Making WordPress Slack group</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Gutenberg Development Continues</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the block editor in WordPress Core, the team has been able to focus on adding some frequently requested features. <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/03/20/whats-new-in-gutenberg-20th-march/\">Version 5.3 of Gutenberg</a>, &nbsp;released this month, includes a new block manager modal, the ability to nest different elements in the cover block, and some UI tweaks to improve the hover state of blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get involved in developing Gutenberg? 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I rant about the size of text on so many sites being too large and having to shrink the site down to 80-90% in order for it to be manageable. We celebrate WordPress&#8217; 16th birthday, discuss what happens to unloved patches, and GitHub&#8217;s Sponsors tool.</p>\n<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://pantheon.io/blog/robots-autopilot-and-holy-grail-webops\">Robots, Autopilot, and The Holy Grail of WebOps</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/happy-sweet-16-wordpress\">WordPress Turns 16</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://bitsplitting.org/2019/05/24/unloved-patches/\">Unloved Patches</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-github-sponsors-tool-draws-concerns-from-open-source-community\">New GitHub Sponsors Tool Draws Concerns from Open Source Community</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-prospress-the-company-behind-woocommerce-subscriptions\">Automattic Acquires Prospress, the company behind WooCommerce Subscriptions</a></p>\n<h2>Transcript:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-354-Transcript.rtf\">EPISODE 354 &#8211; Pantheon Acquires StagingPilot Transcript</a></p>\n<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>\n<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, June 5th 3:00 P.M. Eastern</p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738\">WordPress Weekly via Itunes</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast\">WordPress Weekly via RSS</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr\">WordPress Weekly via Stitcher Radio</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ir3keivkvwwh24xy7qiymurwpbe\">WordPress Weekly via Google Play</a></p>\n<p><strong>Listen To Episode #354:</strong><br />\n</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 May 2019 22:40:06 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:1;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"WPTavern: Automattic is Testing an Experimental Full Site Editing Plugin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90309\";s: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:83:\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-is-testing-an-experimental-full-site-editing-plugin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4288:\"<p><a href=\"https://automattic.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Automattic</a> is working on a new experimental <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/full-site-editing/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Full Site Editing</a> plugin aimed at enhancing the page creation workflow in the block editor. Starting a new page from scratch may be overwhelming for those who don&#8217;t have a vision for how to tastefully put blocks together to lay out the page. This is a problem that this experimental plugin may be able to solve.</p>\n<p>Full Site Editing currently provides three custom blocks for post content, templates, and a blog posts listing. The Blog Posts Listing block expands upon core&#8217;s Latest Posts block to include an excerpt and meta information.</p>\n<p>The plugin is available in the WordPress Plugin Directory, although it is somewhat difficult to find when searching in the admin plugin installer. The most recent 0.1.1 version of the plugin seems to be broken, but if you roll back to the initial release, you can see some of the page template experiments. 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It is in the company&#8217;s best interest to deliver the fastest possible site creation experience, rather than have new users get frustrated and confused about how to get started. </p>\n<p>A template selector for creating new pages could also be useful for the broader WordPress community. Plugin developer Jeffrey Carandang tested Full Site Editing and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/phpbits/status/1133677497789194240\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">suggested</a> that it might be useful to add this functionality to Gutenberg with custom hooks so that developers can add their own custom templates. This would make guiding users through the new theme setup process much easier for theme shops.</p>\n<p>Automattic has a label on the Calypso repository dedicated to categorizing issues in the <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/wp-calypso/labels/%5BGoal%5D%20Full%20Site%20Editing\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">full site editing</a> project. The plugin is going to be enabled on a small set of sites for <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/wp-calypso/issues/33163\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">initial testing</a>. There are quite a few issues that still need to be ironed out, including things like preventing users from deleting the header and footer and finalizing the theme used with the plugin. At the moment, the plugin seems to be tailored specifically to the Twenty Nineteen theme and the pre-filled templates do not look as good when used with other themes.</p>\n<p>The functionality included in the Full Site Editing plugin may also be coming to Jetpack. Automattic&#8217;s developers are currently <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/wp-calypso/issues/32490\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">researching the best way to include it</a>, since so far it has been developed as a separate plugin and not geared towards becoming a Jetpack module.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/full-site-editing/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Full Site Editing</a> is not recommended for use in production, as it&#8217;s still under active development. 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First, it will migrate StagingPilot&#8217;s technology into its existing managed updates feature and extend it beyond WordPress to support Drupal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, the company plans to fully integrate the service with its organizational features providing substantial benefits to agency partners or those who manage many sites. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third phase looks to take advantage of services such as Google&#8217;s applied learning machines to create AI-driven testing. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out-of-the box, WordPress only updates minor versions automatically and leaves major updates, plugins, and themes up to the user. One of the most common fears of enabling auto-updates is having something on the site break. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Often, the process of testing updates is left up to the consultant or whoever manages the site. Depending on the size or number of sites being managed, it can become a major time suck. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting companies like Pantheon with StagingPilot, <a href=\"https://www.liquidweb.com/products/managed-wordpress/\">LiquidWeb</a>, and others are easing the fear of auto updates in general and saving people a lot of time by using automatic visual regression testing. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about StagingPilot and to see Nathan demo the service in-person, check out this <a href=\"https://www.wpwatercooler.com/video/stagingpilot-w-nathan-tyler-wpshowandtell/\">episode of WPshowandtell</a> hosted by Jason Tucker. </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 May 2019 01:32:28 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:3;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 5.8 Released with Prototype of New Block-based Widgets Screen\";s: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=90267\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-5-8-released-with-prototype-of-new-block-based-widgets-screen\";s: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:3753:\"<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/05/29/whats-new-in-gutenberg-29th-may/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Gutenberg 5.8</a> was released today with three new features and more than three dozen enhancements, documentation improvements, and bug fixes. </p>\n<p>This release gives users the ability to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/15625\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">change the text color in the Heading block</a>. The same color options available in the paragraph and button blocks are now available in the heading block.</p>\n<p>A recent release of the EditorsKit plugin (<a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-in-editorskit-1-5-justify-text-alignment-autosave-on-off-toggle-and-highlighted-text\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">version 1.5</a>) added this feature and the plugin&#8217;s author had tracked nearly two dozen issues and discussions where users have asked for text highlighting or similar features. </p>\n<p>&#8220;We really need this for all block controls (lists, paragraphs etc),&#8221; Ben Gillbanks <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/15625#issuecomment-495940882\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">commented</a> on the relevant GitHub issue. &#8220;Anything that can be used on a group block with a colored background could cause readability issues and so the text color will need to be changeable.&#8221; Gutenberg designer Mark Uraine said that adding text color options to all the text blocks is the next step following this update.</p>\n<p>Gutenberg 5.8 adds <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/14768\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">support for reordering gallery images</a> using a simple arrow control to move selections forwards or backwards. This isn&#8217;t an ideal interaction but Gutenberg phase 2 lead Riad Benguella said the team is exploring adding drag and drop support.</p>\n<p>Benguella shared a video that demonstrates these two new features:</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>This release introduces an initial version of the new widgets screen. You can check it out in the admin under the <strong>Gutenberg &raquo; Widgets (beta)</strong> menu. It&#8217;s currently just a proof of concept and has quite a few bugs but gives a preview of how the the widget management screen is shaping up. Benguella said users can currently edit/update widget areas using any available block. The proof of concept implementation in the plugin allows the team to continue polishing the UI and fix bugs in future releases.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-29-at-4.11.47-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>The editor is also making progress on mobile, adding quotes and video to the available blocks, rich captions for the image block, and fixes for several critical bugs. </p>\n<p>The editor has also recaptured some of its performance gains that were lost in version 5.7, according to recent performance benchmarks. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-29-at-1.17.19-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve had some commenters on previous posts who said they are confused about the difference between WordPress&#8217; core editor and the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Gutenberg plugin</a>. The plugin is where active development gets committed. All the new features are put into the plugin first so they can be tested before being rolled into an official WordPress release later down the road. If you want to get access to all the latest features Gutenberg has to offer, install the plugin and you will be able to try it before it lands in core. </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 May 2019 22:37:14 +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:4;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:73:\"WPTavern: Google’s Mobile-First Indexing is Now Default for New Domains\";s: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=90195\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:81:\"https://wptavern.com/googles-mobile-first-indexing-is-now-default-for-new-domains\";s: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:2957:\"<p>Google is <a href=\"https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/05/mobile-first-indexing-by-default-for.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">enabling mobile-first indexing</a> (crawling sites with a mobile user-agent) by default for new domains as of July 1, 2019. These are sites Google defines as &#8220;previously unknown to Google Search.&#8221; </p>\n<p>Mobile searches are the primary way that users engage with the search engine for the past few years, which caused Google to begin prodding website owners to make their content more mobile friendly. Google&#8217;s indexing and ranking systems originally used the desktop version of a page&#8217;s content, but this can cause problems when desktop and mobile sites contain different versions of content. </p>\n<p>Mobile-indexing is not default for all websites yet, but Google started rolling it out more widely in 2018. Google evaluates older websites for readiness based on a variety of factors: </p>\n<blockquote><p>For existing websites we determine their readiness for mobile-first indexing based on parity of content (including text, images, videos, links), structured data, and other meta-data (for example, titles and descriptions, robots meta tags). We recommend double-checking these factors when a website is launched or significantly redesigned.</p></blockquote>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that there is no separate &#8220;mobile-first index.&#8221; Google still references a unified index for serving search results. The difference is in whether a page is crawled by a desktop or mobile user-agent.</p>\n<p>Prior to responsive web design becoming the industry standard, having a separate mobile site was a common practice. Google is actively discouraging this approach now (although still supporting it), as it often causes confusion for users and search engines alike.</p>\n<p>WordPress sites using a responsive theme shouldn&#8217;t have any issues with mobile indexing as long as they are not farming out their mobile sites to a separate domain. A responsive theme is usually enough to make a site compatible with this method of crawling.</p>\n<p>Website owners can check to see how their sites are being crawled by clicking on the &#8220;URL Inspection&#8221; tab inside the Google Search Console. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-28-at-9.37.57-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Webmasters of older sites will <a href=\"https://searchengineland.com/google-floods-webmasters-with-mobile-first-indexing-enabled-notifications-305712\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">get a notification</a> from the Search Console when their sites are moved over to mobile-first indexing. </p>\n<p>After successfully ramping up mobile-first indexing from a small-scale experiment a few years ago, making it the default for new domains should be a good test for evaluating how aggressively it can be rolled out in the future.</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 May 2019 15:49:21 +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:5;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:60:\"HeroPress: I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=2839\";s: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:170:\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10666:\"<img width=\"960\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/052819-min-1024x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pull Quote: I wouldn\'t have made it through some of the hardest times in my life without WordPress.\" /><p>I grew up in the 90s and 2000s which was a weird time for technology. Part of me remembers carrying around a case of cassette tapes and the sound of dial-up occasionally screaming from the living room. The other half recalls hacking into my dad’s email from the shared family computer for the first time when I was ten. His passwords were never very hard to guess.</p>\n<p>In 2004 or 2005, I started taking more of an interest in the Internet. I wanted to start a blog maybe, but I wasn’t sure what a blog even was. WordPress was one of the first things I stumbled on, but it was still an infant compared to what it’s evolved into and I had no idea how it worked. Was WordPress a blogging website? Was it a thing I could build my own site with? How did it work?</p>\n<p>I just wanted somewhere to be myself online and WordPress intimidated me. So I dabbled, but I didn’t stay. Myspace and Tumblr would teach me to use HTML, because after all, I just wanted my own place to write online.</p>\n<h3>Finding My Way Back to WordPress</h3>\n<p>Eventually, my writing career led me back to WordPress. I was in college, studying English Literature when the opportunity for a Marketing Internship opened up. Around 2011, Chartwells Higher Education, a food service company for college campuses, had launched a huge multi-site network of university dining websites.</p>\n<p>Their largest initiative that year was to drive website traffic.</p>\n<blockquote><p>Mine was to keep the students from kicking us off campus because of how much everyone hated Campus Dining.</p></blockquote>\n<p>So I started a blog.</p>\n<p>“The Inside Scoop” gave students the perspective of a student who works for campus dining. Both goals were met and I fell in love with the idea of using writing to address business problems. Even more exciting, I finally understood WordPress. Although by then, nearly ten years had passed and WordPress had completely changed.</p>\n<h3>Life Changed (a LOT), but WordPress Was Always There</h3>\n<p>At the same time throughout college, I went through a major transition from life as an extremely active athlete to someone with mobility problems. I broke my back, went through everything you can think of to fix it, and ended up with a permanent disability.</p>\n<p>Thankfully, I knew by then how to work on a computer in an environment that didn’t necessarily require me to be in an office. It took a few years of adjustment, but eventually, I ended up working for a WordPress-based marketing agency remotely from an RV, which I took anywhere I felt like going.</p>\n<p>For a few years, I became a professional tourist.</p>\n<blockquote><p>I’d wake up, get some work done, then adventure all day.</p></blockquote>\n<p>By the time I was done, I could tour any city in a single day and still keep up with content writing. But writing content was all I did. Naturally, I still wanted my own website to write on, but all I had was Tumblr. How to actually set up a WordPress site from start to finish was a mystery to me.</p>\n<p>My partner at the agency was supposed to build the site for me, but it never happened. By the time my RV broke down in Rhode Island, 3,500 miles from my hometown, I had lost my chance to build a true travel blog and #vanlife became way too much of a fad to interest me anymore.</p>\n<h3>Learning to Build Websites with WordPress</h3>\n<p>My next step was to build my own website. I probably owe a lot of my “self-taught” skills to websites like WP Beginner and WPCrafter, but I really can’t remember how I learned other than trying and failing many times.</p>\n<p>After a few YouTube videos, I dove in and built the worst website that you could possibly imagine. It was atrocious, but I liked it enough, so I started writing on TaylorElizabethRose.com and building more websites.</p>\n<h3>Returning to a Burning California</h3>\n<p>My next few years were spent spinning my wheels on the East Coast and essentially failing at everything I tried. So I made a plan to move back to California and start my own WordPress-based business. By then I had learned a lot about website management, or so I thought.</p>\n<p>The first version of <a href=\"http://TaylordInk.com\">TaylordInk.com</a> was launched in May of 2017 before I made the trip back to California in September.</p>\n<p>As we drove into Napa Valley, I noticed how dry it looked and said,“This is a fire hazard.” There were no fire breaks and I had seen what the terrain looks like before it burns when my house burned in San Diego in 2007. Napa and Santa Rosa were primed for flames.</p>\n<blockquote><p>But, how many times in one person’s life can their house burn down?</p></blockquote>\n<p>It was less than two weeks later when <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubbs_Fire\">the Tubbs Fire</a> came through and burned my entire future. The man I’d been with for two years ended up abandoning me. My business equipment was gone. Any professional clothes I may have had were incinerated. All I had were my dogs and my 2013 MacBook Pro, which happened to be with me at the time.</p>\n<h3>Nothing but a Laptop</h3>\n<p>Between October and December 2017, I couldn’t tell you much about what I did or what happened except that I ended up back in my hometown: San Diego. It was a blur of loneliness, depression, and complete failure. Finally, sometime mid-December, I logged into my personal website.</p>\n<p>May as well start with my own identity.</p>\n<blockquote><p>It was hacked… and gone. I failed to update while I was swimming in my own sorrow.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Luckily, my friend from my agency days actually had a backup of the original site. So I salvaged the posts from his files and started rebuilding. I really didn’t get very far until much later in 2019. I just kept designing and redesigning the same pages over and over again.</p>\n<p>On the second or third time I logged in after the fire, I saw the WordCamp San Diego information on the Dashboard and bought a ticket before I could change my mind about going.</p>\n<h3>Discovering the WordPress Community</h3>\n<p>WordCamp San Diego didn’t happen until months later, but it was the next time I really did anything productive in my life. It was kind of my last-ditch attempt to start a WordPress business or any business at all.</p>\n<p>I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know who I would meet, or how (or if) I would fit in. I certainly never expected to find a community with open arms.</p>\n<p>A weight was lifted from my shoulders almost immediately. Where had all these nerds been my whole life? These were my people!</p>\n<blockquote><p>There’s a comfort that comes from fitting into a community and finding your people.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Being in the company of like-minded people makes the future less bleak. I had hope again for the first time since the fire stole that from me.</p>\n<p>At some point during that WordCamp, a girl named Sochi found out that I was a content writer. She dragged me by the hand to meet <a href=\"https://twitter.com/learnwithmattc?s=17\">Matt Cromwell</a> at the Give booth. It was extremely intimidating because the entire Give Team was sitting there staring at me. I didn’t know it then, but I was meeting my own future coworkers.</p>\n<p>Give was hiring a content writer! In fact, they were close to hiring someone else, but I was intrigued. So I inquired the next day and disrupted Matt’s hiring process a bit.</p>\n<p>The next week, I joined Team Give.</p>\n<p>Over the next year, I spoke at 4 WordCamps and attended 6 or 7 total.</p>\n<p>Working at Impress.org and participating in WordCamps has been incredible and I’ve learned more about WordPress over the past year than in all the years before. I don’t think I would have succeeded as well with my own WordPress-based marketing agency without the community.</p>\n<p>More importantly, I wouldn’t have made it through some of the hardest times in my life without WordPress. It was there when I needed to work remotely and it was there when I needed a helping hand to lift me back out of tragedy.</p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-right rtsocial-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-button\" href=\"https://twitter.com/share?text=I%20Grew%20Up%20With%20WordPress%2C%20Then%20WordPress%20Saved%20Me&via=heropress&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal fb-light\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Like: I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-button rtsocial-fb-like-light\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-button\" href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me%2F&title=I+Grew+Up+With+WordPress%2C+Then+WordPress+Saved+Me\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share: I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-button\" href=\"https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://heropress.com/essays/i-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me/&media=https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/052819-min-150x150.jpg&description=I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pin: I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\"></a></div></div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me/\" title=\"I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me\"></a></div><p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-grew-up-with-wordpress-then-wordpress-saved-me/\">I Grew Up With WordPress, Then WordPress Saved Me</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:\"Wed, 29 May 2019 15:00:15 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Taylor Rose\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:6;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"WPTavern: Happy Sweet 16, 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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90197\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:45:\"https://wptavern.com/happy-sweet-16-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:8623:\"<p>Over the weekend, the WordPress community celebrated 16 years since Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little forked the B2/cafelog blogging platform to create the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2003/05/wordpress-now-available/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">first official release of WordPress</a> on May 27, 2003. It launched with a new admin interface, manual excerpts, intelligent line breaks, a link manager, and was compliant with XHTML 1.1 standards.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wordpress-0-7.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a>image credit: <a href=\"https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/web-design-history/wordpress-0-7-2003\">Web Design Museum</a></p>\n<p>The first two months of posts on the WordPress development blog read like selections from a time capsule, capturing the early history of the software. Mullenweg shared his journey in a &#8220;thinking out loud&#8221; style throughout the process of selecting the best route for templating and other decisions that laid the groundwork for the first release. Since those early days, WordPress has outpaced all its early competitors to become the most popular CMS by a wide margin. </p>\n<p>Sixteen years later, the software is available in more than 200 languages and is now used by <a href=\"https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress/all/all\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">33.9%</a> of the top ten million websites. WordPress&#8217; uncommon growth can be attributed to its unique combination of leadership, stability, and a community of thousands of contributors and entrepreneurs that are empowered by its open source licensing. </p>\n<p>Many WordPress product businesses, part of a commercial ecosystem that Mullenweg estimates at $10 billion/year, hosted sales, giveaways, and promotions in honor of the anniversary. Friends of WordPress all over the world celebrated the software&#8217;s birthday with cakes and tributes.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WordPress turned 16 today Happy 16th Birthday to WordPress <a href=\"https://t.co/1DCZ25Cr0Y\">https://t.co/1DCZ25Cr0Y</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/tf9LO3Qf9R\">pic.twitter.com/tf9LO3Qf9R</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Code Pixelz Media (@codepixelzmedia) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/codepixelzmedia/status/1132964741599629313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>&#8220;We are proud to be a part of the WordPress community! Through thick and thin, WordPress has brought great innovation and inspiration to the online world,&#8221; WordPress Dhaka meetup organizer <a href=\"https://twitter.com/niazlincoln/status/1133057179378954243\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Lincoln Islam</a> said.</p>\n<p>The WordPress community in Ahmedabad gathered together to celebrate with dinner, a custom Wapuu cake, and games. Ahmedabad, which is located in western India, is the largest city in the state of Gujarat. WordPress 4.6 was the first release to ship with a full Gujarati translation in August 2016, making the software more accessible to approximately 65.5 million Gujarati speakers worldwide. A year later, Ahmedabad <a href=\"https://2017.ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">hosted its first WordCamp</a> and another followed in 2018.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It was awesome celebration of WordPress 16th Birthday! Discussion, Cake, Dinner and Game with WordPress Ahmedabad Community  <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress16Birthday?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress16Birthday</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WP16?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WP16</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPAhmedabad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPAhmedabad</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPAhmedabad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPAhmedabad</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Meetup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Meetup</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/12gdpa6R3z\">pic.twitter.com/12gdpa6R3z</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Chetan Prajapati ⓦ (@iamchetanp) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/iamchetanp/status/1133083630547349510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>The team at Bluehost published a video with a few short greetings they recorded for WordPress&#8217; 16th birthday. When asked why they love WordPress, several said they are grateful for the opportunities and the friendships the community has brought them. Check out the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WP16?src=hash\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">#WP16</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress16thAnniversary?src=hash\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">#WordPress16thAnniversary</a> hashtags for more WordPress cake pictures and celebrations. </p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Happy birthday WordPress! <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f382.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n<p>16 years ago, on May 27, 2003, WordPress was released. We believe in WordPress and continue to be committed to growing and contributing to the WordPress open source project! Here\'s just a few of the things we love WordPress for. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WP16?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WP16</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/kEgLQMGnpG\">pic.twitter.com/kEgLQMGnpG</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Bluehost (@bluehost) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bluehost/status/1132994870384168960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It was very amazing day to celebrate <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WordPress</a> 16th Birthday. My journey with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> has been very exciting and surprising. Many more years to come with an amazing experiences.<br />Happy16th Birthday WordPress<img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/2665.png\" alt=\"♥\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f382.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><a href=\"https://twitter.com/wcUdaipur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wcUdaipur</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WP16?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WP16</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress16thAnniversary?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress16thAnniversary</a><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Celebration?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Celebration</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/loveWP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#loveWP</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/ncyVjdZCms\">pic.twitter.com/ncyVjdZCms</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Nidhi Jain (@jainnidhi03) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jainnidhi03/status/1133057009526329344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We had a delicious cake and a fun brain-teasing quiz with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WordPress</a> folks. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f382.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br />The cake was cut by rtCamper <a href=\"https://twitter.com/am_pra_veen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@am_pra_veen</a>, who is just two years older than WordPress. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f389.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n<p>Happy sweet 16, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WordPress</a>. Many more to come! <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WP16?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WP16</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/uLffaqjQni\">pic.twitter.com/uLffaqjQni</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; rtCamp (@rtCamp) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rtCamp/status/1133019305744855047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WordPress is 16. Wow, I have been using it for 15 years. What an impact it has had on my life. Thank for the job, the friends and the community. I <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/2764.png\" alt=\"❤\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> WordPress.</p>\n<p>&mdash; Jonny Harris <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f1ea-1f1fa.png\" alt=\"??\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> (@thespacedmonkey) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/thespacedmonkey/status/1133264173801058304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 28, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\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:\"Tue, 28 May 2019 18:53:34 +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:7;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:44:\"WPTavern: In Case You Missed It – Issue 24\";s: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:59:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90172&preview=true&preview_id=90172\";s: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:51:\"https://wptavern.com/in-case-you-missed-it-issue-24\";s: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:7125:\"<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ICYMIFeaturedImage.png?ssl=1\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-50955\"><img /></a>photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/112901923@N07/16153818039\">Night Moves</a> &#8211; <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/\">(license)</a></p>\n<p>There’s a lot of great WordPress content published in the community but not all of it is featured on the Tavern. This post is an assortment of items related to WordPress that caught my eye but didn’t make it into a full post.</p>\n<h2>Marcel Bootsman Is on His Way to WordCamp EU</h2>\n<p>Earlier this week, Marcel Bootsman began walking his way to Berlin, Germany, the host city for WordCamp EU. The journey is more than 700 kilometers and Bootsman <a href=\"https://walktowc.eu/route/#schedule\">estimates</a> it will take him about 30 days to reach his destination. Along the way, Bootsman has been publishing blog posts to keep readers informed of his progress.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Made it!<a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WalkToWCEU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WalkToWCEU</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/sQ1XUv8Hje\">pic.twitter.com/sQ1XUv8Hje</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f6b6-1f3fc.png\" alt=\"??\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Marcel Bootsman (@mbootsman) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mbootsman/status/1131948855250083840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 24, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>So far, he&#8217;s published a post a day with stories that include a run-in with a bull in an open field, angry cyclists, and amazing photos of the scenery. You can follow along via the <a href=\"https://walktowc.eu/\">WalkToWordCamp.EU website</a>. <a href=\"https://walktowc.eu/donate/\">Donations</a> raised from the event will go to <a href=\"https://donatewc.org/\">DonateWC</a>.</p>\n<h2>WPSiteSync v1.5.2 Released</h2>\n<p>The folks over at ServerPress <a href=\"https://wpsitesync.com/announcing-the-release-of-wpsitesync-v1-5-2/\">have released</a> a new version of WPSiteSync. This plugin enables users to migrate specific content from one site to another without the need to update target URLs for media files. This version fixes a couple of UI related bugs and interactions with Gutenberg.</p>\n<h2>CannaBiz 2.4 Released</h2>\n<p>Robert DeVore <a href=\"https://www.wpdispensary.com/cannabiz-v2-4-release-notes/\">has released</a> CannaBiz 2.4, a WordPress theme that&#8217;s specifically tailored for the Cannabis industry. This release includes two new action hooks, a Yelp social media link, CSS style updates, new customizer controls for button colors, and third-party plugin style updates.</p>\n<h2>Alternative Gutenberg Block Styles Library</h2>\n<p>Carolina Nymark has created a <a href=\"http://wpblockstyles.com/\">website</a> and <a href=\"https://github.com/carolinan/wp-block-styles\">GitHub </a>repository dedicated to creating and sharing alternative styles for Gutenberg blocks. The website contains tutorials on how to create new block styles, add them to child themes, and how to contribute to the library.</p>\n<h2>Patches That Get Lost in the Void</h2>\n<p>Daniel Jalkut describes what he experienced when trying to contribute a patch to WordPress to fix an issue he and his clients were having. Unfortunately, it wasn&#8217;t a good one.</p>\n<blockquote><p>When somebody comes to your project with a well-thought-out, unit-tested fix, and is met by radio silence? The chances are high that they will never come back again. I have submitted WordPress patches in the past, but after this experience I don’t know if I will bother submitting them again. That’s a big change in my perspective on how the WordPress team works, and on how it should work.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Jalkut isn&#8217;t the first nor will he be the last to have an experience like this. WordPress is a large project that encompasses many areas and if a particular ticket is not in line with higher priorities, the chances of it slipping through the cracks are pretty high.</p>\n<h2>Human Made Launches A New Product but Some People Have No Idea What It Is</h2>\n<p>Human Made has <a href=\"https://humanmade.com/2019/05/21/beyond-wordpress-10-year-evolution-human-made/\">launched a new product</a> called <a href=\"http://altis-dxp.com/\">Altis</a> which is a DXP or Digital Experience Platform for WordPress. After reading the press release and the associated blog post, I found it difficult to understand what the product is and who it&#8217;s for and I&#8217;m not the only one.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Maybe human made but not intended for humans. WTF did I just read? <a href=\"https://t.co/iM2sHKhLwu\">https://t.co/iM2sHKhLwu</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Russell Heimlich (@kingkool68) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kingkool68/status/1130921321301463041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 21, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>Noel Tock, Chief Growth Officer, and Partner at Human Made <a href=\"https://twitter.com/noeltock/status/1131248394276626432\">chimed in</a> and admits that the language used to describe the product is geared towards the enterprise market. He explains that Altis is <span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"auto\">an evolution beyond WordPress that supports personalization, artificial intelligence, experimentation, and faster developer experience. </span></p>\n<p><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"auto\">In a nutshell, Altis is a highly specialized version of WordPress with a UI and features that are geared towards specific clients. If you think you can explain what Altis is in a simpler way, please give it a shot in the comments. </span></p>\n<h2>Tips for Speaking at Your First WordCamp</h2>\n<p>Justin Foell of WebDevStudios explains <a href=\"https://webdevstudios.com/2019/05/16/speaking-at-your-first-wordcamp/\">what you need to know</a> if you&#8217;re speaking at your first WordCamp. If you&#8217;re looking for tips on applying to speak at WordCamps, <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/tips-for-replying-to-a-call-for-papers-or-a-call-for-speakers\">Jennifer Bourn has you covered</a>.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><p><a href=\"https://webdevstudios.com/2019/05/16/speaking-at-your-first-wordcamp/\">Speaking at Your First WordCamp? Here&#8217;s What You Need to Know!</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<h2>After the Deadline Alternatives</h2>\n<p>In light of After the Deadline being removed from Jetpack, users have been searching for alternatives. <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/go/content-blogging/the-grammarly-wordpress-tool-and-other-proofreading-solutions/\">This post</a> on WordPress.com highlights a few of them.</p>\n<h2>WPCampus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement</h2>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><p><a href=\"https://wpcampus.org/diversity/\">Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>That&#8217;s it for issue twenty-four. If you recently discovered a helpful resource or post related to WordPress, please share it with us in the comments.</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, 25 May 2019 02:19:44 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:8;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"WPTavern: New GitHub Sponsors Tool Draws Concerns from Open Source Community\";s: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=90081\";s: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:87:\"https://wptavern.com/new-github-sponsors-tool-draws-concerns-from-open-source-community\";s: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:9474:\"<p>GitHub has <a href=\"https://github.blog/2019-05-23-announcing-github-sponsors-a-new-way-to-contribute-to-open-source/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">launched a new Sponsors tool</a> that allows open source developer to receive financial support. The program is rolling out slowly and currently has a <a href=\"https://github.com/sponsors/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">waitlist</a> for open source contributors or maintainers who want to join. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/funding-links.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>For the first year developers are in the program, GitHub will cover all the payment processing fees and has pledged to match all contributions up to $5,000.</p>\n<p>Individual developers participating in the program can customize the funding options displayed when potential supporters click on the Sponsor button. They can add links to other popular funding services, such as Open Collective, Community Bridge, Tidelift, Ko-fi, and Patreon. Open source projects an also specify funding models for contributors by adding a .github/FUNDING.yml file to the project’s master branch.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just enabled <a href=\"https://twitter.com/github?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@github</a>\'s awesome new Sponsor button for <a href=\"https://twitter.com/parceljs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@parceljs</a> with a link to our <a href=\"https://twitter.com/opencollect?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@opencollect</a>! <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f60d.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://t.co/DJnPAtahne\">pic.twitter.com/DJnPAtahne</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Devon Govett (@devongovett) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/devongovett/status/1131610747266486274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 23, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>GitHub has an advantage over other competing funding services by having its Sponsorship model embbeded in the GitHub workflow where much of the work actually takes place. However, this also raises concerns about how sponsor expectations may influence a project&#8217;s development.</p>\n<p>&#8220;You can now sponsor developers as a seamless part of your familiar workflow,&#8221; GitHub open source project manager Devon Zuegel said in the announcement. &#8220;When a contributor answers your question, triages your issue, or merges your code, you can head to their profile—or simply hover over their username—to sponsor their work.&#8221;</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/native-workflow-white.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Sponsorship is a somewhat subjective term and GitHub isn&#8217;t defining what it means here in the context of marrying it to a contributor&#8217;s workflow. For some, it may mean a no-strings-attached donation. For others, the idea of sponsorship always comes the expectation of a return on an investment. </p>\n<p>Ruby on Rails creator and Basecamp founder David Heinemeier Hansson was one of the most prominent to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/dhh/status/1131585498395242496\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">raise concerns about GitHub&#8217;s Sponsors program on Twitter</a>. He sees it as &#8220;a grave risk to open source.&#8221; </p>\n<p>“&#8217;Why haven’t you fixed my issue yet!? I sent you $10! I demand you honor your obligations here. I paid you,&#8217; welcome to small-donation open source 2019,&#8221; Hansson said.</p>\n<p>&#8220;I’m sure GitHub had all the right intentions here. And I’m sure this will work out well for a select few developers who will amass enough donations to ignore individual claims to their time. But I think it’s a grave risk to the culture of open source.&#8221;</p>\n<p>Hansson referenced a recent keynote he delivered at RailsConf 2019 titled &#8220;<a href=\"https://m.signalvnoise.com/open-source-beyond-the-market/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Open source beyond the market</a>,&#8221; challenging those whose initial reactions are simply that &#8220;donations are a good thing.&#8221; Bringing the concept of sponsorship a into the workflow introduces a transactional nature to the work, with unavoidable marketplace expectations that can complicate a project&#8217;s development.</p>\n<p>&#8220;The marketplace norms are hard to escape,&#8221; Hansson said in his keynote. &#8220;They seep into our unconsciousness. There are plenty of open source users who think themselves less as a recipient of a gift and more like customers with warranty claims, that they’ve done the makers of said open source software a great honor by merely choosing to use their thing.</p>\n<p>&#8220;In fact, it’s kind of a natural extension of a society that worships consumerism above little less. A natural extension of &#8216;the customer is always right,&#8217; of the adversarial relationship between buyer and seller.&#8221;</p>\n<p>Others have expressed more specific concerns, such as Microsoft&#8217;s GitHub becoming the dominant payment platform for open source developers, sponsors receiving priority consideration in issues and PRs over user and project needs, and developers deliberately introducing bugs in order to solicit donations. </p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Already seeing “I will prioritise your issues” in the ‘rewards’ sections on the first sponsor-enabled accounts&#8230; so.. you called it</p>\n<p>&mdash; Lasse Rafn (@LasseRafn) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/LasseRafn/status/1131601620582764555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 23, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>Pia Mancini, co-founder of Open Collective, <a href=\"https://medium.com/open-collective/on-github-sponsors-5450b63caf7d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">wrote a response</a> to the concerns that people were sending her way on Twitter. </p>\n<p>&#8220;I am really happy to see such an important player in the ecosystem helping out with the problem of sustaining open source,&#8221; Mancini said. &#8220;Sustaining our commons is an effort that requires everyone to contribute. I am glad to see Github come on board.&#8221; </p>\n<p>This idea of the sustainability of open source and the &#8220;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">tragedy of the commons</a>&#8221; is one that <a href=\"https://m.signalvnoise.com/open-source-beyond-the-market/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hansson and many others reject</a>, but it is one that is commonly embraced by copyleft advocates. It works for Open Collective&#8217;s business model, but comes with its own flavor of reciprocity. Open Collective is distinct in that its funding service is removed from the direct workflow of software development, instead of deeply integrated like GitHub&#8217;s Sponsors tool. </p>\n<p>Mancini said that her company can &#8220;happily coexist with GitHub Sponsors&#8221; because of Open Collective&#8217;s chief differentiators. It was built for projects, not individuals. It offers full transparency about where funds come from and how they are spent. The company also manages the paperwork and tax forms required for fiscal sponsorship. </p>\n<p>&#8220;Open Collective is for funding projects as opposed to individual maintainers,&#8221; Mancini said. &#8220;We strongly believe in supporting communities as a whole, as well as the individuals that make up that community. This helps with ensuring more diversity, and less concentration of power and decisions on one maintainer.&#8221;</p>\n<p>She also cautioned against GitHub trying to swallow up too many aspects of the open source community and injecting its own corporate interests. She hints at a line that the company has not yet crossed but many are still wary of what Microsoft plans to do with GitHub.  </p>\n<p>&#8220;Of course, there’s risk: centralization and lock-in are very risky for communities,&#8221; Mancini said. &#8220;GitHub is Microsoft, which has its own metrics in mind, and it will be difficult for them to be independent, regardless of the good faith of the folks involved.</p>\n<p>&#8220;Attempting to own all aspects of the open source community is a harmful strategy. So far, I don’t think GitHub is trying to do this. They are in a position to help, and they are open to collaborating with existing players.</p>\n<p>&#8220;Does it compete with Open Collective? To some extent. But our growth has never been primarily driven by individuals giving to individuals, but by companies giving to projects. GitHub Sponsors does not solve the need sponsor companies have for invoices and a legal entity to engage with for their vendor systems and documentation requirements.&#8221;</p>\n<p>GitHub&#8217;s intentions may simply be a recognition of what open source software has matured to become &#8211; a driving force of innovation in all industries and an effort worthy of financial support. Giving developers an easy way to receive some reward for their contributions seems rather innocuous, but the concern is that Microsoft cannot foresee the long term consequences of its sponsorship implementation inside GitHub&#8217;s workflow. Open source project maintainers who <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/github-responds-to-letter-from-open-source-project-maintainers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">pressed GitHub for more consideration of open source workflows</a> may get more than they bargained for.</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 May 2019 18:40:15 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:9;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:85:\"WPTavern: Automattic Acquires Prospress, the company behind WooCommerce Subscriptions\";s: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=90102\";s: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:95:\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-prospress-the-company-behind-woocommerce-subscriptions\";s: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:4052:\"<p><a href=\"https://automattic.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Automattic</a> has acquired <a href=\"https://prospress.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Prospress</a> and its flagship <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/products/woocommerce-subscriptions/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WooCommerce Subscriptions</a> product, along with the company&#8217;s entire suite of e-commerce plugins and automation tools. Prospress&#8217; 20 employees will be joining Automattic to continue developing and supporting their products.</p>\n<p>There are no immediate changes planned for current WooCommerce Subscriptions customers. Automattic will begin working on a roadmap for the product after integrating the Prospress team into the company.</p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/posts/prospress-joins-automattic-to-jointly-develop-woocommerce-subscriptions/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">announcement Q&#038;A</a>, Prospress founder Brent Shepherd said he is excited to see how Subscriptions will integrate with Automattic&#8217;s existing products and offered a glimpse at what they may be working on in the near future:</p>\n<blockquote><p>In more specific terms, that could mean looking at closer relationships with how payments are handled, or integrations with other platforms such as WordPress.com. There are also a couple of things to solve both in WooCommerce and subscriptions to help them scale better. Interestingly, these challenges are almost identical for the two codebases. By working more closely to solve them than we ever could apart, I hope we can do a better job of implementing solutions and in a shorter time frame.</p></blockquote>\n<p>WooCommerce Subscriptions can already be purchased a la carte and used on WordPress.com stores, so nothing will change in this department. I asked Paul Maiorana, head of partnerships for WooCommerce, if there are any plans to integrate Subscription functionality with Jetpack sites, as the plugin&#8217;s team is currently pursuing a Membership feature that is essentially recurring payments.</p>\n<p>&#8220;We’re excited to learn from the Prospress team as they’re experts in this space, and could see Memberships potentially leveraging some of the Subscriptions code to avoid duplicating efforts — but we have no plans to integrate the products,&#8221; Maiorana said.</p>\n<p>The Prospress acquisition also includes <a href=\"https://automatewoo.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">AutomateWoo</a>, a marketing automation tool, and <a href=\"https://robotninja.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Robot Ninja</a>, which offers automated checkout testing for WooCommerce stores. <a href=\"https://prospress.com/automatewoo-joins-prospress/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Prospress acquired AutomateWoo</a> in June 2018 as a complementary product to Subscriptions. There are no immediate changes planned for these products that would affect customers.</p>\n<p>Prospress has been deeply invested in the WooCoommerce open source project for many years. WooCommerce has 834 contributors and Shepherd is currently among the top 10. His company <a href=\"https://prospress.com/five-for-the-future-of-woocommerce/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">committed to the five for the future initiative</a> last year by sponsoring one of its employees to contribute full time to WooCommerce core. For the past five years Shepherd has also co-organized the WooCommerce San Francisco meet-up.</p>\n<p>Cornering the market on Subscriptions and being able to ensure a tight integration for customers gives WooCommerce a more competitive edge in the broader e-commerce space. Prospress&#8217; smaller products are also strategic additions to WooCommerce&#8217;s offerings. If Automattic can integrate the marketing automation and automated checkout testing tools in one hosted package, these tools have the potential to greatly increase customer&#8217;s success and confidence in their WooCommerce powered stores.</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 May 2019 23:20:27 +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: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:10;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"WPTavern: Take the 2019 WP&amp;UP Mental Health and Well-Being 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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90124\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://wptavern.com/take-the-2019-wpup-mental-health-and-well-being-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:652:\"<p><a href=\"https://wpandup.org/\">WP&amp;UP</a> is a mental health and well-being charitable organization founded by Dan Maby in 2018, whose mission is to promote positive mental health throughout the WordPress ecosystem. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The organization is currently <a href=\"https://wpandup.org/survey-2019.html\">hosting a survey</a> to better understand the needs of the community. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The questions cover the general work environment, general mental health and well-being, and specific work-related mental health and well-being. The survey will close next week and the results will be anonymized, open-sourced, and shared with the community. </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 May 2019 22:29:49 +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:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:11;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:34:\"Matt: Prospress joining Automattic\";s: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=49589\";s: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:51:\"https://ma.tt/2019/05/prospress-joining-automattic/\";s: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:1351:\"<p>As you may have <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/posts/prospress-joins-automattic-to-jointly-develop-woocommerce-subscriptions/\">read on the WooCommerce blog</a>, <a href=\"https://prospress.com/final-prospress-post/\">Prospress blog</a>, <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-prospress-the-company-behind-woocommerce-subscriptions\">WP Tavern</a>, <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/automattic-has-acquired-prospress-the-makers-of-woocommerce-subscriptions/\">Post Status</a>, <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/23/automattic-acquires-subscription-payment-company-prospress/\">or Techcrunch</a>, the team at <a href=\"https://prospress.com/\">Prospress</a> is joining forces with <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/\">WooCommerce</a> at <a href=\"https://automattic.com/\">Automattic</a> to help accelerate the adoption and democratization of ecommerce across the web. Whew that&#8217;s a lot of links! Prospress was best known for their extension that allowed many types of Subscriptions on top of WooCommerce, but also has some <a href=\"https://automatewoo.com/\">cool marketing automation</a> and <a href=\"https://robotninja.com/\">automated testing tools</a> as well. I love that Prospress was already a Five for the Future company, which aligns really well with Automattic&#8217;s long-term goals and contributions to the wider community.</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 May 2019 22:18:33 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i: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:87:\"Post Status: Automattic has acquired Prospress, the makers of WooCommerce Subscriptions\";s: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=62313\";s: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:97:\"https://poststatus.com/automattic-has-acquired-prospress-the-makers-of-woocommerce-subscriptions/\";s: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:5108:\"<p>Automattic has acquired <a href=\"https://prospress.com/\">Prospress</a>, the team led by Brent Shepherd, and the makers of the largest WooCommerce extension, <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/products/woocommerce-subscriptions/\">WooCommerce Subscriptions</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The acquisition secures a future for Subscriptions under the primary Automattic umbrella, and it&#8217;s an increasingly important part of WooCommerce&#8217;s success.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subscriptions offers the most powerful and flexible subscription option in the eCommerce market, and it&#8217;s common for stores to use WooCommerce because they need Subscriptions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other providers, namely market leader Shopify, do not offer an in-house subscription option, and their third-party options are not nearly as advanced as WooCommerce Subscriptions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prospress brings a couple other products and services with them  <br />— <a href=\"https://automatewoo.com\">AutomateWoo</a> and <a href=\"https://robotninja.com\">Robot Ninja</a> primarily — but Subscriptions is the real breadwinner. It has long been the highest revenue extension in the WooCommerce marketplace.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Maiorana, WooCommerce&#8217;s Head of Payments, Shipping, and Partnerships, tells me, <span class=\"pullquote alignleft\">&#8220;Subscriptions is an important differentiator for WooCommerce amongst eCommerce platforms, and we’re really excited to now be working closely with the Prospress team to create a more unified experience.&#8221;</span></p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have known Brent and his team for a long time, and I&#8217;ve used Subscriptions for many years. It&#8217;s an outstanding and complex project that requires enormous amounts of testing, a skilled development team, and a lot of care.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, the <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/notes/woocommerce-offering-20-higher-rates-trade-third-party-developers-offering-support/\">support structure changed</a> for third-party WooCommerce extensions, which led to an immediate surge of support hiring by the largest extension providers — namely Prospress and SkyVerge — for whom, for the purpose of disclosure, I do contract work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Support is the biggest component of a plugin company, especially for a complex one like Subscriptions, which interfaces (sometimes in very different ways) with dozens of payment processors. I have seen spec documentation for their proposed new features, and it is astounding how much detail is required to be outlaid before a single line of code is changed or written.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Automattic, a company that formerly consisted of a few dozen folks now has the backing of hundreds of &#8220;Happiness Engineers&#8221; to help manage the load.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary risk I see for Subscriptions with Automattic is that it will get lost in the fray if Prospress developers are pulled to other work and more pressing needs. I have perceived this to be the case with their ownership of WP Job Manager, WooCommerce Bookings, and some other extensions — though none with the significance of Subscriptions. I think the strategic importance of Subscriptions <em>should</em> keep that at bay under good management, and I know Automattic management understands that strategic importance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Automattic will eventually go public, I&#8217;m almost certain. Strategically, I fully believe the Prospress acquisition is the right move for them. If I were involved, I would&#8217;ve been trying to make this acquisition for years now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having significant revenue streams under the scope of a company out of your control is a risk, to my thinking as a theoretical investor. I would take this now in-house feature set direct to marketing channels against Shopify  <br />— which is an absolute juggernaut in the eCommerce space today, particularly among high revenue generating stores. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know what led Brent to make the choice to join Automattic now, but it&#8217;s a much-deserved exit after something like eight years of work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brent said the following <a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/posts/prospress-joins-automattic-to-jointly-develop-woocommerce-subscriptions/\">in the announcement Q&amp;A</a>:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved at Prospress. I’ve had the great pleasure of having some amazing people join me over the years. Together I believe we’ve advanced a mission that matters to me — so much so that it predated Prospress and even WooCommerce.</p><p>I believe joining Automattic is the best next stage for Prospress, and I am personally excited to lead the transition and work with the Automattic team to further WooCommerce.</p></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m very happy for Brent and the entire Prospress team. I hope they made a fortune with this acquisition; in my mind, Subscriptions is one of the key reasons for WooCommerce&#8217;s amazing growth as a platform. I think they will do great there, and I have no doubt they will stay committed to making Subscriptions continue as a terrific tool in the toolbox that is WooCommerce.</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 May 2019 19:31:16 +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: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: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:74:\"WPTavern: Google Updates Mobile Search Results to Include Website Branding\";s: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=90077\";s: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:85:\"https://wptavern.com/google-updates-mobile-search-results-to-include-website-branding\";s: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:1999:\"<p>Google is rolling out an <a href=\"https://www.blog.google/products/search/new-design-google-search/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">update to mobile search results</a> that includes website branding. The new design displays a website&#8217;s name and icon at the top of the listing so users can easily scan results. If the result is an ad, it will be indicated in bold next to the website&#8217;s address. Below is a before and after look at the visual refresh of the mobile search results page:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/branded-mobile-search-results.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a>image credit: <a href=\"https://www.blog.google/products/search/new-design-google-search/\">Google</a></p>\n<p>Google <a href=\"https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9290858\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">automatically fetches a website&#8217;s favicon for search results</a>, so most website owners with a favicon already in place should not have to do anything to enable branded mobile search results. </p>\n<p>In 2015, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2015/08/billie/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress 4.3</a> added Site Icon support to the Customizer, so users do not need to rely on a plugin to upload a favicon. WordPress stores the icon so that users do not have to upload it again when switching themes. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/site-icon-customizer.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>A simple, recognizable favicon establishes a visual identity for your site, and Google&#8217;s updates to mobile search results should be a strong reminder not to forget one when building a new site. Site owners may even want to spend more time designing the icon, now that a favicon&#8217;s usefulness extends beyond browser tabs to lend more authority to search results. The changes are just now rolling out to mobile but will likely be coming to desktop searches in the near future.</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 May 2019 17:06:25 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i: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:57:\"WPTavern: Elementor Launches Hello Theme on WordPress.org\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90021\";s: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://wptavern.com/elementor-launches-hello-theme-on-wordpress-org\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5367:\"<p>Elementor launched its <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/hello-elementor/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hello theme on WordPress.org</a> this week. After just a few days in the directory, the theme already has more than 10,000 active installations. It is essentially a blank starter theme that offers 100% compatibility with <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/elementor/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Elementor</a>. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/hello-screenshot.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Page builders with a large user base are in a unique position to influence the WordPress theme market. Loyal users will often select a page builder before choosing a theme from a limited pool of those that boast compatibility with their preferred plugin. Elementor is no exception, with more than 2 million installations and a 4.8-star average rating on WordPress.org.</p>\n<p>Lately the trend with some of the most popular and intuitive WordPress themes is to offer a strong, niche design out of the box, where users don&#8217;t have to make too many choices or fiddle with settings. Hello takes a different path, opeorating as more of a conduit to the Elementor page template library. </p>\n<p>The theme&#8217;s screenshot shows a home page designed in Elementor but the actual theme has very few styles and doesn&#8217;t look like anything out of the box.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-22-at-1.44.58-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Once installed, the first step is to create a page and select &#8220;Edit in Elementor.&#8221; From there users can select from a library of different landing page templates or start building their own layouts from scratch.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-22-at-4.50.56-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Hello is not a new theme. Elementor first released it on GitHub in March 2018. Hosting it on WordPress.org allows users to more easily install it and get automatic updates for improvements and security fixes. </p>\n<p>&#8220;The plugin repository played a huge role in Elementor’s exceptional growth, and we hold similar high hopes for the Hello theme,&#8221; Elementor CMO Ben Pines said.</p>\n<p>There are a few major drawbacks to using the Hello theme that may hinder its potential growth. Access to headers, footers, and widgets is restricted to Elementor Pro users. This seems like a confusing way to build a WordPress site and might be a useful detail to include in the theme&#8217;s description on WordPress.org. If there&#8217;s another way to access headers and footers without purchasing Elementor Pro, I wasn&#8217;t able to find it.</p>\n<p>WooCommerce store owners should be aware that the Hello theme does not yet offer comprehensive support for WooCommerce page styles. Although the release post advertises the theme as having &#8220;out-of-the-box&#8221; compatibility with WooCommerce, the store pages are bare bones and not very attractive. One user commented that the checkout and cart pages do not look very inviting and asked if it will be possible to edit fonts and colors with Elementor. </p>\n<p>Elementor representative Matan Naveh responded to multiple concerns about WooCommerce support and said that full compatibility is still in development:</p>\n<blockquote><p>WooCommerce is a highly complex plugin and any pages that rely on its basic elements (e.g. Cart, My Account, Checkout, etc.) are even more so. The level of complexity is such that changes in something as routine as a WooCommerce update could cause havoc on a layout, resulting in a devastating effect on the webpage’s functionality.</p>\n<p>Currently, Elementor enables you to customize the areas surrounding the WooCommerce elements. Take the cart page, for example – You may not be able to customize the table itself, but you can customize the title or the area where the table is located. You can also insert your own images, backgrounds, and content according to your needs (e.g. adding an FAQ).</p>\n<p>We are considering several options for achieving full compatibility with WooCommerce. But this is still in its development stages.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Some users who switched from the Astra theme, another one commonly used by Elementor users, have <a href=\"https://elementor.com/blog/introducing-hello-theme/#comment-27019\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reported</a> <a href=\"https://elementor.com/blog/introducing-hello-theme/#comment-27035\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">significant (50%) decreases</a> in loading time on real world sites after switching to the Hello theme. Elementor claims that it is &#8220;the fastest WordPress theme ever created,&#8221; but the comparison benchmarks posted don&#8217;t include any themes that are known for high performance. </p>\n<p>Elementor is working on creating a child theme for Hello. It is currently in development on <a href=\"https://github.com/elementor/hello-theme-child\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">GitHub</a> and the team is working on getting it approved for WordPress.org.</p>\n<p>The primary purpose of the Hello theme is to offer compatibility with the page builder, but it is not recommended for users who are not using Elementor. </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 May 2019 02:10:04 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:73:\"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 353 – Slack of Boundaries and A Walk to WCEU\";s: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:59:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=90052&preview=true&preview_id=90052\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:80:\"https://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-353-slack-of-boundaries-and-a-walk-to-wceu\";s: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:2125:\"<p>In this episode, <a href=\"http://jjj.me\">John James Jacoby</a> and I discuss an article published by Vox on how Slack is not improving productivity, especially in large team environments. We highlight what&#8217;s new in WordPress 5.2.1, why libraries are important to the communities they serve, and new security features in WordPress 5.2. At the end of the show, we send a shoutout and good wishes to Marcel Bootsman who has begun his walk to WordCamp EU.</p>\n<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-1-maintenance-release/\">WordPress 5.2.1 Released</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/1/18511575/productivity-slack-google-microsoft-facebook\">The Productivity Pit: How Slack Is Ruining Work</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://walktowc.eu/2019/05/19/stage-1-gouda/\">Marcel Bootsman begins his walk to WCEU</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-improves-the-security-of-automatic-updates\">WordPress 5.2 Improves the Security of Automatic Updates</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/loveland-public-library-to-host-free-beginners-wordpress-class-online-may-22-2019\">Loveland Public Library to Host Free Beginners WordPress Class Online May 22, 2019</a></p>\n<h2>Transcript:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-353-Slack-of-Boundaries-and-A-Walk-to-WCEU-Transcript.rtf\">EPISODE 353 &#8211; Slack of Boundaries and A Walk to WCEU Transcript</a></p>\n<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>\n<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, May 29th 3:00 P.M. Eastern</p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738\">WordPress Weekly via Itunes</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast\">WordPress Weekly via RSS</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr\">WordPress Weekly via Stitcher Radio</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ir3keivkvwwh24xy7qiymurwpbe\">WordPress Weekly via Google Play</a></p>\n<p><strong>Listen To Episode #353:</strong><br />\n</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 May 2019 22:47:58 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:48:\"HeroPress: Growing Through Translating 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:56:\"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=2828\";s: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:148:\"https://heropress.com/essays/growing-through-translating-wordpress/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=growing-through-translating-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:20861:\"<img width=\"960\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/052219-min-1024x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pull Quote: It takes time to build trust.\" /><p><a href=\"https://heropress.com/feed/#ja\">このエッセーは日本語でも読めます。</a></p>\n<p>I have spent most of my adult life knowing WordPress. In November 2003, a few months after I discovered WordPress, I gave it a spin on my personal blog. A few months later, I started contributing in the form of translating WordPress core and documentation into Japanese.</p>\n<p>Today, I make a living as a project and community manager in the field of translation &amp; localization. I get to help people all over the world publish their voice online using their own language, while raising two kids in Tokyo, Japan. This is all thanks to WordPress, which showed me the brand new world of open source I never knew existed, and those who had given me the opportunity to participate in it.</p>\n<p>Let me share my story about how WordPress has changed my life.</p>\n<img />WordCamp Tokyo 2018 organizing team &amp; volunteer staff\n<h3>Discovering WordPress</h3>\n<p>I first found WordPress in the summer of 2003. At that time, with a degree in graphic design at a state university in the Midwest, I was working in a field that had nothing to do with design or web. The small web marketing company I joined after graduation couldn’t make it through the dot com bubble. When I moved back to the U.S. with my then-husband for him to go back to graduate school in Detroit, I couldn’t re-enter the field because of my lack of experience. I settled with a temp in-house translator/admin assistant position at an automotive company to financially support the household. You could say it was a practical choice. Or, to put it frankly, I just gave up and went with the demand for the clerical job with Japanese skill.</p>\n<p>The good thing that came out of it was that I had plenty of time after work. My ex-husband had to study all day, and my temp job was precisely 9-5. Every night, we rarely watched T.V. or went out but headed for our computers. I worked on my own website and sometimes friend’s site for a fee, using just HTML and a little bit of CSS. Back then, reading blogs written by web designers was the best way to follow up-to-date news and techniques of frontend development.</p>\n<p>Inspired by those blogs in both English and Japanese, I decided to start mine. I published my first post on a Movable Type blog in April 2003. I wrote almost every day for a few months. Then as I was getting frustrated with some aspects of Movable Type, I tried several blog engines including WordPress.</p>\n<p>With WordPress, the process of customizing blog design through edits to PHP files was straightforward and enjoyable, so I got addicted to working with WordPress right away. I almost had no experience beyond HTML and CSS before then, but I was surprised that I was able to create a dynamic site myself.</p>\n<a href=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/naoko-blog-design.png\"><img /></a>My blog design between 2003-2019\n<h3>Translating WordPress</h3>\n<p>In November 2003, I re-launched my blog using WordPress. In December, I learned that there was a person named Otsukare who made a Japanese version of WordPress. This fork of WordPress, called “WordPress ME (Multilingual Edition)”, had the first comprehensive WordPress resource site in Japanese, with documentation Wiki and phpBB forums. Through the forum, I started helping him with translating documentation from English to Japanese.</p>\n<p>WordPress stayed as a relatively minor blog tool/CMS in Japan for years, but that didn’t change the fact that it was a piece of software that I really enjoyed using. I kept <a href=\"http://wpdocs.osdn.jp/\">translating Codex</a>, participated in <a href=\"https://naoko.blog/tag/theme-competition/\">theme competitions</a>, and helping others on the forums. It was the first time for me to experience being part of an open source community and working together with people I’ve never met in person (and without being paid!).</p>\n<p>What kept me going was the feeling that I’m part of something bigger. I loved using WordPress, and it was exciting that I could help spread the word. WordPress community gave me a chance to work with people around the world — years before “remote work” was a universally recognized word. There were no free voice/video chat applications, no Slack, but the interpersonal connections have grown deeper because everyone in the community was centered around a tool to deliver your voices to others far from reach.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WordPress Polyglots at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WCEU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WCEU</a> contributor day, translating to so many languages! Thank you for coming! <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11.2.0/72x72/2764.png\" alt=\"❤\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11.2.0/72x72/2728.png\" alt=\"✨\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://t.co/bGvnfTIBYI\">pic.twitter.com/bGvnfTIBYI</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; WordCamp Europe (@WCEurope) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WCEurope/status/747062414886182913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 26, 2016</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<h3>Organizing WordCamp Tokyo</h3>\n<p>In 2007, I went to WordCamp San Francisco and had a short conversation with Matt Mullenweg. I vaguely remember my question &#8211; something like “I love WordPress, and I want to help spread it more in Japan. What should I do?” But I still clearly remember his answer.</p>\n<blockquote><p>“You should do a WordCamp.”</p></blockquote>\n<p>Although it probably was just a casual suggestion since we happened to be at a WordCamp, that idea stayed with me. That short interaction was no doubt the initial trigger of our first WordCamp in Japan, a year later. I was living in the U.S., but that really didn’t matter. Japanese WordPress translators, developers, and users who knew each other through the forums and blogs all worked together to run <a href=\"https://ja.wordpress.org/2008/09/04/wordcamp-tokyo-2008/\">WordCamp Tokyo 2008</a>.</p>\n<img />WordCamp Tokyo 2008. Photo credit: Odyssey\n<h3>Career and Leadership</h3>\n<p>My career also changed dramatically between 2006 and 2009.</p>\n<p>Because I gained general blog template customization skills through working with WordPress, freelance work started to come in. I also had the opportunity to write WordPress books in Japanese. Thanks to WordPress, I was able to learn and practice the idea of ​​Web Standards. My ability to write solid markups was valued, and I got my first full-time technical job as a frontend engineer at an ad agency in a suburb of Detroit.</p>\n<p>In April 2009, I started as a part-time Happiness Engineer (customer support for WordPress.com) at Automattic, then in 2010 offered a full-time position. Since then, my role had evolved into the field of localization, and I’m happy to tell you that my 10th anniversary is coming up soon.</p>\n<p>In the past few years, I’ve taken up some more global responsibilities within the WordPress community, such as one of the Global Mentors for the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/\">Polyglots Team</a>, and lead organizer of <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">WordPress Translation Day 4</a>. Most recently, I was selected as the global leader of the first WordCamp Asia (planned for 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand).</p>\n<h3>Growing and Giving Back</h3>\n<p>The WordPress community taught me so much.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep making efforts in good faith and results will follow.</li>\n<li>It takes time to build trust.</li>\n<li>Everyone has the potential to grow.</li>\n<li>You can’t ignore diversity so might as well embrace it.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Sometimes the process of gaining such new insights was painful, but I still feel I’m lucky to have been given challenges that made me grow.</p>\n<p>To give back, I want to continue helping communities outside of the English speaking world. I believe that’s the most powerful thing I can do to remove the barriers on the web and the vast world that it touches.</p>\n<a href=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/wctd4-tokyo.jpg\"><img /></a>Tokyo WordPress Meetup / WordPress Translation Day 4\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<h2 id=\"ja\">WordPress を通して成長できたという話</h2>\n<p>高野直子</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>WordPress のことを知ったのは、約16年前でした。</p>\n<p>その数カ月後には元持っていたブログを WordPress に切り替え、さらにまた数カ月後には現在も続いている WordPress への翻訳という形での貢献を始めることになりました。振り返ると、社会人になってからほとんどの年数を、WordPress とともに過ごしてきたわけです。</p>\n<p>私が現在東京で子育てをしながらグローバルかつ柔軟な環境で働くことができるのは、新しい世界を見せてくれ、機会を与えてくれた WordPress の存在のおかげです。</p>\n<p>今こうやって、「WordPress との関わりが自分と周りの『バリア』を破ったこと」というテーマで記事を書かせてもらうにあたって思いを巡らせてみると、本当にこのソフトウェアと出会わなければまったく違う人生を歩んでいただろうなと思います。多くの人たちにもめぐりあうことはなかっただろうし、仕事はもちろん、住んでもいる場所も違っていたかもしれない。</p>\n<p>そんな、私にとってとても大きな存在の WordPress が、迷える20代を過ごしていた自分をどんなふうに変えてくれたかのお話をしようと思います。</p>\n<h3>WordPress との出会い</h3>\n<p>私が WordPress を知ったのは、2003年の春か夏頃でした。その頃の私はというと、高校留学後にアメリカ中西部の地方大学でグラフィックデザインの学位を取ったものの、新卒で入った小さな会社がドットコムバブルで立ち行かなくなったり、当時の夫の大学院入学のためにアメリカに戻ってきても経験不足で Web 関係の仕事には就けなかったり。とは言え家計を支える立場を選んだわけで、一旦やりたかった仕事はあきらめて、日系自動車会社で派遣をやっていた日々でした。インハウス翻訳者兼事務補助職のような感じで、お給料と需要を優先して良く言えばがむしゃらにがんばっていたし、悪くいうと目の前のことでいっぱいいっぱいという状況。</p>\n<p>ただ、そのころ時間だけはたっぷりあったんです。夫は暇さえあれば勉強していたし、派遣の仕事もそんなに忙しいものではなかったので、定時に帰って夕食後はテレビを見たり出かけたりはせず、それぞれパソコンに向かっていました。</p>\n<p>趣味やフリーランスの制作者として細々と HTML 手打ちのサイトなんかも作っていたのですが、Web デザイナーが個人で発信する情報はその当時ブログを読むのが何より最新で、ワクワクするものでした。</p>\n<p>そこからいきなり WordPress をインストールしたわけではなくて、まずは一番簡単そうだった Blogger.com を触ってみて制限がちょっと多すぎると感じ、Movable Type をしばらく運用してあまり相性がよくないかもと感じた、というのが私のブログ作りのスタートでした。その後ぴったりなタイミングで b2 からフォークしたリリース版を出したばかりだった WordPress に出会いました。</p>\n<p>PHP のファイルを触りながら自分のブログを作っていく過程が本当に楽しくて、いつのまにか WordPress にハマっていました。そのころはシンプルな構成だったからというのはもちろんあるんですが、それまでほぼ HTML と CSS しか書いたことがなかった自分がいつのまにかそんなふうにいわゆる「動的」サイトを作れるようになっていくことに自分でも驚きました。</p>\n<h3>WordPress 翻訳を始める</h3>\n<p>2003年11月にブログエンジンの変更を完了したサイトを公開し、12月に日本語版の WordPress フォーク “WordPress ME (Multilingual Edition)” を公開しているサイトがあることを知りました。Otsukare さんというエンジニアが行なっていた日本語情報の発信や日本語フォーラムでの回答をお手伝いしているうち、1ユーザーからファンへ、そしてローカリゼーションという分野でのコントリビュートをするようになっていきました。</p>\n<p>それから何年も、WordPress は日本では比較的マイナーなブログツール/CMS ではあったんですが、自分の中では本当に大好きなソフトウェアで、地道に <a href=\"http://wpdocs.osdn.jp/\">Codex</a> の翻訳をしたり、<a href=\"https://naoko.blog/tag/theme-competition/\">テーマ作成コンテスト</a>に応募したり、フォーラムで回答したりしていました。オープンソースという世界も、会ったこともない人たちと（お金にならない！）作業を一緒にするのも初めてでしたが、WordPress を通して会う人たちは本当に様々で、固定観念を覆してくれた気がします。留学や在米で「世界」を分かった気になっていたけど、それよりも私にとって理解を深めてくれたのは、英語を使ってアクセスすることができるようになった、多様な価値観が存在するオンラインのコミュニティでした。</p>\n<p>自分がブログを書くことが好きで、そのツールの成長に少しでも関われるという喜びが、飽きずにオープンソース活動を続けられた理由だった気がします。まだ「リモートワーク」なんて言葉も、動画チャットツールや Slack さえもない時期からオンラインで世界中の人達とコラボレーションする文化を持つ WordPress でしたが、遠く離れた人に考えを届られるブログというツールが中心にあったからこそ、コミュニティは深みを持って成長してきたし、人と人のつながりが構築されていったのだと思います。</p>\n<h3>WordCamp Tokyo の運営</h3>\n<p>2007年、サンフランシスコで開かれた WordCamp に遠征し、マットに声をかけました。「WordPress が好きで、日本でももっと広めるために何かできないかなと思ってるけど、どうしたらいいかな？」そんな内容だったと思います。質問の記憶はおぼろげですが、彼の答えは今でも覚えています。</p>\n<blockquote><p>「WordCamp やったらいいよ！（You should do a WordCamp.）」</p></blockquote>\n<p>たまたま WordCamp にいたからの思いつきから出た言葉だったのかもしれませんが、そのときの一言が印象的で、約1年後に日本初の WordCamp を実行するきっかけになったのは間違いありません。私自身は日本に住んでいなかったにも関わらず <a href=\"https://ja.wordpress.org/2008/09/04/wordcamp-tokyo-2008/\">WordCamp Tokyo 2008</a> が実行できたのは、単なる言い出しっぺの私に「いいね！」と言って一緒に運営をしてくれた他の翻訳者、開発者、日本語版ユーザーの方々とのつながりがあったからでした。</p>\n<h3>キャリアへの影響</h3>\n<p>2006年～2009年には、自分のキャリアも大きく変わりました。</p>\n<p>WordPress にハマることで身につけたブログテンプレート一般のカスタマイズ能力でフリーランスの仕事が入ってきたり、WordPress の本を日本語で書く機会もいただきました。Web 標準の考え方に触れて実践することができたのも WordPress のおかげで、「普通に、きちんとマークアップが書ける」スキルを評価されて、ずっと前から入社したかったデトロイト郊外の会社でフロントエンドエンジニアとしての経験を積むこともできました。その後、2009年にお声がけをいただき、Automattic でのカスタマーサポート職としてスタートして、2010年からフルタイムでこの会社の「社員」となり、現在はローカリゼーション関連のチームでプロジェクト管理を担当しています。もうすぐ勤務10年を迎えます。</p>\n<p>回り回って今は<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/\">翻訳チーム</a>のグローバルメンターや、<a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">WordPress Translation Day</a> 4のリードオーガナイザーを任せてもらったり、そして自分でも驚くことに第一回 WordCamp Asia（2020年、バンコクにて開催予定）のグローバルリードにも選んでいただきました。</p>\n<h3>学びとお返し</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>誠実に努力を積み重ねていくことが実を結ぶ。</li>\n<li>信頼を築くには時間がかかる。</li>\n<li>誰にでも大きく成長できる可能性がある。</li>\n<li>多様性は必然。容認してしまうしかない。</li>\n</ul>\n<p>こういうことは当たり前のようでいて、実感できないような環境も少なくないのではないでしょうか。WordPress コミュニティだって常にパーフェクトではもちろんないにしろ、この場所ではそんな「当たり前」が大事されている、と私はよく感じます。みんなが納得できる普遍的な正しさが、長期的な視点での深みのあるコミュニティの維持と成長に欠かせない要素だと理解している人が多いからなのかなと思っています。</p>\n<p>自信も経験も少なかった自分にたくさんのことを学ばせてくれた WordPress と、その周りにいる人たちへの恩返しも込めて、これからさらに英語圏以外のコミュニティも手助けしていければと思っています。そうすることで、Web と世界を少しでも良い場所にできると信じているし、関わる多くの人のバリアを取り除くきっかけとなるはずです。</p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-right rtsocial-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Growing Through Translating WordPress\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-button\" href=\"https://twitter.com/share?text=Growing%20Through%20Translating%20WordPress&via=heropress&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fgrowing-through-translating-wordpress%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal fb-light\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Like: Growing Through Translating WordPress\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-button rtsocial-fb-like-light\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fgrowing-through-translating-wordpress%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-button\" href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fgrowing-through-translating-wordpress%2F&title=Growing+Through+Translating+WordPress\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share: Growing Through Translating WordPress\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-button\" href=\"https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://heropress.com/essays/growing-through-translating-wordpress/&media=https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/052219-min-150x150.jpg&description=Growing Through Translating WordPress\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Growing Through Translating WordPress\"></a></div></div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/growing-through-translating-wordpress/\" title=\"Growing Through Translating WordPress\"></a></div><p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/growing-through-translating-wordpress/\">Growing Through Translating WordPress</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:\"Tue, 21 May 2019 23:00:35 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Naoko Takano\";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:92:\"WPTavern: Loveland Public Library to Host Free Beginners WordPress Class Online May 22, 2019\";s: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=89982\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"https://wptavern.com/loveland-public-library-to-host-free-beginners-wordpress-class-online-may-22-2019\";s: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:3315:\"<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/library.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a>image credit: <a href=\"https://stocksnap.io/photo/6XANS2384I\">Janko Ferlic</a></p>\n<p>Public libraries are one of the few remaining community centers where people freely pass on valuable skills to neighbors young and old. In addition to offering free access to books, computers, and the internet, libraries often host educational classes as a public service, with an emphasis on teaching fundamental skills for navigating the digital world. </p>\n<p>Many people who are on fixed incomes or living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford to have internet service at home. For them, the library is a gateway to online communication, job hunting, and learning new skills.</p>\n<p>Over the past five years, using WordPress has become one of those important skills, as the software is now used by 33% of the top 10 million websites, across nearly every major industry. </p>\n<p>Packed into a full schedule of toddler story time, book chats, and knitting groups, the public library in Loveland, Colorado, is hosting a free workshop called <a href=\"https://lovelandpubliclibrary.org/event/wordpress-websites-t2-19/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Getting Started with a WordPress Website</a> on May 22, 2019, from 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM MDT. Participants will learn the history and terminology of WordPress, along with the step-by-step basics of creating a website. Topics include posts vs pages, using media, installing a theme, and using plugins. </p>\n<p>Participants who cannot attend in person at the library can register online for a free ticket on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/353235661970837/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook</a> or through <a href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wordpress-websites-t2-19-tickets-59360407577?aff=efbeventtix&fbclid=IwAR18MOc21IlInUmdK3JRXPdXDMT8FPMkE4kYw5ltMpTyNsR47kWSWE3CZQY\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite</a>. Those participating remotely will need to install the Adobe Connect meeting browser plugin and will be able to listen to the lecture through the digital classroom and ask questions via chat.</p>\n<p>Another class will be hosted July 2, 2019, for those who are unable to attend the May workshop.</p>\n<p>Loveland Public Library is one of many libraries that host free WordPress classes. Skokie Public Library in Skokie, Illinois, will be hosting a <a href=\"https://skokielibrary.info/events/10377/build-a-website-with-wordpresscom\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Build a Website with WordPress.com</a> workshop on Friday, May 24, and the Denver Public Library offers <a href=\"https://www.denverlibrary.org/ctc/wordpress-com-i\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">similar courses for WordPress.com</a> in various locations. The New York Public Library plans to offer a <a href=\"https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2019/10/03/blogging-beginners\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Blogging for Beginners</a> course at its Woodland Heights location on October 3, 2019. These are just a small sampling of the educational opportunities offered in this format. If you know someone who wants to get started with WordPress, local libraries are a good resource for finding a free, in-person class. </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 May 2019 21:56:45 +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: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:55:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.2.1 Maintenance Release\";s: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=6976\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-1-maintenance-release/\";s: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:4909:\"<p>WordPress 5.2.1 is now available! This maintenance release fixes 33 bugs, including improvements to the block editor, accessibility, internationalization, and the Site Health feature <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/jaco/\">introduced in 5.2</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can browse the&nbsp;<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&resolution=fixed&milestone=5.2.1&order=priority\">full list of changes on Trac</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2.1 is a short-cycle maintenance release. <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?milestone=5.2.2\">Version 5.2.2</a> is expected to follow in approximately two weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can&nbsp;download <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/download/\">WordPress 5.2.1</a>&nbsp;or visit <strong>Dashboard → Updates</strong> and click&nbsp;<strong>Update Now</strong>. Sites that support automatic background updates have already started to update automatically.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jonathan Desrosiers and William Earnhardt co-led this release, with contributions from 52 other contributors. Thank you to everyone that made this release possible!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/xavortm/\">Alex Dimitrov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tellyworth/\">Alex Shiels</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/afercia/\">Andrea Fercia</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/aduth/\">Andrew Duthie</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/azaozz/\">Andrew Ozz</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/rarst/\">Andrey &#8220;Rarst&#8221; Savchenko</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/afragen/\">Andy Fragen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/anischarolia/\">anischarolia</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/birgire/\">Birgir Erlendsson (birgire)</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chesio/\">chesio</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chetan200891/\">Chetan Prajapati</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/daxelrod/\">daxelrod</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dkarfa/\">Debabrata Karfa</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/odminstudios/\">Dima</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/\">Dion Hulse</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ocean90/\">Dominik Schilling</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iseulde/\">Ella van Durpe</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/edocev/\">Emil Dotsev</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sachyya-sachet/\">ghoul</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gziolo/\">Grzegorz (Greg) Ziółkowski</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/gwwar/\">gwwar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hareesh-pillai/\">Hareesh</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/ianbelanger/\">Ian Belanger</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/imath/\">imath</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/\">Jb Audras</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeremyfelt/\">Jeremy Felt</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/joen/\">Joen Asmussen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/desrosj/\">Jonathan Desrosiers</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/spacedmonkey/\">Jonny Harris</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jrf/\">jrf</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kjellr/\">kjellr</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/clorith/\">Marius L. J.</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikengarrett/\">MikeNGarrett</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dimadin/\">Milan Dinić</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mukesh27/\">Mukesh Panchal</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/onlanka/\">onlanka</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/paragoninitiativeenterprises/\">paragoninitiativeenterprises</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/parkcityj/\">parkcityj</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/peterwilsoncc/\">Peter Wilson</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/presskopp/\">Presskopp</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/youknowriad/\">Riad Benguella</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sergeybiryukov/\">Sergey Biryukov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/netweb/\">Stephen Edgar</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/sebastienserre/\">Sébastien SERRE</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tfrommen/\">Thorsten Frommen</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/hedgefield/\">Tim Hengeveld</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/timothyblynjacobs/\">Timothy Jacobs</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/timph/\">timph</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobiasbg/\">TobiasBg</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tonybogdanov/\">tonybogdanov</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tobifjellner/\">Tor-Bjorn Fjellner</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/earnjam/\">William Earnhardt</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/fierevere/\">Yui</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 May 2019 19:04:49 +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:19:\"Jonathan Desrosiers\";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:101:\"WPTavern: New in EditorsKit 1.5: Justify Text Alignment, Autosave On/Off Toggle, and Highlighted Text\";s: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=89826\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:109:\"https://wptavern.com/new-in-editorskit-1-5-justify-text-alignment-autosave-on-off-toggle-and-highlighted-text\";s: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:5718:\"<p>WordPress plugin developer <a href=\"https://jeffreycarandang.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jeffrey Carandang</a> continues to plough forward with new features for <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-options/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EditorsKit</a>, a collection of page building block options for Gutenberg. What began as a block visibility management plugin has grown to include more features aimed at tweaking various settings in the editor. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://jeffreycarandang.com/editorskit-1-5/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Version 1.5</a> adds some text, heading, and paragraph styling and formatting options that aren&#8217;t currently available in core. For example, Gutenberg lets users change the background color and text color for an entire paragraph, but that&#8217;s where the color customizations end. EditorsKit now supports highlighting a section of text or a heading and choosing a color or background color.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>This may seem like a niche request to implement but Carandang has <a href=\"https://github.com/phpbits/block-options/issues/9\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">tracked</a> nearly two dozen related issues and discussions where users are asking for text highlighting or similar features. </p>\n<p>This release also adds underline and justify alignment options to the paragraph block. Gutenberg doesn&#8217;t include it by default, as <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-7-removes-the-underline-and-justify-buttons-from-the-editor\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress 4.7 removed the justify button from the TinyMCE editor</a> in 2016. However, the demand for justified text has not disappeared.</p>\n<p>In adding the format to EditorsKit, Carandang <a href=\"https://github.com/phpbits/block-options/issues/10#issuecomment-493672412\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">cited 10 issues</a> from Gutenberg&#8217;s GitHub repository and eight WordPress.org support topics where users have asked for the justify text option or have commented on it being missing. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Gutenberg-justify-underline-formats.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Those who have Jetpack installed will already have the justify alignment option. Carandang plans to add a check for wpcom/justify to the next release so users of both plugins won&#8217;t have two justify options.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://jeffreycarandang.com/editorskit-1-5/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EditorsKit 1.5</a> tackles the widespread issues with Gutenberg&#8217;s autosave function by adding a toggle that allows users to enable/disable it. This setting can be found under the vertical ellipses menu at the top of the editor.<br />\nUsers have <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/9220\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reported</a> getting stuck in autosave, particularly with slower connection speeds, and some have experienced problems with their hosts. </p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Neat. I’ve seen users leave their browser tab open all night and their session expires, but the autosaves continue to post even though it’s now getting a 403. Then when the person wakes up their server blacklisted their IP.</p>\n<p>&mdash; Jay (@wpdevlife) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wpdevlife/status/1123209118246944768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 30, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>As the result of getting stuck in autosave, users often attempt to refresh the screen only to lose the work. This has been an ongoing problem since last year. EditorsKit gives users the option to turn autosave off if they are experiencing problems and save manually as they see fit.</p>\n<p>Version 1.5 adds theme support for changing the block width to match the page template and layout. This allows theme developers to customize block sizes based on the template the users selects.</p>\n<p>Carandang has been adding new features based on his own needs but has found most of them to be fairly common requests in the Gutenberg repository. He made upcoming features and ideas for EditorsKit <a href=\"https://github.com/phpbits/block-options/issues\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">public on GitHub</a> and is accepting feature suggestions in this format. A few of his current ideas under discussion include: </p>\n<ul>\n<li>a React emoji picker</li>\n<li>copy link icon for the top bar of the editor</li>\n<li>to-do style using checkbox and strike through</li>\n<li>Markdown support for RichText API</li>\n<li>uppercase and indent formats</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I asked Carandang if he has any plans to add an option for paring down Gutenberg to the bare essentials with an interface more focused on writing. He said it is a possibility but is optimistic that the Gutenberg team may work to solve this common complaint in core.</p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve thought of that, specially when my writer colleague asked me about it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I think it&#8217;s not time for that yet. I&#8217;ll wait for more Gutenberg releases before deciding if it&#8217;s needed in EditorsKit.&#8221;</p>\n<p>Carandang said he doesn&#8217;t plan to add any custom blocks to EditorsKit. His goal is to extend blocks for users to have options that they can utilize globally, while using whichever blocks plugin(s) they prefer. The plugin currently has no revenue model but he may pursue monetization in the future.</p>\n<p>&#8220;At of the moment, I&#8217;m more focused on building the plugin features rather than monetization, but extensions may come in a year or two when Gutenberg is more stable,&#8221; Carandang 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:\"Tue, 21 May 2019 14:58:57 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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: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:89:\"WPTavern: CoBlocks 1.9.5 Merges Block Gallery Plugin into Collection, Adds New Form Block\";s: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=89869\";s: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:99:\"https://wptavern.com/coblocks-1-9-5-merges-block-gallery-plugin-into-collection-adds-new-form-block\";s: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:4217:\"<p><a href=\"https://coblocks.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">CoBlocks</a>, a collection of page builder blocks that was recently <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/godaddy-acquires-themebeans-coblocks-block-gallery-and-block-unit-tests\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">acquired by GoDaddy</a>, has added four new blocks in version 1.9.5. This is the first major release since the plugin was acquired from Rich Tabor and his co-creators. Tabor now heads up a WordPress Experience team at GoDaddy where CoBlocks&#8217; development continues.</p>\n<p>This release merges the three gallery blocks (Masonry, Stacked, and Carousel) from the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-gallery/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Block Gallery</a> plugin into CoBlocks. There is a migration path for users to convert their existing Block Gallery blocks to CoBlocks&#8217; gallery blocks. Block Gallery is still available on WordPress.org as a separate plugin with 5,000 active installs, which is actually more installs than CoBlocks (4,000). Tabor said his team is still discussing whether or not it will remove the plugin in the future.</p>\n<p>&#8220;CoBlocks is already a suite of blocks that level-up the block editor, bringing in those gallery blocks into the core plugin removes a barrier for folks who already have CoBlocks installed,&#8221; Tabor said. &#8220;Instead of folks having to install, activate, and maintain two plugins &#8211; only one is needed. On top of that, it’s far easier to maintain them collectively under one roof, as many of the components are shared between the two plugins.&#8221; </p>\n<p>In addition to merging the gallery blocks, CoBlocks 1.9.5 introduces a new Form block that allows users to customize a simple form directly within the editor. The block includes name, email, and message form fields but does not offer the ability to create new fields or change them to different types of fields. Users can set any of the fields as required using a toggle inside the block preview. For anything beyond these capabilities, a dedicated forms plugin would be required.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-20-at-7.13.40-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>CoBlocks 1.9.5 also adds official support for Gutenberg 5.7 and includes more than a dozen tweaks and fixes. </p>\n<p>Tabor said his team is identifying further solutions that can be leveraged to make page building in WordPress more simple. CoBlocks is rapidly becoming a another one-stop shop for the mostly commonly used page building blocks. </p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re looking at how to make adding maps easier (a better Map block) and developing a system that enables restaurants to build out menus,&#8221; Tabor said.</p>\n<p>Several other block collections already offer a map block and/or a similar suite of page building functionality, such as <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ghostkit/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Kit</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/atomic-blocks/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Atomic Blocks</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/stackable-ultimate-gutenberg-blocks/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Stackable</a>, and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/editor-blocks/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Editor Blocks</a>. Collections seem to be the best way to offer multiple small UI elements, especially if they are all designed to be complimentary in style. Plugin authors differentiate their collections from the others with additional block options, support, complimentary themes, and immediate compatibility with the Gutenberg plugin. </p>\n<p>At the moment, there is little incentive for developers to maintain functionality as separate plugins, but WordPress&#8217; planned single <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-explores-proposal-for-new-block-directory-to-host-single-block-plugins\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">block directory</a> may change the way blocks are packaged for optimal discovery. For now, it&#8217;s a race to see which block collection can offer the most useful suite with the most intuitive UI. </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 May 2019 00:57:04 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:66:\"WPTavern: WordPress 5.2 Improves the Security of Automatic Updates\";s: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=89913\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-improves-the-security-of-automatic-updates\";s: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:4791:\"<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-jaco-released-includes-fatal-php-error-protection-and-a-recovery-mode\">WordPress 5.2</a>, released earlier this month, added the first step towards fully secure updates with offline digital signatures. Scott Arciszewski, Chief Development Officer for Paragon Initiative Enterprises, <a href=\"https://paragonie.com/blog/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-mitigating-supply-chain-attacks-against-33-internet\"></a><a href=\"https://paragonie.com/blog/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-mitigating-supply-chain-attacks-against-33-internet\">explains</a><a href=\"https://paragonie.com/blog/2019/05/wordpress-5-2-mitigating-supply-chain-attacks-against-33-internet\"> how it works</a> and how developers can migrate away from mcrypt to libsodium.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>When your WordPress site installs an automatic update, from version 5.2 onwards, it will first check for the existence of an <code>x-content-signature</code> header. </p><p>If one isn&#8217;t provided by the update server, your WordPress site will instead query for a <code>filenamehere.sig</code> file.</p><p>No matter how it&#8217;s delivered, the signatures are calculated using <a href=\"https://latacora.micro.blog/2018/04/03/cryptographic-right-answers.html#asymmetric-signatures\">Ed25519</a> of the SHA384 hash of the file&#8217;s contents. The signature is base64-encoded for safe transport.</p><cite>Scott Arciszewski</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress core development team manages the signing or secret keys. WordPress 5.2 contains a signing key that expires on April 1, 2021. The verification key or public key is used to decipher the secret key. This value determines the validity of the signature. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the feature is still in an experimental phase, WordPress 5.2 <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/39309#comment:85\">allows an update to occur</a> if a soft error or invalid signature is encountered. This is to prevent more severe errors from causing the user to be locked out of the update process until a manual update is applied. The team will use the reported error information to improve the signature checking process. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The digital signatures are only supported for core updates with Themes and Plugins to follow in a later release. It&#8217;s also likely that the team will include separate keys for core releases, plugins, themes, translations, etc. to allow for more fine-grained control. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Digital signatures applied to WordPress core updates is an important milestone because it prevents users from unknowingly downloading updates from malicious sources. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, without digital signatures, if the server or servers that house the core update files were compromised, a false update could be sent to millions of sites. In 2016, WordFence <a href=\"https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2016/11/hacking-27-web-via-wordpress-auto-update/\">explained how this scenario could play out</a> when they publicized a security vulnerability they discovered with api.wordpress.org.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Persistence Pays Off</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In early 2017, Arciszewski <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170214062414/https://medium.com/@CiPHPerCoder/stopmullware-on-the-security-of-27-of-the-websites-on-the-internet-298a7e5b6871\">published a plea</a> to Matt Mullenweg to focus on securing WordPress&#8217; automatic updates system by using secure cryptographic signatures. Mullenweg responded to the article with <a href=\"https://medium.com/@photomatt/wordpress-and-update-signing-51501213e1\">one of his own</a> on Medium. </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>We will at some point; as said above it’s a good idea — can’t hurt, might help. There are, however, some more important security issues in front of it, that impact millions of sites in the real world, so we are prioritizing those issues above a nice-to-have, defense in-depth effort.</p><cite>Matt Mullenweg</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Arciszewski has spent at least <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/25052\">six years</a> trying to convince the core team to implement digitally signed updates. Four months ago, Gary Pendergast, WordPress core developer, <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/39309#comment:53\">responded to the ticket</a> saying that the feature fell in line with the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/12/08/9-priorities-for-2019/\">list of WordPress priorities</a> planned for 2019 and beyond. Pendergast laid out a plan and with a confirmed commitment to landing it in core, Arciszewski worked with the core team to make it a reality. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Millions of WordPress sites are on their way to becoming more secure thanks to the persistence and efforts of Arciszewski and the WordPress core team.</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 May 2019 21:28:27 +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:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:56:\"WPTavern: Jetpack Opens Signup for Membership Block Beta\";s: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=89859\";s: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://wptavern.com/jetpack-opens-signup-for-membership-block-beta\";s: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:1749:\"<p>Jetpack has opened a <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciARVuZM-q1J9l9eCRdtSFFhtBsVQbIAzJfjUdC2vKKrQXDA/viewform\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">signup</a> for the beta of its upcoming Membership feature in order to collect feedback from potential testers. The changelog for version 7.3, released two weeks ago, hinted at <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-membership-block-coming-to-jetpack-site-health-and-debug-info-added-to-version-7-3#comment-290598\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a new Membership block coming to the plugin</a>. The work in progress was added behind the JETPACK_BETA_BLOCKS constant, presumably in preparation for wider testing.</p>\n<p>Based on the feature&#8217;s description on GitHub, the first iteration will function like a recurring payment/donation button that uses Stripe as the payment gateway. In this case, &#8220;membership&#8221; might be a misnomer for the feature. The wording on the beta signup page lends to the confusion: &#8220;WordPress.com is currently preparing a feature that will let you enable subscriptions on your site.&#8221; </p>\n<p>At the moment, it appears that the Jetpack team hasn&#8217;t fully decided what this feature will become and seems open to seeing where it will go. Beta testers will likely refine the direction of the block. If you have an interest in using Jetpack&#8217;s membership capabilities in the future and want to shape its development, you can <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciARVuZM-q1J9l9eCRdtSFFhtBsVQbIAzJfjUdC2vKKrQXDA/viewform\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sign up</a> for the beta by providing your WordPress.com login and a description of your needs and expectations for the feature.</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, 18 May 2019 04:09:53 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:103:\"WPTavern: Jetpack Retires Proofreading Module, Time to Find A New Grammar and Spellchecking Alternative\";s: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=89861\";s: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:113:\"https://wptavern.com/jetpack-retires-proofreading-module-time-to-find-a-new-grammar-and-spellchecking-alternative\";s: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:2672:\"<p>Jetpack 7.3 was <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-membership-block-coming-to-jetpack-site-health-and-debug-info-added-to-version-7-3\">released last week</a> and if you didn&#8217;t read the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/#developers\">changelog</a>, you may have missed that the spelling and grammar checking module that uses <a href=\"https://www.afterthedeadline.com/\">After the Deadline</a> has been retired. </p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#8220;Grammar and Spelling: Remove from Jetpack. We’ve chekced the spelling alot over the years, but now time to retire.&#8221;</p><cite>From the Jetpack 7.3 Changelog</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/topic/spelling-and-grammar-check-no-longer-available/\">According to James Huff</a>, an Automattician and volunteer moderator, the module was removed in favor of better options being available. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We removed the feature as it has become a bit redundant lately,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Most major web browsers have some form of this already built-in, and  free extensions like <a href=\"http:// https://www.grammarly.com/\">Grammarly</a> are making huge strides in the field. It felt like the right time to back out of that field and focus more on everything else we offer.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Deadline is a service that was created in 2008 by Raphael Mudge and was <a href=\"https://www.afterthedeadline.com/\">acquired by Automattic in 2009</a>. It not only checked for grammar and spelling errors, it did so contextually and provided style suggestions. Mudge moved on from Automattic in 2010 and the service has seemingly operated on auto-pilot. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />After the Deadline Proofreading Button in the Calypso Editor</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 2010 and 2011, the Jetpack team added support for AtD with a proofreading module. Unfortunately, the proofreading button that was available in the Classic editor was not ported over to Gutenberg. This issue was <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/wp-calypso/issues/28550\">originally reported</a> on GitHub in 2018 but <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/wp-calypso/issues/32798\">was closed</a> 14 days ago due to AtD support being removed from Jetpack, WordPress.com, and Calypso. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve used After the Deadline for 10 years and although there&#8217;s no official statement on when the service will be retired, the writing appears to be on the wall.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I plan to give Grammarly a try but I&#8217;ll miss After the Deadline. What grammar and spellchecking services or software do you use and recommend as an alternative to After the Deadline?</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, 18 May 2019 00:00:23 +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:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:81:\"WPTavern: VVV 3.0 Introduces New Ubuntu 18 Box, Support for VVV 2 is Discontinued\";s: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=89824\";s: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:91:\"https://wptavern.com/vvv-3-0-introduces-new-ubuntu-18-box-support-for-vvv-2-is-discontinued\";s: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:6899:\"<p><a href=\"https://varyingvagrantvagrants.org/blog/2019/05/15/vvv-3-0-0.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">VVV 3.0</a> was released this week, introducing a new Ubuntu 18.04 LTS box. The project&#8217;s previous versions used Ubuntu 14, which has now reached end of life (EOL). </p>\n<p>Support for VVV 2 is now discontinued, due to an unforeseen complication with its PHP dependencies. Ondřej Surý, who maintains all the PHP packages VVV uses, deleted the unsupported ones in response to Ubuntu 14 reaching EOL. VVV contributors had set up a package mirror but only 70% of them were mirrored. As a result, VVV 2 installs were no longer able to provision. VVV maintainers have stopped supporting it and it will not receive any fixes or updates in the future. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://tomjn.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tom Nowell</a> said he and his fellow VVV maintainers had &#8220;a mini- Ubuntu 14-apocalypse of sorts when it reached EOL,&#8221; so the new Ubuntu 18 box is a big bump up that should cover the project until 2024. It includes Kernel improvements that make Ubuntu faster when used in a virtual machine. The 3.0 update came out of necessity but it includes changes the team had already intended to make.</p>\n<p>&#8220;We wanted to move from 14 to 18 for a long time anyway, and Anton Vanyukov had written a PR starting that, so we went ahead,&#8221; Nowell said. &#8220;The internals are based on VVV 2 so 99% of things should still work exactly the same (but a bit better and a little faster).&#8221; </p>\n<p>VVV now uses a leaner custom built box, but it requires users to destroy their VMs in order to update. Directions for updating to 3.0 are in the release <a href=\"https://varyingvagrantvagrants.org/blog/2019/05/15/vvv-3-0-0.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">post</a>. This destroys the database but VVV creates its own backups that can be quickly restored with a simple command.</p>\n<p>Another major change in 3.0 is that VVV no longer stores MariaDB data inside the VM. The data has been relocated to database/data, which has the added benefit of being preserved when using the <code>vagrant destroy</code> command.</p>\n<p>The release also includes quite a bit of restructuring with the removal of the /vagrant mapped folder that eliminates overlapping vagrant shared folders. In addition to several dozen smaller improvements, VVV 3.0 adds a new teddy bear when it finishes provisioning.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screenshot-2019-05-17-at-14.51.27.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<h3>The Future of VVV: Version 4 to Focus on User-Friendly Improvements to Provisioning</h3>\n<p>Although VVV doesn&#8217;t yet have a user-friendly interface and requires the use of a terminal, Nowell said the team is working towards making it easier to use. For now, VVV distinguishes itself from other development apps, like Local and DesktopServer, by being a community project that is free from commercial interests.</p>\n<p>&#8220;VVV does a lot of the things DesktopServer does but for free,&#8221; Nowell said. &#8220;We don’t charge $99 for PHP7, SSL, or WP CLI. VVV won’t up sell you on hosting either, and you can have as many sites as you want out of the box.</p>\n<p>&#8220;A lot of people like Local for using Docker containers, but all those containers are inside a boot2docker virtual machine using VirtualBox. They have a pretty UI, and it’s great if you use FlyWheel as a host, but it’s not the easiest to get set up for contributing to WordPress.&#8221;</p>\n<p>VVV has a specific pre-built version that provides a development environment <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/tutorials/installing-a-local-server/installing-vvv/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">optimized for contributing to WordPress core</a>. It can be copied onto a USB drive and set up on a user&#8217;s machine, even while offline. This pre-built version is often handed out at the beginning of contributor days at WordCamps.</p>\n<p>&#8220;We’re a community driven project,&#8221; Nowell said. &#8220;People going to contributor days use VVV &#8211; the entire package can be pre-built and put on a USB stick and it runs in a lot more places than some of the docker based setups that some devs use. Until recently you needed to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro to be able to use Docker on Windows. Imagine 100 contributors downloading Windows 10 iso files over conference wifi.&#8221;</p>\n<p>VVV maintainers and contributors are working on releasing version 3.1 in the next month with all the little things they want to polish. Nowell said they have the basis for what they want to accomplish in version 4. Instead of waiting for VVV to install and configure PHP/MySQL/nginx/etc, the install process will happen on a server somewhere and the user will be able to just download the result, similar to how VVV is pre-built for contributor days.</p>\n<p>Nowell identified the major impacts of taking this approach:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>It doesn’t matter if provisioning works for you, we’re doing that for you.</li>\n<li>If someone makes a big slip up, that’s ok, users get the last working build and see nothing.</li>\n<li>Getting everything set up should be much much faster, it will remove about 70-80% of the startup time for a lot of users.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Nowell said the general goal is to &#8220;just make it more fun to use&#8221; but his personal goal is for people to be able to use VVV without ever touching a terminal. He thinks it can be done with an <a href=\"https://electronjs.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Electron</a> wrapper and has performed a few experiments with it. In the past, he spent a lot of time improving the messaging for provisioning errors, but the days of trying to preempt those problems may soon be drawing to a close.</p>\n<p>&#8220;Why fix provisioning for users if they never have to do it in the first place?&#8221; Nowell said. &#8220;I’d say VVV 4 will come pre-built so it only builds the sites themselves, like how you can grab a docker image with PHP/MySQL already setup, and fill it with a site. Eventually the dashboard itself can become an Electron app where you can turn VVV on/off and adds sites.&#8221;</p>\n<p>VVV maintainers have some ambitious plans for version 4 that will make it available to a wider population of WordPress users and save existing users more time on startup. The project needs more testers and feature requests. Contributions to the main project are <a href=\"https://github.com/Varying-Vagrant-Vagrants/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">welcome on GitHub</a>. Developers and testers can also contribute to the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/meta-environment\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">meta environment</a> to improve how it works with WordCamp sites and WordPress.org.</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, 17 May 2019 21:11:15 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:84:\"WPTavern: Block building without JavaScript: Testing ACF, Block Lab, and Lazy Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89780\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:92:\"https://wptavern.com/block-building-without-javascript-testing-acf-block-lab-and-lazy-blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:19359:\"<p>Not everyone is able or willing to build blocks in JavaScript just yet, and sometimes you have to install three or four block collections until you find the blocks you would like. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a third way: plugins that create the blocks for you from a set of specific custom fields, with a template to control the frontend display of the blocks. The three most popular options for doing this include: <a href=\"https://getblocklab.com/\">Block Lab</a>, <a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/blocks/\">ACF (Advanced Custom Fields)</a> and <a href=\"https://lazyblocks.com/\">Lazy Blocks</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>My use case for this test is a small task I set out to accomplish with each of the plugins &#8211; to create a block for team members of a company that includes the following fields: first name, last name, headshot, bio, phone number, and email address and use the block on a page in a two-column display with two team members. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>For each plugin I will demonstrate</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>how to create the Fieldgroup, </li><li>how to create the template for the frontend and </li><li>how to use the blocks to create a team page. </li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I used <a href=\"https://localbyflywheel.com/\">Local by Flywheel </a>as my local development tool. The test site ran on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/download\">WordPress 5.1.1</a>, <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg\">Gutenberg 5.4</a> and the <a href=\"https://wordpress.com/theme/business\">Business Theme</a> from WordPress.com </p>\n\n\n\n<p>After reading this post you will be able to select the plugin that fits your needs.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Creating a Team Block with Block Lab</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Members of the  <a href=\"https://xwp.co/\">XWP team</a> built Block Lab and it is available as a free plugin with a commercial version. I used Block Lab first, installed the plugin and then started a new block. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the video on how to set-up the fields. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iRgsUvVQRzimcktaj1845VVoYcWmt0THZv56Xrn1CGF549wAA7iC1DoQNr0-ZhZnPQ6iXk7LULp6PFuazN-KfBvoaNvPFf3Cobsdwt6HBhT6HbKOz9tQ7tq-y5oC0W6uyLL9_RY3\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EanmmdAsFYGbcXr1ygb8FHMmRWUTVTH1stMIqg0YnZ8XIPziPLfv9fmC5dKWAnZyNkxOShxuzueW2ByPZOaJobqWlqORw35pk3hEBDx7UhjdB05HU0yf8enxtqIBY1TONAJWELlt\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The next step is setting up the block template </p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I looked at the expected location, the template will be made part of the theme directory in a subfolder called /blocks/ That’s something a developer needs to remember, as there is some content lock-in when switching themes. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>To create the template, I opened my code editor, created the file block-team-member.php, and added the HTML + and minimal PHP to reference the fields. </p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n&lt;h2&gt;\n&lt;?php block_field( \'first-name\' );?&gt; \n&lt;?php block_field( \'last-name\' );?&gt;\n&lt;/h2&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\"teamphoto\" src=\"&lt;?php block_field( \'picture\' ); ?&gt;\"\n alt=\"&lt;?php block_field( \'first-name\' );?&gt; \n&lt;?php block_field( \'last-name\' );?&gt; \" width=\"150\" style=\"float:left;padding:4px;margin;2px;\"/&gt;\n&lt;?php block_field( \'short-bio\' ); ?&gt;&lt;/p&gt;\n\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can reach &lt;?php block_field( \'first-name\' );?&gt;&lt;/em&gt; \n&lt;br/&gt;via email &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=\"mailto:&lt;?php block_field( \'email-address\' ); ?&gt;\"&gt;\n&lt;?php block_field( \'email-address\' ); ?&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;\n or &lt;br/&gt;\nvia phone: &lt;span&gt;&lt;?php block_field( \'extension\' ); ?&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pj0rCDeug3wI8j6NJbIGB03095ZcSRxopKs8Lj_g1ZK3m2cce8GxuK6q55tZvXIkU4YA-qdgwPWirkPzaBV7TbfkMftmWyNmAtHoFKA5KgRcddlW0pF0Em2_eGRzGVgWO6Xt_4on\" alt=\"\" width=\"217\" height=\"402\" /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the last step, I finished the configuration of this block with the Block Properties </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>I set the icon to a person, </li><li>selected the “Layout Elements” as Category and </li><li>added “team member, team” as keywords</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All this is necessary for the Block inserter in the editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let’s see how it works. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I added a new Page called <strong>Meet our Block Lab Team</strong> and added the team members, using the Block “Team Member”.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, I decided to have all the information filled within the block editor boundaries. During setup of the fieldgroup, I had also the choice to display form controls in the Block Options tab in the sidebar. For the moment, I have determined that’s it’s just personal preference. Once you click outside the block, the form disappears and the block is rendered similar to its frontend representation.</p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/49oYuT1N3zL8kgT0ojON3E5s4RgJlS9wJHou2fwgUAGEwaP0LOyuuQ4DZmTm2EUpcHJXRluW_tFlvj_coY62gTteq6ep1kJKTrUTR7lbuV5w276LNlxGJikJwdY51KPvVeyBB5Mh\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Now that I have the block finalized, I can add more team members to the page. I decided, I’d like them in a column block with two columns. </p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XgDmfWQFlv6oN12gTeoZ9wA4JN0lvf_FGeWTLK3RfmWfAKXjQ9E_GOvY5kTKDPJRyAcSP36u1VTMkGI5kwiZ8mUQJnCKQSKYZdE-G6io645EsTyp2V4CfMXrCotH8Och1vGEWUjK\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>So far, so good. I was not thrilled that the location of the template points to the theme folder.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I want to switch out the theme, I still would like to keep the block and the layout for the block with my site, so I would need to make sure to copy the blocks folder to the new theme’s directory. Another way is outlined in the &nbsp;<a href=\"https://github.com/getblocklab/block-lab/wiki/3.-Displaying-custom-blocks\">documentation for Blocklab on Github</a>. It offers two filters to change the default location of the template: </p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>“To use a different template inside your theme, use the block_lab_override_theme_template( $theme_template ) filter. </em><em>To use a different template outside your theme (for example, in a plugin), use the block_lab_template_path( $template_path ) filter.”</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was fairly easy to set up, even if you are not a PHP developer, you can probably use the one PHP function block-field() and make sure to reference the right field names. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Block Lab, in essence, provides you with a method to create the fields and configure the block properties in one screen, and then you need to add the corresponding block template to a folder /blocks/ in your theme’s directory.  It&#8217;s fairly straight forward. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Creating a Team Block with ACF 5.8 </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) version 5.8 came out with a block builder (only available in the Pro version). For my test I used ACF 5.8 RC 1. The final release is available now.  Elliot Condon is the plugin’s author and the first version was released in 2011. The plugin has grown into a hugely popular developer tool for freelancers and agencies alike and has over 1 million installs. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its success and versatility make the creation of the field group a more involved process compared to the other two plugins. The Pro version 5.8 contains the first release of its block building tool.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the admin view of the Field group “Team Member”. </p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/63PvvK9vJx7T38CSlED8q91thMJh3qToA1bGuKDmBaQQGNsEDndfT4z1KkFFx9fISlt8pnWfq6lrnnoAy11YKmlhXiz-GmydV7sB91YorPT5QGfI46CEWLzY22sfsS-krFn_Aa-1\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Now how do I make this into a block? <a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/blocks/\">The documentation</a> is comprehensive enough. &nbsp;Note: In this test I went in a slightly different order… </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I started with the Field Group and I needed to get back to that admin screen after I registered the block (see below) .</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I &nbsp;used two files. First, I needed to register the block in the <em>functions.php</em> of my theme. For the template/block rendering code I used <em>content-block-team-member.php</em> also to be stored in the active theme’s folder. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will see how those two fit together in a second. The rest of the work is done by the plugin in the back end.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>So let’s write the Block Code in PHP</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first snippet is the block registration. I gave it a name, title, a description, point to the render template, give it a category, an icon and some keywords, under which the content producer can find the block in the Block Inserter. I scrolled all the way to the end of my theme’s <em>functions.php</em> and added this snippet:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\nfunction register_acf_blocks() {\n   // register a team member block.\n   acf_register_block(array(\n       \'name\'              =&gt; \'acf-team-member\',\n       \'title\'             =&gt; __(\'ACF Team Member\'),\n       \'description\'       =&gt; __(\'A custom team member block created via ACF 5.8\'),\n       \'render_template\'   =&gt; \'content-block-team-member.php\',\n       \'category\'          =&gt; \'formatting\',\n       \'icon\'              =&gt; \'admin-comments\',\n       \'keywords\'          =&gt; array( \'team member\', \'team\' ),\n   ));\n}\n// Check if function exists and hook into setup.\nif( function_exists(\'acf_register_block\') ) {\n   add_action(\'acf/init\', \'register_acf_blocks\');\n}\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>This code is straight from the <a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/blocks/\">documentation</a> and I just changed a few values. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the next section I created the block rendering template. The file name needs to match the “render_template” attribute in the above text, which is “<strong>content-block-team-member.php</strong>”</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also just followed <a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/blocks/#key-concepts\">along ACF’s documentation</a> and only changed a few values and updated the display code. </p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n&lt;pre class=\"wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code\"&gt;&lt;?php\n// create id attribute for specific styling\n$id = \'team-member\' . $block[\'id\'];\n\n// create align class (\"alignwide\") from block setting (\"wide\")\n$align_class = $block[\'align\'] ? \'align\' . $block[\'align\'] : \'\';\n\n// Load values and asigning defaults for the block fields.\n$short_bio = get_field(\'short_bio\') ?: \'the short bio goes here... \';\n$first_name = get_field(\'first_name\') ?: \'First Name\';\n$last_name = get_field(\'last_name\') ?: \'Last Name\';\n$image = get_field(\'picture\');\n$email_address = get_field(\'email_address\');\n$extension = get_field(\'extension\');\n?&amp;gt;\n\n&lt;div&gt;\" class=\"team-member \"&amp;gt;\n       &lt;h2&gt; &lt;/h2&gt;\n   &lt;blockquote class=\"team-member-blockquote\"&gt;\n   &lt;img class=\"teamphoto\"&gt;\" alt=\"\" alt=\"  \" width=\"150\" style=\"float:left;padding:4px;margin;2px;\"/&amp;gt;\n       &lt;span class=\"team-member-short-bio\"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;\n       &lt;br /&gt;\n       &lt;span class=\"team-membe-extension\"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;\n       &lt;span class=\"team-membe-email-address\"&gt;\n       &lt;/span&gt;\n   &lt;/blockquote&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;\n&lt;/pre&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>As I started with the Fieldgroup, I needed to go back and make sure that the group is associated with the block I just registered. &nbsp;Below the Fieldgroup screen I created a rule for the Location: It needs to read:  “Show this field group if the <strong>Block</strong> is equal to <strong>ACF Team Member. &nbsp;</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/dNTCzxoXnT8IKlgMBkZKhhcKAyuj6AyZVF5wRHn4rhKGEPt4MTBkmR5rkyxLk_Nl1RZAaiU_sMDplVlmRcVJz7b6xjcbgmEJ0tAJVHllcNzJzEuqUQhUhzwvxFD1-pd8Ahhp28FR\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Now let’s see how this works in the Block editor when I add two members. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>It was an interesting experience. You can use the form in the editor section to enter the data. Another option is to enter the data in the form fields available in the the sidebar and you see the block update in real time. You can toggle between the two methods but clicking on the Button “Switch to Edit” or “Switch to Preview” depending which method you are using right now. </p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uihtOmYm4w4yeWo3F116ZTzgr7ESRlgTpOOeOgrI_IWXM4QMJIzs-tjOSnt0o1rnp0EQPIUZE990pMCDvGgjDXS8LhkxBFHAgZnGYZhwYO_DObXU51wuwZcfWOUX_DlMXIJy8Y5E\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The block editor UI works well. It’s worth going through the more elaborate setup and code necessary. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Creating a Team Block with Lazy Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The third plugin in this test is called “Lazy Blocks” by Nikita of nkdev.info, the same team that also published the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/ghostkit/\">GhostKit</a> block collection.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It not only allows me to store information in post_content but I also get a choice to store it in the post_meta table. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a video of using the interface to create the fields.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>As this admin screen is focused on getting all the information to create the blocks, on the left I created my fields and in the sidebar. &nbsp;I filled in the information needed to register a block with the editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Underneath,  I was  able to add the HTML for frontend and backend. The syntax is even easier than Block Lab, and of course much easier than ACF’s  templating. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn’t need to add any code to my theme’s functions.php nor did I need to create additional files with my template code. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can add it all right here, aided by syntax highlighting and merge tags rather than function calls. &nbsp;The <a href=\"https://lazyblocks.com/documentation/getting-started/\">documentation shows multiple ways</a> to write your template code. I am definitely a fan of <a href=\"http://handlebarsjs.com/\">Handlebars (semantic templating)</a> as it is in this context much closer to other systems’ merge tags. </p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/n048DkWcRrFC5Z6Y17GgeTYrL_mIMfARYJt71-S7aZx-v6NIkL94QYIsvJr0eWk4pejhgQjBr5-QECpi16qRbQsXOOq_5HoDSN2qGlHejMr7kLfq9qNAeenG7xIjGhnOM6pCcXyp\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>I copy/pasted the same code into the “Editor HTML” tab, so I could see the frontend display below the form fields. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let’s use it. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Eqo6z_IfKoAahVP3pNl4TyDc1zAffiOUbLHD1H07DCevQORZkRC-9vyKh6jTFq3djhm840806ktf5PdkrARuCWyRvf0KFCpwHG3JyuHGfEUfMuhMkEkp-SOekYTt9ZDUAsSpS4_O\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>This seems to work. It was little bit awkward that the form didn’t disappear when I unselect the block. It takes up a lot of real estate in the editor. Although, I wanted to have the team members in a two-column block, I did not succeed in dragging and dropping the two blocks into a Column Block. I mentioned this in my <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/topic/remove-form-when-block-is-not-selected/\">support topic </a>and nK answered: “&#8230;hiding controls when the block is not selected is a good feature, that already added in ACF Blocks and will be added in Lazy Blocks soon.” Here you have it &#8211; all in due time. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Conclusion: Complex, Evolved, or Easy. &nbsp;</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/\"><strong>ACF 5.8</strong></a> &nbsp;has a very robust block building feature, and every one who has been using the plugin to build sites will be very happy to be able and create dynamic blocks for their customers. It’s well thought through, and developers of all skill sets will get up and running quickly. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Someone, who is not well versed in PHP will have her fair share of trial and error to get it all going. It will get even more complicated when the requirements for the blocks get more involved and beyond this test’s use case. This is not a tool for WordPress beginners or DIY site implementers who don’t write a lot of code themselves. &nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, only the ACF 5.8 Pro version comes with the block builder feature. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wp_acf/status/1112934364751396865\">Condon is contemplating making it a stand alone plugin</a>. (See what the Twitteratti think about the idea… ) </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://getblocklab.com/\">Block Lab </a></strong>is in its early stages of development. It succeeds in abstracting most of the block architecture and reduces the amount of code that needs to be written. The documentation is very helpful. The template is stored in a separate file, and needs to be maintained with the rest of the theme files. If we at my company would use it for any of our projects, we would store the template file with one of our helper plugins, so our customers are able to switch themes without losing the content and display of the blocks built with Block Lab. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Pro version boasts additional features, such as repeater fields, import/export of blocks, user object fields, map field and many more block features. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>XWP is an agency working with enterprise clients on the WordPress.com VIP hosting and other corporations. Their team members are contributing to other big ideas in the WordPress space,<a href=\"https://xwp.co/project/customizer/\"> including the Customizer</a>, &nbsp;<a href=\"https://xwp.co/project/google-amp/\">AMP</a> and <a href=\"https://xwp.co/project/tide/\">Tide</a>. I expect the plugin to stay around and grow with Gutenberg Phase 2 into a robust system for site implementers, agencies, and theme developers. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://lazyblocks.com/\">Lazy Blocks</a></strong><a href=\"https://lazyblocks.com/\"> </a>is a delight to set up and as mentioned, I am a fan of the <a href=\"https://handlebarsjs.com/\">Handelbars</a> templating syntax. It’s easy to learn even for beginners, and with a little practice, a site owner would be able to create specific Gutenberg blocks for their site. The block handling in the editor although functioning, is a little clunky, as the display doesn’t switch between block select state and unselect state at the moment. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is a requirement of having additional fields for a page or a section of a post, Lazy Blocks is a great tool to prototype and get quickly from idea to proof of concept.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only caveat: I was not able to find out who the people are behind <em>nkdev.info</em> and the name Nikita. The website only reveals that it is a young company but nothing more. If you use the plugin, make sure you have Plan B in place just in case the developers abandon the plugin before it takes off. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>ACF 5.8 is quite complex; Block Lab is a very flexible and only semi-complex; and Lazy Blocks is adequately named and the easiest to use. None of them lets you get away without writing code, as each block needs some display output in HTML. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me know what you think about these three block generating plugins. Also, if you found another plugin that allows you to build blocks without getting into Javascript, I want to know about it! Please share your thoughts and discoveries in the comments! </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, 16 May 2019 22:42:47 +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:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i: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:78:\"WPTavern: HostCamp: An Unconference For Advancing the WordPress Infrastructure\";s: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=89739\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"https://wptavern.com/hostcamp-an-unconference-for-advancing-the-wordpress-infrastructure\";s: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:1922:\"<p><a href=\"https://hostcamp.org/\">HostCamp</a> is a small, semi-informal, invitation-only, event with an <a href=\"http://unconference.net/unconferencing-how-to-prepare-to-attend-an-unconference/\">unconference style</a> that is bringing leaders together from within the hosting industry to discuss and share ideas on how to advance the WordPress infrastructure across the web. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The organizing team is comprised of, Jonathan Wold, Ecosystem Consultant, Formerly VP of Strategy at XWP, Mile Rosu, Co-founder and CEO of Presslabs, Mihai Grescenko, Head of Design at Desero, Anna Maria Radu, Event producer for DigiTales, and Andreea Oproiu, Communication and PR specialist for DigiTales.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://hostcamp.org/program/\">Speakers</a> will present on a variety of topics including, malware, ethics in WordPress hosting, PHP versions, portability, and more. <a href=\"https://www.betahaus.com/\">Betahaus</a>, a network and co-working facility in Berlin, Germany, is hosting the event. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />Betahaus Facility in Berlin, Germany</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Rosu describes the unconference as, &#8220;A launchpad for innovations in the hosting industry where opportunities in WordPress infrastructure are encouraged and promoted.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in attending, there is an application form near the bottom of the <a href=\"https://hostcamp.org/\">HostCamp site</a> that is available until June 1st. Tickets are <a href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hostcamp-10-tickets-60401507535\">on sale now</a><a href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hostcamp-10-tickets-60401507535\"></a> for €200 or $223.47. Refunds are available if you contact the organizing team 30 days prior to the event. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should be noted that <a href=\"https://2019.europe.wordcamp.org/\">WordCamp EU</a> is taking place in Berlin, Germany, as well and begins a day after HostCamp. </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, 16 May 2019 21:09:33 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:74:\"WPTavern: Matt Mullenweg Launches New Blog and Podcast on Distributed 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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89755\";s: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:85:\"https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-launches-new-blog-and-podcast-on-distributed-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:4506:\"<img />photo credit: <a href=\"https://stocksnap.io/photo/I16C0GFHHM\">Min An</a>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://automattic.com/\">Automattic</a> CEO Matt Mullenweg has launched a new blog and podcast at <a href=\"https://distributed.blog/\">Distributed.blog</a> where he will be sharing what he has learned over the past 15 years of managing a distributed workforce. In 2019, Automattic now employs more than 900 people from 68 countries who have all worked in a distributed fashion since day one. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;With the Distributed podcast I wanted to take a closer look at how some of the most innovative companies and brilliant minds think about the future of work,&#8221; Mullenweg said. &#8220;Not just the binary questions of &#8216;remote work&#8217; vs. &#8216;office work,&#8217; but the wider spectrum of what’s possible and why it matters. How can we work better and smarter in the decades to come—and what’s the moral imperative driving our desire to change?&#8221;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first <a href=\"https://distributed.blog/podcast/\">episode</a> of the podcast features <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.upwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Upwork</a> CEO <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://twitter.com/skasriel\" target=\"_blank\">Stephane Kasriel</a>, who  is deeply embedded in the labor market for remote work. His company offers a global platform for connecting businesses with freelancers. Upwork went public in 2018 and is expected to do more than $1.7 billion in business this year. Kasriel has a wealth of knowledge to share from his experience managing more than 1,100 remote freelancers in 500 cities, in addition to 400 on-site employees.  </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Our mission at this company is to create economic opportunities for people to have better lives, and the way we measure that is how much money goes into people&#8217;s pockets,&#8221; Kasriel said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Mullenweg and Kasriel are passionate about seeing more companies embrace remote work and the first part of the podcast goes deeper into what is currently broken about work. Those living in big cities are often paid well for their talents and expertise but will spend a large portion of that money on the cost of living. 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Mullenweg and Kasriel discuss the challenges of working across timezones, strategies for improving communication and  preventing employees from feeling a sense of isolation, and managing productivity and performance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The topics included in the episode are even applicable for smaller distributed companies that are just starting out. Kasriel shared tips on establishing a strong culture of employee satisfaction for both on-site employees and those working remotely, navigating conflict, integrating new employees into remote culture, and allowing people to &#8220;delocate&#8221; from on-site work. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>After listening to this episode, I found that Mullenweg and Kasriel presented a compelling case that distributed work is not just a buzzword in the tech industry.  It is actually a movement with a powerful economic impact that is poised to change the world. Remote work also has the added benefit of creating opportunities for people who have a difficult time participating in the traditional labor market, effectively increasing the diversity of a company&#8217;s employees by offering a more inclusive model for working.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The podcast is produced by Mark Armstrong and the team at <a href=\"https://www.chartsandleisure.com/\">Charts &amp; Leisure</a>.  There&#8217;s a lot of valuable information efficiently packed into just 37 minutes. If you manage a distributed team or are part of one, this is a high quality new show to <a href=\"https://distributed.blog/podcast/\">add to your subscriptions</a>. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 16 May 2019 18:14:34 +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: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:41:\"Matt: Introducing the Distributed Podcast\";s: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=49550\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:58:\"https://ma.tt/2019/05/introducing-the-distributed-podcast/\";s: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:1156:\"<a href=\"https://ma.tt/feed/distributed.blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n<p>I’ve been meeting with some brilliant people for <em><a href=\"https://distributed.blog\">Distributed</a></em>, my new podcast dedicated to exploring the future of work. The first episode is a conversation with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/skasriel\">Stephane Kasriel</a>, CEO of <a href=\"https://www.upwork.com/\">Upwork</a>, about how they built a distributed culture, and how flexible work will shape the future of the global economy. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike <a href=\"https://automattic.com/\">Automattic</a>, Upwork does have an office in Silicon Valley (albeit one with a remote receptionist!). It was interesting to hear how Stephane’s teams balance in-person culture with inclusiveness for all employees, no matter where they live. Read more about Stephane’s work at <a href=\"https://distributed.blog\">Distributed.blog</a>, and subscribe at <a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/distributed-with-matt-mullenweg/id1463243282\">Apple Podcasts</a>, or <a href=\"https://distributed.blog/podcast/\">wherever you listen to podcasts</a>. <br /></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, 16 May 2019 14:59:51 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i: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: Gutenberg 5.7 Adds New Block Appender for Group and Columns Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89680\";s: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:87:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-5-7-adds-new-block-appender-for-group-and-columns-blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3366:\"<p>Today&#8217;s release of Gutenberg brings a major improvement to the usability of the Group block. 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The inflexibility of the Columns block has been a frustration for users since it was introduced, but this release makes progress on one of the most common requests. Users can now set a percentage width for the columns in the block settings. The UI for this is a bit clunky, but a more interactive, draggable column resizer handle is <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/15659\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">coming in a future release</a>. Future iterations may also include &#8220;quick-select&#8221; template options for users to select from when setting up their columns.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-9.42.51-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Other new features in this release include support for <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/14627\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">showing post content or an excerpt in the Latest Posts block</a> and support for <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/15409\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">header and footer toggles in the Table block</a>.</p>\n<p>One handy little addition to Gutenberg 5.7 is the ability to <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/14983\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">update images using drag &#038; drop</a>. Users can now drag an image onto an image block that already contains an image. 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The Site Health Check page runs a series of tests and categorizes the results as critical, recommended, and good. This helps users prioritize which issues require immediate attention.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/25/site-health-check-in-5-2/\">adds filters </a>for developers to add, edit, or remove tests but these filters may not be as accessible as a plugin. <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/site-health-tool-manager/\">Site Health Tool Manager</a> by <a href=\"https://wearnhardt.com/\">William Earnhardt</a> is a new plugin that provides an easy way to disable tests. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />Site Health Tool Manager Settings</div>\n\n\n\n<p>In some situations, consultants may want to disable certain tests to prevent the results from panicking a client. For example, if a consultant has configured a site to not receive automatic updates because the site is managed with version control, the site health check test is unnecessary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disabling unnecessary tests can also increase a Site&#8217;s Health Percentage score. However, in the plugin&#8217;s description, Earnhardt stresses that the plugin should, &#8220;only be used to disable tests with a legitimate and acceptable reason for failing. <em>It should not be used to hide tests which can be fixed.</em>&#8220;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Site Health Manager also supports the tests that <a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2019/05/07/jetpack-7-3start-strong-and-stay-healthy/\">were recently added</a> in Jetpack 7.3. Site Health Tool Manager is free and can be found on the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/site-health-tool-manager/\">WordPress plugin directory</a>. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 16 May 2019 02:33:16 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:39:\"WPTavern: Pressing Topics – Episode 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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89714\";s: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://wptavern.com/pressing-topics-episode-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:2517:\"<p>Pressing Topics is a daily podcast hosted by <a href=\"https://www.presstitan.com/\">Malcolm Peralty</a> and myself. We discuss the news that’s making headlines in the WordPress ecosystem as well as related topics that catch our eyes. Generally speaking, if you listen to this show on a daily basis, you should have a good idea on what’s going on in the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode, Malcolm and I review the most common mistakes WordPress theme developers make based on a veteran theme reviewer&#8217;s experience, the 10 best countries to outsource software development too, and a new proposal to the Plugin Directory Guidelines.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to a software issue, the volume of my voice in the beginning of the show varies from loud to quiet to loud again. The audio normalizes after about 5-10 minutes. I&#8217;ve made some software changes and am hopeful the audio quality in episode three is much better. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-most-common-wordpress-theme-development-mistakes-and-how-to-fix-them\">The Most Common WordPress Theme Development Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/best-countries-to-outsource-software-development/\">10 Best Countries to Outsource Software Development, Based on Data</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://torquemag.io/2019/05/wordpress-ecommerce-site/\">4 Reasons You Should Choose WordPress for Your E-Commerce Site</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2019/05/14/jetpack-7-3-1-maintenance-release/\">Jetpack 7.3.1: Maintenance Release</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2019/05/14/proposal-to-modify-plugin-guidelines/\">Proposal to Modify Plugin Guidelines</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transcript is in Rich-Text format. You can download the show or listen to it via the embedded audio player below. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Pressing-Topics-Episode-2-Transcript.rtf\">Pressing Topics Episode 2 Transcript</a><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Pressing-Topics-Episode-2-Transcript.rtf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\">Download</a></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-2-Pressing-Topics.mp3\">Pressing Topics Episode 2</a><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-2-Pressing-Topics.mp3\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\">Download</a></div>\n\n\n\nListen to Episode 2 of Pressing Topics\";s: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, 15 May 2019 19:37:48 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:96:\"WPTavern: Reakit Version 1.0 Released: A New Toolkit for Building Accessible Web Apps with React\";s: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=89682\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:106:\"https://wptavern.com/reakit-version-1-0-released-a-new-toolkit-for-building-accessible-web-apps-with-react\";s: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:6887:\"<p><a href=\"https://reakit.io/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Reakit</a> is a new toolkit for building accessible web apps with React. Brazilian developer Diego Haz launched his MIT-licensed open source project this week with a stable version 1.0 now available to the public.</p>\n<p>The toolkit offers offers composable, themeable, and accessible UI components that strictly follow <a href=\"https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WAI-ARIA 1.1</a> standards. Out of the box, Reakit manages focus and keyboard interactions for components that require them. </p>\n<p>&#8220;WAI-ARIA is hard,&#8221; Haz said. &#8220;Mostly because the spec is dense, confusing and incomplete. My goal with Reakit is not only to provide accessible components out of the box, but also to serve as an example so people can build their own accessible stuff from scratch.&#8221;</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A year ago I left my job to dedicate myself to this open source project.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f389.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Announcing Reakit v1 <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f389.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f449.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://t.co/GbaNYa5rck\">https://t.co/GbaNYa5rck</a></p>\n<p>This is the best project I’ve ever done in my 17 years of programming. I’m sure it\'ll help many companies ship accessible web apps with ease. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/267f.png\" alt=\"♿\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://t.co/s1Xd9XVa48\">pic.twitter.com/s1Xd9XVa48</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Haz (@diegohaz) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/diegohaz/status/1128314741267550208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 14, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>Last year Haz <a href=\"https://github.com/reakit/reakit/issues/154\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">removed all the unnecessary styles</a> from the core package, in favor of having separate packages for themes. The core library is now unstyled by default and does not depend a CSS library. This makes it easier for developers to build UIs from scratch. Developers with specific presentational requirements can easily apply their own styles, instead of spending time having to overwrite a built-in set of styles.</p>\n<p>Those who don&#8217;t want to start from scratch can install a theme package like <a href=\"https://www.npmjs.com/package/reakit-theme-default\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reakit-theme-default</a>. As the community around Reakit grows, more themes will may become available as packages.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/reakit/reakit\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Reakit&#8217;s GitHub repository</a> has been starred more than 2,100 times and 34 people have contributed to the project. Developers who discovered Reakit in its earlier days of development are already building apps and libraries that use the toolkit.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hooks, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/reakitjs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@reakitjs</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gatsbyjs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gatsbyjs</a>, and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/popmotionjs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@popmotionjs</a>\'s Posed are making this ridiculously easy.</p>\n<p>Time to add a GraphQL backend, then some auth with Auth0. <a href=\"https://t.co/vhrCcp0nIA\">pic.twitter.com/vhrCcp0nIA</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Swizec Teller (@Swizec) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Swizec/status/1110968312920301568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Been keeping this quiet for a while, but over the past few months I\'ve been developing a new library. Fannypack is a friendly, themeable, accessible React UI Kit built with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/reakitjs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@reakitjs</a>. </p>\n<p>Check it out!<a href=\"https://t.co/1g5YjTeHN5\">https://t.co/1g5YjTeHN5</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Jake Moxey (@jxom_) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jxom_/status/1075368019835011073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 19, 2018</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>One year ago, Haz left his job to work on Reakit full time as an open source project, because accessibility wasn&#8217;t a major priority at the company that employed him.</p>\n<p>&#8220;I started building Reakit in my spare time with the purpose of easing my team&#8217;s work as we were building most of our components from scratch,&#8221; Haz said. &#8220;The company not only denied that idea (which may be reasonable), but also asked me to delete the project.</p>\n<p>&#8220;So I realized that I was in the wrong company and quit. Since I had savings, I decided to focus on this project. But soon enough I&#8217;ll have to find another job. I&#8217;ll try to find companies where I can use Reakit so I can improve the library at the same time I&#8217;m building something with it.&#8221;</p>\n<p>Not all companies prioritize accessibility in their React-based products. One reason is the expertise and passion for accessibility, paired with React skills, is hard to find.</p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wpcampus-gutenberg-accessibility-audit-finds-significant-and-pervasive-accessibility-problems\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WPCampus&#8217; Gutenberg accessibility audit</a> demonstrated, making accessible web apps with React is challenging. Gutenberg is <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/05/15/whats-new-in-gutenberg-15th-may/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">making major improvements towards becoming more accessible</a> after the completion of the audit. This process has shown that leveraging accessibility expertise and baking it in from the beginning is crucial for writing accessible web apps. </p>\n<p>React is often, and perhaps unfairly, singled out as <a href=\"https://www.netlify.com/blog/2019/02/25/accessibility-is-not-a-react-problem/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">having an accessibility problem</a>. The library isn&#8217;t known for making it easy, but it does provide <a href=\"https://reactjs.org/docs/accessibility.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">accessibility documentation</a> and encourages developers to write semantic HTML. </p>\n<p>While there is no magical &#8220;do-it-for-me&#8221; library that can ensure an app&#8217;s accessibility, the Reakit toolkit gives developers a head start. The project is <a href=\"https://github.com/reakit/reakit\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">open to contribution on GitHub</a> and is also on Open Collective for those interested in <a href=\"https://opencollective.com/reakit\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">funding its development</a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 15 May 2019 19:02:23 +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: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: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:27:\"HeroPress: I Found My Tribe\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:56:\"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=2814\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:106:\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-found-my-tribe/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-found-my-tribe\";s: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:11646:\"<img width=\"960\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/051519-min-1024x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pull Quote: I don\'t just have WordPress acquaintences. I have WordPress friend. I have WordPress family.\" /><p>When I was a kid not a single girl said “I want to be a web designer when I grow up”. Mostly because there was no world wide web. There weren’t video games either, until I was in junior high school and Pong came out. Back when I was a kid, girls mostly thought about becoming teachers, nurses, ballerinas, and mothers. We weren’t encouraged to do “man” jobs. We definitely weren’t encouraged to pursue STEM careers.</p>\n<p>As a matter of fact, my high school guidance counselor told me that I should give up my dream of college and concentrate on being a stay-at-home mom. (It was 1987 and I was ranked 21/325 students in my graduating class.)</p>\n<p>I’ve always been a bit of a calculated rebel, so I didn’t heed her advice. Instead I started down a long path through academia that would eventually bring me here, to WordPress and the community that has become my tribe.</p>\n<p>I&#8217;m often asked how I started my WordPress business. I would love to tell you a story about how I did a ton of research, met with mentors, found advisors, wrote a perfect business plan, crafted an amazing marketing plan, and launched according to a timeline all neatly written out (and using a project management app, of course).</p>\n<h3>It wasn&#8217;t like that at all.</h3>\n<p>At the time I started my business I had worked in higher education for over twenty years as an administrator in five different colleges, universities, and trade schools. I had a bachelor of arts degree in Religion and Philosophy, classical training in vocal performance, an MBA (in marketing, e-commerce, and information systems management), and coursework completed toward a doctorate in higher education administration.</p>\n<p>In June of 2013, I decided it was time to leave my job as an administrator in a local trade school. I hadn&#8217;t really been happy for a long while, and the timing was right financially for me to make a move. My plan was to take July off, use August to job search, then be employed by September.</p>\n<blockquote><p>Have you ever heard the phrase, &#8220;Men plan, God laughs&#8221;?</p></blockquote>\n<p>While it was still June, and within the two weeks’ notice I had given, I was afraid I might become bored. I thought I could make a little money doing some marketing, so I posted to my personal Facebook page that I would love to help out friends and family with social media or web design. The customers came out of the woodwork.</p>\n<h3>And just like that, I had a business.</h3>\n<p>I made many mistakes along the way, of course. I charged $300 for a website when I started ($500 for e-commerce). I paid my dues and learned the trade. I started attending WordPress meetups in Rochester. They were sporadic, at best, so when the organizer asked me if I would become the organizer, I jumped at the chance and got us on a regular schedule, with topics in advance and volunteer speakers.</p>\n<p>From there it was just a matter of time before I would attend my first WordCamp (Buffalo, 2014). Since then I’ve attended more than thirty camps, organized six, mentored five, and spoken at twenty.</p>\n<h3>I love WordPress. But I love the people even more.</h3>\n<p>I don’t just <em>love</em> WordPress. I <em>fell in love</em> with WordPress. The ease of use. The total control. I love that there’s always more to learn. I love that I can teach others how to use it. I love the events. I love the collaboration. I love the people.</p>\n<p>I don’t just have WordPress acquaintances. I have WordPress friends. I have a WordPress <em>family</em>.</p>\n<p>The first site I ever logged into was created for my best friend and me. We had just started a nonprofit organization and her husband built us a website. He made the structure, but we had to add the content. He emailed us our logins. I remember logging in like I had mistakenly been given the key to the castle and wasn’t really supposed to use it. I was afraid to click links. I was afraid to click “publish” or “update.”</p>\n<blockquote><p>I thought for sure I’d kill the whole site. But I didn’t.</p></blockquote>\n<p>I wrote. I added classes. I added pages. I added posts. We added a membership component and soon I was navigating that like a sailor in well-known waters. I was a great WordPress user, but I still didn’t understand the connection between purchasing a domain and having a WordPress site, so I called my friend’s husband.</p>\n<p>Rob and Christine had five kids and Christine worked evenings. When I asked Rob to teach me how to get from the domain purchase to having a site, a deal was struck: if I would cook dinner for their kids, he would teach me WordPress. I made spaghetti, purchased a domain and hosting, and I wrote 4 things down on a piece of paper:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Download WordPress from wordpress.org.</li>\n<li>Upload WordPress through FTP.</li>\n<li>Edit wp-config file (don’t forget to change the salt keys)</li>\n<li>Don’t use “admin” as the account name.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>The rest I (miraculously) remembered. That was eight years and over 300 WordPress installations ago.</p>\n<h3>Which all led me to where I am now.</h3>\n<p>Getting up the courage to speak at WordCamp about a year after I started building sites was scary. I felt like an imposter. I was sure I would be “found out,” but I really did “know my stuff.” People were very complimentary about my talk, so I applied to more camps. I met more people. My friends teased me that I wanted to know all the “A-Listers” in WordPress. Others teased that I wanted to BE an A-Lister. What I really wanted was to learn as much as I could, share what I knew, and build a network.</p>\n<p>In 2017 I spoke at WordCamp Ottawa. It was there I built a connection with Jason Knill of GiveWP.com. I had used Give before, and I told him about how it worked for me. He asked if Give could write about the nonprofit site I had built to raise money to feed children in South Sudan. He interviewed me about it. At the end of our meeting I mentioned to Jason that “if you ever have an opening, I’d love to work for you.” Four and a half months later I started working full-time as the Head of Customer Success for Give.</p>\n<h3>What I love about my job.</h3>\n<p>In my role at Give I get to talk to people all over the world. I get to help them increase their fundraising, which in turn helps their organizations &#8211; most of which are nonprofits helping make the world a better place.</p>\n<p>With our WP Business Reviews plugin I get to work with businesses that are hoping to grow and succeed &#8211; just like I did when I started my freelance business.</p>\n<p>I get to build a team that helps us succeed by helping others succeed. I get to employ people locally in my small hometown outside of Rochester, NY.</p>\n<blockquote><p>I get to keep sharing my love of WordPress.</p></blockquote>\n<p>I continue to speak at WordCamps, mentor and teach locally, and organize my local WordPress Meetup and Technology Nonprofit Meetup. I love Slack, Facebook Groups, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter messages because they let me keep in touch with all of the wonderful people I meet in the community.</p>\n<h3>Mostly I love how WordPress has empowered me to do more and to be more.</h3>\n<p>I’ve spent most of my life trying to broaden my comfort zone.</p>\n<p>As you can probably tell, I have a pretty large comfort zone. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I saw the border of my comfort zone, because it’s that big; but it wasn’t always so. When I was a child I had a comfort zone the size of a postage stamp. I had to stand in it on one toe, like an uncoordinated ballerina trying to learn to go en pointe and failing miserably. I was timid and shy. I was afraid of everything.</p>\n<p>Then one day I decided to do something uncomfortable. I ran for 8th grade student council secretary. It didn’t occur to me that I might not win. I have no idea where that hubris came from. I figured, at that point, that I had just as good a chance as anybody else. I made posters. I gave a speech. And something amazing happened. <em><strong>I lost the election.</strong></em> I mean, I cataclysmically lost the election.</p>\n<p>Most people wouldn’t think that losing an election was amazing, but it was. It was amazing because I learned that I could step outside of my comfort zone, lose, and survive. I could still breathe. Still be me. It had changed me and my perceptions of myself. After that, instead of a postage stamp-sized comfort zone, I could put my foot down on the whole envelope.</p>\n<h3>It didn’t end there.</h3>\n<p>What I learned is that comfort zones are like concentric circles. A step outside doesn’t just stretch the zone to fit that footstep. Instead, it increases it exponentially. Where before you had a three-foot circle, now you have a six-foot circle, then twelve feet, then twenty-four feet, then before you know it, you won’t be able to see the edge of your zone because it’s so big.</p>\n<h3>WordPress helped me with that, too.</h3>\n<p>Instead of feeling like an imposter, the WordPress community embraced me and gave me the validation I needed to feel like I belonged. People were receptive to my ideas. Some wanted to teach me. Some wanted to learn from me. Some wanted to work with me. People hired me. Others asked my opinion or for help. I belonged. <em>I had a tribe.</em></p>\n<p>I will continue to contribute to, support, learn from and grow with WordPress. I love it here. I love my tribe.</p>\n<h3>I hope you find your tribe, too.</h3>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-right rtsocial-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: I Found My Tribe\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-button\" href=\"https://twitter.com/share?text=I%20Found%20My%20Tribe&via=heropress&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-found-my-tribe%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal fb-light\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Like: I Found My Tribe\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-button rtsocial-fb-like-light\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-found-my-tribe%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-button\" href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fi-found-my-tribe%2F&title=I+Found+My+Tribe\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share: I Found My Tribe\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-button\" href=\"https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://heropress.com/essays/i-found-my-tribe/&media=https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/051519-min-150x150.jpg&description=I Found My Tribe\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pin: I Found My Tribe\"></a></div></div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-found-my-tribe/\" title=\"I Found My Tribe\"></a></div><p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/i-found-my-tribe/\">I Found My Tribe</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:\"Wed, 15 May 2019 12:00:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Michelle Ames\";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:71:\"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 352 – Capital P Dangit and My Future Plans\";s: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:59:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89665&preview=true&preview_id=89665\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-352-capital-p-dangit-and-my-future-plans\";s: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:2605:\"<p><strong>*Update*</strong> The previous mp3 attached to this post inadvertently ended around the 31 minute mark. I&#8217;ve reuploaded the episode and corrected the problem. The full episode is attached below.</p>\n<p>In this episode, <a href=\"http://jjj.me\">John James Jacoby</a> and I share what&#8217;s new in WordPress 5.2, discuss why not capitalizing one letter can make or break someone in the WordPress community, and what&#8217;s new in Jetpack 7.3. We also highlight the highly anticipated release of Advanced Custom Fields 5.8.0.</p>\n<p>Near the end of the show, I describe what I&#8217;ve been going through the last few months and what you can expect from me going forward. In short, a variety of audio content.</p>\n<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-jaco-released-includes-fatal-php-error-protection-and-a-recovery-mode\">WordPress 5.2 “Jaco” Released, Includes Fatal PHP Error Protection and A Recovery Mode</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/registration-for-wordsesh-6-is-now-open\">Registration for WordSesh 6 Is Now Open</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-membership-block-coming-to-jetpack-site-health-and-debug-info-added-to-version-7-3\">New Membership Block Coming to Jetpack, Site Health and Debug Info Added to Version 7.3</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/advanced-custom-fields-5-8-0-introduces-acf-blocks-a-php-framework-for-creating-gutenberg-blocks\">Advanced Custom Fields 5.8.0 Introduces ACF Blocks: A PHP Framework for Creating Gutenberg Blocks</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wptracsearch-an-elasticsearch-powered-search-interface-for-wordpress-trac-tickets\">WPTracSearch: An Elasticsearch-Powered Search Interface for WordPress Trac Tickets</a></p>\n<h2>Transcript:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Transcript-of-EPISODE-352-WordPress-Weekly.rtf\">Transcript of EPISODE 352 &#8211; WordPress Weekly</a></p>\n<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>\n<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, May 22nd 3:00 P.M. Eastern</p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738\">WordPress Weekly via Itunes</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast\">WordPress Weekly via RSS</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr\">WordPress Weekly via Stitcher Radio</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ir3keivkvwwh24xy7qiymurwpbe\">WordPress Weekly via Google Play</a></p>\n<p><strong>Listen To Episode #352:</strong><br />\n</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, 14 May 2019 21:47:31 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:64:\"WPTavern: Bear App Adds WordPress Publishing Integration for iOS\";s: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=89558\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://wptavern.com/bear-app-adds-wordpress-publishing-integration-for-ios\";s: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:3887:\"<p>For several years, <a href=\"https://bear.app/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bear App</a> users have <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/bear-app-users-want-wordpress-publishing-integration\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">eagerly requested the ability to publish their notes to WordPress</a>. Bear features a zen writing experience blended seamlessly with note-taking capabilities, a combination that landed the app an Apple Design Award in 2017.</p>\n<p>People use Bear for everything from taking notes to writing chapters for books. Many users also rely on the app for writing drafts for blogs they plan to publish on other platforms. This often requires multiple steps for copying and pasting content, especially when there is media or HTML included in the content.</p>\n<p>Two years ago, the app&#8217;s creators had WordPress publishing on their to-do list but it wasn&#8217;t yet a priority. They were reluctant to implement their own publishing tool with the WordPress APIs and preferred a solution that would rely on external apps. </p>\n<p>Things have changed in the past couple of years, as writing apps have more pressure to provide a frictionless connection to publishing capabilities in order to remain competitive. WordPress&#8217; market share has grown to be an estimated <a href=\"https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress/all/all\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">33% of the the top 10 million websites</a>. In fact, Bear recently <a href=\"https://blog.bear.app/2019/02/our-blog-has-a-new-home-and-some-new-perks/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">moved its blog off of Medium and over to WordPress</a> in February 2019. </p>\n<p>This week WordPress.com, maintainers of the open source WordPress mobile apps, and Bear <a href=\"https://blog.bear.app/2019/05/introducing-a-new-way-to-publish-bear-notes-to-wordpress-on-ipad-and-iphone/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">announced</a> that they have collaborated on a solution that allows users to publish notes to WordPress blogs on iOS. Recent updates to both Bear and WordPress apps enable users to click the share icon on a note and see WordPress pop up as an option. The content is shared with all of its formatting, headings, lists, links, and media in tact.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://cloudup.com/ciCXTmNNLfv\"><img src=\"https://i1.wp.com/cldup.com/u5KnyhPiCg.gif?resize=400%2C710&ssl=1\" alt=\"Bear screen recording\" width=\"400\" height=\"710\" /></a></p>\n<p>The developers at Shiny Frog, makers of the Bear app, explained the solution they landed on for the WordPress integration:</p>\n<blockquote><p>We built an <a href=\"https://github.com/shinyfrog/TextBundle\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">open source library</a> for processing TextBundle files. <a href=\"http://textbundle.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TextBundle</a> is an open standard for sharing plain text files that include attachments like photos. WordPress then worked to add TextBundle support to its iOS app. Bear hands your note off to WordPress as a TextBundle file, and WordPress converts it into a blog post.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Using an open standard like this allows other other developers to <a href=\"https://github.com/shinyfrog/TextBundle\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">build on top of it</a> to create their own integrations for other platforms. It also keeps the Bear app team from having to stay up to date with all the changes to APIs of multiple platforms.</p>\n<p>The new WordPress publishing integration works with any site you have in the WordPress mobile app for iOS, including both self-hosted and WordPress.com sites. Notes must begin with an H1 tag in order to have the blog post title automatically populated. Bear App users can start publishing to WordPress immediately after updating both apps to the latest versions released this week.</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, 14 May 2019 20:20:13 +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: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:71:\"Akismet: Version 4.1.2 of the Akismet WordPress Plugin is Now Available\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"http://blog.akismet.com/?p=2039\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:57:\"https://blog.akismet.com/2019/05/14/akismet-plugin-4-1-2/\";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:885:\"<p>Version 4.1.2 of <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/\">the Akismet plugin for WordPress</a> is now available. It contains the following changes:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>We&#8217;ve reduced the number of API requests made by the plugin when attempting to verify the API key.</li>\n<li>We&#8217;re now including additional data in the pingback pre-check API request to help make stats more accurate.</li>\n<li>We fixed a bug that was enabling the &#8220;Check for Spam&#8221; button when no comments were eligible to be checked.</li>\n<li>We&#8217;ve improved Akismet&#8217;s AMP compatibility.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To upgrade, visit the Updates page of your WordPress dashboard and follow the instructions. If you need to download the plugin zip file directly, links to all versions are available in <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/\">the WordPress plugins directory</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, 14 May 2019 15:06:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:17:\"Christopher Finke\";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:84:\"WPTavern: The Most Common WordPress Theme Development Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)\";s: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=89605\";s: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:93:\"https://wptavern.com/the-most-common-wordpress-theme-development-mistakes-and-how-to-fix-them\";s: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:15614:\"<p>Submitting a theme to the WordPress.org theme directory is a great way to share your work and contribute to the WordPress community. Currently, there are over 7000 themes in the directory, the most popular of which exceeds <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/oceanwp/\">300,000 active installations</a>. (Not including Twenty____ Themes which are packaged with WordPress and have install counts in the millions.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before submitting your theme to the directory, it’s important to understand the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/\">review process</a> first because if your theme doesn’t meet those requirements it can be rejected on the spot.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Themes that have 3 or more distinct issues may be closed as not-approved. However, theme authors may resubmit the theme once they’ve corrected the issues.</p><cite><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/\">https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/</a></cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Reviewers are on your side and want to see your theme go live, once it meets the standards required. If your theme has only minor issues preventing it being included in the directory, your reviewer will work with you to fix those. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, if your theme has too many issues it will be closed as not-approved. If you decide to fix the issues you can upload the theme again &#8211; but it will join the back of the queue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>From my experience <a href=\"https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&status=approved&owner=DannyCooper&col=id&col=summary&col=reporter&col=status&col=resolution&col=time&col=changetime&order=owner&desc=1&report=12\">reviewing over 100 themes</a> I’ve been able to identify the most common issues that prevent themes being approved. By sharing these with you in this article I’m hoping I can help you avoid getting stuck in the queue or rejected.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Uploading Your Theme</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you upload a theme, it joins the queue to be reviewed. On average it will take two months for your theme to reach the front of the queue and receive its first review. All reviewers are volunteers with limited time available to complete reviews. A variety of factors can affect the wait time. When more people volunteer to review themes, the queue moves quickly. Conversely, when themes with a lot of issues are submitted it slows down the queue.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>By submitting a theme that meets all the requirements it makes the review process a lot smoother and ultimately your theme will be live sooner. In this guide, we are going to explore the most common issues that will keep your theme held up in the queue and prevent it from being approved.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: Theme authors that have a track record of submitting issue-free themes can apply to become &#8216;<a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-theme-review-team-launches-trusted-authors-program\">Trusted Authors</a>&#8216;.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Naming Issues</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you upload a theme, the first check that is performed is to see if the name is already taken. Frequently you will be told the name you&#8217;ve chosen is already taken, even if you can&#8217;t see a theme with that name in the directory. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>How could that be? The reason is that the test isn&#8217;t checking against just the directory, it&#8217;s checking against the entire WordPress ecosystem. If a theme has been released anywhere (Github, ThemeForest, etc.) and has over 50 active installations, that name will be unavailable to use.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: if you&#8217;ve released your theme elsewhere and accumulated 50+ installations, you can still use that name in the directory.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Unescaped Output</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme reviewers take security <strong>very</strong> seriously, there&#8217;s even a <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/theme-security/\">dedicated resource</a>. An entire article could be written on writing secure themes, but in this section we are going to explore one aspect: escaping output.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unescaped output places users of your theme at risk. Here’s an example of an unescaped value ($title):</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: xml; title: ; notranslate\">\n$title = get_option( \'my_custom_title\' );\necho \'&lt;h2&gt;\' . $title . \'&lt;/h2&gt;\';\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>The problem with the above is that while we know what type of value $title <strong>should</strong> be, a string, we have not checked if that is the case.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a hacker has managed to change the value of &#8216;my_custom_title&#8217; in the database, your theme will output that value. This presents a huge risk as they could replace the intended output with inline Javascript:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: jscript; title: ; notranslate\">\n    alert(\'This is dangerous\'); \n\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>The solution is to escape all output to ensure it only includes the type of data we are expecting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our example could be fixed like this:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n$title = get_option( \'my_custom_title\' );\necho \'&lt;h2&gt;\' . esc_html( $title ) . \'&lt;/h2&gt;\';\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>The downside to using esc_html is that it strips all HTML tags. If $title included bold or italics, for example:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n$title = \'This article is &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; useful\';\necho esc_html( $title );\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>The word &#8216;very&#8217; would not be bold on the frontend; instead it would output the code &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt;.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This illustrates why it&#8217;s important to use the correct escaping functions for the context. If we were expecting some HTML in the output, we&#8217;d be better using wp_kses_post() or wp_kses() and setting the $allowed_html parameter.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Functions that output also need to be escaped:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\">\n&lt;a href=\"&lt;?php echo esc_url( get_permalink() ); ?&gt;\"&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>The exception is WordPress core functions that include &#8216;the_&#8217; in their name, these are usually escaped already.</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\nfunction the_permalink( $post = 0 ) {\n    /**\n     * Filters the display of the permalink for the current post.\n     *\n     * @since 1.5.0\n     * @since 4.4.0 Added the `$post` parameter.\n     *\n     * @param string      $permalink The permalink for the current post.\n     * @param int|WP_Post $post      Post ID, WP_Post object, or 0. Default 0.\n     */\n    echo esc_url( apply_filters( \'the_permalink\', get_permalink( $post ), $post ) );\n}\n</pre>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Untranslatable Text</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To be accepted into the directory all themes must be 100% &#8216;translation-ready&#8217;. That means each text string your theme outputs must be translatable. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress already has the systems and functionality to handle the translation process, you just need to make sure your strings use the correct functions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While simple to implement, this is often overlooked as it goes against the flow of how people write HTML.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Normally, you might do something like this:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n&lt;h1&gt;404 - Not Found&lt;/h1&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>To make it translatable, you need to add in some PHP:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n// __ functions are the basis of localization.\n&lt;h1&gt;&lt;?php echo __( \'404\', \'text-domain\' ); ?&gt;\n\n// _e functions echo the value.\n&lt;h1&gt;&lt;?php _e( \'404\', \'text-domain\' ); ?&gt;\n\n// Escape and echo the string.\n&lt;h1&gt;&lt;?php esc_html_e( \'404\', \'text-domain\' ); ?&gt;\n\n// localization and variables.\n&lt;h1&gt;&lt;?php _n( \'One post\', \'%s posts\', $count, \'text-domain\' ); ?&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>Strings output by functions must also be translation ready:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n// not translation-ready :-(\n&lt;?php next_posts_link( \'Older Entries\' ); ?&gt;\n\n// translation-ready :-)\n&lt;?php next_posts_link( esc_html__( \'Older Entries\', ‘text-domain’ ) ); ?&gt;\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>Tip: A lot of code examples in codex.wordpress.org don&#8217;t use the translation functions, so be careful when copy and pasting those.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Incorrectly Enqueuing Resources</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The .css and .js files your theme uses must be enqueued using the correct functions: wp_enqueue_style() for CSS and wp_enqueue_script() for Javascript.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A common error is to hardcode scripts and styles directly into the &lt;head&gt; or before &lt;/body&gt;. There are two problems to this approach:</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Impossible to remove</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a plugin needs to remove a resource you have loaded, it’s not possible. If you had used the proper enqueue functions it could be done like so:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n/**\n * Dequeue the theme javascript.\n *\n * Hooked to the wp_enqueue_scripts action, with a late priority (100),\n * so that it is after the script was enqueued.\n */\nfunction wptavern_dequeue_script() {\n   wp_dequeue_script( \'theme-scripts\' );\n}\nadd_action( \'wp_enqueue_scripts\', \'wptavern_dequeue_script\', 100 );\n</pre>\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Duplicate Loading</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you enqueue a resource, jQuery for example, and a plugin also enqueues it, WordPress is smart enough to only load it once.</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n/**\n * Enqueue jQuery\n *\n * jQuery will only be loaded once, despite the two enqueues.\n * jQuery is packaged with WordPress so we don\'t need to specify a src. \n */\nfunction wptavern_enqueue_script() {\n   wp_enqueue_script( \'jquery\' );\n   wp_enqueue_script( \'jquery\' );\n}\nadd_action( \'wp_enqueue_scripts\', \'wptavern_enqueue_script\' );\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>If instead you had hardcoded jQuery into your &lt;head&gt; then there would be no way for WordPress to know, and it would be loaded twice.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Plugin-Territory Functionality</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The scope of a theme should only handle the design and aesthetic of a website, all other functionality should be handled by WordPress itself or plugins.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an attempt to add more value to their themes, theme authors often try to incorporate extra functionality, for example, SEO controls or custom post types.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with bundling functionality into a theme is that the data is not portable. Take SEO controls as an example, if the user changes the theme, they lose all the work they did to optimize their pages. In contrast by using an SEO plugin, the data and functionality is independent of the theme and will be retained when changing the theme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some examples of plugin-territory functionality:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Analytics/Tracking</li><li>SEO controls</li><li>Contact Forms</li><li>Shortcodes</li><li>Gutenberg Blocks</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Tip: If your code writes to the database, it is highly likely to be plugin territory. The exception would be design-related settings (sidebar position, colors, etc.).</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Not Prefixing</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Prefixing is a way of ensuring that your code doesn&#8217;t clash with code from plugins. Namespacing in PHP is a better way to achieve the same effect. However, some users are still using old versions of PHP (5.2) which don&#8217;t support that feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Justin Tadlock shared a list of common things that should be prefixed:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>PHP function names.</li><li>PHP class names.</li><li>PHP global variables.</li><li>Action/Filter hooks.</li><li>Script handles.</li><li>Style handles.</li><li>Image size names.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://themereview.co/prefix-all-the-things/\">https://themereview.co/prefix-all-the-things/</a></p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: php; title: ; notranslate\">\n// function example.\nmy_prefix_example();\n\n// class example.\nclass My_Prefix_Example { … }\n\n// action and filter example.\ndo_action( \'my_prefix_action\' );\napply_filters( \'my_prefix_filter\', $values );\n\n// enqueue examples.\nwp_enqueue_script( \'my_prefix_script\', get_template_directory_uri() . \'/js/custom-script.js\' );\nwp_enqueue_style( \'my_prefix_style\', get_template_directory_uri() . \'/css/styles.css\' );\n\n// image size example.\nadd_image_size( \'my_prefix_image_size\', 220, 180 ); // 220 pixels wide by 180 pixels tall.\n</pre>\n\n\n<p>Exception: When enqueuing third-party resources, don’t add a prefix:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"brush: jscript; title: ; notranslate\">\n // enqueuing a third-party script (chosen.js).\n wp_enqueue_script( \'chosen\', get_template_directory_uri() . \'/js/chosen.js\' );\n</pre>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Licensing Issues</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your theme and all of its files must be 100% GPL-compatible. This includes images, libraries, scripts, and fonts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>All third-party resources must list their source and license information.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This requirement can be particularly tricky as not all licenses are GPL-friendly. The Unsplash license only has one restriction:</p>\n\n\n\n<p>“This license does not include the right to compile photos from Unsplash to replicate a similar or competing service.”</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That one restriction, however, is enough to make it non-GPL-compatible, and as such, you won&#8217;t see Unsplash images included in wordpress.org themes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A list of GPL-compatible licenses is available here &#8211; <a href=\"https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses\">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently,<strong> </strong><a href=\"https://stocksnap.io/\">stocksnap.io</a> has been the most common source of images in the directory as <strong>all </strong>the images they list are licensed as CC0 (GPL-compatible).</p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Screenshot Mistakes</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The requirements state that your screenshot should be an unedited representation of your theme that doesn&#8217;t look like an advertisement. That means no photoshop work, overlays, borders or fancy effects.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Images must also follow the same licensing requirements we explored above.</p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/42HUG_N4a7-I4LHNiJzeD9iI_rVCXD0_lb3UZEiaM18zJ0giqX479QUj9Dl35j2BQObf2DHaiQ7cgvoznWclzEcNo2HuwwGgsJ5eNjFW9vZvuzuBn7gev3wRuBz6SNC1XGMwoo4M\" alt=\"\" />theme pictured: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/blocksy/\">Blocksy</a>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Bonus: Use a Coding Standard</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Code that seems easy to read and understand for you, can be the complete opposite for a reviewer who only has 10-15 minutes to check your code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there is no requirement on coding standards, following one does make your code easier to read, understand and maintain. I personally use and recommend the &#8216;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/best-practices/coding-standards/php/\">WordPress Coding Standards</a>&#8216;, though there are others.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using PHP_CodeSniffer and the WordPress ruleset in your code editor can make adhering to a standard a lot easier &#8211; <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress-Coding-Standards/WordPress-Coding-Standards\">https://github.com/WordPress-Coding-Standards/WordPress-Coding-Standards</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Conclusion</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Theme Requirements are created with the end user in mind. Avoid making the common mistakes I&#8217;ve listed above and your theme will be approved in no time. If you would like to experience the review process from the other side, you can even <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/get-involved/become-a-reviewer/\">become a reviewer</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, 14 May 2019 14:56:58 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:12:\"Danny Cooper\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:39:\"WPTavern: Pressing Topics – Episode 1\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89592\";s: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://wptavern.com/pressing-topics-episode-1\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3178:\"<p>Pressing Topics is a daily podcast hosted by <a href=\"https://www.presstitan.com/\">Malcolm Peralty</a> and myself. We discuss the news that&#8217;s making headlines in the WordPress ecosystem as well as related topics that catch our eyes. Generally speaking, if you listen to this show on a daily basis, you should have a good idea on what&#8217;s going on in the WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pressing Topics is different from WordPress Weekly as we&#8217;ll rarely interview guests, go in-depth on specific subjects, and the show&#8217;s length is greatly reduced. Today&#8217;s episode is 26 minutes long and most episodes will be shorter than that. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our first episode, we discuss the balancing act of user self sufficiency, a new empowerwoment project at Yoast, why countdown timers on event sites are impractical, and WPMU Dev ending development for more than 90% of their plugins. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also talk about the success of WordPress Translation day 4, and inform listeners of multiple security vulnerabilities discovered in the WordPress Ultimate Member plugin. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll submit the podcast to iTunes in the next few days to provide more convenient options of subscribing. Please listen to episode one and let us know what you think. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>\n\n\n\n<p> <a href=\"https://torquemag.io/2019/05/encourage-self-sufficiency/\">User Self Sufficiency</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/yoast/status/1127903355815309314\">Empowerwoment project at Yoast</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/venikunche/status/1128032888556019712\">Conference Websites &#8211; Please don&#8217;t use countdown timers </a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/wpmu-dev-legacy-plugins/\">WPMUDEV Shutting Down Development on Many Plugins </a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wpultimo.com/2019/05/10/hey-there-pro-sites-user/\">WPMU Pro Sites Plugin Migration Option with WP Ultimo</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-translation-day-4-successfully-hosts-77-local-events-in-35-countries-recruits-183-new-translators\">WordPress Translation Day 4 Successfully Hosts 77 Local Events in 35 Countries, Recruits 183 New Translators</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://blog.sucuri.net/2019/05/multiple-vulnerabilities-in-the-wordpress-ultimate-member-plugin.html\">Multiple Vulnerabilities in the WordPress Ultimate Member Plugin </a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transcript is in Rich-Text format. You can download the show or listen to it via the embedded audio player below. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-1-Pressing-Topics-Transcript.rtf\">EPISODE 1 &#8211; Pressing Topics Transcript</a><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-1-Pressing-Topics-Transcript.rtf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\">Download</a></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-1-Pressing-Topics.mp3\">Pressing Topics Episode 1</a><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EPISODE-1-Pressing-Topics.mp3\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\">Download</a></div>\n\n\n\nListen to Pressing Topics Episode 1<br />\";s: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, 14 May 2019 08:24:03 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:118:\"WPTavern: WordPress Translation Day 4 Successfully Hosts 77 Local Events in 35 Countries, Recruits 183 New Translators\";s: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=89550\";s: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:128:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-translation-day-4-successfully-hosts-77-local-events-in-35-countries-recruits-183-new-translators\";s: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:12751:\"<p><a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress Translation Day 4</a> was held over the weekend. The 24-hour global event hosted 77 local events in 35 countries and the Polyglots team added 183 new contributors to their ranks. The team also designated 12 new GTEs (Global Translation Editor) and 14 PTEs (Project Translation Editor).</p>\n<p>Naoko Takano, a Polyglots Team Global Mentor and Japanese GTE, gave an <a href=\"https://www.slideshare.net/naokomc/introduction-to-wordpress-translation-day-4-144893265\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">introduction</a> to the event from Tokyo for the livestream. In her presentation she shared some stats on the state of WordPress translation. WordPress is currently available in 201 locales with 614 GTEs, 3,086 PTEs, and 32,585 contributors. The majority of WordPress installs are in locales other than US English, representing an estimated 18% of the web.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-13-at-2.24.45-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Takano also highlighted the top locales installed:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Japanese: 5.9%</li>\n<li>German: 5.5%</li>\n<li>Spanish: 5.0%</li>\n<li>French: 3.8%</li>\n<li>English (UK): 3.7%</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Locales with most translation contributors include Spanish (2,863), German (2,399), Italian (2,190), Dutch (1,584), and Russian (1,515). These stats show that WordPress still has tremendous opportunity for growth among top world languages with the most native speakers, such as Chinese dialects, Hindi, Aarabic, Bengali, and Portugese.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are translating WordPress into Persian in Iran <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f1ee-1f1f7.png\" alt=\"??\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a><a href=\"https://twitter.com/irwpmeetup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@irwpmeetup</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TranslateWP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TranslateWP</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/BkHmma1gbP\">pic.twitter.com/BkHmma1gbP</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Saeed Fard (@saeed_fard) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/saeed_fard/status/1127181222352965633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>Translation Day 4 hosted more local events than previous years with participants in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania. Some of these events projected the livestream, online talks, and tweets, enabling attendees to follow along with other participants across the globe.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-13-at-11.00.33-AM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Energetic groups of Polyglots gathered together to make WordPress more accessible in their languages. Their goals included the following:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increase the number of PTEs</li>\n<li>Increase the number of mentors</li>\n<li>Translate the top 200 plugins and themes</li>\n<li>Curate Polyglot assets: glossary and rules</li>\n<li>Improve the Translate page on Rosetta</li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">500+ strings translated to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nepali?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Nepali</a> at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/6nd16X5aMB\">pic.twitter.com/6nd16X5aMB</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Utsav Singh Rathour (@rathour) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rathour/status/1127127459546128385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<h3>Bhutan Hosts Its First Meetup in Thimphu for WordPress Translation Day</h3>\n<p>Some of the newly initiated Polyglots contributors came from Bhutan where the country&#8217;s <a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/WordPress-Meetup-Thimphu/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">first WordPress meetup was hosted in Thimphu</a> this past weekend. Organizer Ugyen Dorji gathered local developers, designers, and publishers for WordPress Translation Day, adding more contributor to the <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/locale/dzo/default/wp/dev/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Dzongkha locale</a>, the national language of Bhutan. The group now has 26 members. </p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\'s my privilege to meet our WordPress core contributors for Dzongkha  <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> very first WordPress meetup event for Bhutan and would like to thank each and everyone here to make the event with success. <a href=\"https://t.co/wql9dFpVHO\">pic.twitter.com/wql9dFpVHO</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Ugyen Dorji (@ugyendzodorji) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ugyendzodorji/status/1127236687950516225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>Dorji invited a speaker for the meetup, Tenzin Namgyel, an ICT officer from the Dzongkha Development Commission who is also the locale manager and GTE for Dzongkha. He explained the basics of translating WordPress and the attendees participated in Translation Day via the livestream. </p>\n<p>Dorji is passionate about completing the Dzongkha translation, encouraging Dzongkha bloggers, and improving local government websites. Many local government websites, such as the <a href=\"https://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Dzongkha Development Commission</a>, rely on WordPress. As the organizer of the fledgling meetup, Dorji is full of ideas for growing the Bhutanese WordPress community.</p>\n<p>&#8220;My next plan is to visit the language university and teach them to blog in Dzongkha using WordPress,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have plans to gather a group of active Bhutanese WordPress bloggers and host panel talks. WordCamp Thimphu is my goal &#8211; to reach and invite more WordPress experts as speakers of the main event and help Bhutanese to grow their careers with WordPress.&#8221;</p>\n<p>In addition to launching a new WordPress community in Bhutan, participants in the Translation Day event translated thousands of strings and helped new teams make progress towards launching packages for WordPress 5.2. Some of the most popular plugins and themes are now more accessible to the global WordPress user base, thanks to contributions inspired by the virtual event. </p>\n<p>Events like this are a reminder of just far-reaching WordPress&#8217; influence is across cultures. The Polyglots team is made up of a diverse and remarkably collaborative community of volunteers. Check out a few of the translation teams below that checked in from around the world with pictures on Twitter.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We’re all set and ready to translate everything <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f4aa-1f3fc.png\" alt=\"??\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/fCl9gOcrQ5\">pic.twitter.com/fCl9gOcrQ5</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Niloofar Firoozmand (@niloomand) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/niloomand/status/1127129544572510208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Having a fantastic <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> translation day with folks at Ahmedabad. One step to making our local WordPress awesome.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f4aa.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f4aa.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f4aa.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/2764.png\" alt=\"❤\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/2764.png\" alt=\"❤\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/2764.png\" alt=\"❤\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f64c.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f64c.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f64c.png\" alt=\"?\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPressPolyglots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPressPolyglots</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#India</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TranslateWP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TranslateWP</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WordPress</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wpahmedabad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wpahmedabad</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/multidots?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@multidots</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/P6HD7ioN8j\">pic.twitter.com/P6HD7ioN8j</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Mukesh Panchal (@mukeshpanchal27) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mukeshpanchal27/status/1127476074865053696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Translating some strings with some folks at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/weDevs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@weDevs</a> and preparing for WordCamp Dhaka.  <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/rVOSu5wWAu\">pic.twitter.com/rVOSu5wWAu</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Lincoln Islam (@niazlincoln) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/niazlincoln/status/1127563116282167296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Translating <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> into multiple languages by the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wpmumbai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wpmumbai</a> community.<a href=\"https://twitter.com/TechySahil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TechySahil</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Fairy_Dharawat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Fairy_Dharawat</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/seher_skhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@seher_skhan</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gounder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gounder</a> </p>\n<p>Thank you to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/EnduranceIn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@EnduranceIn</a> for sponsoring the venue and refreshments. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/ZtX8vKo7ui\">pic.twitter.com/ZtX8vKo7ui</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Meher Bala (@meherbala) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/meherbala/status/1127115568882995201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> in Istanbul was  both fun and fruitful. Along with 70 other locations in the world, we contributed <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/translations?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#translations</a> to <a href=\"https://t.co/FMvSCHb8fm\">https://t.co/FMvSCHb8fm</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> Rosetta projects. <a href=\"https://t.co/DLfCKHGSZV\">pic.twitter.com/DLfCKHGSZV</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Artbees (@artbees_design) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/artbees_design/status/1127211307655139329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Translating <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nepali?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Nepali</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPTranslationDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPTranslationDay</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WPNepal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WPNepal</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kathmandu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Kathmandu</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/I2VbFmGLaZ\">pic.twitter.com/I2VbFmGLaZ</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Utsav Singh Rathour (@rathour) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rathour/status/1127097874238414848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\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:\"Mon, 13 May 2019 22:35:30 +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: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:92:\"WPTavern: WPTracSearch: An Elasticsearch-Powered Search Interface for WordPress Trac Tickets\";s: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=89489\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"https://wptavern.com/wptracsearch-an-elasticsearch-powered-search-interface-for-wordpress-trac-tickets\";s: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:4385:\"<p><a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress Trac</a> is one of the more utilitarian and uninspiring interfaces that many contributors have to contend with in the process of giving back to the project. After growing tired of Trac&#8217;s mediocre search functionality, <a href=\"https://wearnhardt.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">William Earnhardt</a> set out to improve it with a new project called <a href=\"https://tracsearch.wpteamhub.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WPTracSearch</a> that gave him an opportunity to play around with Elasticsearch and React.</p>\n<p>WPTracSearch provides an alternative Elasticsearch-powered interface for searching WordPress Trac tickets. It performs a full text search of all of the fields, delivering more accurate results, even for basic queries, thanks to Elasticsearch&#8217;s relevance ranking. The results can be easily filtered based on milestone, component, focuses, usernames, and more criteria, making it easier to find specific tickets.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-10-at-3.01.51-PM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>The search interface also supports fuzzy matching, adding to its ability to deliver more relevant results. Even if a term is misspelled (either in the search or the ticket) it will still yield results, as in the example below:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/fuzzy-match.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Earnhardt is a WordPress core contributor and a developer at Bluehost. His core team has the discretion to work on whatever they want for WordPress core and the community. </p>\n<p>&#8220;This fit in nicely with that, but was also just something fun to tinker with,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It started as a fun experiment with Elasticsearch last fall. I built an index on my local machine and played around with it but got busy with other stuff pre-5.0 push and it sort of fell by the wayside.</p>\n<p>&#8220;Then early this year I had a few times come up where it would have been helpful, so I threw together an interface for it and got it online.&#8221;</p>\n<p>If you want to use WPTracSearch but are not sure how current the ticket index is, Earnhardt said it&#8217;s nearly constantly in sync:</p>\n<blockquote><p>There is a PHP script that parses all the information about a ticket in Trac using the XMLRPC api and puts it into an Elasticsearch index. There is a bash script that runs on a cron every minute to find any tickets updated since the last run and then uses the PHP script to reindex them. So it stays pretty constantly in sync.</p></blockquote>\n<p>The project uses a React interface that relies on the <a href=\"https://github.com/appbaseio/reactivesearch/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Reactivesearch</a> library to query the Elasticsearch index. Earnhardt also borrowed some code from Ryan McCue’s <a href=\"https://github.com/rmccue/not-trac\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Not Trac</a> to help with some of the UI that deals with parsing TracLinks and code blocks.</p>\n<p>WPTracSearch is an evolving project and Earnhardt has lots of plans for improving it. The two highest priority items on his roadmap are indexing meta Trac and making a search UI for it. He also wants to make the individual tickets have navigable URLs instead of being modal pop up windows when you click on the summary in the search results.</p>\n<p>&#8220;I do it that way because it’s a lot faster to stay in this interface than jumping back and forth to core.trac.wordpress.org when browsing tickets, but you can’t link directly to a ticket and forward/back doesn’t work,&#8221; Earnhardt said.</p>\n<p>&#8220;You can also query the Elasticsearch index directly without using the React interface if you know Elasticsearch Query DSL. This allows pretty complex queries to be built. I’ve thought about creating some charts using that. It could help with the core triage team effort to better understand churn and progress toward bringing that open ticket count down. There are a lot of cool possibilities.&#8221;</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/earnjam/wptracsearch\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">WPTracSearch</a> is available on GitHub if anyone wants to contribute ideas or code to improve 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, 10 May 2019 21:42:55 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"WPTavern: Tips for Replying to A Call for Papers or A Call for Speakers\";s: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=89521\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://wptavern.com/tips-for-replying-to-a-call-for-papers-or-a-call-for-speakers\";s: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:10893:\"<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img /></div>\n\n\n\n<p>The following is a guest post written by <a href=\"https://jenniferbourn.com/\">Jennifer Bourn</a>. With 21 years experience as a graphic designer, 15 years experience as a web designer, 14 years as a creative agency owner, and 11 years as a blogger, Jennifer Bourn has worked with hundreds of service-based businesses to build brands and establish profitable online platforms. She also co-organizes the <a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/Sacramento-WordPress/\">Sacramento WordPress Meetup</a> and <a href=\"https://2019.sacramento.wordcamp.org/\">WordCamp Sacramento</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>After being the lead organizer for <a href=\"https://2019.sacramento.wordcamp.org/\">WordCamp Sacramento</a> for two years, speaker wrangler for two years, managing the program for a year, and speaking at several WordCamps and non-WordPress related conferences myself, I have seen a lot of amazing and a lot of awful speaker submissions. Some speaker submissions have been from people I know personally — people I want to choose and say yes to — but ultimately couldn’t because their submission was subpar.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It’s incredibly tough to both apply to speak and select speakers from applications.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, I shared a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jenniferbourn/status/1126608018953523200\">Twitter thread</a> yesterday with tips for replying to a<a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/CallforPapers?src=hash\"> Call for Papers or a Call for Speakers that will help you get your next talk submission accepted and it is summarized for your convenience below:</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" />\n\n\n\n<p>If your title is confusing, weird, unclear, too cutesy, or it feels like you put no effort into it, that will work against you. Organizers want talks attendees will be interested in and excited for. It must be easy to understand what the talk is about based on the title alone.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your talk description is all about you, is only one sentence long, is sarcastic/unprofessional, isn’t aligned with the event focus/theme, or it’s totally self-serving, you should rethink things. Your talk isn’t about you, it’s about helping attendees expand their knowledge and move the needle and helping organizers host a successful event.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is never ever a good idea to disparage or put down a person, job, tool, piece of software, or anyone/anything to make your point or make your topic interesting. If the only way you can communicate your point is through negativity, reconsider the topic. Being controversial may have been a draw in years past, but now it’s a risk most organizers aren’t willing to take.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider that someone else (or several people) may submit a talk on the exact same subject. Your title and description need to convince organizers why your submission should be picked over the other person’s submission.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider that if you submit multiple talks, none of them may be selected if your titles aren’t interesting and your descriptions are not descriptive. It must be clear what the talk is about and what the takeaways are, and how this talk will benefit the attendees.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Always think about how you can make the organizers’ or event planners’ jobs easier and follow instructions. For example, if they ask for bios in third-person, provide your bio in third-person. If they ask for full name, provide your full name.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spell the name of the conference, software, industry, etc. correctly in your speaker application. Want to speak at a WordPress event? Double check that you’ve capitalized the P and proofread your submission.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the topics requested by the event organizers. Submit talks on those topics and your chances of being selected will be higher because they are telling you what they want. Lists of preferred topics are usually included because that is what their local community has specifically requested.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don’t submit the same talk you’ve submitted 10 times to other events. Put in some effort. Look at the event theme and submit something that relates to it or customize the talk title/description to include the theme.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the past event schedules, agenda, or programs. Look at the types of talks they accept. For example, if a WordCamp has only had 2-3 business related talks in the past four years, it might be a sign they aren’t looking for business talks and want talks focused more on using WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the topics the event has already covered in previous years. Then find the gap and find something they haven’t already heard or done. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steer clear of the marketing hype. Avoid topics related to killing it, hustling, crushing, and dominating. Don’t refer to yourself as a guru or a thought leader (that’s only cool when other people say it about you). Avoid negativity, sarcasm, and assumptions about the audience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If organizers ask how or why you’re qualified to talk on the topic being submitted:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>It’s okay to be new/just learning — fresh voices are awesome.</li><li>Don’t just copy and paste your bio into the field. They already have your bio and that’s not what they meant or what they want.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Never assume the people reviewing your application are experts on your talk topic or have the same technical background you do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Avoid submitting a talk that is all about one piece of software — i.e. one plugin — especially if the software is premium and requires an investment. An entire session dedicated to a paid plugin <strong>1)</strong> excludes those who have not purchased it or cannot purchase it and <strong>2)</strong> will apply to few attendees. Instead, consider a compare/contrast presentation that covers both free and paid options or a talk that introduces attendees to multiple options.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s okay to submit opinion pieces as talks, but be careful to <strong>NOT</strong> position your opinion or approach as the only one or the right one, when there are other options. Often there isn&#8217;t one right way (unless it&#8217;s technical and there is one right way).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the submission form asks what skill level audience your talk is the best fit — Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced — don&#8217;t pick them all. That isn&#8217;t helpful. The same is true if they ask who your talk is aimed at — designers, developers, or users, etc. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizers for events like WordCamps need to satisfy a diverse audience. The attendee makeup often ranges from those who make a living with WordPress all the way to newbies who just learned what WordPress is a few days ago, so talks at and for every skill level are needed and valued. Don’t skip applying because you think your talk isn’t advanced enough.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is a &#8216;notes to the organizer&#8217; field in the talk submission form, communicate that you&#8217;re open to suggestions or making tweaks to the talk focus to ensure it&#8217;s a great fit for their audience. Often a talk being reviewed is close to what they want, but it needs a small tweak to be selected.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If something funky happened when you hit submit, don&#8217;t be afraid to submit your talk again. Organizers would rather have duplicate submissions than miss your submission. Also, it&#8217;s okay to reach out to confirm your submission was received. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t skip applying to speak because you don&#8217;t think you know enough yet or don’t have enough experience yet. Everyone has value to contribute and fresh perspectives are always appreciated. Plus, there are people who just discovered or figured out the thing you want to talk about exists — I guarantee you can help them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behind the scenes organizers work hard to create a diverse lineup of speakers that provides representation for everyone in the community. Organizers can ask, beg, plead, and do loads of outreach, but ultimately, they are limited by who is willing to apply and/or who is willing to accept an invite to speak. So please say yes and apply.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When organizers make the offer to help you brainstorm talk ideas, craft a talk title/description, and even create your slide deck or watch your practice, say yes. Take them up on the offer. Asking for help doesn&#8217;t make you any less awesome. There are a lot of people who are incredibly talented and smart with great value to share but find it difficult to put what they know into a talk format. If that’s you, you’re not alone and there are people who want to help.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Interested in trying your hand at speaking for the first time? </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every event has limited space. When securing rooms for multi-track events and planning the schedule, organizers need to be able to split attendees across the different rooms/tracks. This means they need competing talks in each track that will be a draw and attract attendees. No one wants one full room and one empty room. No one.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t get selected, don&#8217;t get down on yourself. Often the selection choice has nothing to do with you and is simply a matter of many submissions on the same topic(s), needing to balance topics across disciplines to serve the range of attendees or skill sets, and looking for more diverse representation in the speaker lineup.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the event is local to you, always apply. Many times event/conference organizers want to fill the speaking spots (or at least half of them) with local people from their community or region and you&#8217;ll have a leg up on the out-of-towners. Similarly, if there is a meetup group in the area tied to the event/conference, go to the meetup and get to know the organizers and other attendees. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>New to a subject/topic? Just learning it? No problem! Consider submitting a talk reviewing your experience as a new user. Share surprises and obstacles encountered, lessons learned, and suggestions for improvement. This can be hugely valuable for advanced users who tend to what new users deal with and it can provide a different perspective and voice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn a topic better? There&#8217;s no better way than to teach others about it. Submit the talk, do the work to learn it, and teach everything you’ve learned so far. For example, if you want to build a membership site, submit a talk on how to choose a membership plugin, document your research in finding the right plugin, and share what plugins you reviewed, what criteria you used for evaluation, what you discovered (pros/cons), and which you ended up choosing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Never underestimate the power of awareness. Consider pitching a talk that presents options to expand attendees awareness of what is available or possible and gives them a starting place to research things on their own.</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, 10 May 2019 18:32:16 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";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: Storefront 2.5.0 Introduces a Custom, Block-Based Homepage\";s: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=89483\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://wptavern.com/storefront-2-5-0-introduces-a-custom-block-based-homepage\";s: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:1855:\"<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/storefront/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Storefront</a>, WooCommerce&#8217;s free flagship theme, has just released version <a href=\"https://woocommerce.wordpress.com/2019/05/09/storefront-2-5-0-is-now-available-to-download/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2.5.0</a> with updates that make it easier to setup and customize the homepage. </p>\n<p>In 2017, WooCommerce 2.2 introduced starter content to help users set up the homepage template, menus, widgets, and add some demo products. This content has been updated to incorporate the WooCommerce blocks that were rolled into the plugin&#8217;s 3.6 release. It also adds support for the new cover block, which enables users to place headings, paragraphs, and buttons inside the block. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/storefront-customize-homepage.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>These changes essentially create a custom, editable homepage with all the flexibility of blocks, giving users more control than the previous custom homepage template approach. The old homepage (template-homepage.php) has now been retired.</p>\n<p>Storefront is active on more than 200,000 stores. Many of these sites already have their homepages set, but the new block-based homepage makes it easier to set up a new store or make changes to existing homepage designs without having to use custom code or a plugin. </p>\n<p>Version 2.5 is a minor release but still requires testing before updating, as some users have already <a href=\"https://github.com/woocommerce/storefront/issues/1127\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reported</a> a few discrepancies with how the &#8220;full width&#8221; template is displayed. Previewing the update in a staging environment will ensure there are no surprises on update. </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, 10 May 2019 15:59:20 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i: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:59:\"WordPress.org blog: Tomorrow is WordPress Translation Day 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=6961\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/tomorrow-is-wordpress-translation-day-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:3701:\"<p><em>The fourth edition of WordPress translation day is coming up on Saturday 11 May 2019: tomorrow! Get ready for a 24-hour, global marathon dedicated to localizing the WordPress platform and ecosystem.</em> <em>This event takes place both online and in physical locations across the world, so you can join no matter where you are! </em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/\">WordPress Polyglots Team</a> has a mission to translate and make available the software’s features into as many languages as possible. As WordPress powers more than 33% of websites, people from across the world use it in their daily life. That means there is a lot that needs translating, and into many different languages. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 11 May 2019, from 00:00 UTC until 23:59 UTC, <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">WordPress Translation Day</a> aims to celebrate the thousands of volunteers who contribute to translation and internalization. The event is also an opportunity for encouraging more people to get involved and help increase the availability of themes and plugins in different languages.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;At the time of the last event in 2017, WordPress was being translated into 178 languages, we have now reached the 200 mark!&#8221;</p><cite>WPtranslationday.org</cite></blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2>What happens on WordPress Translation Day?</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of <a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/the-local-events/\">local meetings all over the world</a>, as well as online talks by people from the WordPress community. More than 700 people from around the world took part in past WordPress Translation Days, and everyone welcome to join in this time around!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone is welcome to join the event to help translate and localize WordPress, no matter their level of experience. A lot is happening on the day, so join in and you will learn how to through online sessions!</p>\n\n\n\n<h3>What can you expect?</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Live online training</strong>: Tutorials in different languages focused on translation and <em>localization</em>, or l10n, of WordPress. These are streamed in multiple languages</li><li><strong>Localization sessions</strong>: General instruction and specifics for particular areas and languages. These sessions are streamed in multiple languages.</li><li><strong>Internalization sessions</strong>: Tutorials about optimizing the code to ease localization processes, also called <em>internationalization</em> or i18n. These sessions are streamed in English.</li><li><strong>Local events</strong>: Polyglot contributors will gather around the world for socializing, discussing, and translating together.</li><li><strong>Remote events</strong>: Translation teams that cannot gather physically, will connect remotely. They will be available for training, mentoring, and supporting new contributors. They will also engage in &#8220;translating marathons&#8221;, in which existing teams translate as many strings as they can!</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of experienced WordPress translators and internationalization experts are part of the line-up for the livestream, joined by some first time contributors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you have or haven&#8217;t contributed to the Polyglots before, you can join in for WordPress Translation Day. Learn more about both local and online events and stay updated through the website and social media. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://wptranslationday.org/\">WordPress Translation Day website</a></li><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/translatewp\">WordPress Translation Day Twitter</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/WPTranslationDay/\">WordPress Translation Day Facebook</a></li></ul>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 10 May 2019 09:17:48 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Joost de Valk\";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:107:\"WPTavern: Advanced Custom Fields 5.8.0 Introduces ACF Blocks: A PHP Framework for Creating Gutenberg Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89325\";s: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://wptavern.com/advanced-custom-fields-5-8-0-introduces-acf-blocks-a-php-framework-for-creating-gutenberg-blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3548:\"<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/acf-blocks.jpg?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>After six months in development, <a href=\"https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/blog/acf-5-8-0-release-php-blocks-for-gutenberg/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Advanced Custom Fields 5.8.0</a> was released yesterday with a new PHP-based framework for developing custom Gutenberg block types. ACF Blocks was announced in October 2018, to the great relief of many developers who didn&#8217;t know how they were going to keep pace with learning the JavaScript required to use WordPress&#8217; Block API. </p>\n<p>ACF&#8217;s creator, Elliot Condon, was one of the more vocal critics of Gutenberg leading up to its inclusion in WordPress 5.0. Developers were concerned about whether or not their custom metaboxes generated by ACF would still be compatible. The ACF team worked to ensure the plugin was integrated into the Gutenberg UI as much as possible and surprised users by announcing an acf_register_block() function that would allow developers to use PHP to create custom blocks.</p>\n<p>The new ACF Blocks add-on is built on top of Advanced Custom Fields Pro and does not require any JavaScript knowledge. It integrates with custom fields so developers can create custom solutions. ACF blocks are rendered using a PHP template file or a callback function that allows full control of the output HTML and live previews while editing the blocks. They also maintain native compatibility with WordPress core, meaning that all Gutenberg features like &#8220;alignment&#8221; and &#8220;re-usable blocks&#8221; work as expected.</p>\n<p>Early feedback indicates that ACF Blocks has made custom Gutenberg development more approachable for developers who are not as well-versed in React, significantly speeding up the creation of custom blocks.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ACF Pro 5.8 for <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WordPress</a> makes Gutenberg block development a breeze! Here\'s a staff block I made in less than 30 mins. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wp_acf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wp_acf</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACFBlocks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ACFBlocks</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wordpressdeveloper?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wordpressdeveloper</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gutenberg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Gutenberg</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/reactjs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#reactjs</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/webdevelopment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#webdevelopment</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/webdeveloper?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#webdeveloper</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/VqewoKkcSt\">pic.twitter.com/VqewoKkcSt</a></p>\n<p>&mdash; Sam (@sam_kent_) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/sam_kent_/status/1126468039917080577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2019</a></p></blockquote>\n<p></p>\n<p>This is one example of how the WordPress product ecosystem continues to evolve to support developers in the transition to a more JavaScript-powered WordPress.</p>\n<p>ACF Blocks also launched with a suite of nine ready-to-use bocks available as a plugin from the new <a href=\"https://acfblocks.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">acfblocks.com</a> website. These include commonly-requested functionality for client sites, such as testimonial, team, multi-button, star-rating, pricing list, and click-to-tweet, with more on the way. </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, 09 May 2019 18:14:36 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:79:\"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 351 – Results of the Gutenberg Accessibility Audit\";s: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:59:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89460&preview=true&preview_id=89460\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:86:\"https://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-351-results-of-the-gutenberg-accessibility-audit\";s: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:1904:\"<p>In this episode, <a href=\"http://jjj.me\">John James Jacoby</a> and I are joined by <a href=\"https://bamadesigner.com/\">Rachel Cherry</a>, <span class=\"css-76zvg2 css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"auto\">Freelance software engineer, consultant,</span> and director of <a href=\"https://wpcampus.org/\">WPCampus</a> and Brian DeConinck, a front-end designer and developer with the <a href=\"https://design.oit.ncsu.edu/\">OIT Design and Web Services</a> team, part of the <a href=\"https://oit.ncsu.edu/\">Office of Information Technology</a> at <a href=\"https://www.ncsu.edu/\">NC State University</a>.</p>\n<p>We learn how Tenon was chosen as the vendor to perform the audit and what conditions needed to be met. We then dissected the results of the <a href=\"https://wpcampus.org/2019/05/gutenberg-audit-results/\">Gutenberg Accessibility Audit</a> conducted by <a href=\"https://tenon.io/\">Tenon</a>. We discuss the state of Gutenberg&#8217;s accessibility, recommendations for those in Higher Education environments, and where Gutenberg development might go from here.</p>\n<h2>Transcript:</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/WPWeeklyEpisode351Transcript.rtf\">WPWeeklyEpisode351Transcript</a></p>\n<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>\n<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, May 15th 3:00 P.M. Eastern</p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738\">WordPress Weekly via Itunes</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast\">WordPress Weekly via RSS</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr\">WordPress Weekly via Stitcher Radio</a></p>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ir3keivkvwwh24xy7qiymurwpbe\">WordPress Weekly via Google Play</a></p>\n<p><strong>Listen To Episode #351:</strong><br />\n</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, 09 May 2019 00:52:26 +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:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:78:\"WPTavern: WordPress Professionals: Take the Future of WordPress Careers 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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89447\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-professionals-take-the-future-of-wordpress-careers-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:2868:\"<p>Nevena Tomovic, a Business Developer at Human Made, is researching the most important skills for pursuing a career in WordPress. She is conducting a <a href=\"http://nevena.blog/2019/04/27/open-source-survey-the-future-of-wordpress-careers/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">survey</a> for professionals that is open to anyone working in a WordPress-related capacity, including writers, developers, marketers, UI &#038; UX designers, illustrators, community drivers, evangelists, project managers, and creatives.</p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http://nevena.blog/2019/04/27/open-source-survey-the-future-of-wordpress-careers/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">survey</a> takes less than five minutes to complete and the results will be shared at WordCamp Europe in Berlin and on <a href=\"http://nevena.blog\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">nevena.blog</a>. Tomovoic will be giving a presentation titled &#8220;<a href=\"https://2019.europe.wordcamp.org/session/renaissance-jobs-in-wordpress-skills-you-need-to-survive-the-21st-century-career/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Renaissance jobs in WordPress: Skills you need to survive the 21st-century career</a>,&#8221; where she will elaborate on global trends related to the job landscape. She will also be speaking about how employers and managers can attract new talent through WordPress education.</p>\n<p>In a recent <a href=\"http://nevena.blog/2019/04/27/renaissance-jobs-in-digital-what-skills-do-you-need-to-survive-a-21st-century-career/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">post</a> on her blog, Tomovic elaborated on the concept of &#8220;Renaissance jobs,&#8221; positions that use titles merging multiple skills into one role:</p>\n<blockquote><p>Renaissance jobs, also otherwise known as hybrid roles are a mishmash of more than one skill, a combination of expertise in more than one domain. You might have come across roles such as experience architect, user experience consultant, or even customer wrangler, all of these typically involve technical knowledge, excellent communication and management skills. All of these roles are a completely foreign concept for most of our parents. The 21st century has brought with it remote work, chief growth officers, and a globalized workforce among other things.</p></blockquote>\n<p>Tomovic&#8217;s survey data will identify what skills are most important in the WordPress job market right now. The survey does not collect any personal data and the raw data will be deleted after the results are published. </p>\n<p>If you want to check out Tomovic&#8217;s talk in person, make sure to <a href=\"https://2019.europe.wordcamp.org/tickets/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">purchase a ticket</a> to WordCamp Europe. The final batch of tickets has gone on sale and there are only 133 general admission tickets remaining.</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, 08 May 2019 23:24:57 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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: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:97:\"WPTavern: New Membership Block Coming to Jetpack, Site Health and Debug Info Added to Version 7.3\";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:29:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=89387\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:107:\"https://wptavern.com/new-membership-block-coming-to-jetpack-site-health-and-debug-info-added-to-version-7-3\";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:3382:\"<p><a href=\"https://jetpack.com/2019/05/07/jetpack-7-3start-strong-and-stay-healthy/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jetpack 7.3</a> was released yesterday with changes that improve the “out of the box” experience. The plugin now enables fewer features on setup so users can have more control over what they activate on their sites.  </p>\n<p>The new version also integrates with WordPress 5.2&#8217;s new Site Health checks. It includes a status check and moves Jetpack&#8217;s legacy debug data to a section in the new &#8220;Site Health Info&#8221; tab. The initial status check isn&#8217;t very descriptive regarding critical errors, but these error messages can be improved in future iterations so users know how to get to a page with more information. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Screen-Shot-2019-05-08-at-11.57.44-AM.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<h3>New Membership Block Now Available for Jetpack Beta Testers</h3>\n<p>Jetpack is getting ready to introduce a new <a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/pull/9802\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Membership block</a> that will essentially function like a recurring donation button using Stripe as the payment gateway. </p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/jetpack-membership-button.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>Users will be able to set the currency, price, product name, and renewal interval directly within the block.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/membership-block-configure.png?ssl=1\"><img /></a></p>\n<p>This release adds the new block behind the JETPACK_BETA_BLOCKS constant for users who are beta testing new blocks. Feedback from testers will be addressed in future pull requests. The PR merged into Jetpack 7.3 includes the following technical additions for the new Membership block:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Introduce endpoints that communicate with WP.COM</li>\n<li>Whitelist certain options, CPTs and meta to store / sync data</li>\n<li>Introduce Gutenberg block that uses these endpoints and provides UI to connect to Stripe, create and choose a product</li>\n<li>Introduce a frontend of a block with the sole purpose of displaying a checkout window from WP.com in an iframe</li>\n</ul>\n<p>In its current form, the use of the term &#8220;Membership&#8221; for the block might be a bit misleading for some users, depending on their expectations. Site owners usually expect more granular management of members, multiple membership tiers, customizable emails, various renewal options, content access, and more for managing memberships. </p>\n<p>Unless Jetpack intends to make this the gateway to more robust membership capabilities, then &#8220;Recurring donation/payment button&#8221; might be a more accurate name for the block. However, it wouldn&#8217;t be surprising to see a more full-featured Membership module turn up as a SaaS product from WordPress.com, as opposed to everything getting packed into the plugin.</p>\n<p>No release date has been announced for the membership block as it is still under active development and in the very early stages of beta testing.</p>\n<p>Check out the full <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/#developers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">changelog</a> to see all the enhancements and bug fixes in Jetpack 7.3.</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, 08 May 2019 17:57:43 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s: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:100:\"WPTavern: WordPress 5.2 “Jaco” Released, Includes Fatal PHP Error Protection and A Recovery Mode\";s: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=89405\";s: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:104:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-jaco-released-includes-fatal-php-error-protection-and-a-recovery-mode\";s: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:4870:\"<p>WordPress 5.2 &#8220;Jaco&#8221; named after bassist <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius\">Jaco Pastorius</a>, is <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2019/05/jaco/\">now available for download</a>. Normally, I&#8217;d start listing new features but I&#8217;m going to do something a little different this time. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s begin by recognizing the 327 people who contributed to this release with 109 of those being first time contributors. It was led by&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ma.tt/\">Matt Mullenweg</a>, <a href=\"https://josepha.blog/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https://pento.net/\">Gary Pendergast</a>. Included in the list is Alex (Viper007Bond) Mills who <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/alex-mills-ends-his-battle-with-leukemia\">passed away</a> from Leukemia earlier this year.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />Screenshot taken by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Kraft/status/1125892606913855489\">Brandon Kraft</a></div>\n\n\n\n<p>Mills still has a few uncommitted patches in Trac so it&#8217;s possible he&#8217;ll end up on the list of contributors in future releases. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Minimum PHP Version Required to Run WordPress 5.2 Is Now 5.6.20</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 bumps up the minimum PHP version required to 5.6.20. If you&#8217;re using an older version, you&#8217;ll need to update PHP before upgrading to WordPress 5.2. Updating PHP to version 7.3 or above <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/\">is recommended</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Additional Improvements to Site Health Check </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-1-improves-editor-performance-encourages-users-to-update-outdated-php-versions\">WordPress 5.1</a>, Site Health Check features were added to inform users of outdated PHP versions. WordPress 5.2 builds on this foundation by adding two new pages that help debug common configuration issues. Users can find the Site Health section in the WordPress backend by browsing to <strong>Tools &gt; Site Health</strong>. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />Site Health Check Test Results</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Browsing to the Site Health page triggers a series of tests. When the tests are performed, errors and recommended improvements are displayed on the  results page. There&#8217;s also a an Information tab that displays every detail about the configuration of your site.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img />Site Health Check Detailed Information</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Theme and Plugin authors can <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/25/site-health-check-in-5-2/\">add their own tests</a> and modify or remove existing ones with filters. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Fatal Error Protection</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of seeing the dreaded &#8220;white screen of death,&#8221; WordPress 5.2 includes fatal PHP error protection. When a fatal error is detected, a user-facing error message is displayed and an email is sent to the administrator&#8217;s email address. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The email includes a link to a new feature called &#8220;recovery mode.&#8221; While in recovery mode, plugins and themes that are causing fatal errors are put into a paused state to ensure administrators can work around the errors and access the backend normally. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to being informed about which themes or plugins are causing fatal errors, administrators have at least three options to fix the issue. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Administrators can deactivate the theme or plugin to maintain a working version of the site.</li><li>Administrators can fix the problem if they have the technical capabilities, and afterwards reactivate the theme or plugin.</li><li>Administrators can file a support request with the developer, pointing out the error.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Administrators can exit recovery mode by pressing a button in the admin bar. A few examples on how developers can utilize this feature can be <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/fatal-error-recovery-mode-in-5-2/\">found here</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 5.2 also includes <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/notable-accessibility-changes-in-5-2/\">accessibility improvements</a>, <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-2-will-add-13-new-icons-to-the-dashicon-library\">thirteen new dashboard icons</a>, plugin compatibility checks, and an variety of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/03/whats-new-in-gutenberg-3rd-april/\">changes to the block editor</a>. In addition, the Privacy Policy page includes <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/24/developer-focused-privacy-updates-in-5-2/\">four new helpers</a> that make customizing and designing the page easier. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the features in WordPress 5.2 and how to extend or work with them, check out the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/04/16/wordpress-5-2-field-guide/\">WordPress 5.2 Field Guide</a>. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 08 May 2019 17:16:34 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Jeff Chandler\";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:51:\"HeroPress: Broadening My Horizons Through 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:56:\"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=2805\";s: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:154:\"https://heropress.com/essays/broadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=broadening-my-horizons-through-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:12270:\"<img width=\"960\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://s20094.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/050819-min-1024x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pull Quote: I was scared that if I failed to learn what I need to know, I\'d be left in the dust.\" /><p>I’ve been a web designer since 1996. In some ways, it’s hard for me to fathom. Those were the days of Netscape Navigator and table-based page layouts. I wrote every bit of HTML by hand on a seriously-underpowered computer and a tiny monitor. Definitely a far cry from where we are today.</p>\n<p>I was completely self-taught and learned by doing. When I landed my first job as a full-time “webmaster” at my <a href=\"https://cumberlink.com/\">local newspaper</a>, I didn’t even know what Photoshop was (I had been using Microsoft Paint for graphics – feel free to laugh).</p>\n<p>Looking back, I know that I wasn’t a very good designer in those days – but that didn’t matter. I felt lucky to be on the ground floor of an industry that was poised to change the world.</p>\n<h3>An Early Start</h3>\n<p>As an 18-year-old, I was often the youngest person in the office. Sometimes, that led to not being taken seriously by those in charge. Still, I did have a few mentors at the paper who were more than generous with their friendship and advice. It was my first taste of the “real world” – a lesson I sorely needed.</p>\n<p>At the same time, I realized that I wasn’t going to stay there forever. The pay wasn’t very good and the hours weren’t my cup of tea. Most of all, I just felt that I could do better. Just over a year in, I left.</p>\n<p>From there, I spent the next couple of years in various corporate settings – none of which felt very fulfilling. My existence was very much that of a worker bee. Sure, this is what happens when you’re just starting out – but I was too dense to see it that way.</p>\n<p>Again, I had a feeling that there was something else out there for me. But there didn’t seem to be a path to further my career, unless I took it upon myself to do so.</p>\n<p>So, in 1999 I went all-in as a freelancer working from home. While I’ve gone through a few different places to call home in the years since, I’m still here – thanks in great part to WordPress.</p>\n<p>But before I found both the software and community that would change my trajectory, I had to go through some ups and downs.</p>\n<h3>Hitting a Wall</h3>\n<p>Starting my own business at 21 was at once frightening and gratifying. I booked a few steady clients early on, and that provided a much-needed boost in confidence (and revenue). Yet there was also a tremendous amount of responsibility that I wasn’t prepared for. It was another real-world lesson and I had to mature in a hurry.</p>\n<p>As for technology, I upgraded my computer, but not necessarily my approach. The first several years were still ruled by building static HTML sites. And as clients started asking for more complex features such as ecommerce, I realized something about myself: I was incredibly afraid of what I didn’t know.</p>\n<p>This feeling would haunt me much more than I could have anticipated. It was like a massive weight on my shoulders. As long as work kept me in my comfort zone, I was fine. But anything outside of that brought out my anxiety.</p>\n<p>Sure, I had achieved some level of success at a young age (with a hobby site even going <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_(drink)#Revival\">viral</a>). I had plenty of work, I even moved out of my parent’s house. But I also feared the unknown. I hadn’t been a very good student in high school and had zero confidence in my ability to learn something more advanced.</p>\n<p>At the same time, that fear was joined by a great deal of frustration. I started struggling to build larger sites using those same tired methods. And maintaining them was even worse.</p>\n<p>In all, I was stressed out and felt stuck in a dead end. The passion I once had for design and code had vanished. I was in desperate need of a new direction.</p>\n<h3>A Glimmer of Light</h3>\n<p>It’s amazing how, just when things feel their darkest, a little bit of light shows up and sparks something in you. For me, WordPress was like a tiny matchstick in a pitch-black cave.</p>\n<p>Somewhere around 2005, I installed an early version of WordPress as a playful experiment. At the time, I saw other content management systems starting to pop up, but wasn’t really impressed. Frankly, the sites running them all looked the same.</p>\n<p>But tearing apart a WordPress theme was different. I knew nothing about PHP, but found that the templates were pretty easy to follow. I liked that I could make design changes without too much trouble. Even if I broke something, I was (usually) able to bring things back to their previous state.</p>\n<p>Still, I wasn’t ready or willing to abandon my old-school techniques for building sites just yet (I even jettisoned the CSS layouts from my theme and replaced them with tables). WordPress was something I used on the periphery. I created a few simple blogs for clients, but hadn’t really thought of using it for anything more.</p>\n<p>In fact, it would be a few more years until I was finally ready to make a change.</p>\n<h3>A New Beginning</h3>\n<p>2010 was a banner year in my career. It was the year where I, inspired by my wife and newborn daughter, started to really confront my fears. I had grown completely tired of the way I had been doing things. This was the year I became convinced that WordPress was the game-changer I needed.</p>\n<p>As the software matured, more developers started using it to run entire sites – not just traditional blogs. I was very much intrigued, even excited, about the possibility of what I could achieve in terms of both design and functionality.</p>\n<p>So, I convinced one of my agency clients to let me try using WordPress on a project. Things went well enough that we decided to start using it more often. And, for me, it was like that little matchstick in the dark cave turned into a huge beacon.</p>\n<p>The more I used WordPress, the more curious I became about what else it could do. I found myself not only being unafraid to learn, but actually <em>motivated</em> to do so.</p>\n<p>By the next year, I had moved almost exclusively to WordPress. That led to another watershed moment: Attending my first WordCamp.</p>\n<h3>Discovering That I Wasn&#8217;t Alone</h3>\n<p>Visiting <a href=\"https://2011.philly.wordcamp.org\">WordCamp Philadelphia 2011</a> was an eye-opening experience. This was not the buttoned-down, corporate atmosphere that brought me discomfort years earlier. Instead, I found a casual, welcoming vibe that made me feel like I belonged.</p>\n<p>The crowd was diverse in just about every way imaginable. And I met people who were all over the map when it came to knowledge of WordPress. Some were complete newbies, others were experts. But regardless of their skill level or experience, they all gathered in the same place. It struck me that I was now a part of something unique.</p>\n<p>This burgeoning community, coupled with great software, had all of the sudden put me on a path that I never imagined possible. It made me want to learn all that I could and be a part of something bigger than myself.</p>\n<p>Before too long, I discovered a confidence I never felt before. I was not only building better websites than I ever had, I was also eager to be a part of the WordPress community. And, despite being a bit shy, I even spoke at WordCamp Baltimore in <a href=\"https://2012.baltimore.wordcamp.org/speakers/#eric-karkovack\">2012</a>.</p>\n<p>I felt like anything was possible.</p>\n<h3>Opportunity Knocks</h3>\n<p>As my experience with both WordPress and its community has grown, it has opened up some amazing opportunities. For one, it gave me the courage to try and fulfill another lifelong dream: to become a writer.</p>\n<p>I started off by submitting an article to <a href=\"https://speckyboy.com/how-to-deal-with-creative-differences-with-clients/\">Speckyboy Web Design Magazine</a>, not really knowing what to expect. When it was published, I was incredibly excited. So, I kept on writing. And each time, site editor Paul Andrew kept on publishing my work.</p>\n<p>Even more mind-boggling is that, eventually, this led to a regular <a href=\"https://speckyboy.com/author/erickarkovack/\">role</a> with the site. I’ve published hundreds of articles and have enjoyed every minute of it. And more writing gigs have followed. My topic of choice? WordPress, of course!</p>\n<p>When it comes to my design business, I’m no longer afraid to push those boundaries. I’ve built and maintained hundreds of WordPress sites that run the gamut in terms of size and functionality. Yes, including the formerly fear-inducing ecommerce.</p>\n<p>But I know that, without the confidence boost I received by working with WordPress, none of this would have been possible. I am beyond grateful, and so glad that I found it at a pivotal time in my life.</p>\n<h3>What I&#8217;ve Learned</h3>\n<p>So, what does this all mean? I’ve given it a lot of thought.</p>\n<p>There are still days when I’m overwhelmed and stressed out. But even then, I tell myself how I lucky I am to do what I do each day. And somehow, I have maintained a passion for my work that I think is here to stay.</p>\n<p>But the biggest lesson I’ve learned, and the thing I’d like to share with you, is to give yourself a chance to learn and grow. Sometimes, the unknown can be scary – I get it. I was so afraid of the fact that I wasn’t formally trained and that I didn’t have the knowledge I needed to go further. I was scared that if I failed to learn what I needed to know that I’d be left in the dust.</p>\n<p>Yet, that’s the amazing thing about WordPress and web design in general. There are so many great resources out there you can learn from. And there is a community out there who is willing to help and share what they know.</p>\n<p>Everything is right there in front of us. All it takes is a willingness to try.</p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-right rtsocial-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-button\" href=\"https://twitter.com/share?text=Broadening%20My%20Horizons%20Through%20WordPress&via=heropress&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fbroadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal fb-light\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-horizontal-button\"><a title=\"Like: Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-button rtsocial-fb-like-light\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fbroadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-linkedin-button\" href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fheropress.com%2Fessays%2Fbroadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress%2F&title=Broadening+My+Horizons+Through+WordPress\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share: Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\"></a></div></div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal\"><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-horizontal-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-button\" href=\"https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://heropress.com/essays/broadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress/&media=https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/050819-min-150x150.jpg&description=Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\"></a></div></div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/broadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress/\" title=\"Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress\"></a></div><p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://heropress.com/essays/broadening-my-horizons-through-wordpress/\">Broadening My Horizons Through WordPress</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:\"Wed, 08 May 2019 12:00:43 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Eric 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