


<p>And if something needs to be moved, it's moved. So that kind of gives you hope for the future.</p>



<p><strong>Winstina:</strong> Uh, so it's a Bita inevitably. So it's a difference for two reasons.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I wanted to thank everybody here for participating in this. I thought this was a great, um, great diversity. I think we only repeated like maybe one or two news posts from the previous episode, which shows you like how much there happened in 2021, but also a lot of things that I don't think I even gave that much consideration to.</p>



<p>And I think when people listen to this podcast, I think they're going to be able to appreciate the same things I did so quickly around the table. Let's just say farewell and just remind us where we can find you on social it start with Tammie.</p>



<p><strong>Tammie Lister:</strong> Uh, you can find me in common ties and own things and thank you so much.</p>



<p>And I hope everyone has just a calm and the year that they really need.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Yes. Yes. I think my coffee's kicking in now. So I think, I think I got all that in Malcolm. Um, share with us where we can find you.</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm Perotti:</strong> Uh, the best place to find me is on Twitter, uh, at find purpose and, uh, always check me out on the WP mainline podcasts at WP mainline.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> And thanks for coming Malcolm. I greatly appreciate it. And don't forget to rub it in to a Jeff Amber. Thank you for coming. You've been a real joy.</p>



<p><strong>Amber Hinds:</strong> Oh, thank you for having me. So the best social media for me is on Twitter and I really got to update my handle, but it's, uh, at a core blog, which is a U C O E U R blog.</p>



<p>And otherwise, if it's easier, you can just go to equalize digital.com and get to me that way.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> And I'm most of you are probably on post status as well. I think, um, at least if, if not shame on you, Nathan, where can we find.</p>



<p>Oh, Nathan and Nathan, I think you're muted. Otherwise you're there you go.</p>



<p><strong>Nathan:</strong> Sorry. Enormous. PhotoPass sorry about that. WP belts.com or on Twitter. It's just WP builds</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> and thank you for coming, Nathan. I greatly appreciate it. You probably didn't know what you were getting into. And I think this is the first time you and I have talked.</p>



<p>And for all I know,</p>



<p><strong>Nathan:</strong> it's very nice to meet you all</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> It could be the last too for if I didn't do my job right. Um, and finally, Yvette, it was nice to see your face. And I think this is the first time we've met as well. Can you tell people where to find you?</p>



<p><strong>Yvette:</strong> Yes. Thank you. You'll find me at, uh, with, uh, at, if had some failed, um, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, um, WordPress slack, and I'll, I am on post status.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Okay. Great. That's awesome. Um, why am I whispering? Thank you Yvette. Very much for that. I greatly appreciate it. I, and I appreciate everyone here. This was meant for the European time zone, but some of you were awesome. You woke up in the morning on an Eastern time zone. Thank you very much for all. And, um, we'll talk in the future and, um, we'll see this episode soon on post status.</p>



<p>Goodbye, everybody.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 19 Jan 2022 04:00:15 +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:13:"Olivia Bisset";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:77:"WPTavern: Ask the Bartender: Are There Any Compact and Personal Block Themes?";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128512";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:195:"https://wptavern.com/ask-the-bartender-are-there-any-compact-and-personal-block-themes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ask-the-bartender-are-there-any-compact-and-personal-block-themes";s: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:5300:"<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>All the block themes seem to have something similar in how they look. Although unique in their own ways, being generally wide, spacy, and modular instantly make them look like they came from the same mold. This is not to say they&#8217;re bad though… I&#8217;m just not really fond of such design. I prefer something more compact and personal.</p><p>By &#8220;compact and personal,&#8221; I think of something like a small room cramped with all your belongings, photos, postcards, etc., giving it a cozy feeling (Tumblr themes kind of fit this). The block themes I&#8217;ve seen are all just so airy and professional-looking that using them is like taking cautious first steps in a big fancy office, where you&#8217;re afraid of making too much sound.</p><p>What do you think of this design trend in block themes? And do you happen to know of any &#8220;compact and personal&#8221;-looking block themes?</p><cite>Isabel</cite></blockquote>



<p class="has-drop-cap">I love that description of the type of theme you are looking for. It reminds me of my college years where my roommates and I had our own cramped bedrooms. I would always decorate my walls with drawings and other things I had created. I piled my favorite books on the shelves of an old TV entertainment unit that my grandpa had built. Across the top, I lined trinkets and other keepsakes from adventures I had been on.</p>



<p>It was my own little paradise, my world in about 120 square feet. If you walked into that room, it would not take long for you to get to know the person behind it.</p>



<p>That is what I love about personal websites. They can be like college dorm rooms, giving us a glimpse into the unique personalities behind them.</p>



<p>Far too often, it feels like WordPress themers have moved away from the core audience that played at least some part in the platform&#8217;s initial popularity. Today, everything seems to be catered to business, eCommerce, portfolios, and minimalist blogging.</p>



<p>To answer your first question, I am a fan of open-canvas designs. The space gives me room to focus on my content.</p>



<p>However, like you, I am not seeing enough variety. This is not necessarily specific to block themes. You will find similar trends for classic WordPress.</p>



<p>With that said, the block system does play a part in what designers are creating. We are still in the infancy of block themes. Technically, they are not supported by WordPress yet. However, they will be when version 5.9 launches next week. Many designers will be timid at first, not really pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It is similar to taking that first step in a pool&#8217;s shallow end. You are acquainting yourself with the water, getting a feel for the temp, before you wade farther in.</p>



<p>I expect that we will see more variety over the coming months as more theme authors begin learning the new system. I hope that includes more designs like what you are asking for.</p>



<p>When I first read your question, <a href="https://lizonka.carrd.co/">a Carrd site</a> that I have had bookmarked for a while immediately came to mind. I came across it when venturing down the rabbit hole of anime-related fan sites around the web. The design does not fit my personal brand, but I have been fascinated by it for months.</p>



<img />Page from a Carrd site.



<p>The site screams personal and cozy. It reminds me of some of my early days on the web when every other blog I visited seemed to have its own brand of quirkiness. You can still find a lot of that if you <em>really</em> dive into the various brands of fandom that are out there.</p>



<p>Every now and then, I come back to this site for design inspiration. I envision building something like this on top of WordPress. The community is sorely missing out on the fun side of the web.</p>



<p>Many Carrd sites like the one shown above have a bit of this, but they are not full-blown websites. They are essentially personal landing pages.</p>



<p>Tumblr is the king when it comes to <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/themes/">themes with personality</a>. <em>Where else can I possibly consider switching over to a design dedicated to Taylor Swift?</em></p>



<img />Testing a Taylor Swift theme for my Tumblog.



<p>You will be hard-pressed to find anything like that in the WordPress theme directory.</p>



<p>Right now, I only know of one block theme that fits into the compact-and-cozy category, and that is <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/kubrick2/">Kubrick2</a>. I covered it in detail <a href="https://wptavern.com/yes-a-block-based-version-of-the-kubrick-wordpress-theme-exists">last month in a review</a>. It is now live on WordPress.org.</p>



<img />Customizing Kubrick2 from the site editor.



<p>Kubrick was one of the early default WordPress themes, and Kubrick2 is a recreation of it using blocks. It has that compact layout that seems to fit the description you provided. But, the design is a bit outdated.</p>



<p>Fortunately, it is customizable via the site editor. It is also one of the least complex block themes out there. In mere minutes, you could modify its design with little effort.</p>



<p>Until we see more themes, Kubrick2 is likely your best option.</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, 19 Jan 2022 00:52:15 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:37:"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.9 RC3";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=12050";s:7:"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/2022/01/wordpress-5-9-rc3/";s: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:4710:"<p>The third <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/glossary/#rc">Release Candidate</a> (RC3) for <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/">WordPress 5.9</a> is here!</p>



<p>Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far toward testing and filing bugs to help make WordPress 5.9 a great release. <strong>WordPress 5.9 is slated to land in just</strong> <strong>one week—on January 25, 2022.</strong> You still have time to help! Since RC2 arrived last week, testers have found and fixed <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=5.9&time=01%2F12%2F2022..01%2F17%2F2022&group=component&max=500&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority">two</a> bugs, <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/52596">14 fixes</a> from Gutenberg. There has been one additional <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/52598">Gutenberg fix</a> today.</p>



<h2 id="testing-the-release">Testing the release</h2>



<p>You can test the WordPress 5.9 release candidate in three ways:</p>



<p><strong>Option 1</strong>: Install and activate the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).</p>



<p><strong>Option 2</strong>: Download the beta version here (<a href="https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.9-RC3.zip">zip</a>).</p>



<p><strong>Option 3</strong>: When using WP-CLI to upgrade from Beta 1, 2, 3, 4, RC1, or RC2 on a case-insensitive filesystem, please use the following command sequence:</p>



<h4 id="command-one">Command One:</h4>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>wp core update --version=5.9-RC3</code></pre>



<h4 id="command-two">Command Two:</h4>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>wp core update --version=5.9-RC3 --force</code></pre>



<p>Your help to test the third Release Candidate is vital: the more testing that happens, the more stable the release, and the better the experience for users, developers, and the WordPress community.</p>



<p>Thank you to all contributors who tested the <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2022/01/wordpress-5-9-rc-2/">RC2 release</a> and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is a critical part of polishing every release and is a great way to contribute to WordPress.</p>



<h2 id="how-to-help">How to help</h2>



<p><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/test/2021/11/30/help-test-wordpress-5-9-features/">Help test WordPress 5.9 features</a> – this post provides a guide to set up your testing environment, a list of testable features, and information about how to submit feedback you find as you go.</p>



<p>Skilled in languages other than English? <a href="https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev">Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a> Thanks to every locale that is working on translations.</p>



<p>Developers and those interested in more background to the features can find more in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/10/wordpress-5-9-field-guide/” with “https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/10/wordpress-5-9-field-guide/">Field Guide</a>. You can also follow the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/">5.9 development cycle</a> and timeline.</p>



<p>If you have found a bug, you can post the details to the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums.</p>



<p>If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket">file one on WordPress Trac</a>, where you can also check the issue against <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major">a list of known bugs</a>.</p>



<p><em>For their help in compiling this post, props to </em><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>cbringmann</a>, <em><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/webcommsat/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>webcommsat</a>, </em><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/psykro/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>psykro</a><em>,<a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/marybaum/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>marybaum</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>chanthaboune</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>davidbaumwald</a>, and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/hellofromtonya/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>hellofromtonya</a>.</em></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 18 Jan 2022 22:28:12 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"Chloe Bringmann";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: WooCommerce Aims to Produce MVP of Custom Tables for Orders by Q3, 2022";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128435";s:7:"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:205:"https://wptavern.com/woocommerce-aims-to-produce-mvp-of-custom-tables-for-orders-by-q3-2022?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=woocommerce-aims-to-produce-mvp-of-custom-tables-for-orders-by-q3-2022";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2611:"<p>The WooCommerce development team <a href="https://developer.woocommerce.com/2022/01/17/the-plan-for-the-woocommerce-custom-order-table/">announced</a> today that they have started working on an implementation of custom tables for orders, a long-awaited improvement that promises significant performance gains for stores.</p>



<p>Adding custom tables for orders is a complex undertaking that will impact the entire ecosystem, so the team is soliciting feedback from the developer community as they proceed with the project.</p>



<p>When working with WooCommerce data, developers have been encouraged to use <a href="https://woocommerce.com/document/developing-using-woocommerce-crud-objects/">CRUD objects</a> since they were introduced in version 3.0, as an alternative to directly updating metadata or using WordPress post objects.</p>



<p>&#8220;We still utilize <code>wp_post</code> and <code>wp_postmeta</code> table structures to store this information for WooCommerce stores even with the CRUD layer,&#8221; WooCommerce core developer Vedanshu Jain said. </p>



<p>&#8220;While these WordPress-provided APIs and tables have served us well over the years, we now want to take a step further with a rock-solid and easy-to-understand database structure that is intentionally designed for commerce needs.&#8221;</p>



<p>WooCommerce core developers have three primary objectives for introducing custom order tables &#8211; to improve scalability, simplicity, and reliability. They anticipate it will lessen the need for merchants to seek developer support when scaling their stores. Having orders in custom tables should also allow WooCommerce developers to extend core more easily, as well as create and restore data backups.</p>



<p>The WooCommerce development team is <a href="https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/projects/8">tracking the project on GitHub</a> and is aiming to have an initial implementation ready  by early Q3 2022. They have published the first draft of the database schema they are proposing for building out the custom tables and feedback is welcome on the post.</p>



<p>&#8220;For this project, we expect that some work may be required by extensions and custom code developers to take full benefit of the new table structure,&#8221; Vedanshu Jain said. &#8220;As we go further along in the implementation, we plan to publish upgrade guides to support the adoption of custom order tables.</p>



<p>&#8220;During the rollout, we aim to keep this feature strictly opt-in in the beginning, giving everyone enough time to make their shops compatible.&#8221;</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 18 Jan 2022 03:23:34 +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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: Nick Diego Forks Core WordPress Block, Creates Social Sharing Plugin";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128423";s:7:"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:199:"https://wptavern.com/nick-diego-forks-core-wordpress-block-creates-social-sharing-plugin?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nick-diego-forks-core-wordpress-block-creates-social-sharing-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:4644:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Raise your hand if you have seen this before. <em>Yet another social sharing plugin.</em> But, with the block system, all things are new again. Some things simply need to be ported over from their former PHP-based equivalents. Others are fresh takes on old ideas, and a few may set the standard for years to come.</p>



<p>Nick Diego forked the core Social Icons block to create <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/social-sharing-block/">Social Sharing Block</a>. Everything about it looks and feels like it is supposed to be in WordPress, so much so that he thinks it could be a candidate for inclusion.</p>



<p>&#8220;I tried to replicate the Gutenberg file structure as much as possible,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s close, but they are doing some webpack wizardry. I would love to see this ultimately get included in the core in some form, but may be too niche. I am going to put together a draft PR at some point though after 5.9 is out and I am sure the plugin is 100% solid.&#8221;</p>



<p>While it may not ever land in WordPress, it will likely be a go-to solution as more and more users begin to use block themes. Currently, the plugin requires either WordPress 5.9 or the latest version of Gutenberg. It uses some newer components, but it does not make sense to make it backward compatible with earlier versions anyway. The block works best when coupled with the site editor, which requires a block theme.</p>



<img />Examples of different block design options.



<p>The plugin deviates from the core block in one necessary way. Instead of users typing in the URL to their social profiles, the Social Sharing block automatically outputs the proper &#8220;sharer&#8221; URL for whichever service is selected. </p>



<p>It even handles email and print links. Outside of that, it currently supports 10 social networks:</p>



<ul><li>Facebook</li><li>LinkedIn</li><li>Pinterest</li><li>Pocket</li><li>Reddit</li><li>Skype</li><li>Telegram</li><li>Tumblr</li><li>Twitter</li><li>WhatsApp</li></ul>



<p>Diego said via Twitter that he plans to support more services in future iterations.</p>



<p>Social Sharing Block is a prime example of the promise of the block system. In classic WordPress, users were limited to whatever design the developer made possible. Often, plugins would output sharing links automatically, and users would need to configure options via a settings page entirely detached from what it would look like on the front end.</p>



<p>With this block, users have flexibility. They have control over every aspect of how their social sharing links are output, at least within the limits of the site editor. Everything from the label to the colors to the preceding &#8220;share this&#8221; text is at their fingertips.</p>



<p>This is also one of the reasons I am already a fan of this young plugin. It does not try to do too much. It does not concern itself with design aspects outside of the social sharing list that it outputs.</p>



<p>It is a simple thing. However, it represents the control that users have rarely seen. For example, I wanted to add the text &#8220;Share Via&#8221; before the social share buttons. This is not configurable via the block itself. Instead, I get to decide its layout through the site editor.</p>




<img />Editor View



<img />Single Post View




<p>I hopped over to the site editor and opened the single post template to build that layout. I scrolled down to the post meta area and inserted a Row block. From that point, it was a matter of adding my custom text via a paragraph before inserting the social sharing links.</p>



<p>As I said, it is such a simple thing. However, the control over how this appears on the front end cannot be understated.</p>



<p>Not all third-party blocks are built like this. Far too often, they try to control the entire experience, creating what should be patterns instead. When developers treat blocks as self-contained components that do one thing well, it adds flexibility for users.</p>



<p>It also helps theme authors when deciding which plugins to support. It would be a no-brainer for themers to build custom patterns and block styles around Social Sharing Block.</p>



<p>It also has one extra option that the WordPress Social Icons block does not. Users can enable the text label alongside each icon. During our conversation, I hinted that this was something sorely needed for core&#8217;s Social Icons block and that there was already an <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/31605">open ticket for it</a>. Diego seems interested in creating a patch to address 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:"Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:33:48 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:"WordCamp Central: WP Y’all has been Postponed until the Spring";s:7:"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:39:"https://central.wordcamp.org/?p=3144092";s:7:"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:89:"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2022/01/17/wp-yall-has-been-postponed-until-the-spring/";s: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:323:"<p>The WordCamp Birmingham Organizing Team has unanimously decided to postpone WP Y’all until a future date in April or May when we can safely hold the event for our attendees.</p>
<p>See our <a href="https://birmingham.wordcamp.org/2022/wordcamp-birmingham-postponed-until-spring/">full announcement</a> on our site.</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, 17 Jan 2022 12:35:30 +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:10:"Ryan Marks";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:90:"WordPress.org blog: WP Briefing: Episode 23: A letter from WordPress’ Executive Director";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:53:"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=podcast&p=12043";s:7:"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:89:"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/01/episode-23-a-letter-from-wordpress-executive-director/";s: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:6739:"<p>As we greet a new year, WordPress&#8217; Executive Director writes a letter to the project and community that speaks to the hopes of the year ahead.</p>



<p><em><strong>Have a question you&#8217;d like answered? You can submit them to <a href="mailto:wpbriefing@wordpress.org">wpbriefing@wordpress.org</a>, either written or as a voice recording.</strong></em></p>



<h2 id="credits">Credits</h2>



<ul><li>Editor:&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dustinhartzler/">Dustin Hartzler</a></li><li>Logo:&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/beafialho/">Beatriz Fialho</a></li><li>Production:&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/">Chloé Bringmann</a></li><li>Song: Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod</li></ul>



<h2 id="transcript">Transcript</h2>



<span id="more-12043"></span>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>00:10</p>



<p>Hello, everyone, and welcome to the WordPress Briefing. The podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Here we go!</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>00:40</p>



<p>Yesterday marked three years since the WordPress project welcomed me as their executive director. As I start my fourth year, I&#8217;ve spent a bit of time considering what the next five years will bring us. WordPress will turn 19 this year, which means that we will soon be a whopping 20 years old; for some of the people who have been with the project since the beginning, that can represent two-thirds of their whole life. And even if you were not that young when you got here, two decades as an open source project is really a cause for celebration.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>01:10</p>



<p>I am not in that group that has been here forever. I showed up for the first time in 2009, as a community organizer, self-sponsored, and I learned so much about myself as a person and as a leader while I was doing that. So when I arrived as a sponsored contributor in 2015, I already knew exactly what made this work so fulfilling for me was these three things:&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>01:34</p>



<p>First, the ability to lend a hand in those moments where I wish someone had lent a hand.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>01:40</p>



<p>Second is the delight of seeing people&#8217;s first successes and the joy of watching them grow over time.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>01:48</p>



<p>And the third was a chance to be part of something great, which turned out to be something greater; greater than me or you or a CMS.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>01:58</p>



<p>This list is still at the heart of what I feel I get out of the WordPress project. But it has also grown substantially in my seven years as a sponsored contributor. I now also love how we as a community of contributors get to foster a better way to lead and a better way to collaborate. And through those things help people find a way to have a better life. Not just through WordPress, the CMS, but through WordPress, the people, and WordPress, the project.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>02:25</p>



<p>And so when I think of what I want for WordPress in its 19th year, so that we can head with confidence and dignity into our 20th year, it is this:&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>02:35</p>



<p>I want you to remember that you are not alone here. People come together in the world often because of a shared location. But WordPress fosters this beautiful experience of bringing us together because of what we care about. Whether you care about PHP standards, diversity in technology, helping people with their first big wins, making WordPress more secure. I mean, if what you care about is being able to write the most arcane and complex apps on top of WordPress that the world has ever seen. Then there are others out there who want to do that with you, too. We have so many things to connect about. And fortunately, we support a great piece of software for getting our thoughts out in the world. Take some time to see who else shares your thoughts and potentially learn a bit about the view from the other side.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>03:26</p>



<p>And speaking of the other side, I also want us to approach our discussions as the US versus the Problem TM. WordPress may be 20 years old, and we may stand on the shoulders of giants, but right now, the people who are here you, you are explorers and creators and guides toward the best possible future for WordPress. The tension that we witness between teams is always about the best possible answers for the people who use our software. It is about securing the freedoms of the open web for everyone who comes after us whether they know they need those freedoms or not.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>04:04</p>



<p>And finally, I want us to expand our reasons for doing this at all. If you are a member of the community of contributors, We frequently talk about how we give back because WordPress gave to us. Or if you are part of a Five for the Future group. You have heard that companies who have experienced success because of WordPress should commit 5% of their resources back to the project to ensure WordPress&#8217; long-term success. But the reason that I keep doing this, and hopefully a new reason for you to keep doing this is that we can take part in securing opportunities for future users of WordPress.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>04:42</p>



<p>Yes, I want WordPress to be the best CMS. Yes, I want this community to be vibrant and engaged. Yes, I want WordPress to be a shining beacon of how to work remotely. And I want all of that because I know it is our careful and tireless stewardship of this project that lets us continue to lend a hand in those moments where people wish for someone to lend a hand.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>05:11</p>



<p>Those are my hopes for WordPress in 2022 to move us forward into WordPress of the future. I hope you all will come with me and we can continue our journey together.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy&nbsp; </strong>05:23</p>



<p>Thanks again for listening. I&#8217;m Josepha Haden and this is the WP Briefing. See you again in a couple of weeks.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"Chloe Bringmann";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:"Gutenberg Times: Level Up with Query Block, FSE for Classic Themes and more – Weekend edition #199";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=19873";s:7:"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:135:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/level-up-with-query-block-fse-for-classic-themes-and-the-customizer-isnt-going-anywhere-weekend-edition-199/";s: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:20519:"<p>Howdy, </p>



<p>Yes, I am so happy to be back in Florida, and I enjoy the warmth of the sun, and the palm trees. ☀️ ⛱️ 🌴. Earlier this week, I  was sitting outside chatting with my girlfriendsin Naples, FL, squinting into the setting sun. After sunset all we needed was a normal sweater to keep us comfortable as opposed to the 15 pounds of clothes, I had to put on in Whistler to spend five minutes outside. </p>



<p>Alas, the break is over. It&#8217;s down to the wire. We are a little over a week away from the WordPress 5.9 release on January 25th, 2022. If you haven&#8217;t caught up with all the new features, the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/10/wordpress-5-9-field-guide/">Field Guide</a>  is now available on WordPress.org.  Last week, I also published <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/whats-new-in-wordpress-5-9-a-reading-list-on-full-site-editing-and-block-themes/"><strong>a reading list on block themes and full site editing</strong></a> for End-users, site builders and theme developers/designers. </p>



<p>The training team around Learn.WordPress released a ton of additional Social Learning events, that should make it easier for users to learn more about the Site editor, the Theme Blocks and the Styles interface. You&#8217;ll find the list of 12 upcoming event at the end of the newsletter. Big Thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheeDestinyWP">Destiny Fox Kanno</a>, for researching and compiling the list! </p>



<p>With that I leave you to the rest of the news around the Block editor. </p>



<p>Yours, 💕<br />Birgit</p>



<p><em>PS: <strong>Join us on Monday night </strong>at the <a href="https://www.meetup.com/BoulderWP/events/282792359">virtual WordPress Meetup Boulder event</a> about What&#8217;s new in WordPress 5.9 and a panel discussion with Brian Garnder, Courtney Robertson and yours truly. </em></p>




<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost"><ul><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#general-information-on-wordpress-block-editor">General Information on WordPress&#8217; Block Editor </a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#tools-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">Tools for Site Builders and Content Creators</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#theme-building-for-full-site-editing">Theme building for Full Site Editing. </a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#extending-the-block-editor-and-building-custom-blocks">Extending the Block editor and building Custom Blocks</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#12-wordpress-social-learning-events-and-meetups">12 WordPress Social Learning Events (and Meetups)</a></li></ul></div>




<h2 id="general-information-on-wordpress-block-editor">General Information on WordPress&#8217; Block Editor </h2>



<p>The founders of WPExperts.io, <strong>Saad Iqbal</strong> and <strong>Ahmed Salah</strong>, put on their magic hats and explained in their post &#8220;<a href="https://wpexperts.io/blog/gutenberg-revolutionize-the-wordpress-industry/"><strong>How Gutenberg will revolutionize the WordPress industry in 2022</strong></a>&#8220;.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> joined <strong>DocPop</strong> and <strong>Nick Diego</strong> on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPCw2hf1SMM"><strong>Torque Social Hour</strong></a>. They discussed WordPress 5.9 delay of the release, about accessibility, locking Blocks and also how the customizer is to work for with block themes or not. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>On the WPTavern, Justin Tadlock gave an overview of <strong><a href="https://wptavern.com/what-are-block-themes-what-you-need-to-know-before-wordpress-5-9">What Are Block Themes? What You Need To Know Before WordPress 5.9</a></strong> for those WordPress users, who only heard recently about Block Themes and Full site editing. It&#8217;s a great post to share with your clients, and users, that are just now getting interested in the WordPress 5.9 features. </p>




<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>




<h2 id="tools-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">Tools for Site Builders and Content Creators</h2>



<p>Justin Tadlock at WPTavern reviewed <a href="https://wptavern.com/automattics-livro-is-a-minimal-block-theme-for-writers"><strong>Automattic’s Livro Is a Minimal Block Theme for Writers</strong></a>. Is a minmalistic block theme. It also is a bit opinionated on certain features and designs, but nothing that wasn&#8217;t possible to fix within the new site editor. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Jamie Marsland</strong> was a guest at the latest <em>Do The Woo Podcast</em> and discussed with Anne Maria Radu and Bob Dunn BobWP <a href="https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-product-pages-blocks-and-full-site-editor-customizations/"><strong>Woo Product Pages wtih Blocks and Full Site Editing customizations</strong></a></p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Also, in <a href="https://wptavern.com/customizer-will-disappear-for-some-block-theme-users-with-wordpress-5-9"><strong>Customizer Will Disappear for Some Block Theme Users With WordPress 5.9</strong></a>, Tadlock outlines how the Customizer is not going to go away. <br />Only when you activate a Block Theme. And only if you don&#8217;t have plugins installed that tap into the Customizer for additional feature settings. If you don&#8217;t change your theme, all your customization will stay in place and you won&#8217;t loose any Custom CSS code. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>The first FSE course is live on Lean.WordPress.org: <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/course/simple-site-design-with-full-site-editing/"><strong>Simple Site Design with Full Site Editing</strong></a>. &#8220;This course will review the interconnected features that make up full site editing (FSE) and how they are going to help you create beautiful site designs without needing to use any code.&#8221; Check it out!</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>In her post&nbsp;<a href="https://extendify.com/what-to-expect-in-wordpress-5-9-from-gutenberg/"><strong>What to expect in WordPress 5.9 from Gutenberg</strong></a>, <strong>Tammie Lister</strong> gives you a high-level overview of the features that make up Full Site Editing and will arrive at a WordPress instance near you, provided you activate a Block Theme. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>In this video <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA09cW8Qv-I">WooCommerce and Full Site Editing</a></strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA09cW8Qv"> </a><strong>Jamie Marsland </strong>gives you a first look at what the team at  PootlePress has been working on for the past two months. You get a sneak peak of the Single Product template that comes with the WooCommerce Blocks plugin. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Extendify</strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/extendify/">launched a new pattern library plugin by the same name</a>.</strong> It&#8217;s theme agnostic and includes a &#8220;library of reusable website patterns and full page layouts can be assembled to rapidly build beautiful websites.&#8221; <a href="https://wptavern.com/extendify-launches-new-pattern-library-plugin">You can read a longer review on the WPTavern site </a></p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/abrightclearweb">Claire Brotherton</a></strong> published post <a href="https://www.abrightclearweb.com/gutentor/"><strong>Gutentor: A Popular and Powerful WordPress Page Builder Plugin</strong></a>. She reviewed building full page layouts with this plugin for various purposes and explains their screens. You can try the plugin yourself for free and install it <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutentor/">directly from the WordPress plugins repository</a>.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Between the holidays, <strong>Anne McCarthy </strong>expanded her Connecting the Dot YouTube Series  with <strong>the video </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5fbGuTdPKw"><strong>Level up with Query Loop block</strong></a>.  This video focuses on how using the Query Loop block can both help you level up your content and streamline your workflows, depending on what you&#8217;re trying to accomplish. &#8220;In this case, I recreated a page from a site I run letslifechat.com/lifechat-starters/ and showed off some of the neat things you can do to customize what I created further. &#8221; McCarthy wrote. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Justin Tadlock reviewed in his post <a href="https://wptavern.com/creating-speech-balloons-with-the-wordpress-block-editor"><strong>Creating Speech Balloons With the WordPress Block Editor</strong></a> the Liquid Speech Balloon plugin available in the WordPress repository. Its feature help you create conversations or quotes mimicking the text message interfaces. It&#8217;s a neat little add-in to the block editor. Tadlock offers a lot of detail and use cases. <a href="https://wptavern.com/creating-speech-balloons-with-the-wordpress-block-editor"><em>Check out his review</em></a></p>




<p><strong><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s main (trunk) branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>



<p><img alt="GitHub all releases" src="https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total" /></p>




<h2 id="theme-building-for-full-site-editing">Theme building for Full Site Editing. </h2>



<p>The recording of the first session <strong><a href="https://youtu.be/NX_7P2lvuwU">Creating a block-based theme</a> with Daisy Olsen </strong> and <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> is now up on YouTube. </p>



<p>Topics covered: </p>



<ul><li>Theme.json &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=658s">00:10:58</a> </li><li>Parts/Templates/Patterns &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=780s">00:13:00</a> </li><li>Starting the theme + theme.json &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=1380s">00:23:00</a> </li><li>Creating our first template + custom page template &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=1770s">00:29:30</a> </li><li>Defining a color palette,  available fonts, Default font &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=3759s">01:02:39</a>  </li><li>Finding CSS variables defined by theme.json &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=4550s">01:15:50</a> </li><li>Setting the site background color + primary text color- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=4710s">01:18:30</a> </li><li>Styling elements &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX_7P2lvuwU&t=5168s">01:26:08</a> </li><li>Talking about the Query Block &#8211; <a href="https://youtu.be/NX_7P2lvuwU?t=5379">0:1:29:43</a></li></ul>



<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D-mnq0bpxP1nWu2OQbcVVScEgC5rpZM"><em>Bookmark the playlist</em></a>, session 2 and 3 follow. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Dave Smith</strong> gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFl_6I5_AZk"><strong>technical overview for the new Navigation block</strong></a>, that will be released with WordPress 5.9. Specifically he covered how the block saves its data and how decoupling this from the block&#8217;s presentation helps to make the block more powerful. You&#8217;ll find <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/the-new-navigation-block/">full details in the DevNote</a>, also composed by Dave Smith. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Carolina Nymark</strong> updated her post on <a href="https://fullsiteediting.com/lessons/adding-full-site-editing-features-to-classic-themes/"><strong>how to add full site editing features to classic themes</strong></a> with the latest information and tools. &#8220;The only two features not available to classic themes are the site editor and the global styles interface. You can add template editing to the theme and keep widgets and the customizer.&#8221; she wrote. </p>



<h2 id="extending-the-block-editor-and-building-custom-blocks">Extending the Block editor and building Custom Blocks</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/fabiankaegy">Fabian Kägy</a></strong>, developer with 10up, core contributor and friend of the Gutenberg Times, published a proposal on GitHub Discussions <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/discussions/37448"><strong>Proposal for opening the editor interface to more extensibility</strong></a> and asked for our input ideas and insights. Kägy list examples for suitable extensions,  like allowing Posts without titles, allowing for semantic settings next to core settings or greater controls for the placement of panels in the sidebar of the editor.  I learned quite a bit from Riad Benguella&#8217;s comment, especially about the fact that any extensibility feature built now also has to promised backwards compatibility for the future and that might hold the current development and explorations of the editor back. </p>



<p>If you are a plugin developer, it would be great if you could chime in on the GitHub discussion especially if you haven&#8217;t found a way to tap into the code base of the block editor as you used to with the Classic Editor. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jasonbahl">Jason Bahl</a></strong> walks you through the latest update of his work on supporting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF_IZNBBTpk"><strong>Gutenberg Blocks in WPGraphQL</strong></a> and demos in his video the Query on post and block data. The code for the new WPGraphQL Block Editor <a href="https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql-block-editor">integration can be found on GitHub.</a>  As Bahl mentiones in his video, this integration is in very early stages but he will explore some more to support Gutenberg blocks for Headless WordPress. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>A long-standing request for an API that allows for locking blocks and patterns is now coming to WordPress 5.9. Read more from <strong>Sarah Gooding</strong> in here post <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-9-to-introduce-new-api-for-locking-blocks"><strong>WordPress 5.9 to Introduce New API for Locking Blocks</strong></a> with links to DevNote and documentation. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>In the post<a href="https://webdevstudios.com/2022/01/11/react-for-wordpress-developers/"><strong> React For WordPress Developers</strong></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/laxmariappan"><strong>Lax Mariappan</strong></a> recounts his story learning ReactJS, the Why of the investment of time and about the resources that are available. </p>



<h2 id="12-wordpress-social-learning-events-and-meetups">12 WordPress Social Learning Events (and Meetups)</h2>



<p><strong>January 17, 2022 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/282772979"><strong>Advanced Layouts with the Block Editor</strong></a> with Wes Theron via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 17, 2022 8 pm ET / 1:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/BoulderWP/events/282792359"><strong>What’s coming in WordPress 5.9</strong></a> Panel discussion with Brian Gardner, Courtney Robertson, and Birgit Pauli-Haack via WordPress Meetup Boulder, Co</p>



<p><strong>January 19, 2022 3:00 PM ET / 20:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283227591/"><strong>Zero to Block Theme Series #2: theme.json</strong></a><strong> </strong>with Daisy Olsen and Sarah Snow<strong> </strong>via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 20, 2022 – 7 pm ET / 00:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/SF-WordPress-Users/events/283096780/"><strong>WordPress “Mega Meetup”: Block Patterns, WordPress 5.9</strong></a> <br />South Florida WordPress Meetup Group</p>



<p><strong>January 21, 2022 – 7 pm ET / 00:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283206029/"><strong>Breaking it Down: Blocks, Patterns, And Templates</strong></a> with Roxy Kohilakis via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 23, 2022 – 4 pm ET / 21:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/Eastbay-WordPress-Meetup/events/283253433/"><strong>WordPress: the Next Generation</strong></a> with Sallie Goetsch via The East Bay WordPress Meetup Group</p>



<p><strong>January 24, 2022, 6 pm ET / 23:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/WordPressHartford/events/283118120/"><strong>What Will WordPress 5.9 Mean for You?</strong></a> with Ray and Peter Ingersoll via WordPress Hartford, CT</p>



<p><strong>January 26, 2022, 6 pm ET / 23:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/282773311/"><strong>Intro to Templates and Template Parts (Full Site Editing)</strong></a> with Wes Theron via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 28, 2022, 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283227922/"><strong>Demo: Build Your Homepage Using Full Site Editing</strong></a> with Roxy Kohilakis via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>February 4, 2022, 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283228078/"><strong>Beginner&#8217;s Guide to Full Site Editing</strong></a><strong> </strong>with Roxy Kohilakis via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>February 11, 2022 – 3 pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283228209/"><strong>Breaking it Down: Blocks, Patterns, And Templates with Full Site Editing</strong></a> with Roxy Kohilakis via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>February 14, 2022 – 4 pm ET / 21:00 UTC </strong><br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283237147/"><strong>Exploring Theme Blocks</strong></a><strong> </strong>with Wes Thoren via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>




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<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>



<form class="wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait" action="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/" method="post"><div class="ngl-form-container"><div class="ngl-form-field"><label class="ngl-form-label" for="ngl_email">Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class="ngl-form-input"><input type="email" class="ngl-form-input-text" name="ngl_email" id="ngl_email" /></div></div><button class="ngl-form-button">Subscribe</button><p class="ngl-form-text">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class="ngl-message-overlay"><div class="ngl-message-svg-wrap"></div><div class="ngl-message-overlay-text">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type="hidden" name="ngl_list_id" id="ngl_list_id" value="26f81bd8ae" /><input type="hidden" name="ngl_double_optin" id="ngl_double_optin" value="yes" /></form>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 15 Jan 2022 02:47:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18:"Birgit Pauli-Haack";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:84:"WPTavern: WordCamp Birmingham Postponed Due to Rising Local COVID-19 Infection Rates";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128301";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:213:"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-birmingham-postponed-due-to-rising-local-covid-19-infection-rates?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordcamp-birmingham-postponed-due-to-rising-local-covid-19-infection-rates";s: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:6797:"<p>WordCamp Birmingham&#8217;s organizers <a href="https://birmingham.wordcamp.org/2022/wordcamp-birmingham-postponed-until-spring/">announced</a> today that the in-person event planned for the first week in February is now postponed until April or May. Organizers had been planning the event since August 2021 and had just announced the last group of speakers a week ago.</p>



<p>&#8220;In the last 30 days, our local COVID-19 numbers have risen dramatically as a result of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant,&#8221; lead organizer Ryan Marks said in the announcement.</p>



<p>&#8220;The WordPress community is bigger than any single WordCamp. We cannot in good conscience continue forward with our event, given the current risk, since this decision could negatively impact other in-person WordCamps currently in the planning stages.&#8221;</p>



<p>Marks said all attendees will be automatically refunded within the next few days. WordPress Community Support administrator Angela Jin has prepared an <a href="https://birmingham.wordcamp.org/2022/files/2022/01/WC-Cancellation-Travel-Letter.pdf">official letter</a> for those who need proof of cancellation for getting travel refunded.</p>



<p>WordCamp Birmingham organizers are looking at dates in April or May, 2022, but said that rescheduling will depend on local infection rates and venue availability. Their contract with the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema allowed organizers to cancel without any loss of deposit as long as they gave more than seven days notice.</p>



<p>The event&#8217;s COVID-19 safety protocols, which were written before Omicron was spreading in the area, came under greater scrutiny a week ago. Shortly thereafter, organizers <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-birmingham-updates-covid-19-protocols-amid-omicron-surge-wordcamp-europe-still-planning-for-in-person-event">updated the guidelines</a> to have a more rigid masking requirement, but some attendees and sponsors had already decided not to attend due to current conditions. </p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m still considering whether to go to Birmingham Alabama <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordCamp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WordCamp</a> in February. I’m a community sponsor with <a href="https://twitter.com/TrustedLogin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrustedLogin</a>.<br /><br />But I DEFINITELY won’t go to <a href="https://twitter.com/wpyall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wpyall</a> unless 2+ vaccinations are required. Negative tests or prior COVID isn’t enough.<a href="https://t.co/GCqIC2crDN">https://t.co/GCqIC2crDN</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WordPress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WordPress</a></p>&mdash; Zack Katz (@zackkatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/zackkatz/status/1479804454681645058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>While WordCamp Birmingham organizers worked to update the COVID-19 safety protocols, more concerned community members <a href="https://twitter.com/mor10/status/1478790408482164737">condemned the gathering as &#8220;irresponsible&#8221;</a> at a time when hospitals have been pushed to the brink. </p>



<p>Organizers continued to monitor the situation, hoping for the opportunity to hold a safe event. After assessing the timing of the event and the level of community spread, they unanimously decided to that it was necessary to postpone. They had also reached the point where some of their payments would have been nonrefundable and needed to act in stewardship of their funds.</p>



<p>&#8220;We knew that being the first in-person US WordCamp was both a risk and a responsibility,&#8221; lead organizer Ryan Marks said. &#8220;If we could do it safely, other WordCamps in the US could do the same. If lots of people got sick, we&#8217;d set back US WordCamps such as Montclair, NJ, and Buffalo, NY, and possibly the global program as a whole from moving toward having safe in-person WordCamps. </p>



<p>&#8220;We saw news reports and estimates indicating Omicron cases would be peaking right as we were hosting WordCamp. That was sufficient for our organizing team to make the call to postpone. Pushing the event a couple months could mean a much safer event for everyone.&#8221;</p>



<p>Alabama has the second lowest percentage of vaccinated residents in the US, with just <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine-tracker">48.1%</a> fully vaccinated. The state currently has an average positive test rate of 37.4%. More than 25% of Alabama students have shifted to remote learning as more school systems have had to close due to record-breaking COVID rates.</p>



<p>“Our problem is we just don’t have enough adults to safely and effectively operate the school…in some cases, now we’re seeing up to 35% of the faculty report that they have COVID, or they’re close contact,&#8221; Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey told <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2022/01/1-in-4-alabama-students-back-to-remote-learning-as-covid-spreads.html">AL.com</a>. The local mitigation efforts are not working to slow the spread of Omicron in the Birmingham area right now.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img />Mayo Clinic data for <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/map/alabama">Alabama COVID-19 Average Positive Test Rate</a></div>



<p>Many attendees communicated their disappointment about the postponed WordCamp on social media but were supportive of the organizers&#8217; decision.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Really bummed about this, but I totally understand the decision. I'm grateful for the organizing team and their dedication to put on this event, and their willingness to make tough decisions like this one. <a href="https://t.co/iPImv8f0LQ">https://t.co/iPImv8f0LQ</a></p>&mdash; Cory Webb (@corywebb) <a href="https://twitter.com/corywebb/status/1482068776220860426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>When WordCamp Birmingham&#8217;s organizers began planning in August, they had no idea that a new more transmissible variant would be making its way across the world just as the in-person event was set to kick off. The timing is unfortunate, and the stakes are too high to risk pushing forward.  </p>



<p>WordCamp Birmingham&#8217;s previously selected speakers will be invited to speak at the rescheduled event, pandemic conditions permitting. The 200 people who signed up to attend will need to buy their tickets again and reschedule their accomodations.</p>



<p>&#8220;Our goal is to have the same great event we have currently planned, just a bit later,&#8221; Marks 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:"Sat, 15 Jan 2022 01:32:59 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: Wicked Plugins Launches UI-Based WordPress Block Builder";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=125721";s:7:"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:177:"https://wptavern.com/wicked-plugins-launches-ui-based-wordpress-block-builder?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wicked-plugins-launches-ui-based-wordpress-block-builder";s: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:5170:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Last week, Wicked Plugins launched version 1.0 of its <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wicked-block-builder/">Wicked Block Builder</a>. I have kept my eye on this plugin since its November 2021 beta release. The project promised that developers would be able to &#8220;effortlessly build custom blocks,&#8221; and I was finally ready to put that to the test.</p>



<p>In the past two months, I have activated the plugin every so often. I knew a review of it would take me a while, and I would deactivate it before diving in. I kept feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of it &#8212; <em>there are tons of settings to configure</em>. The holiday season did not help either. I wanted to sit down with a clear head and decide whether this plugin was something developers in the WP Tavern audience should put in their toolbox.</p>



<p>The short answer: yes.</p>



<p>Or, at least you should give it a spin to see how it compares to similar plugins. This is a version 1.x project, so there are still some missing pieces. However, it will make client builds easier to put together without writing anything more than CSS for custom blocks.</p>



<p>When I first began using the plugin, I seemed to hit issue after issue. Like always, I was trying to run before I could walk. I like to test new plugins at full speed and often forget to stop and <em>RTFM</em>. With complex projects like Wicked Block Builder, I must remind myself that it is OK to seek help from the docs.</p>



<p>The plugin has a bit of a learning curve if you want to do anything advanced. My suggestion is to do the opposite of what I did. Start with a simple use case.</p>



<p>Fortunately, the plugin development team has a tutorial video that will have you building custom blocks in less than five minutes. I recommend following along when creating your first.</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">

</div>



<p>Once I hopped over that initial hurdle, using the plugin was a breeze.</p>



<p>The plugin allows developers to add blocks, block categories, patterns, and pattern categories. I primarily focused on block creation. The plugin worked in much the same way as other pattern builders.</p>



<p>Following along with the tutorial video, I created a Resource Card block. It included an image, title, summary, and button.</p>



<img />Building the editor view for a custom block.



<p>There are multiple tabs for developers to build out their blocks. Aside from the primary Settings tab, most of the work will happen under Attributes and Editor View. The Front-end View is only necessary if the block&#8217;s output does not match what it looks like in the editor. The screen also has a Styles panel for adding custom CSS, which is loaded for the editor and front-end.</p>



<p>The UI seems mostly straightforward when following along with the tutorial. However, there are tons of options, and it is easy to get lost once you start digging into them all.</p>



<p>Once I pieced together my custom block, it correctly appeared in the inserter. I also tested a slash command for <code>/resource card</code> to ensure it worked.</p>



<img />Inserting custom block into the editor.



<p>A couple of missing features I immediately noticed once inserting my block was a custom icon and example/preview. Both are relatively simple to add when creating a block type from code, so I hope they are on the agenda for a future version.</p>



<p>While searching for the custom block type via the inserter worked, I would also welcome an option to create custom keywords.</p>



<p>I filled in the details of the Resource Card block and saved it.</p>



<img />Block content customized.



<p>To my surprise, I did not break anything. I began wondering, <em>Could creating blocks be this easy?</em></p>



<p>I ran through a few other simple block ideas, and the experience was enjoyable. While I no longer work with clients, I could see how this could save hours. Pairing it with <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/block-api/block-templates/#locking">template locking</a> would also be a routine use case so that clients would only need to plug in their content and publish.</p>



<p>There are some <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/block-api/block-supports/">block-supported features</a> that I would like to see added. The plugin currently allows devs to enable alignment and wide alignment. However, others like spacing, typography, and color would be easy wins.</p>



<p>I tested the free version of the Wicked Block Builder. For simple blocks, it worked well. For more complex use cases, developers will need to upgrade to the <a href="https://wickedplugins.com/plugins/wicked-block-builder/">pro version</a>. It runs between $49 and $299 per year, depending on the number of supported sites.</p>



<p>While I have not tested the pro version, it does offer post and term selects, repeater fields, conditional logic, and inner-block support. After exhausting the basics, these will likely be necessary on some projects. However, the free version can still get you pretty far.</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, 15 Jan 2022 00:42:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: Creating Speech Balloons With the WordPress Block Editor";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128271";s:7:"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:177:"https://wptavern.com/creating-speech-balloons-with-the-wordpress-block-editor?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=creating-speech-balloons-with-the-wordpress-block-editor";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4215:"<p class="has-drop-cap">I do not know how I overlooked <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/liquid-speech-balloon/">LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON</a>. The plugin is less than a month shy of being three years old, and I follow block-related projects religiously. This one slipped through the cracks, at least until I haphazardly stumbled upon it when searching for something else entirely.</p>



<p>It is also relatively popular for a single-block plugin. There are not that many with more than 10,000 active installs. I had to know what it was doing to draw such a crowd.</p>



<p>In the <a href="https://wptavern.com/automattics-livro-is-a-minimal-block-theme-for-writers#comment-412254">comments on yesterday&#8217;s post</a> about Automattic&#8217;s Livro theme, Nick Hamze wanted to know where all the fun theme designs were. Perhaps it was fortuitous timing that I also happened to be playing around with a plugin that might fit the bill. Sure, it is not a theme, but it can definitely be used to spruce up an otherwise boring or plain design.</p>



<p>So, I spun up a few Speech Balloon blocks and just had fun creating a chat with a some cartoon animals:</p>



<img />Inserting and customizing multiple Speech Balloon blocks.



<p>I tend to gravitate toward clean, open-canvas themes because they allow me to add all the fun elements via the post content. That is why I love finding plugins like LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON. They add that visual flair to pages that can sometimes be boring.</p>



<p>Using the plugin&#8217;s Speech Balloon block is straightforward. It presents users with a single section for inserting rich text content.</p>



<img />Default Speech Balloon block.



<p>In the block options sidebar, users can choose an avatar. They can also make several design adjustments, including background and text colors.</p>



<p>The block is falling slightly behind the times, though.  Since the plugin&#8217;s release nearly three years ago, WordPress has added several new design components that could be used to make its block even better, such as padding, border, and typography controls.</p>



<p>The plugin can also be used for testimonials or other types of reviews. It works well enough for more business-friendly layouts if that is the sort of thing you are after.</p>



<img />Creating testimonials with the Speech Balloon block.



<p>The plugin&#8217;s biggest failure is in how it handles avatars. It is also why it does not make for the best option for testimonials. Users cannot add avatars directly via the block. Instead, they must register them via an entirely separate admin screen. Then, they can select from their saved avatars list within the block.</p>



<p>Under the Settings &gt; LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON page, the plugin presents users with several rows of fields. They can add a name and image URL for each avatar.</p>



<img />Plugin&#8217;s avatar settings.



<p>This is where the user experience falls apart a bit. There is no way to upload avatars on this screen. Instead, users must upload them via their media library, copy the URL, and paste it into the image URL field.</p>



<p>The plugin provides the necessary documentation and links to work through this process. The overall experience is simply lackluster.</p>



<p>However, if users only need a limited number of avatars, the system works well enough once everything is uploaded. The images are always available whenever inserting the Speech Bubble block &#8212; no need to search through the media library or upload a new one.</p>



<p>I am not sure if this will go in my plugin toolbox. Outside of a few stylistic elements, such as the speech bubble&#8217;s tail, users could readily recreate something similar with a few blocks, as shown in the following screenshot:</p>



<img />Custom speech bubbles pattern.



<p>Within a few minutes, I created this with what is already available in core WordPress, and I actually had several more design choices by doing so. I could see keeping a block pattern on hand for such a layout in the future.</p>



<p>For those who want a quick and easy solution without all the fuss of mixing and matching blocks, LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON would be the better option.</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, 14 Jan 2022 02:22:38 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:67:"WPTavern: Automattic’s Livro Is a Minimal Block Theme for Writers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128178";s:7:"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:173:"https://wptavern.com/automattics-livro-is-a-minimal-block-theme-for-writers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=automattics-livro-is-a-minimal-block-theme-for-writers";s: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:4992:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Sometimes the sweetest things in life are the simplest. Automattic&#8217;s latest block theme <a href="https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/110931">landed in the review queue</a> yesterday, and I had to give it a spin. What I found was a minimally-elegant design that I fell in love with.</p>



<p><em>Really</em>. I even dedicated an entire demo post on my install to it:</p>



<img />Single post with gallery and pull-quote.



<p>Well, that and Valentine&#8217;s Day is a mere month away. It felt like the right time to mix up my install&#8217;s test content anyway.</p>



<p>Let me preface the rest of this review by saying that I hate dark themes with a fiery passion. However, every now and again, one comes along that makes me rethink my position. Livro is one such theme. I may dislike it in a week, but I have genuinely loved using it for two days.</p>



<p>The theme&#8217;s most impressive feat was using a single font family, <a href="https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Newsreader">Newsreader</a>, across the entire design. It never felt like it needed anything else to separate body copy, secondary text, and headings.</p>



<p>Livro will not meet everyone&#8217;s needs &#8212; not by a long shot. However, it is the sort of theme that will appeal to those who do not like any bells and whistles whatsoever. The type where content reigns supreme, where a few words and pictures are all that is necessary to make a point.</p>



<p>I did not immediately hop on this whirlwind affair with Livro at first sight. Things started a bit rocky. The theme managed to implement my top three pet-peeves:</p>



<ol><li>It displays post content instead of excerpts on blog/archive pages.</li><li>It shows the featured image at the top of the page on single posts, creating duplicate image output when that same image is used in the content.</li><li>Its navigation menu lists all of my site&#8217;s pages by default. All 90+ of them.</li></ol>



<p>One extra issue I noticed with the post content on the blog and archive pages was that wide and full-aligned blocks were the same width as normal content. I do not know if that is a WordPress or theme-specific issue. Since I planned on switching to excerpts, I did not look too deeply into the code.</p>



<p>The Navigation block issue is, in part, a <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/37340">problem with WordPress</a> itself. It will fall back to the core Page List block in specific scenarios. However, theme authors can also address this via the <code>block_core_navigation_render_fallback</code> hook, introduced in Gutenberg 12.1.</p>



<p>Fortunately, all of these issues are dead simple to correct in the world of block themes. The site editor is just a click away, and users are no longer bound to the oddities of otherwise solid theme designs. In moments, I was able to customize how things looked.</p>



<img />Removing featured image from single posts via site editor.



<p>The theme bundles 15 block patterns in total. Eight of them are for headers, and five are for footers. Most of these are variations on the same concept, primarily changing the position of the default elements.</p>



<p>I was a little disappointed to not see more variety for page or general-use patterns. The theme ships one for an  About page and another for a Contact page. They both use an offset-column design that I hope one day gets dropped into the black hole where other web design trends go to die.</p>



<img />



<p>The nav menu&#8217;s &#8220;x&#8221; close button is on the far right edge of the screen, but the open icon is on the far left. This is more of a problem with WordPress&#8217;s handling of the Navigation block than the theme. Nevertheless, it is still irritating trying to find the close button. Ideally, the open and close buttons would always be in the same place.</p>



<p>One way to mitigate this issue is to use the &#8220;Header with site title on left and button on right&#8221; pattern &#8212; <em>yes, all the short names were taken on header-pattern naming day</em>.</p>



<img />Using a pattern to change the header design.



<p>Users can switch it by modifying the Header template in the site editor. It puts the nav menu open button on the right side of the page. The close button will still be slightly off, but it is a better experience than the default.</p>



<p>For a theme that I claim to love, I did focus on its downsides in this review. Part of that is to show that such issues need not always be the reason to overlook a block-based theme. If they are relatively minor problems, it does not take a programmer to make those adjustments. All of the design elements that I enjoyed about the theme were already there. It just needed some coaxing to make it perfect for me.</p>



<p>I would still like to see the Automattic Theme Team add a few patterns to the mix. Livro&#8217;s clean canvas seems to invite a mashup of media and text blocks.</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, 13 Jan 2022 01:46:22 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:"WPTavern: Extendify Launches New Pattern Library Plugin";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128175";s:7:"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:155:"https://wptavern.com/extendify-launches-new-pattern-library-plugin?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=extendify-launches-new-pattern-library-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:4062:"<p>Extendify has simplified access to its pattern library with a new <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/extendify/">plugin</a> that offers patterns and full-page layouts for WordPress sites using Gutenberg-friendly themes. The company has high expectations for the product, publishing it under the name &#8220;Extendify&#8221; as its flagship free plugin in the official directory. </p>



<p>Although a different version of the pattern library is included in Extendify&#8217;s popular <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/redux-framework/">Gutenberg Template Library &amp; Redux Framework</a> plugin, which has more than a million active installs, this new plugin is focused simply on site design tools. </p>



<p>&#8220;If you’ve tried out the Extendify Library previously, then you’ll find this new version is completely refreshed,&#8221; Extendify&#8217;s Head of Product Rich Tabor said. &#8220;We rebuilt the library, and all our patterns/layouts, from the ground up — with a focus on augmenting the editing experience of both existing and new themes.&#8221;</p>



<p>Extendify functions as a SaaS connector plugin that uses a custom API to fetch block patterns and page layouts from the company&#8217;s servers. Once installed, the plugin has no separate settings page. Extendify adds a &#8220;Library&#8221; button at the top of the editor to launch a modal with patterns and layouts.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>If you haven&#8217;t selected a &#8220;Site Type&#8221; in the sidebar of the modal, all the patterns and layouts will be black and white. Selecting a Site Type will update the previews to show insert industry-specific copy and pictures with color. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><img /></div>



<p>If you find a page layout that you like, it&#8217;s easy to get a beautifully designed page in a matter of seconds. However, the way it is set up at the moment, free users only have access to five imports. Subscribers can get unlimited imports for <a href="https://extendify.com/pricing/">$49.50/year</a> for one site. </p>



<p>Users who are not planning to upgrade must be judicious about the patterns and layouts they choose to preview on the page. The plugin will warn free users about the remaining number of imports before proceeding. This mode of limitation may slow the plugin&#8217;s adoption, because users have to be careful about trying too many patterns and layouts on their sites. The plugin&#8217;s FAQs state that &#8220;Each user receives a limited number of imports completely free&#8221; but users would be better served by knowing that it&#8217;s a total of five imports before installing.</p>



<img />



<p>One of the good things about the plugin is that it is theme-agnostic and the patterns and layouts should still work nicely, even if you decide to change themes. </p>



<p>&#8220;All our patterns and layouts are built completely with core blocks, infused with a clever utility design system (which lets us have neat patterns <a href="https://library.extendify.com/library/hero-grid-images/">like this one</a> and are built to be Full Site Editing / Block Theme first &#8211; although we support most themes that support Gutenberg properly),&#8221; Tabor said.</p>



<p>Previously, Extendify&#8217;s pattern library was only available as an SDK inside the company&#8217;s other related Gutenberg projects. This plugin makes it more accessible for site builders who only need the pattern/layout capabilities.</p>



<p>&#8220;This effort was geared towards lowering that barrier and bringing the best of what we have to offer to anyone interested in building sites with the block editor,&#8221; Tabor said. &#8220;The new Extendify plugin is really the first big push in this direction, but we’re also leaning in on other ways to augment the editing experience to better empower both small business owners and site builders alike.</p>



<p>&#8220;Block themes are where the future is and we’re aiming for the pole position with this newest effort.&#8221;</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 12 Jan 2022 23:16:22 +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: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:37;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:80:"Post Status: Impossibly Knotted Together: Meditations on the WordPress 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:31:"https://poststatus.com/?p=92470";s:7:"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://poststatus.com/impossibly-knotted-together/";s: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:10926:"<h2 id="h-what-might-wordpress-community-4-0-look-like">What might “<a href="https://poststatus.com/wordpress-community-40/">WordPress Community 4.0</a>” look like?</h2>



<p>This article is part of a conversation we'd like you to join. </p>



<p>What were the good and bad features of the first three versions of the WordPress community? What were the major bugs? What should the Post Status community look like in 2022 — and beyond? What should leadership in this space look like? What are the principles that should drive it? What are your own questions and What Ifs?</p>



<p>You can leave a comment here or <a href="https://poststatus.com/contact/">get in touch</a> on any Post Status channel, on or off the record. Blog about it. Tweet about it. Write for us. <strong>Help start this needed conversation.</strong></p>



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<h2 id="h-wordpress-friends">WordPress Friends</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap"><strong>I first meet J as she’s staffing a table at a WordCamp.</strong> We talk about what brought us there, what we did before being involved in the WordPress community, what we hope to get from the day. There’s a problem she’s working through and I mention someone who has been through something similar, in case it helps. She tells me about a resource I hadn’t heard of, and I’m excited to check it out.</p>



<p>Over the years that follow, J and I remain WordPress friends. At various times we encounter each other at events, in elevators, at receptions, across hallways, during meals, in Slack. The conversation picks back up where it left off. “How’d that thing go?” “You did an awesome job navigating that conflict!” “How’s your new team at work?” “Congrats on that cool thing you launched!” Being a part of the WordPress community gives J and me an anchor point, a foundation, and we build on it from there.</p>



<p>There are many WordPress friends. I may not encounter them for months or years, and the connections may not always be as wide or deep as other friendships, but they have a special place in my heart. I smile when I notice them, online or in person. I celebrate their successes. I cherish our shared experience of building something together.</p>



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<h2 id="h-elders">Elders</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap"><strong>We have to talk more about the role of elders in our community. </strong>Definitely not elder as in “old entitled men” but elder as in “someone with life experience and wisdom who can be looked to for guidance as the community evolves.” We are old enough as a community to have elders, whether we see them as such or not.</p>



<p>As communities go through transitions and face challenges, it’s often the elders who ground us and guide us. Not by wielding their power to keep order or fighting for the status quo, but by helping us weave the stories of our origins and past into our dreams for the future. This can happen in code, in community conversations, in documentation, or anywhere else.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Elders can help us build relationships and connections across different parts of the community, promoting mutual respect and welcoming newcomers. Elders can pass down knowledge, teaching, and modeling cultural traditions and beliefs. Elders can deal with discrimination and oppression, using their standing to call out problematic behavior. Elders can help build sustainable infrastructure, making sure there are tools and services in place for the challenges we will face. Elders can help protect our identity while also helping us to adapt and evolve.</p>



<p>How do WordPress community elders see themselves and their role? If they aren’t being celebrated for committing the latest hotness to an upcoming release or giving an exciting WordCamp talk, do we let them just fade into the background? If they branch out into other interests beyond WordPress, do we still find ways to harness their experiences and wisdom? Do we take care of them as they take care of us?</p>



<p>Do our elders even know they are elders? Are you a WordPress community elder?</p>



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<h2 id="h-a-recipe-for-community">A Recipe for Community</h2>



<pre class="wp-block-verse">Small enough that you can make a difference
Big enough that you can grow
Comfortable enough that you feel supported
Challenging enough that you stay flexible
Filled with people who want the best for you
Intentional places and spaces for celebrating
Just enough certainty to create a sense of purpose
Just enough uncertainty to keep us humble
Norms, ground rules and accountability
Patience and respect built on safety and care
Creative, kind and loving acts at the heart
When people get a taste, they wonder
Who created this, and how can I be a part of it? </pre>



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<h2 id="h-the-matt-factor">The Matt Factor</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap"><strong>I was a WordPress user and developer for 10 years before I knew who Matt Mullenweg is.</strong> I’d bet that most WordPress users still don’t know who he is. And yet conversations about what Matt wants, what Matt thinks, what Matt is going to do sometimes play an outsized role in our community. People can worry when they think a thing they love or depend on is too much in the hands of forces they don’t know or understand. Nobody wants a broken heart.</p>



<p>For a time I ended up working for Matt, reporting to Matt. I discovered that he has a superpower: he can see around corners and beyond horizons in ways that few other people can. I’d suspect time travel is involved if I didn’t know better. Sometimes he has trouble bringing the rest of us along, like trying to show a 19th-century carpenter the schematics for a space station. Other times, I think it’s just too many hearts and hopes and dreams for one person to carry gently. But on the whole, Matt is responsible for leading us to some amazing milestones.</p>



<p>When things go well, Matt usually credits people in the community. When things aren’t going well, Matt usually gets or takes the blame. When we challenge him thoughtfully, he usually welcomes the growth and learning that goes with it. But Matt knows that WordPress and the WordPress community are bigger than him. I think he’s happy to be a part of building a thing that will outlive him, and probably all of us. He’s made it his life’s work. We can honor and celebrate that legacy without reservation.</p>



<p>As a community, we can also build for a future that does not depend on any one person. We can make sure there’s a plan for maintaining our “commons.” There are other superpowers out there; I bet you have at least one to contribute. If we do it right, a shared vision for our community’s future will come from everyone who loves or benefits from WordPress in some way.</p>



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<h2 id="h-resilience">Resilience</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">When <a href="https://www.ic.org">intentional communities</a> form in the real world, their members think about the characteristics that will make their community resilient, sustainable, and able to thrive. These characteristics might include:</p>



<ul><li>Human scale</li><li>Control, influence, trust</li><li>Connection</li><li>Shared purpose</li><li>Continuity</li><li>Diversity</li><li>Collaboration</li><li>Welcoming and supportive</li><li>Clear decision-making processes</li><li>Knowledge sharing</li><li>Respect and pride</li><li>Safety</li><li>Good communication</li><li>Cooperative</li></ul>



<p>We can’t always choose our fellow community members and software that powers a huge chunk of the web is hard to make small and local again. But what can we learn from intentional communities? When you examine the physical places and spaces in your world that feel most welcoming, thriving, and sustainable, what do you notice?</p>



<p>Do we want to create community experiences that are not so small as to preclude diversity, space, and freedom, but small enough to be accessible and not overwhelming? How can we make the daily experience of being in the WordPress community more personal, meaningful, and accessible?</p>



<p>If real-world communities have a distinct center, defined boundaries, smaller sub-centers of activity, and open areas flowing all around, what does that look like for the WordPress community? How can we make sure our community spaces evolve to support interactive and supportive social structures?</p>



<p>As pandemics and climate crises and polarization and uncertainty circle around us, what would it mean to feel grounded and safe in a resilient WordPress community?</p>



<p><em>Adapted in part from Chapter 4 of Norwood and Smith’s “Rebuilding Community in America” (1995).</em></p>



<h2 id="h-we-are-at-the-beginning">We Are at the Beginning</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Even with its wonderful diversity and global reach, I don’t think we’ve even begun to explore the WordPress community niches that exist out there.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You could probably have a gathering for Canadian WordPress developers under 40 who specialize in funeral home websites and get a solid showing.</p>



<p>There could be an entire weekly newsletter devoted to tips for pet adoption and rescue organizations who use WordPress to help animals find their forever homes, and someone would still suggest it needs to come out daily.</p>



<p>The trials and tribulations of the Restaurants On WordPress scene are waiting to be chopped apart, lightly sauteed and served up with a side of Food Blogger Business Models.</p>



<p>There are WordPress sub-communities and sub-cultures and niches and nooks and crannies that would take a lifetime to begin uncovering and exploring. There are so many stories to tell, and so many of them are nothing like our own. If we are to appreciate the beauty of the WordPress community as a whole, we have to seek them out.</p>



<p>Beware anyone who tells you that they fully understand the WordPress community, or that they have their finger on the pulse of all things WordPress. Some of us have made more stops than others, but we are all travelers in a wonderful vastness that has no end.</p>



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<hr class="wp-block-separator logo is-style-default" />



<div class="wp-block-spacer"></div>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 12 Jan 2022 23:00:13 +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:10:"Dan Knauss";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:46:"Akismet: How to Stop Comment Spam in WordPress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"http://blog.akismet.com/?p=2188";s:7:"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:74:"https://blog.akismet.com/2022/01/12/how-to-stop-comment-spam-in-wordpress/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:23916:"<p>Comment sections can be goldmines for engaging with your audience. Yet unmoderated comments can quickly descend into chaos. If you don’t <a href="https://docs.akismet.com/general/spam-facts/">keep an eye out for spam</a>, it may overrun every comment section on your website. These messages can scare real readers away, and prevent them from interacting with other users (and with you).</p>



<p>In most cases, spam is easy to recognize. Users or guests will leave links to other websites without explaining why, or start talking about products and services that have nothing to do with your content. If you put measures in place to stop these messages, you can keep your comment sections protected and valuable to your audience.</p>



<p>In this article, we’re going to take a good look at how spam appears in a comment section. We’ll show you how to identify spam comments on your WordPress websites, and talk about how they negatively affect your website. Finally, we’ll show you eight ways to prevent comment spam in WordPress. Let’s get to it!</p>



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<h2 id="what-is-comment-spam">What is comment spam?</h2>



<p>If you use the internet, you’re already familiar with spam. You probably get dozens of emails per week advertising fraudulent products and offers. But spam messages don’t just come in the shape of emails — they’re everywhere on the web.</p>



<p>Spammers tend to gravitate towards comment sections because they offer the opportunity to target a broad audience. On popular blogs, it’s not uncommon to have comment sections with dozens of users engaging in discussion. A single spam comment pointing to another website can easily get a few clicks, and even more so if it blends into the conversation.</p>



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<p>Generally speaking, comment spam is any content with the sole purpose of pointing visitors towards other websites. Spam commenters may be trying to get people to buy or sign up for something, phish sensitive information from visitors, or install malware on their device. <em>Occasionally</em> you’ll see legitimate comments that point readers towards third-party websites, but these links have to make sense in the context of the discussion.</p>



<p>It can be tempting to simply ignore comment spam, but that can have a negative impact on your website. If you visit a site and you see that its comment sections are overrun with spam messages, you might not trust its content or the business that owns it. We’ll touch on other ways that spam can affect your site, but first let’s talk about how to spot this type of comment.</p>



<h2 id="how-to-identify-comment-spam">How to identify comment spam</h2>



<p>Spam comments tend to be very easy to spot. In a lot of cases, bots — not actual people — are behind them. These bots are programmed to target comment sections that don’t require any type of verification and post messages that will lead readers to third-party websites.</p>



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<p>If you’re ever on the fence about whether a comment is spam or not, there are several signs that you can check for. Signs of comment spam include:</p>



<ul><li>The comment comes from a guest account or one with a generic name</li><li>The user doesn’t have an avatar</li><li>The comment includes links to third-party websites</li><li>There are mentions of products, services, and benefits to readers</li><li>The comment has little or nothing to do with the discussion at hand</li></ul>



<h2 id="trolls-vs-spam">Trolls vs spam</h2>



<p>Sometimes, you might get comments in poor taste or that don’t add anything to the discussion. Those commenters may be genuine in their opinions and honestly think that they’re contributing to the community, or they may be trolling. But those comments are not necessarily spam.</p>



<p>There are a couple of key differences between trolls and spam. Trolls are real people and spam is most often spread by bots. Also, a troll’s main goal is to disrupt discussion, sow division, and elicit emotional responses from other individuals. The main goal of spam is usually some kind of financial gain, whether it’s an unethical (but genuine) marketing tactic, or an attempt to scam people.</p>



<h2 id="why-are-comment-spam-bots-targeting-your-website">Why are comment spam bots targeting your website?</h2>



<p>If you’re working on your first WordPress website, you may think that spam bots have it out for you. Unfortunately, comment spam is something that almost <em>every </em>website has to deal with (unless you turn comments off entirely).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Bots crawl the web looking for comment sections that they can target. They don’t differentiate between sites that are and are not relevant to the websites, products, and services that they’re promoting. For spammers, it’s all a matter of numbers. If they leave thousands of comments across many different websites, at least <em>some </em>readers will take the bait.</p>



<p>Some of those users will go on to share personal information or even payment details that spammers can steal. In some cases, spammers might benefit directly from making sales to users who aren’t aware of their underhanded practices.</p>



<p>Comment sections can be an incredible source for engaging discussions and ideas within your website. They can encourage users to look out for new posts and build relationships with other commenters. On the other hand, the price that you pay for having a comment section is needing to deal with spam.</p>



<p>Luckily, WordPress empowers you with several tools and features that make dealing with spam comments that much easier. We’ll explore those in a second, but for now let’s talk about the rest of the ways that spam comments can affect your website.</p>



<h2 id="four-ways-that-spam-comments-negatively-affect-your-website">Four ways that spam comments negatively affect your website</h2>



<h3 id="1-spam-comments-diminish-trust">1. Spam comments diminish trust&nbsp;</h3>



<p>If you come across a website that looks credible, but it’s full to the brim with spam comments, you might believe that the site is abandoned. At the very least, you’ll tell yourself that its owners might not care about cleaning up their comment sections, or that they don’t pay attention to comments at all.</p>



<p>The more obvious the spam is, the more negatively it will impact your website’s image.</p>



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<p>Tech-savvy users might not judge you too harshly for having spam on your website, since they understand where it comes from. But not all of your audience will know that they should ignore spam comments.</p>



<p>Some users will see spam and think that since it’s on your website, you’re endorsing it or promoting the offers the comments include. If that translates to them making a scam purchase or sharing personal information online, it will diminish their trust in you.</p>



<p>If you have a website with a comment section, it’s your responsibility to keep it clean, and not just so that your site looks better. You have to consider that some of your audience doesn’t have the technical know-how to differentiate spam offers from real content, and it’s your job to ‘protect’ them while they’re on your site.</p>



<h3 id="2-real-comments-can-get-lost-among-spam-entries">2. Real comments can get lost among spam entries</h3>



<p>If you’re a user trying to have a real discussion in a comment section, navigating spam can be frustrating. Genuine replies to the topic at hand can easily get lost as bots overrun the comment section.</p>



<p>That frustration can lead to users deciding that commenting on your content is simply not worth it. Comments can be a great source for critical discussion about your posts, questions that can lead to new content, and even users simply thanking you for your efforts.</p>



<p>If you allow spam to run unchecked on your website, you lose out on a lot of the value that comment sections can provide. At that point, you might be better off disabling comments altogether.</p>



<h3 id="3-spam-can-impact-your-website-s-search-engine-optimization-seo">3. Spam can impact your website’s search engine optimization (SEO)</h3>



<p>Getting a website to rank well on search engines takes a lot of time and effort. Often, it can take months or even years to grow a website to the point where it’s getting decent traffic from search results. That process involves dozens of SEO tasks, tweaking your pages and posts so they&#8217;re well-optimized, and publishing better content than your competitors.</p>



<p>Unfortunately, spam comments can <a href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-spam/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negatively impact your SEO</a> if you leave them unchecked. Most spam includes links to external websites, and search engines can’t differentiate between those links and the ones that you include within your content.</p>



<p>From the search engine’s perspective, all they see is that your website suddenly includes a lot of ‘low-value’ links. Since links are one of the many signals that search engines use to determine rankings, spam comments can cause your site to plummet in the results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Considering how critical search engine traffic is to most websites’ growth, you can’t allow spam comments to linger on your site. That’s why you need to put measures in place to prevent spam, and to weed it out if it makes it past your defenses.</p>



<h3 id="4-spam-can-slow-down-your-website">4. Spam can slow down your website</h3>



<p>If you’re getting a lot of spam bots attempting to submit comments, these requests can affect your website’s performance. If your site is having to handle thousands of spam submissions a day, that can use up a lot of your site’s resources —&nbsp;especially if you’re on a budget hosting plan. Additionally, if you let spam comments pile up, you may end up with some serious database bloat, further slowing your site’s load times.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If your readers have to wait a long time for your pages to render, they’re less likely to stick around to read your content, let alone leave a comment (unless it’s to complain about how slow your site is).</p>



<h2 id="how-to-prevent-comment-spam-in-wordpress">How to prevent comment spam in WordPress</h2>



<p>At this point, we wouldn’t blame you if you’re very concerned. Spam causes a lot of problems, and it’s almost guaranteed that bots will try and post these types of messages on your site. So what can you do about it?</p>



<p>The good news is that WordPress offers a variety of ways in which you can prevent and filter spam comments from your WordPress website. In this section, we’ll explore all of the approaches that you can take to prevent spam and protect your comment sections.</p>



<h3 id="1-use-a-plugin-to-filter-spam-comments">1. Use a plugin to filter spam comments</h3>



<p>The best way to deal with spam is to use a plugin that can automatically detect which comments are legitimate and which ones aren’t. That’s a lot to ask from a plugin, but it’s precisely what <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/">Akismet</a> does.</p>



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<p>When you use Akismet, the plugin analyzes each comment that visitors submit on your website. It accesses Akismet’s global database and checks to see if the comments match other known spam entries and sources.</p>



<p>All of that happens in the background, in a matter of seconds. If Akismet marks a comment as spam, it’s flagged and it doesn’t get published. Fortunately, you can also review these comments manually, to double-check that no real entries get flagged by mistake.</p>



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<p>If you want to approve a comment, you can mark it for publication and it will show up on your website. But you save a lot of time by focusing only on the comments that Akismet flags versus reviewing every comment submission manually.</p>



<p>There is a free version of the plugin, which is perfect for most websites. On the other hand, if you’re running a commercial site or get a large volume of traffic, you’ll want to look into <a href="https://akismet.com/plans/">premium plans</a>.</p>



<h3 id="2-disable-wordpress-comments-altogether">2. Disable WordPress comments altogether</h3>



<p>If you want to stop spam altogether, you can disable comments throughout your website. This is an extreme approach, so we only recommend that you disable comments if you’re certain that they won’t contribute anything to your site.</p>



<p>To <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/comments-in-wordpress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">disable comments in WordPress</a>, access your dashboard and go to <strong>Settings <em>→ </em>&nbsp;Discussion</strong>. Look for the section that reads <strong>Default post settings</strong><em> </em>at the top of the screen, and uncheck the <strong>Allow people to submit comments on new posts</strong><em> </em>option:</p>



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<p>That setting will disable comments for every post that you publish from now on. But comments will remain active for old posts and pages. To disable those comment sections, go into the <strong>Posts</strong><em> </em>or <strong>Pages</strong><em> </em>tab. Select a post or page, and click on <strong>Quick edit</strong><em> </em>below its name. You’ll see an option that reads <strong>Allow Comments</strong>.</p>



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<p>If that option is checked, disable it. Repeat this process for every page and post where you want to disable comments.</p>



<p>Depending on the type of website you’re running, disabling comments altogether might cost you some user engagement. Fortunately, there are other ways to reduce spam.</p>



<h3 id="3-force-users-to-register-before-they-can-comment">3. Force users to register before they can comment</h3>



<p>One of the best ways to reduce comment spam in WordPress is to make it more difficult for bots to make submissions. Forcing bots to register and log in before they can comment can go a long way towards reducing spam entries on your posts and pages.</p>



<p>WordPress enables you to do that by checking a single setting on your website. Go to <strong>Settings </strong><strong>→ </strong><strong>Discussion</strong><em> </em>and scroll down to the <strong>Other comment settings</strong><em> </em>section. Tick the box for the setting that reads <strong>Users must be registered and logged in to comment</strong>.</p>



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<p>By enabling that setting, you force spammers and bots to go through the registration process if they want to submit anything on your website. In a lot of cases, that can be enough to deter spammers. But since spam user registration does happen, you may have to implement a few more preventative measures.</p>



<h3 id="4-hold-comments-for-approval-before-publishing-them">4. Hold comments for approval before publishing them</h3>



<p>By default, WordPress publishes comments as soon as users submit them. It also comes with a moderation queue where you can review comments and approve or reject them before they go live.</p>



<p>You can configure WordPress so that your website requires you to approve every comment manually. To do so, go to <strong>Settings </strong><strong>→ </strong><strong>Discussion</strong><em> </em>and scroll down to the <strong>Before a comment appears section</strong>. Enable the setting that reads <strong>Comment must be manually approved</strong>.</p>



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<p>There’s also another setting that tells WordPress it can automatically publish comments if<em> </em>you’ve already approved submissions from the same user. That setting can save you a lot of time, as you’ll only have to review submissions from each user once.</p>



<p>To access pending comments, click on the chat box icon in the top menu within the dashboard. That icon should display a number to its right, which shows the number of pending comments in the queue.</p>



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<p>From this screen, you can review comments one by one and approve those that aren’t spam. If you see a spam comment, you can delete it permanently.</p>



<h3 id="5-flag-comments-that-include-links-and-specific-terms">5. Flag comments that include links and specific terms</h3>



<p>Generally speaking, there aren’t many situations where it makes sense for legitimate comments to include links. Your readers might want to point each other towards relevant content, but usually, comments that include links tend to fall into the spam category.</p>



<p>WordPress offers an elegant solution to that problem by enabling you to configure how many links a comment can include before it gets flagged as spam. You can find that setting on the <strong>Settings </strong><strong>→ </strong><strong>Discussion </strong>page under the <strong>Comment Moderation</strong><em> </em>section.</p>



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<p>By default, WordPress will flag any comment that includes two or more links within its body. If you want to play it safe, you can reduce that number to one link. This means any comments that include links will go into the moderation queue to await your approval.</p>



<p>This section also enables you to set keywords that WordPress will use to flag comments. If it detects those words within new comments, WordPress will hold them in the moderation queue. Some common keywords that you can set include:</p>



<ul><li>Buy/sell</li><li>Make/earn money</li><li>Offer</li><li>Stock and shipment</li></ul>



<p>All of those keywords are pretty good indicators of spam comments. You can be as aggressive as you want when it comes to choosing what terms to filter, but keep in mind that this means you’ll need to spend more time approving comments manually.</p>



<p>Rather than deciding what keywords to ‘blocklist’ on your own, you can also benefit from the collective experience of the WordPress community. For example, you might download the recommended <a href="https://github.com/splorp/wordpress-comment-blacklist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Comment Blacklist for WordPress</a> that’s featured on GitHub.</p>



<h3 id="6-add-a-captcha-to-your-comment-sections">6. Add a CAPTCHA to your comment sections</h3>



<p>You may have noticed that a lot of comment sections force you to solve a CAPTCHA before you can submit an entry. <a href="https://blog.akismet.com/2021/12/23/do-captcha-and-recaptcha-protect-wordpress-sites-from-bots/">CAPTCHAs are simple tests</a> designed to stop bots from posting and ensure that you’re a human.&nbsp;</p>



<p>WordPress doesn’t include CAPTCHA functionality out of the box. The good news is that you can easily add this feature using a plugin like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-captcha/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reCaptcha</a>.</p>



<p>This plugin enables you to add CAPTCHAs to multiple elements within your website. You can add them to comment sections, registration and login forms, contact forms, and more.</p>



<p>If visitors (or bots) can’t solve the CAPTCHAs, they won’t be able to submit comments. But CAPTCHAs don’t always catch every spam comment. Bots become smarter each day and often find ways around even the trickiest of puzzles.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="7-use-a-third-party-comment-system">7. Use a third-party comment system</h3>



<p>The WordPress comment system works seamlessly and includes a lot of features to make your life easier. Yet it lacks things like social media integration and the ability for visitors to reply using images or GIFs, emoticons, and other options.</p>



<p>If you want to give your audience access to that type of functionality, you can replace the default WordPress comment system with a different one altogether. There are plenty of WordPress plugins that enhance your comment section:</p>



<ol><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpdiscuz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>wpDiscuz</strong></a><strong>: </strong>This plugin extends the native WordPress comment system and adds new options like custom layouts, live notifications, responsive comment sections, and more.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gs-facebook-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>WP Social Comments</strong></a><strong>: </strong>With this plugin, visitors will be able to use their Facebook account to leave comments on your website.</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/super-socializer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Super Socializer</strong></a><strong>: </strong>This plugin enables you to use the Facebook commenting system in WordPress and lets users log in with their social media accounts.</li><li><a href="https://jetpack.com/features/discussion/comments/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Jetpack Comments</strong></a>: Visitors can log in using their social media accounts, like other people’s comments, and receive a notification when another user replies.</li></ol>



<p>Comment plugins that include social media components offer a fantastic way to reduce spam in WordPress. By forcing users to log in through social media to comment, you make it harder for spammers to submit fake entries on your website.</p>



<h3 id="8-set-up-a-web-application-firewall-waf">8. Set up a web application firewall (WAF)</h3>



<p>Using a WAF can help you prevent attackers from accessing your website. WAFs enable you to configure rules that govern who can use your site. That means you can block IP addresses, visitors from specific regions, bots that try to access your site repeatedly in short amounts of time, and more.</p>



<p>If you’ve ever run into a website that uses <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/waf/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cloudflare</a> or <a href="https://sucuri.net/website-firewall/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sucuri</a>, then you’ve already seen WAFs in action. Most content delivery networks (CDNs) offer WAF functionality, since it helps them protect their users against malicious traffic.</p>



<p>Using a CDN will also help you improve load times throughout your website. Depending on which service you use, you might also get access to features like automatic image optimization, denial of service (DDoS) protection, and more.</p>



<p>Some CDNs will help protect your website against known bots and spammers. Simply enabling the CDN will block those known agents from accessing your website and being able to leave comments.</p>



<h2 id="spam-is-unavoidable-but-it-can-be-defeated">Spam is unavoidable, but it can be defeated</h2>



<p>If you have comment sections on your website, you’re going to be faced with spam. Spam bots are <em>everywhere</em>, and if you ignore them, they can quickly overrun your comment sections with links to other websites and offers that will scare some of your real visitors away.</p>



<p>Fortunately, WordPress offers a number of ways to deal with comment spam. You can use built-in settings to make it harder for spammers to submit responses to your posts and pages. You can also use plugins that automatically filter out easily recognizable WordPress comment spam, add CAPTCHAs to your comment sections, or require visitors to log in using their social media accounts.</p>



<p>If you want a simple but effective solution, you can begin by <a href="https://akismet.com/plans/">setting up Akismet</a>. This plugin will automatically filter spam comments on your WordPress website, so you don’t have to spend time going over your entire moderation queue manually. Akismet also integrates with some of WordPress’ most popular plugins like Jetpack, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Formidable Forms, and others.</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, 12 Jan 2022 10:09:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"Simon Keating";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:75:"WPTavern: What Are Block Themes? What You Need To Know Before WordPress 5.9";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=127927";s:7:"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:193:"https://wptavern.com/what-are-block-themes-what-you-need-to-know-before-wordpress-5-9?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-are-block-themes-what-you-need-to-know-before-wordpress-5-9";s: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:7228:"<p class="has-drop-cap">WordPress 5.9 is set to launch on January 25, and many users will be in for a surprise. The upcoming release will be the most monumental shift in how the platform works since the introduction of the block-based content editor in 5.0. Block themes, global styles, and the site editor will kick-start a new future for WordPress.</p>



<p>For the average WP Tavern reader, this is not news. We have covered block themes here for over a year. For those out of the loop, there is a lot to catch up on within the next two weeks.</p>



<p>One of the complaints with the launch of the block editor in 2018 was that users could only opt-out of using it by installing Classic Editor or a related plugin. This is not the case for the new features in 5.9. Users can keep on using their current setup without any changes at all. Accessing the site editor and global styles is an opt-in process. It requires the activation of a block theme.</p>



<p>The upcoming changes will affect two primary groups of users. The first are those who prefer to run the latest default WordPress theme. The second will be those ready to try out the new system.</p>



<p>Currently, there are <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/tags/full-site-editing/">35 block themes in the directory</a> on WordPress.org, with more in the review queue. That limits the available options for now. </p>



<img />Block themes from WordPress.org.



<p>After WordPress 5.9 launches and developers become more familiar with building on the new system, I expect that we will see a noticeable uptick in block themes in the coming months.</p>



<p><strong>Note:</strong> <em>this post focuses on user-facing changes. If you are a developer who wants to get started with block theme design, read Marcus Kazmierczak&#8217;s overview of <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/block-themes-a-new-way-to-build-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">building block themes for WordPress 5.9</a></em>.</p>



<h2 id="twenty-twenty-two">Twenty Twenty-Two</h2>



<img />Twenty Twenty-Two theme about page template.



<p class="has-drop-cap">The latest default WordPress theme, Twenty Twenty-Two, will launch alongside version 5.9. While I have a few nit-picks about it, it might just be my all-time favorite default theme ever created.</p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2022/01/wordpress-5-9-rc-2/">WordPress 5.9 RC 2</a> was released earlier today. Now is as good a time as any to give it a test run. Twenty Twenty-Two is already bundled with this version.</p>



<p>As is often the case with default themes, it is likely to become the <em>de facto</em> standard in which developers build their own projects. It uses all the latest features and is one of the most up-to-date themes out there. This makes it the ideal starting point for users who want to test the new system.</p>



<p>The theme is merely one component of a broader system. For users, it can be something they set and forget. Or, they can take it to the next level and customize their front end until their heart is content.</p>



<h2 id="site-editor-and-global-styles">Site Editor and Global Styles</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Block themes are different than many traditional themes. In the classic era, users activated a theme and customized whatever options the developer made available. It was a rigid system that often did not give users much flexibility unless they knew how to write code.</p>



<p>Users can access a boatload of new features after activating a block theme. This is done via the site editor, located under the Appearance > Editor admin screen. Users can modify their theme templates directly on the canvas and customize their design through the global styles panel.</p>



<img />Site editor with global styles panel open (right).



<p>The first experience with the site editor can be overwhelming. Some might prefer diving right in, while others take a different approach. Regardless of how you learn, I recommend going through the <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/course/simple-site-design-with-full-site-editing/">Simple Site Design with Full Site Editing</a> course from Learn WordPress. The Training team has created a 15-lesson plan that walks you through everything you need to know. They also have a six-minute <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/workshop/how-to-style-your-site-with-global-styles/">workshop on using global styles</a>.</p>



<p>Using the site editor can be fun, but it can also be frustrating. This is essentially a &#8220;version 1.0&#8221; of the feature. It will not meet everyone&#8217;s needs with its launch in two weeks. It will take some time to mature and for theme authors to build on top of it.</p>



<p>I spent over a decade building themes professionally. One of the most common questions I got was, &#8220;How do I change the post meta area?&#8221; Users would want to remove the author, move the category list, and do numerous other things. No amount of theme options covered every scenario. I often resorted to walking non-coders through making changes to their theme templates.</p>



<p>Except in the most complex cases, this problem no longer exists. Through the site editor, users can choose what appears.</p>



<img />Custom post byline/meta.



<p>I wish we had such a system a decade ago. It would have saved me hours of support work.</p>



<p>Of course, this is a simple example of what is possible with the site editor. Everything from changing bits of a template to creating an entire custom color palette is mere mouse-clicks away from reality.</p>



<p>However, the possibilities are not boundless. There are limitations that users will undoubtedly run into as they get more and more advanced with design ideas. Contributors have taken massive strides to get this first version ready for WordPress 5.9. And, there will be more to come.</p>



<h2 id="customizer-widgets-and-nav-menus">Customizer, Widgets, and Nav Menus</h2>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The most shocking thing for those who have been out of the loop will likely be the disappearance of the customizer, widgets, and nav menus admin screens. These components are replaced by the site editor when using a block theme.</p>



<p>There are some known issues related to the customizer, such as no custom CSS option, live previews, or site icon setting. I covered this in <a href="https://wptavern.com/customizer-will-disappear-for-some-block-theme-users-with-wordpress-5-9">more detail in a previous post</a>.</p>



<p>Nav menus are now handled via the Navigation block:</p>



<img />Selecting a nav menu.



<p>It could take some getting used to. While I am a fan of the block system, I, admittedly, still prefer managing menus via the classic screen. However, I am starting to come around. The contributors who have been working on the block have made the experience far better than it was just a few months ago.</p>



<p>As for dynamic sidebars and widgets, they are gone, at least in the traditional sense. Everything is a block now. Theme authors can create columns or containers that look like sidebars of the past, but they are all managed via the site editor. And, users can stick any block they want anywhere.</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, 12 Jan 2022 02:11:06 +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:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:63:"WPTavern: WordPress 5.9 to Introduce New API for Locking Blocks";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128129";s:7:"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:171:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-9-to-introduce-new-api-for-locking-blocks?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-5-9-to-introduce-new-api-for-locking-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:2675:"<p>The advent of block themes delivers more creative power into the hands of users, but there are times when theme authors may want to lock down key elements of a design and its designated content areas. First <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-11-6-introduces-new-api-for-locking-blocks">introduced in Gutenberg 11.6</a>, the upcoming WordPress 5.9 release will include a new API for locking blocks. </p>



<p>Template level locking has been available in Gutenberg for a few years, allowing developers to lock the template on the UI so that users can&#8217;t manipulate the blocks. This new API offers more granular control that can be applied on the block level and override template locking.</p>



<p>&#8220;Instead of applying a lock to all inner blocks, you can apply it selectively to individual blocks via the <code>lock</code> attribute,&#8221; Marcus Kazmierczak said in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/locking-blocks-in-wordpress-5-9/">dev note</a>. &#8220;The block level locking would supersede the inherited <code>templateLock</code> value. You can choose to lock moving or removing a block.&#8221;</p>



<p>One of the primary use cases for locking individual blocks, cited in the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/29864">ticket</a> proposing the new API, is where one might lock the &#8220;post-content&#8221; block of a <code>single</code> template so users can&#8217;t remove it.</p>



<p>&#8220;Another use case that we&#8217;re building for is having a Checkout Block with different blocks that act as fundamental steps, we don&#8217;t want people to delete or move those steps since they&#8217;re fundamental and their order is also important, but we want to allow people to select them, access settings, and insert blocks in between them,&#8221; WooCommerce engineer Seghir Nadir said.</p>



<p>Kazmierczak&#8217;s dev note demonstrates how developers can lock a specific block in a pattern and explained how block level locking is not inheritable.</p>



<p>&#8220;If a block is locked from being removed, its children can still be removed,&#8221; Kazmierczak said. &#8220;If you want to apply locking on children as well, add <code>templateLock</code> to the inner block component, or <code>templateLock</code> attribute to supporting blocks.&#8221;</p>



<p>For more information on the new locking mechanism, check out the <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/block-api/block-templates/#locking">Block Editor Handbook</a> and the code examples in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/locking-blocks-in-wordpress-5-9/">dev note</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, 11 Jan 2022 21:01:50 +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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:38:"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 5.9 RC 2";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=12014";s:7:"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:54:"https://wordpress.org/news/2022/01/wordpress-5-9-rc-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:4916:"<p>The second Release Candidate (RC2) for<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/"> WordPress 5.9</a> is now available!&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Release Candidate” means the new version of the software is ready for release. It helps the community check that nothing is missed, given the thousands of plugins and themes and differences in how millions of people use the software.</p>



<p>Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far towards testing and filing bugs to help make WordPress 5.9 a great release. WordPress 5.9 is slated for release in just two weeks on January 25, 2022. There&#8217;s still time to help! Since RC1 was released, <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&milestone=5.9&time=01%2F05%2F2022..01%2F12%2F2022&group=component&max=500&col=id&col=summary&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=component&col=version&order=priority" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">six</a> bugs have been found and fixed. There were <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/52551">13 bug fixes backported from Gutenberg.</a></p>



<h2 id="testing-the-release"><strong>Testing the release</strong></h2>



<p>You can test the WordPress 5.9 release candidate in three ways:</p>



<p><strong>Option 1:</strong> Install and activate the<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/"> <strong>WordPress Beta Tester</strong></a><strong> </strong>plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).</p>



<p><strong>Option 2:</strong> Direct download the beta version here (<a href="https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.9-RC2.zip"><strong>zip</strong></a>).</p>



<p><strong>Option 3:</strong> When using WP-CLI to upgrade from Beta 1, 2, 3, 4, or RC1, on a case-insensitive filesystem, please use the following command sequence:</p>



<p>Command One:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>wp core update --version=5.9-RC2</code></pre>



<p>Command Two:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>wp core update --version=5.9-RC2 --force</code></pre>



<p>Your help to test the second Release Candidate is vital: the more testing that happens, the more stable the release, and the better the experience for users and developers—and the entire WordPress community.</p>



<p>Thank you to all of the contributors who tested the RC1 release and gave feedback. Testing for bugs is not just a critical part of polishing every release, it is also a great way to contribute to WordPress.</p>



<h2 id="how-to-help"><strong>How to Help</strong></h2>



<p><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/test/2021/11/30/help-test-wordpress-5-9-features/">Help test WordPress 5.9 features</a> – a guide to how you can take part.</p>



<p>Can you write in another language other than English? You can<a href="https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev"> help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!</a> Release Candidate 1 marked the<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze"> hard string freeze</a> point of the 5.9 release schedule. Thanks to every locale that is already involved with translations.</p>



<p>Developers and those interested in more of the background to the features can find more in the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/10/wordpress-5-9-field-guide/">Field Notes</a>. More developer notes will be added as the release progresses to its final stage. You can also follow the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/">5.9 development cycle</a> and timeline.</p>



<p><strong><em>If you think you have found a bug</em></strong><em>, you can post the details to the</em><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta"><em> </em><em>Alpha/Beta area</em></a><em> in the support forums.</em></p>



<p><em>&nbsp;If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can</em><a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket"><em> </em><em>file one on WordPress Trac</em></a><em>, where you can also check the issue against</em><a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major"><em> </em><em>a list of known bugs</em></a><em>.</em></p>



<p><em>Props to: </em><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/psykro/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>psykro</a> and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/webcommsat/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>webcommsat</a><em>, and </em><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/hellofromtonya/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>hellofromtonya</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>audrasjb</a>, <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>cbringmann</a> and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/marybaum/" class="mention"><span class="mentions-prefix">@</span>marybaum</a> <em>for final review.</em></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:43:58 +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:18:"Jonathan Bossenger";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:"Post Status: Post Status Excerpt (No. 41) — WordPress Community Versions: Past, Present, Future";s:7:"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=92231";s:7:"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:34:"https://poststatus.com/excerpt/41/";s: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:68552:"<h3>&#8220;The Hippie times are going to end at some point.&#8221; —<strong>Bob Dunn</strong></h3>



<p class="has-drop-cap">In this episode of Post Status Excerpt, David has an honest and deep dive with Bob Dunn into the &#8220;versions&#8221; of the WordPress community — something Bob <a href="https://bobwp.com/are-we-in-wordpress-community-version-3-0/">covered in a recent blog post</a> that has gotten some attention recently. They discuss what each &#8220;version&#8221; was like, how money can make a community act differently, and how people position themselves, for better or worse, in reaction to changes in the community.</p>



<p><strong>Also: </strong>David asks Bob if certain changes are unavoidable once a community gets to a certain size and asks what is missing from the WordPress community today that existed in the early days.</p>







<p class="has-background">Every week <strong><a href="https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/">Post Status Excerpt</a></strong> will brief you on important WordPress news — in about 15 minutes or less! Learn what's new in WordPress in a flash. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/26a1.png" alt="⚡" class="wp-smiley" /><br /><br />You can listen to <a href="https://poststatus.com/podcast/the-excerpt/">past episodes</a> of <strong>The Excerpt</strong>, <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/">browse all our podcasts</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1m3xwXbe0MG5BzFVPtB0A7">Spotify</a>, Amazon Music, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://castro.fm/podcast/c53552c6-1ee0-4fc4-9de4-08ed6bf1ee4d">Castro</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://player.fm/series/wordpress-post-status-podcasts">Player.fm</a>, <a href="https://pca.st/05rR">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/">Simplecast</a>, or by <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P">RSS</a>. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3a7.png" alt="🎧" class="wp-smiley" /></p>



<h3 id="h-mentioned-in-the-show"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f517.png" alt="🔗" class="wp-smiley" /> Mentioned in the show:</h3>



<ul><li><a href="https://bobwp.com/are-we-in-wordpress-community-version-3-0/">Are We in WordPress Community Version 3.0?</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia/status/1476956055448006656">Twitter Poll About WordPress Version/Generations</a></li><li><a href="https://poststatus.slack.com/archives/CHNM7Q7T8/p1640797603256400">Conversation At Post Status</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David Bisset (Twitter)</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Post Status (Twitter)</a></li></ul>



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<h2 id="h-transcript"><strong>Transcript</strong></h2>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> [00:00:00] So as soon as I saw this particular post, which you did on November 23rd, it's called, are we in WordPress community version 3.0, as soon as I read this, first of all clicked with me and I knew I was going to talk to you about it, but you start off. It's a very simple post. It takes a minute to read it. If you are listening to this, now you should pull over to the side of the road, you know, stop watching your children.</p>



<p>Stop paying attention to the world. Take five minutes to read this and then come back to this because this is basically all we're discussing. So I'm going to allow you to, in your own words, to explain, I think the easiest would be version 1.0,</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> you know, as I thought about this and I'll just preface it a little bit.</p>



<p>This was after listening to Cory Miller and Josh Strebel. Talk about the acquisition of Pagely so I've listened to the podcast and they were talking about community. And I started thinking through, because I had thought about this before, so right away, I thought what version are, where app, because</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> and [00:01:00] version.You think version because we're into software, right?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> I even do a change log for my website. I've gotten into change logs. Cause I think they're so cool. And they can be more than four erotic</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I do change logs for my kids, but I mean, that's another subject, but yeah.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Yeah. And I love that it's so I thought, okay, the version, the first version is, yeah, it's when WordPress, it was before my time, you know, cause I didn't get into it till 2017, but I thought there was app time that WordPress was new and it was doing its thing.</p>



<p>It was you know, the little bit of glitter in Mullenweg's Eye. And you know, that was it. It was just as simple as that version. 1.0, is those first few years as this kind of found its legs</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> that would cover the years from about 2004, I think to about 2009. Yeah. Based on yours. And I use 2004. I don't know if anybody wants to go back earlier, but that's when [00:02:00] WordPress 1.0 was released 2004 to 2009 was the first generation.</p>



<p>And I can tell you that I was, I came into WordPress maybe around 20, like encountering the software itself around the version when themes came out. So I'm a little fuzzy on that. I was three, 1.3, 1.4. Maybe I'm going to say 2005, maybe 2006, somewhere around there. And my dates could be off. So whatever I wasn't in the community, I was just by myself and I really didn't get into the community until maybe 2000.</p>



<p>So I am kind of in the middle of that version 1.0, because word camp Miami was started. Like we got together in 2008, me, John James Jacoby, who was down here and a few other people got together 2008 is when we started rearing up WordCamp Miami, there was no foundation or anything like that. So version 1.0 was there was no WordPress foundation.</p>



<p>There was maybe a couple of word camps going on at the end of 2009 work. Our first WordCamp Miami [00:03:00] would have been over by then, but we had no rules. We had people nationally would come because there were just so few word camps existing at the time. And you just expected the entire WordPress community.</p>



<p>It wa it was that where it's like, are you going? It's basically there's nothing else to do for this month. Let me, let's get, let's go down to Miami. That's how I remember the WordPress community at the time. I remember any of the big contributors. There were very few names that you associate with WordPress contributions.</p>



<p>There was mark Jake with um, he was a big name that you would talk about during contributorship at that time, but it was a really big pioneering days. I remember WP candy. I don't know if you remember WP candy, Brian, I believe I remember they covered our first WordCamp Miami, and they were just a bunch of people typing on laptops in the back.</p>



<p>And I didn't know that I, if I, man, if I knew him at the time. And our first work in Miami actually had a lot of people from the internet community involved like people, you would probably not no longer see it eventual WordCamps because [00:04:00] it was just generally about blogging customization. I did my.first BuddyPress talk, but it was just a room, maybe of 50 people listening to my presentation, but there was the WordPress community at a time that was just so new young, you would probably anybody you saw at that camper, the fewer there's at that time, that was the WordPress community. In a nutshell, anyone else that was doing WordPress at the time was just fiddling with it. You could go up and literally ask someone about a core ticket and it would only be melt maybe a half a dozen people that you would go up to a recognize and ask about a core ticket.</p>



<p>And they were co and there wasn't like a big committee back then, or a big, there was a team back then, but basically you're the, most of the team was sitting in the same room as you. There was no com contribution. There are no contributor days or anything. The people were actually committing code, I think, to WordPress during the conference, during the talks.</p>



<p>So that's how like fly by the seat of the pants. It was. So that to me was word, press version 1.0. [00:05:00] Everybody kind of knew everybody else. It was like one giant meetup. Yeah. And a lot of the rules, the red tape or whatever it is you want to call it just simply didn't exist. Social didn't exist. Social networking really didn't exist.</p>



<p>Friendster, I think was the hottest thing in social media at the time. And then in the iPhone, didn't come out 2007. One of the biggest things was just seeing your website on an iPhone or a mobile device back then, too. So that to me was version one. And thank you for allowing me to indulge you, Bob, because I thought you were part of that and I just didn't see you because I've just taken it.</p>



<p>I've just assumed you've always been around. I've been feels that way. So version two, there is, so version two, according to your posts takes you from 2010 to 2018, and this is your Jen. This is your version, right?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Right. He is because when, so I started dabbling in WordPress in 2017 and. So I was coming from having run [00:06:00] a business, or I was still running a business.</p>



<p>I was in the, I think 15th year of it, a marketing design business. And I was looking at WordPress for blogging, for creating sites, you know, building sites. Cause I wasn't a developer during that time. So I was involved with like the business community in those years, which was in real life.</p>



<p>You know, you lived in the community and you related with other businesses. And in the early around that same time, there was a online site called dot com and it no longer exists, but it was a very unique one of the first endeavors in bringing people online and it started in Seattle and it actually grew nationally and was a bit international and it did a mix of in-person and online events and you'd network and you'd, you know, comment and talk to each other on it.</p>



<p>And it grew quite a bit. Yeah, I'm not getting the whole story of that, but that was where I started to learn more about, or actually delve more into [00:07:00] the online community. WordPress just segwayed into my life easily. Cause I was already, you know, thinking community, you know, there's some kind of community wherever you go, of course, open source is very different to me.</p>



<p>And it was very embracing and it was like, wow, this is cool. You know, people are so different because it's not these chamber of commerce meetings. It's just a different feel to it. And I, you know, me I just started diving into it and by 2010 I said, okay, Totally closed down our other business and I'm going to create this other brand that came up with Bob WP, which, you know, some people looked at me at that time said, you know, can I, why are you doing that?</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> It's like getting a tattoo. Right? It's like, listen, it seems cool now, but have you thought five years ahead?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> And you know, I, when I [00:08:00] started WordPress I started WordPress at the age of 50. So I was kind of different, you know, I mean, I had a different perspective cause I was later on in life. So I was looking at something new and exciting.</p>



<p>And I think that time I look back at it and I didn't realize it until later on in the years when I would talk to a lot of people that had been in the space at the same time. And I realized that they all were saying, yeah, you know, when I really got involved with WordPress was around 2009, 2010, or that's when I started.</p>



<p>You know, there's all the big, you know, Yoast, gravity forums, all these ones that started around that period of time. And it just seemed like it was a time I came in at a prime time where there was this open innovation in WordPress where people were doing a lot of stuff and things are coming out left and right.</p>



<p>And it was just, it was fascinating and themes were, you know, growing more and more. And [00:09:00] it just, I just dove into it and I thought I've got to get into this community because it's just seems cool. I mean, the people, you know, who I've related to. So I think my first, I don't know if I did a word camp in 2010 by now I was in Chicago in 2011 and I spoke at that and I, again, just went full force into it and went to these, the first word camp, I word camp, and thought, wow, this is really cool.</p>



<p>Being able to, you know, meet these people. And there was such a natural I don't know what you want to call it, but everybody seemed together. It was like,</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> don't worry, we'll flesh it out. We'll flesh it out because this is part of the reason why I want to get into this overall, because I mean, I don't, you know, we'll go into each, we'll go into a little bit more depth on each one.</p>



<p>I was just trying to make, you know, for somebody who hasn't read the post is not listening to me and reading this first. We have, so, and here's also about that time period of two. When we say [00:10:00] version two was around 2010 right before 2010 is when Sandhills development. Awesome motive started 2009 is actually when WP beginner was launched by Syed.</p>



<p>So like we say, 2010. And I think that was a good cutoff time because I think in 2009, It needed a little bit of ramping up it didn't and a lot of other companies too, I'm just picking -. It's amazing Sandhills and Awesome Motive and WP beginner started around that time in late, I think, late 2009s.</p>



<p>So version 2.0, started in 2010. According to your post, it ran for about eight years, till 2018, which we'll get to why in a second. And between that time, like I said, it's when those companies that we, that the mergers that were acquisitions that we're hearing about today from quote unquote, big companies, a lot of them got their start at the beginning of the 2.0 era.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Yeah, exactly.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> And yeah, so I think that's, that was a perfect time in your blog post to kind of, you know, make 2009, 2010, the next cutoff [00:11:00] point, because I think like earlier, when we just talked about everybody was just. If you had a problem with WordPress and people, weren't really starting to build really good businesses around WordPress in version 1.0, if you were building websites and if you were making good money, you usually just a big, good agency or you're just building websites.</p>



<p>But then 2.0 era started with the companies actually building commercial products with plugins or for tutorial sites. And that's how I think, that's how I saw reflecting back because I was too ignorant to realize what was going on at the time. How 2.0 started in that kind of, like you said, when you got into the game 2016, 2017 near the closing of that particular era, it was going full force by then.</p>



<p>I mean, there weren't really a lot of acquisitions happening in this era. It was just a lot of businesses being created.</p>



<p>Right. And there was a lot of people that I've met that weren't necessarily, you know, like. Doing the big business or doing the big [00:12:00] products, but they, I was still amazing. How many? Yeah, I started my agency around 2009, 2010.</p>



<p>So that, just that number kept coming back at me and I thought, wow, I made a lot of sense because it's how I felt when I got into it. It was like, okay, something's happened in here, you know, and I seem to got into this at a really prime point in time</p>



<p>that, that period too probably saw the biggest or maybe most noticeable jump in WordPress market share.</p>



<p>Also at the same time you had web 2.0, kind of take off in that same time period. So between the social between the boom and like the overall span of tech and I think this was when other competition from WordPress started to get a little further in the rear view mirror too. I think movable type was by this time period, probably.</p>



<p>Fading in terms, I believe, I can't remember exactly when they changed their business model, but I believe it was early during this time period where you had this other, you had your choices in Joomla and Drupal were still very strong in this era, but they were becoming, [00:13:00] it was becoming the big three in terms of CMS.</p>



<p>As in, at that time they were all the top three, they were open source. So that's and WordCamps to exploded. I think once we got to 2012, 2013, that's when you saw a lot of first-time WordCamps, startup and WordCamp, I think by the time that WordCamp Miami got to its fourth or fifth year, that's when we had to start coordinating with other word camps, you know, around the same time period to make sure we didn't have the lap and all of that.</p>



<p>So, and we had buddy camps and we had our first kids camp, I think it was in 2015 or something like that. So by the time that happened, And I forget what WordCamp Arizona. I think I went to my first word camp in Arizona was working in Phoenix. I believe that was in 2013. Maybe. I don't know.</p>



<p>I have to Google ice Luiz WordCamp and figure out what I'm really. I know. So that was 2.0, from 2010 to 2018. So Bob, when, tell us about what transition from version 2.0 to [00:14:00] 3.0 and your blog posts made you land on 2018.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> You know, I think it was, there was a lot of, I mean, it revolved around, but we're pressing was doing technically, I mean, you know, Gutenberg 5.0, all that stuff, because there was that huge shift at that point.</p>



<p>I think that people just started, I don't know. The climate changed and how people looked at it. And there was a little bit more, you know, yeah, people were anti this or they were, you know, reluctant of this. And is this changing for the best? I feel like things were changing in WordPress that affected the community in a lot of ways positively.</p>



<p>And in some ways people were a little bit reluctant and things were starting to get more into that mix of at, you know, not the boom, like it is now with the acquisitions, but. We were starting to see, you know, let me explain it this way. And this is kind of a strange way to [00:15:00] explain it. Maybe people won't really get it.</p>



<p>I always say I used to work in the real business world and that was outside of WordPress. And I'm, it's a little bit of sarcasm there, but it's how, you know, regular business works, how it runs, how, you know, people get acquired corporations, all that stuff. I've dealt with it in the past. I felt like that was a time that WordPress matured and thus the community had to start to accept that in the sense of this is becoming big business.</p>



<p>Now, you know, this is becoming a bigger thing then. Sure. It's open source still. There's that community there's everything that WordPress is, but now more and more people are taking note of WordPress more and more people are wanting to get into WordPress and it just. From the, around that time, I think it's just as grown more and more that attitude, the you know, and it is it's a [00:16:00] lot of people have pivoted or changed their mind on WordPress during that time.</p>



<p>And you saw more of that, I think, and maybe it always was happening, but it was just vocalized more as far as, you know, oh, I don't like the direction it's going now or, you know, I don't agree with it. And the, and that was cool. That was fine. I mean, everybody's got a right to, you know, do that. And also the other thing I think is this was when you think of all those people that started in 2009, 2010, that really started, this might be the moment they start thinking of different transitions as well, because they've been in it for a while and that transition may be do an acquisition. They may be getting out of the space entirely moving on with their life in another direction. However, so I think we saw that bunch of people that were so in our view and in our, you know, that we saw them a day [00:17:00] in and day out, maybe after, you know, this period of eight years or nine years or whatever, they were ready to start slipping things a little bit in their own business or how they approach WordPress or how they approach their business.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Well, we're going to get into the community now more now that we know where, when we talk, we say version one, version two, version three, again, version one was from the beginning up to 2009 version. Two's kind of like 2010 to 2018 when Gutenberg was launched. And then version three is pretty much present quote unquote, present day.</p>



<p>Right. And who knows we may talk about another version. We'll see what. I'm going to open up our post status conversation we had in here, like a day or two ago too. But so let's talk about the community a little bit in terms of, and it sounds like to me, when you, when we, both of us are kind of old timers a little bit we're both remembering back when the businesses were just starting to get off the ground.</p>



<p>Would you define version 3.0 [00:18:00] as, as basically more commercial,</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> you know, in a sense it is, and it's probably viewed as more commercial because of the nature of open source. So bringing bigger businesses, bringing the model of, you know, business growth, acquisitions, how normal, I almost say normal, but how businesses in the real world that exists and how they.</p>



<p>Get together and how they merge now. They, you know, whatever direction they go. I think it's become a little bit more commercial, but I don't know if that's the exact word it's because it's, I think some people would say that I really think they would define maybe that and they would define it in the sense of a negative connotation to that commercial is become too commercial.</p>



<p>And that's kind of in the eyes of the viewer, you know, before, [00:19:00]</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> let me play devil's advocate for a second, because once money gets involved, it's like, whenever it's, how do I explain this? Like, if I have a good friend, I, and if I have a laptop, I'll give him the laptop. I won't sell him the laptop. Why?</p>



<p>Because he's my friend and I, if there's something goes wrong, I don't want anything to damage that relationship. So when money comes into the picture, closer relationships tend to get a little bit more complex in my experience. That's just my experience. So do you think part of the, and we'll get into the good old days slogan in a second here, but do you think part of the resistance or part of the, maybe just general uncomfortableness of this new version that you call it is because it is more commercial, therefore money, you know, money hiring acquisitions, all of that is together.</p>



<p>So therefore when you go up and talk to someone at a WordCamp, or you don't, you know, you have to be careful what you say. You have to be careful of how you talk outside of a conference room. You [00:20:00] don't want to say the wrong thing or be viewed as this type of person, which makes it a little more awkward, which makes limits it a little bit of your freedom, which makes, again, goes back to you being a little bit more comfortable.</p>



<p>Do you think that has anything to do with some people reactions?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> You know, I think you, I think that's a. I think it's pretty spot on because it is it's, you know, there is that level of walking the thin line. Sometimes you don't want to, you know, you maybe felt you didn't have to walk that so much before you could be a little bit more open and now there's too many buyers that could ignite, I think the money.</p>



<p>Yeah. When people see now, I don't remember ever back the valuation or what you would think of, you know, we don't know often what, how much these businesses are being bought for, but the reality is, yeah. Now we're seeing that there is some tied dollar value to these businesses that have done amazing stuff for, you know, close to a decade or less.</p>



<p>[00:21:00] And yeah, that money kind of gets you like, whoa, you know, this is all feeling, not the same, you know, and it can be for some that it can be kind of a creepy feeling. You know, they feel like money is corporate and money is commercial and, you know, money talks and that's what drives everything.</p>



<p>You know, lots of people are doing their businesses and that what drives them is to actually make a Duff to survive and have a decent life</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> or because, or somebody on stage talking about a certain subject because they have some sort of financial gain indirectly, perhaps, but even there. So sometimes I feel like some people don't take, I'm trying to find the right words here.</p>



<p>And I swear, I'm not going to edit this part out because I want people to hear the awkwardness in this conversation. Exactly. It's well, that person is doing that or broadcasting that because they have a business to run or their business is doing this in the WordPress space. And you know, that.[00:22:00]</p>



<p>You know, that can be understandable in other industries, but for WordPress, I think it's kind of new if you've been around it a long if you've been in since version one or the early days since version two I don't know. I've heard it. We'll talk about offhand comments in a little bit, but I pieced together some of the comments from Twitter, some things I hear over my shoulder word camps and, you know, and it's a very fine and respectable group still, but I know that, you know, I put on working at Miami for years and sometimes I get questions, like, why is this person on at this time?</p>



<p>Sometimes it's purely coincidental often it's purely coincidental, but I get asked, you have to be more conscious of that back now than you were 10 years ago. And because I think it all boils down to money and companies and expansion and all of that but, you know, and which kind of leads me to my next question for you, Bob, in terms of money, just, you know, even if you put money in.</p>



<p>You know, we're both community managers not just with not just with me with [00:23:00] WordCamps, but you know, w my, my, my daughter and my wife, they hold other communities and I've seen communities grow over the years. I handle the local meetups along with a few other people too. I've seen things grow.</p>



<p>I'm also, I here's a side note for you. I use apple pro I use apple products. I wouldn't consider myself an apple super fan, but I've used apple products for a long time. Like since I was in high school. And I've done PC and windows over the years, but I mainly, I've mainly been an apple person, but I've noticed through the years, even before the iPhone came about, this was way before the iPhone apple came out with the iPhone when they were almost a bankrupt company, I've been with them.</p>



<p>But I noticed over the past decade as the company has gotten bigger, and this happens with other companies too, but in particular with apple, my experience they've gotten, people have gotten more outspoken. More bold in their comments and click baity to an opinionated and whether or not that some of that is based on truth and you know, apple like any other company is not perfect, but [00:24:00] it seems like the bigger you get, the more criticism gets thrown at you in, regardless of what I can't think of a company that has gotten bigger over, you know, given enough time over the last 10 years, it has not had criticism leveled at them.</p>



<p>And I feel that once you get to a certain size from a community standpoint, not really from a business company standpoint market share, but that obviously has a factor into it too. Once you get to, once a community gets to a certain size and grows and you start to see bad actors just because maybe it's the scale and it's, and maybe when it's smaller, they were always there, but there was just harder to see for them to blend into the mass.</p>



<p>For example, and we'll take this, we'll take this as an example, bad actors. What do you mean by bad actors? There's always people that want to scam other people or users and in when the WordPress was in version one very few times, have you saw people trying to scam other people? Because the community was so small, right?</p>



<p>The, it didn't seem to happen [00:25:00] very often. And in same thing for like apple and WordPress community, didn't seem to be a lot of people trying to take advantage of trying to steal this. And, you know, cause you know, windows was the big one durability. You want it to target cause a lot of people used it.</p>



<p>I, so here's my question for you. Do you believe that any community wants to reaches a certain size is going to have certain problems? Like not just bad actors that want to scan, but just critics that just maybe feel like they need to, they feel like their job is to probably call. Accompany once it gets to a certain size, what do you think about that?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Oh, I think that's right on, I mean, is it's so obvious because it's like success breeds.</p>



<p>I don't know if there's actually a saying, but success breeds craziness or something</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I'm gonna use that quote</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> yeah. Yeah. Success breeds crazy days because it does, the more you become the bigger you become, the more of a tar more touch points you have and [00:26:00] you become that target. You do. And more people are going to be attracted.</p>



<p>Cause there's some people that they live for, that they live for the big names or the, they want to be in the limelight in that community, but in a different limelight as a backnet bad actor, because that is it just, you know, Reproduces itself is going to, it's going to attract people and all it takes us, you know, a few to start it and more and more are going to enter it.</p>



<p>And that's what know, I I've thought over the years is this is growing into what probably every community does grow into. It's huge. How can we not avoid? I think of, I could step back to the time when I was, you know, not online. I was in a business community that was a real life community town.</p>



<p>And as that town grew bigger and bigger, more businesses moved in and there were more that early. [00:27:00] That were running businesses and we'd come in and they would always be there at whatever meeting or something criticizing something. So it's not anything new. I think it's very, I don't want, I hate to use the word natural, but I think there's no way around it.</p>



<p>I think with growth, you're just going to, that's going to happen and you have to know, the best you can do is it's, you know, as, as long as we, and you don't want to ignore, but you don't want to, I want to fire.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Right. And I want to make a good distinction here because not everything I say, negative things about WordPress all the time, too.</p>



<p>In fact, I have created memes around certain things in WordPress. That's still annoying me to this very day. And you know, you know, like the number of admin notices on a dashboard has gotten me more likes on Twitter than I probably know what to do with. So. What, one of the natural things that comes when you, when your community grows is [00:28:00] that there is more to criticize.</p>



<p>So there is, you know, it goes perfectly along with, yes, a lot of the criticism that's leveled against WordPress is legitimate. And everybody has different viewpoints in they're coming at it from certain angles. Somebody from this industry is obviously gonna feel stronger than someone who comes from this industry and so forth like that.</p>



<p>But I just think that part of this, I think what has been a staple I've I think in the version 3.0 is just the, has been maybe a little bit more cynicism than that I saw in the previous two versions. Exactly. Yeah. And as much, and like I told you, I think that comes with, I write that off as scale.</p>



<p>Like I said, when you're dealing with. In terms of like, you know, they were just a bunch of people, friendly people helping each other out on forums and all of that back in the day, just like we were like in the very early days of WordPress. And now there are so many people and because I guess a lot of people [00:29:00] have so much writing on WordPress too, that sometimes naturally it does come off as well.</p>



<p>If my entire business of my entire life is running off of WordPress or companies like automatic that in my mind influence WordPress to a certain degree, then I should be the one or I should be in a position to say what I want or be critical of this or that in terms of leadership and ownership and all of that.</p>



<p>And I'm not saying leadership and ownership, isn't a bad stuff in and of themselves, but it's not something that we saw in previous versions of WordPress.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Right. And I think we also look at WordPress where it came along in the, in history. I mean, you know, short history, but we are, if you think of back from 2010 to now, how social has brought on the aspect of being able to vocalize yourself and it has brought out peoples that wouldn't normally, you know, you would, I mean, I could [00:30:00] look back at again, I'll go back to way back, you know, at a chamber of commerce meeting, we're all sitting around in person, nobody's going to jump up from different table to table say, Hey, you know, that business sure does suck.</p>



<p>Or, you know, why are they doing that? Or why did they buy them? Why is this all going on now? We're to a point where we're all</p>



<p>behind journalists,</p>



<p>we all got an opinion. And we got to, we got a place to make that opinion. So that has grown just historically in technology. I mean, you know, that has happened.</p>



<p>So that then right along with it, WordPress has grown. So it's almost like this. There are both on the same level. Yeah, more people are able to get online and say exactly how they feel are most people are not shy about doing it.</p>



<p>So what do you think here's a thinking question for your Bible. What do you think the WordPress community has today that it didn't have back in the early days?</p>



<p>Boy, that's a, wow. That's a good question. I think there's [00:31:00] just more,</p>



<p>Wow. That's a tough one because I think it has okay to two things. One is it has more voices in it and I'm not seeing voices as far as negative and positive and neutral voices. I'm talking about voices, worldwide diversity countries, all the different cultures that are coming in. I think that. Really has changed things. And I think it's changed for the better obviously.</p>



<p>And again, kind of historically, you know, hopefully getting where there's more, you know, things are a little bit more equal. I know they're far from being equal, but</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> yeah, there's a table, right. Everybody gets to come to the table and hopefully that table has grown in size with more chairs available to fit.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Exactly. Yeah. I think it's that. And I think innovation, I think is just, I think people feel, even though sometimes we feel that it's, there's so much stuff go, you know, there's so many plug-ins how can we do more [00:32:00] plugins? How can we do this? But again, naturally over time, I think we have a lot more at our disposal as far as.</p>



<p>Be more innovative with WordPress then, you know, back then, and that again is not necessarily the word press or the community is just how technology has evolved. So I think we, I think WordPress benefits from the time it's in, because of everything that keeps turning and sure we there's changes. And maybe some we don't like, and some we do, like, I think, you know, in the end they're still all going in the right direction.</p>



<p>And now those changes are technically within WordPress should hopefully reflect on the community and they feel like, okay, we're going in the right direction because we got to continue to grow.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Okay. Was it, you said two things, was that both of them or do you remember?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> It's really, it's kind of that feel of the community and the [00:33:00] diversity and that, and then it's an actual, more of innovation.</p>



<p>I think the technology now we have the, I really feel like the opportunities are. More open to everybody in the WordPress space, even though, you know, we think it may be overcrowded. I think there's still a lot.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Okay. So here, I asked myself that same question in the shower for unluckily for me, it was a 45 minute shower cause I wasn't leaving until I got an answer.</p>



<p>I think the communication from the quote unquote, the source has gotten better over the years. Unless you heard Matt Mullenweg speak from a word camp or in his blog, sometimes you were a bit, a little bit confused in the very on maybe late version 1.0 early 2.0 days in terms of heck maybe even further on to 2.0 days, what was happening with the project or what was happening with the direction of WordPress.</p>



<p>And this was before Gutenberg. You know, there were improvements. You could talk to people on contribute, you know, charter contributors and all of that. And there were new [00:34:00] sites keeping up. But I think once we started getting into what you call the version three, once Gutenberg ramped up.</p>



<p>But I think, especially, I think maybe I'll say six months, it seemed like six months after Gutenberg was launched. It seemed like the communication was improving. I think Josepha, I'm not sure when she became, she took her role and Incorrectly state her role here, because I don't want to do that. But she is, she has acted like a director or a pro like an overall project manager.</p>



<p>I'm not saying that's her role, but she's been acting like that. She has been part of for a key part of the communication. Now for a while, in terms of trying to translate what the WordPress project is, the general direction of where it's going. And, you know, Matt did do that to a certain extent, but I don't think it was as often or as regular and as consistent as they're doing it now with the blog posts and Josepha, and there's even podcasts now with Josepha on them and so forth.</p>



<p>So for me the communication and the openness about especially about [00:35:00] core is what we, I think we have today that really wasn't there too much in the early days, because there just wasn't enough time to talk about it. Now don't hate me. Oh, wait. There's a podcast is still young here. I'm going to flip the question around.</p>



<p>So what do you think is missing today from the WordPress community? But one looks back in the early days and say, oh, wow, that existed there. Or I even missed that. Fill in the blank. I</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> need a long shower for that one.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> This is going to be weird. Intermission music, but sure, sure. So by, so maybe stalling you a little bit here, you know, when you buy a car and you get that new car smell.</p>



<p>Yeah. Okay. So it's gone and then your car can still be exciting. It can be wonderful. There's that honeymoon period. But what, and I'm not pushing you into a negative or positive territory here, [00:36:00] but what do you think was existed in the early days that you can remember the works community that you don't see.</p>



<p>That you don't see today as much.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> I miss a little bit of the and that I want to say it's the warm and fuzzy feeling. Cause that's not fair to say. It's kind of a little bit of the tighter community that was there when I first got into it. And what I mean by that is, and let me give you an example.</p>



<p>This was very interesting and I get to bring up the, say the word smaller group. And I saw Matt Mullenweg in a different lens. At that event. He was walking around. I mean, it was a smaller group and he was really interacting with people and laughing. And he was kind of more in his element because he was with his eye.</p>



<p>Sounds weird with his peeps. I mean, instead of this huge, you know, multi hundred or a thousand person conference, and sometimes I [00:37:00] miss that. And it's not an exclusive thing either, but those smaller times, I go back to a meetup. I remember the meetups I used to do in Seattle in the early two thousands.</p>



<p>We'd get like 70, 80 people and everybody was so happy and energized and it was fun. And you were meeting new people and there was this just constant energy that was going. And I think is just like probably anything in it's younger. I mean, even us as humans,</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> every time you go to a WordCamp, you'd meet a ton of new people, a ton.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Yeah, you do. And I kind, kinda miss that and maybe it's, you know, it's just that smaller. I miss the meetups. Like they used to be. I, and I know that is just, I, and not even this put us COVID aside. It's not even that it's just that I miss that [00:38:00] smaller local community that used to thrive. I think a lot more, that's got segmented and it's been segmented just because of the growth and because of the community is so big.</p>



<p>And there's so many people you're meeting, you know, another countries across the globe. There's a little bit of that I miss now, whether that could really come back. That's the thing, that's a big question. I don't know if it's really necessary to be needed, right. Again, but some I wish there was some way to still have those smaller groups and they don't have to be, you know, WordCamps on, I don't even know what they are, you know, and that would, of course would have to be, you know, when the time comes that you can actually do that, but there was something that was just a little bit different. That part of it, I miss, and I don't know there was there was the energy, maybe that was it.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> It's kind of hard to put into words. You've attempted to do that two days ago. I'm going to share a link in the show notes for a slack conversation we [00:39:00] had. And I put up on purpose prior to this both Eric and Natalie said something about 2008, 2009, 2010. There was definitely. Definitely those were big years.</p>



<p>There was some generations based on what people came into the community and what they were doing there. And then you said something around 2010 or so was very generational. There was huge pivots in the space around space, around growth during that time. And then someone responded and says that time was very unique.</p>



<p>It felt like anyone with the ambition and drive could learn to create something special with WordPress. It wasn't something reserved for only a small group of corporations. And it looks like Eric made that comment there. So I guess it was you know, it was a gold rush period, but not just to make money, but also to make like relationships.</p>



<p>And here's the key when you said that earlier and forgive me if I'm mispronouncing your name. Dave is David Lutes who says, yep. The hippie times are over. And it's not meant in a bad way. In my opinion, this is him still talking quote. It already has started a few years before Gutenberg, when more and [00:40:00] more sponsored contributors raised up.</p>



<p>Also people became paid from day one when they stepped brand new into the WordPress community. And like he said, it's not bad. It's an evolution. It's got all the way to it's. He says it's all got gotten. Translating here, all gotten too big to handle, and I have tremendous respect for the pure volunteers out there.</p>



<p>So hippie times are over or according to Dave loots here. And we'll put all of those links in the show notes. And by the way, just to remind you what you said, a response, you said you could be very well, right? The last decade could easily have pushed out three instead of two versions when you get down to the nitty gritty.</p>



<p>So, yeah. Wow. Yeah. Hippie times are over. So like I'm always never, I'm not that old to appreciate the hippie times of the sixties, but I've read about it enough and I can see where there was a time I've heard that phrase repeated elsewhere in terms of, okay, the hippie era is over and now I actually have to have a real job and a real business.</p>



<p>And that whole time of peace and love was great, but we were young. And [00:41:00] do you think maybe that's part of what maybe is missing a little bit from WordPress</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> and it's that, yeah, it is that time of having that. It a freedom. I mean, and especially if you had the experience of it, you know, if you did, you were, you came in at some point there, it is nostalgic and I'd love Dave's, everything you said in there because it's true.</p>



<p>It's like anything. I mean, hippie times never, you know, except for some people that are stuck being hippies for their entire life or something they're going to end at some point and they're nostalgic and they're good. And you probably know it, won't go back to that. You know, you know that in your heart, but</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> seems like the harder you fight it.</p>



<p>Yeah. The change is inevitable. And I think for the rest of those, I think for the rest of the lifetime of WordPress, there's going to be a healthy dose of criticism that follows it. So w so as WordPress grows is going to be scrutinized by some people for how it grows [00:42:00] and when the market share stops. Or there's less contributions or something noticeable starts to slow down.</p>



<p>There'll be another round of WordPress criticism problem. You know, like the apple is doomed or WordPress is doomed by probably those same people. Right. Do you think people should accept the generational changes in the WordPress community? Or how should they look at it?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Yeah, I think it's really, I hate to say it's both ways.</p>



<p>I mean, you got to accept it as globally. You got to accept that this is, you know, if he can't be a bit flux flexible, then you shouldn't be in any part of the tech space. You know, you got to have some flexibility and you've got to not become the old grumpy man and saying, this is how it was and why we'll never be that way again, you know, so globally you need to accept it.</p>



<p>In your own community, because how we're all defining communities is going to be different. How you define it. Maybe one way somebody else defines another way. Somebody may [00:43:00] have 200 people they think of as this is my WordPress community. You can still make changes within the smaller community that can blossom out into different ways into the bigger community.</p>



<p>I mean, you're not, you know, if we're talking WordPress community, every builder, then that's a lot, every builder and user, then that's an exponentially a lot. So I think that you can make small changes and I don't think you should ever say, I'm just going to roll over. And you know, if I don't think this is right, you know, you don't have to nag and moan and groan on Twitter day after day, but you can fight.</p>



<p>Creative and useful ways to try to work towards, you know, if something really, if you think it needs to be changed, I would never say people should back down you know, unless it's really detrimental to the community, then that's maybe when you want to step back. Okay.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> I, a lot of times the, [00:44:00] if there are people that rubbed me a little bit, the wrong way and listen, it's be honest.</p>



<p>I mean, there are people that do that. It's human nature, right? It's not what they say is sometimes their approach to it. And I have a lot of experience sometimes working and talking with people because we're cam Miami has allowed me to be like, sometimes I would deliberately put people in WordCamp, Miami lineups to offer those opinions.</p>



<p>And sometimes. It's just their personal nature. Sometimes it is you know, I, if I run a, if I wanted to write a tell all book, just on what I know about certain people on working in Miami, it would be controversial. A lot of people probably wouldn't like me, but that's fine. But there are some people that like, feel their message is so important.</p>



<p>They, it boosts their ego or it boosts their, like, they feel like this message is so important. They need to get outside the lines to be able to tell it whether how effective that is or whether that strikes the right chords or not. I mean, go you do you, you know, that's not really my, you know, I'm not in charge of WordPress messaging.</p>



<p>But you know, if you want to, if you [00:45:00] feel something so important that you communicate it, I mean, as long as you're not hurting others, I mean, feel free to give it a shot, just watch on any reaction or reaction to that. But it's also funny too, that some people, when we talk about the WordPress community, some people says I'm leaving WordPress, I'm leaving the WordPress committee.</p>



<p>Or they stop or stop using WordPress oftentimes in my experience, and this is over 10 years, this is not any particular case, but over the 10 years where people have said that you still see them on Twitter, or you still see them in the WordPress community, talking with the same people, almost like nothing ever happened.</p>



<p>And I, and sometimes I think these people, whether the legitimate reasons or not you know, they're trying to make a statement. It says I'm leaving WordPress, but they're not really leaving WordPress. WordPress is the community and of itself, regardless of like, maybe you're not using the software or you put your pretty much, nothing else has changed.</p>



<p>So if you're using it to make a statement, whether you're using WordPress or not, congratulations, you've made. Or maybe you're taking a break, you know, those people that make the big announcements, I'm taking a break from Twitter and they're making a big hoo ha about it. Like maybe celebrities or something like [00:46:00] that.</p>



<p>And you're like, okay, maybe you'll be back. Okay. You know, once, once it's died down or whatever, but I think some people like to have their cake and eat it too, where like, I'm making this big statement, but I can't really, I don't really want to leave the community because there's some good things in it.</p>



<p>Yeah,</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> exactly. And I think they're trying to stand up there. They think that, you know, it gives a, it shows the side of their strength. They want everybody to think that, oh yeah, they've been there standing up for what they're really, you know, they've kind of walking the talk. Finally, they'd been saying all this, but then like you said, you see, oh yeah, they're still wandering around bed in there.</p>



<p>I still see them popping up here and there. And it's like, you know, you're just. Kind of toned down a little bit maybe,</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> and you know what that is within the right to there. Like I said, however you want to get that message out is however you do. But I just think that's so interesting that the community of it itself is more, is stronger sometimes than the software.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Oh, it is. It is. And I think that's what most, I [00:47:00] agree with you with a lot of people saying, you know, oh I'm going to leave the community, but you know, I couldn't quite leave this part of it or this part of it. And they're not saying they're not literally saying that, but they're doing that through actions.</p>



<p>You can see that they've gained a lot of great relationships with some people and they can't let go of that. And that relationship in turn still connects him with WordPress. So they, and connects them with the community. So, yeah it's interesting human. Nature's</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> interesting. Yeah. And of course there's always legitimate reasons.</p>



<p>Like if there's, if you like, you've people have felt like legitimately they've been neglected, abused, all of that stuff. That's not really taking care of that part cause that's kind of a toll different, totally different ballgame. So yeah. So do you feel, so here comes, our, here comes as we close out this conversation, which has been fantastic by the way.</p>



<p>I think we only mentioned WooCommerce only a few times. I haven't said it enough for something like WooCommerce to appear in a mirror or something like that [00:48:00] instead of three times, probably yet. But here's the two remaining questions I wanted to jam with you about one. What do you think version four would be?</p>



<p>Has it happened? Is it happening now or do you think we're not, we haven't seen that yet.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> You know, that's weird because I know you had warned me that you might ask about that.</p>



<p>Yeah. And I have pondered on it a bit and I thought, you know, yeah, maybe I could have some, a wishlist of what I'd like to see, but you know, I think it's going to be.</p>



<p>Where this commercial part we've talked about, becomes a little bit more leveled out. I think four is where we don't get all excited and, you know, acquisitions no longer are like the biggest news in WordPress. They Almaz say they become everyday normal things and people will still talk about them.</p>



<p>But I think those moves that we've been [00:49:00] making to where we see that it's becoming a bigger thing. And I also see that 4.0 is, and it's already, maybe it is already happening. I see a lot of attraction even more so I'm more visibly from outside. Businesses, you know, that say, I want a piece of WordPress. I want a piece of WooCommerce.</p>



<p>I mean, I get this a lot through conversations and companies that reach out to me, you know, they want to get in on it. They want to get in on the action. So that's almost like an, and however people view that, you know, that they view that as positive or negative is not really the point that, but I think that is becoming people are companies are being a bit more visible.</p>



<p>And I think this will be part of 4.0 is in their interest in WordPress where it used to be WordPress is [00:50:00] open source and you know, it's not that big of a deal and stuff. And now it's like, they're flat out saying, Hey, we want in, how do we get in? We want to be, because</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> it's like we said, it's a little hot about the money.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Exactly.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Once you see these aquifers, I think, you know, like once you start seeing bigger acquisitions, they're taking headlights now in tech crunch, all these other things, people are starting to, I guess, pay attention. Oh wow. There is money to be made here. So I'm yeah. I mean, I want to I, wouldn't thinking about the same thing and I don't have a year in mind yet.</p>



<p>Of course, if I did, I'd probably play the lottery or something, but what I see are four potential factors for version four, if you want to call it that, and maybe they all are playing. One, I think we're in, I think we're version three still includes the acquisitions craze that we're going through right now, because I think the acquisitions, if you look back a little bit far enough after Gutenberg, I think launched. To me, it just seemed a lot more common.</p>



<p>It's really exploded the last couple of years. I don't think it's over, but I still think we're in the same general [00:51:00] time period acquisitions were happening before Gutenberg came out, but I think Gutenberg probably has triggered a lot of companies, smaller companies for, to be acquired by hosting companies and others because of the blocks, the themes and all of that.</p>



<p>And of course, we're not even going to talk about theme, you know, WordPress themes at all, or we're not even about WooCommerce or e-commerce, I'm not even going to talk about that stuff cause that's too much. But I think if I was to guess what a version four would be, and this is commute, this it's sad because I'm not talking much about the community.</p>



<p>I'm just thinking of the, community's going to react to these things. And that becomes version for the community outside investments. How we react to that outside investments might mean more people coming in from the outside, even if it's just from a business standpoint, but they would be part of the community.</p>



<p>I think too, it's possible than an aversion for maybe near the end of that. We will see acquisitions, maybe become normal, more normal. But I think we're also going to see market share eventually [00:52:00] level off. And that could be years from now. It's going to be hard to calculate it because they're shutting down Alexa, not that Alexa, the other Alexa next year.</p>



<p>And we don't know exactly how we're going to be able to determine them at the market share metric because we've kind of taken advantage and abuse it over the years. But I tend to see a general acquisitions being more of the norm market share, not as explosive as it used to be, because quite it's kind of like apple.</p>



<p>It's kind of, again, I go back to apple, they were selling iPhones one year. That would, their total sales of iPhones for one year would be all of the sales for the previous years combined. And they had that kind of explosive growth. Then it stopped because you couldn't sell that many phones anymore. But look at them today.</p>



<p>They're doing just fine. They're doing just fine. So I think that's going to be the way with WordPress. We're going to see market share slowed down because quite far, I mean, whether it gets to 50% or not, I don't care. It could be beyond that. It could be years from now, but eventually the market share has to slow down.</p>



<p>And then I'll ask you a [00:53:00] question about market share in a second. I think acquisitions nor market share slows down. We're going to get more, you know, outside investments. We'll see those. And then I think matt's master plan. Maybe I'm not sure what you would call this his plan of an open web.</p>



<p>If you looked at the acquisitions and I'm not sure if you had the read the piece by David Pierce yet on ma on mat, it was a click baity title. It was can Matt Mullenweg save the internet if you haven't read it because it basically folk you would think, oh, it's a piece about Matt WordPress and yes it is, but it goes along also the acquisitions automatic has taken over the past couple of years and individually by themselves were like, oh, that's neat. They have this little thing. But if you add them together, Matt is slowly accumulating like a collection of these technologies and these corners of the internet that I think needs to be maintained as open, like a diary app and a photos on creative commons.</p>



<p>And there's analytics, statistics company that they acquired that I can't remember the name of, but it's like, he's collecting almost one of each or automatic is collecting one of each of [00:54:00] everything. And I think that is going to change. Maybe it's making the community more open source minded than WordPress minded maybe, but I think there's a cat there.</p>



<p>There's going to be some change. There may be an, a version four, maybe a version five. However you want to split it where we're going to see, like we're going to be so more fighting for the open source or the open web. And WordPress is just going to be part of that. In fact, I think didn't Matt say that Gutenberg is going to be bigger than WordPress. Yeah. Yeah. That's a state of the word. So if I had to guess that's my version for, I don't know, that's it. And the</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> only other thing I'd add, and this is more around the people side of things. I'm really curious that by version four, if we will have a bigger turnover in who you really notice in the WordPress space.</p>



<p>I mean, we got all these people that I've, you know, kind of are the faces we've been around forever. We've seen them, is there going to be a new generation and a kind of influx of newer [00:55:00] people stepping up and taking over the roles in the bigger WordPress community. And some of the other people that have been in a while might be at that point in time.</p>



<p>And maybe again, we can't get 4.0 will start, but will they be stepping back and maybe doing other things with their lives? And it'll be this. This whole new kind of, even though each one has been a generation in its own, that might be a more pivotable generation. That with, when you look at the kids and what your kids are doing, I mean, what so many of them are doing that they could come in and just, you know, barnstormed the place and ,</p>



<p>, but you see it, like how many P how many original people of the original tech companies are still around Microsoft?</p>



<p>No bill gates has gone even his can't remember his name now developers, guy has gone. The original owners are starters of Google aren't there anymore. All of in fact, I think an apple of course, has a leader. They'll probably transition like, like the only person left is Zuckerberg is still a [00:56:00] Facebook.</p>



<p>Everyone else has had one or two leadership changes. Very recently, Jack is no longer Twitter. So we're seeing that, but also in the WordPress space you know, the advanced custom fields, Sandhill development these people that have been like the starters from day one, they're moving on, whether they're moving on retiring or they're moving on to other projects or other companies through acquisitions is up for debate or whether it's, they're doing, but we're seeing the same thing happen in the global tech community.</p>



<p>So exactly. So, yeah, I, wow. This has been a really deep conversation about community, but I didn't think, but it was all because of your all because of your blog posts really. And that's really</p>



<p>right. I wrote it and I wrote the, I titled it in a question because I thought, okay, this is just a little snap, a snapshot in my brain.</p>



<p>And I want people to think about this and I love that you did this. And I loved hearing on slack and hopefully, you know, this might. Inspire some some blog posts, cause I'd love to hear other ideas and stuff. [00:57:00] So, so, it did its job and that, that's what I wanted it to do. Get people thinking about</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> it. I know I've taken too much of your time already talking about this.</p>



<p>It's like, what else am I going to do? And we got to go out and do, let me direct you to one last thing earlier today, because I don't plan enough far enough in advance for half of our conversations. I put up a Twitter poll and that's going to run for another two days. So, while we've been talking about here, strangely enough, we've had at least 10 people vote on it and it's only been.</p>



<p>Three or four hours since I put the vote up has been over 40 votes on it so far, but for a Twitter poll for me, that's on a new year's Eve. That's pretty good. So I asked based on your post, where do people feel they belong in terms of what WordPress generation and I we've listed the version one version two, version three, and then whatever, if there's other than replying, the comments nobody's replied other yet.</p>



<p>So they pick one or two or three. So after 41 votes, let's see, just making sure I got my numbers, right. [00:58:00] 41 votes. So 39% responded version one. This is 36% version two. So that's 2010 from 2018 and 24% said two to 2018 and above for version three. Interesting. So it's, you know, it's only 40 votes if it was more evenly split between thirds the last time I saw it, but you are getting a little bit more.</p>



<p>A slightly older people are older versions. Yeah. So I just thought that was interesting. We'll link to this in the in the show notes as well. So by the time you hear this recording, this poll would have ended long ago. It should be interesting to see what it ends up being. Yeah.</p>



<p>That's fantastic. Was there anything else that we didn't cover about that post that you think we should have?</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> No, I think we, we dove into a deep, yeah, we</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> killed, we deep dive and killed it, buried it. We used every part of the Buffalo. Yeah. Bobby could be</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> and now, everybody else can chime in and create their own posts and create their own tweets.</p>



<p>And [00:59:00] then talk about this. Yeah. Yeah.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> You know, besides Bob, other than my wife, you're the only adult I've spoken to in the last couple of days. Anyway. So maybe it's nice to have a good conversation. We don't have WordCamps anymore. This is the type of conversations I'd love to have. Right at word camps.</p>



<p>And it's the parts that, that I miss the most, but we can still do them up to this point. And I'm looking forward to that time where you and I can sit together and talking you know what? Version three is coming to a close, or maybe we'll say it probably a year after it's happened. Cause you know, retrospect is Einstein sights, 2021.</p>



<p>Anyway, Bob tell us where people can find you or version two, but on the web.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Okay. I'm version two. Best place I hang out a lot of on Twitter, you can either @BobWP or @dothewoo depending on what you want to do. Bob wp.com is I've kind of revived that blog. I took all the WooCommerce stuff off and I'm basically just talking about community.</p>



<p>So these kinds of little thoughts come to me and that's what I'm going to be putting there. And if you want [01:00:00] to, you know, again, woo commerce do the blue dot on.</p>



<p><strong>David Bisset:</strong> Okay, great. Yeah, and like I said, check the show notes for this episode. We will throw Bob's link to his blog post in there, specifically this Twitter poll that I did and a few other tidbits as well.</p>



<p>Bob, it has been awesome. Thank you very much for sharing all this thoughts with us. And I really hope this at least brings a couple of ideas and thoughts into people's heads, not just ones that have come into the WordPress community recently, but also the ones that have been around with it since version one, maybe, or version two, we'll see where the poll ends up.</p>



<p><strong>Bob Dunn:</strong> Cool. Thanks, David. This has been a blast. Thank you.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 11 Jan 2022 04:55:34 +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:12:"David Bisset";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: WordPress Community Team Proposes Stricter COVID-19 Safety Protocols for In-Person Events in 2022";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128077";s:7:"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:259:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-community-team-proposes-stricter-covid-19-safety-protocols-for-in-person-events-in-2022?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wordpress-community-team-proposes-stricter-covid-19-safety-protocols-for-in-person-events-in-2022";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:6953:"<p>Mounting concerns about <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-birmingham-updates-covid-19-protocols-amid-omicron-surge-wordcamp-europe-still-planning-for-in-person-event">loose safety protocols at upcoming WordPress events</a>, and the prevalence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, have prompted the Community Team to be more explicit in its COVID-19 safety guidelines. The team is <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/01/10/proposal-mandatory-safety-measures-for-in-person-wordpress-events-in-2022/">proposing additional measures</a> previously not required.</p>



<p>Currently, in-person attendees are required to be fully vaccinated, recently tested negative, or recently recovered from COVID-19. Every one of these requirements is vague and open to multiple interpretations. Recent spikes in infection in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations has caused the Community Team to propose the following: </p>



<ul><li>Mandatory masks for all attendees (even in regions that do not have a mask mandate at this time).&nbsp;</li><li>More prominent messaging in&nbsp;WordCamp&nbsp;websites, emails, and social media posts about COVID-19 safety guidelines.</li><li>Mandatory temperature checks for all attendees at the event (if permitted by local authorities).</li><li>Accessible hand sanitizing stations in the venue.</li><li>Maintaining social distancing practices during the event (Larger meeting rooms and seating arrangements with good spacing can be a good way to implement this).</li><li>Having a plan for contact tracing measures in case of infections (can be done using WordCamp registration data,&nbsp;meetups&nbsp;are a bit tricker).</li></ul>



<p>One of the concerns with imposing more mandatory safety measures is enforcement. WordPress events are generally hosted by volunteers who would now need to go beyond simply facilitating an event to being ready to confront and remove those who don&#8217;t comply with safety protocols. In a community of people with diverse convictions, what happens if some members decide that WordCamp is a good place to protest pandemic restrictions? </p>



<p>&#8220;I appreciate very much the heart behind wanting to keep the community safe, but have significant issue with how this is being proposed, and how it would be enforced, and how it shifts the burden of health and safety to a volunteer team of organizers who are not in any way trained or equipped to handle making medical decisions,&#8221; Ben Meredith said.</p>



<p>&#8220;Further, there are many jurisdictions where the proposed changes (like a mask mandate) are specifically prohibited by local law or executive order.</p>



<p>&#8220;Trying to make a policy from the international level (WordCamp central) that applies fairly and equitably to all local jurisdictions is a fool’s errand. What works in Los Angeles probably wont in Louisiana or Lagos. That’s why organizers are local.&#8221;</p>



<p>If the WordPress community is fixed on hosting events at this time, then there are many more responsibilities organizers are now obligated to assume in order to ensure the safety of attendees. Participants in the discussion on the proposal raised dozens of questions about how these new safety measures might be implemented. </p>



<p>&#8220;On temp checks, if someone reads high ( they may not even be aware) would we then refund their ticket to the event assuming we are talking a WordCamp?&#8221; Laura Byrne asked.</p>



<p> WordCamp organizer and speaker David Ryan raised questions about masks, will the requirements outline what qualifies as a mask? (<em>&#8220;Does a plastic face shield qualify as a mask? Are masks with ventilation valves acceptable? A bandana?&#8221;</em>) Does the requirement include speakers while they are speaking? &#8220;This should be clear in advance for both speakers and attendees to make informed choices without surprises day-of,&#8221; Ryan said.</p>



<p>He also asked if the masking policies extend to other venues, such as the official event hotel and after parties, the way the Code of Conduct applies.</p>



<p>Refunds are another consideration. Will WordCamps refund people who test positive right before the event? Will the event refund if people arrive and are not comfortable or are asked to leave for not complying with the safety measures?</p>



<p>&#8220;In addition to these proposed guidelines, I also recommend that we remove our existing guideline of allowing recent-recovered community members from attending a WordPress event <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/28-11-2021-update-on-omicron">since new COVID variants like Omicron are known to cause reinfection</a>,&#8221; Automattic-sponsored WordPress Community Wrangler Hari Shanker said in the proposal.</p>



<p>Laura Byrne urged the Community Team to clearly define this guideline.</p>



<p>&#8220;We are in for a boatload of trouble with the word &#8216;recent,'&#8221; Byrn said. &#8220;In other words, something along the lines of, &#8216;anyone who has tested positive for COVID may not attend a WordPress event until X days after they are no longer testing positive.'&#8221;</p>



<p>Some participants in the discussion see the additional safety measures as an overreach for WordPress events. It&#8217;s easier and more straightforward to recommend organizers stick with local requirements for anything related to health safety. </p>



<p>&#8220;Surely I’m not the only one thinking that the foundation shouldn’t be setting health guidelines at all?&#8221; Cameron Jones said. &#8220;Compliance with local regulations should be the only requirement.&#8221;</p>



<p>The problem with this is that many locations and regions do not have any kind of precautions in place, due to political differences, or are slow in recognizing emerging threats. Lax local guidelines for large gatherings may leave the WordPress community vulnerable to outbreaks.</p>



<p>&#8220;As a WordCamp organizer and speaker, and more personally as a recent cancer survivor and immunocompromised person, State of the Word was a troubling event to observe,&#8221; David Ryan said.</p>



<p>&#8220;Local legal requirements were met, but not proven event practices that eliminated or greatly-reduced positivity rate at larger gatherings in 2021 compared to the results of SOTW (namely, masks and testing). Planning, day-of and response afterwards didn’t inspire confidence this community was prepared to run safer and inclusive events — so this is an encouraging step towards remedying concerns many have expressed.&#8221;</p>



<p>Comments on the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/01/10/proposal-mandatory-safety-measures-for-in-person-wordpress-events-in-2022/">proposal</a> are open until January 22, 2022. The Community team plans to assess the feedback and finalize the updated guidelines in time to publish them to the handbook in early February 2022.</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, 11 Jan 2022 04:27:12 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"Sarah Gooding";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:44;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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: Customizer Will Disappear for Some Block Theme Users With WordPress 5.9";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128089";s:7:"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:207:"https://wptavern.com/customizer-will-disappear-for-some-block-theme-users-with-wordpress-5-9?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=customizer-will-disappear-for-some-block-theme-users-with-wordpress-5-9";s: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:5712:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Nine years ago, the customizer had a rocky start among theme authors and users. Despite this, it has become the standard for modifying the look and feel of a website. Developers have become comfortable with the API. Users have grown accustomed to adjusting colors, fonts, and even internal WordPress options through it. However, it will disappear for many once a block theme is activated.</p>



<p>I began writing this post on the upcoming block-based theme system and site editor. However, I spent so much time explaining the customizer changes that I thought it best to focus on that aspect to let users know their options if they run into a snag.</p>



<p>It is also a follow-up to a <a href="https://wptavern.com/ask-the-bartender-what-happens-to-the-customizer-when-a-block-theme-is-active">post I published in October 2021</a> on the same subject. Since then, some things have changed.</p>



<p>WordPress 5.9 will launch with several of the final components of Full Site Editing. The centerpiece of these features will be a new theme system, which allows themers to build designs entirely out of blocks. Once such a theme is active, users can edit their site&#8217;s front end via the site editor and global styles system.</p>



<p>The site editor is, essentially, the next iteration of what the customizer aimed to do. The difference is that users can now customize every aspect of their site&#8217;s front-end and not just configure the options their theme author made available.</p>



<p>For many block theme users, the disappearance of the customizer will be a non-issue. However, three missing options have no exact equivalent:</p>



<ul><li>A partial site icon (favicon) solution exists but not for every scenario.</li><li>The custom CSS box is not available.</li><li>There is no draft process before switching to block theme.</li></ul>



<p>Technically, the customizer is available via <code>/wp-admin/customize.php</code>. Even though no links to it are shown in the admin, any user with the requisite permissions can access it via that URL. At the very least, the first two issues can be mitigated by editing options in this way. It is not ideal, but it will work in a pinch.</p>



<p>The Site Logo block has a &#8220;use as site icon&#8221; option. This is a quick and easy way to update the logo and favicon via the new site editor, assuming they use the same image.</p>



<img />New “Use as site icon” option.



<p>If they are different images or if the user does not use a logo, the only built-in way to change the site icon directly is through the <code>customize.php</code> URL trick mentioned above. The Site Logo block also adds a link to the customizer option.  Users can also opt for one of the dozens of <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/favicon/">favicon plugins</a>.</p>



<p>A custom CSS solution in core WordPress is unlikely to be reimplemented in the site editor. The global styles panel and per-block design options are the future of styling. This makes many of the most common stylistic tasks much easier for non-coders. In the context of block-based themes, the average user is unlikely to need the CSS editor in the customizer.</p>



<img />Custom CSS section in the customizer.



<p>However, there are situations where custom CSS is necessary. Again, the easy answer is to access <code>customize.php</code> once again. For a more dedicated solution, there are <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/custom+css/">numerous plugins available</a>.</p>



<p>There is currently no solution for live previewing and customizing inactive block themes. With classic ones, users can test customizations before activation. In the customizer, block themes will appear with a warning message.</p>



<img />Theme details with warning about customizer support.



<p>Once a block theme is activated from the customizer, WordPress will return the user to the Appearance &gt; Themes page in the admin. They can then modify their site via the site editor.</p>



<p>However, this can be problematic for some sites. Just about any theme change will mean there is at least some customization work in order, and most people will not want their visitors to see an unfinished site. Working from a dev or staging site before migrating the changes is ideal. However, that option is not always available or even easy to figure out for everyone.</p>



<p>Another solution is to install a <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/maintenance+mode/">maintenance-mode plugin</a> if working on a live site. This way, visitors will at least know some changes are happening under the hood and that they can return later. </p>



<p>There is an open ticket for <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/37201">previewing and editing</a> inactive block themes. As ticket creator Anton Vlasenko wrote as the proposed solution, &#8220;It&#8217;s simple: we need to implement that feature.&#8221;  In the long term, this is a must-have feature.</p>



<p>There is one situation where the customizer will still be accessible via the admin menu and toolbar. WordPress will <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35877">automatically detect</a> when a plugin or theme hooks into the customizer and make links to it available.  I like to think that my first post covering block themes and the customizer <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/30496#issuecomment-948276503">raised awareness</a> of this issue. At the very least, we now have a fix in place.</p>



<p>Assuming there are no other changes in the next two weeks, this is how the customizer will function when paired with an active block theme.</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, 11 Jan 2022 00:22:10 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:45;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:138:"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog #58 – Gutenberg 12.2 and 12.3, WordPress 5.9 RC and DevNotes for Full-Site Editing and Block Themes";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:53:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?post_type=podcast&p=19982";s:7:"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:89:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-58-devnotes-for-full-site-editing/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8312:"<p>Birgit Pauli-Haack and Grzegorz Ziolkowski  talk about WordPress 5.9 release and DevNotes for Full-site Editing and block themes, and  Gutenberg 12.2 and 12.3.</p>



<ul><li>Music:&nbsp;<a href="https://soundcloud.com/xirclebox">Homer Gaines</a></li><li>Editor:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-reed/">Sandy Reed</a></li><li>Logo:&nbsp;<a href="https://markuraine.com/">Mark Uraine</a></li><li>Production:&nbsp;<a href="https://paulisystems.net/wordpress-consulting">Pauli Systems</a></li></ul>



<p><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-58-devnotes-for-full-site-editing#shownotes">Show Notes </a>/ <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-58-devnotes-for-full-site-editing#transcript">Transcript</a></p>



<span id="more-19982"></span>



<p><strong>Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/">Gutenberg Changelog</a>&nbsp;podcast via your favorite podcast apps!</strong><br />🎙️&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/620NwVKQJGdTupy36zYxvg?mc_cid=4b6c9f88fe">Spotify</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ndXRlbmJlcmd0aW1lcy5jb20vZmVlZC9wb2RjYXN0">Google</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gutenberg-changelog/id1469294475">iTunes</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://pca.st/podcast/f8445ec0-7508-0137-f267-1d245fc5f9cf">PocketCasts</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/gutenberg-changelog">Stitcher</a>&nbsp;|<br />🎙️&nbsp;<a href="https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/chi7j-9904a/Gutenberg-Changelog-Podcast">Pod Bean</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://castbox.fm/channel/Gutenberg-Changelog-id2173375">CastBox</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gutenberg-changelog-878239/">Podchaser</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/podcast">RSS Feed</a>&nbsp;</p>



<p class="has-large-font-size" id="shownotes"><strong>Show Notes </strong></p>



<h2 id="listener-questions">Listener Questions</h2>



<p><a href="https://twitter.com/jessicalyschik">Jessica Lyschik</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/jessicalyschik/status/1478785283889971200">Question tweeted</a>)</p>



<p id="paragraph-block-add-font-family-support"><a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/37586">[Paragraph Block] add font family support</a></p>



<p><a href="https://twitter.com/adityakane">Aditya Kane</a></p>



<p>Thank you to Jessica and Aditya for your great questions!</p>



<p class="has-small-font-size">If you have questions about Gutenberg, Block Themes or Full-site Editing, email us changelog@gutenbergtimes.com or DM on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/gutenbergtimes">@gutenbergtimes</a> or WP Slack. </p>



<h2 id="state-of-the-word-videos-and-q-as">State of the Word Videos and Q &amp; As</h2>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.tv/2021/12/15/matt-mullenweg-2021-state-of-the-word/">State of the Word 2021 on WordPress.tv</a></p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.tv/2021/12/15/matt-mullenweg-state-of-the-word-2021-qa/">Q &amp; A after State of the Word on WordPress.tv</a></p>



<p><a href="https://josepha.blog/2022/01/04/state-of-the-word-2021-qa/">Josepha Haden: State of the Word 2021 | Q&amp;A</a></p>



<h2 id="wordpress-5-9-release-devnotes">WordPress 5.9 Release + DevNotes</h2>



<p>About Themes</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/theme-focused-changes-and-filters-in-wordpress-5-9/">Theme-focused changes and filters in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/state-of-the-customizer-with-block-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">State of the Customizer with block themes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/bundled-theme-updates-with-wordpress-5-9/">Bundled theme updates with WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/block-themes-a-new-way-to-build-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Block themes, a new way to build themes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/updates-for-settings-styles-and-theme-json/">Updates for Settings, Styles, and theme.json</a></li></ul>



<p>Block Building and extending Gutenberg</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/new-api-to-access-global-settings-styles/">New API to access global settings &amp; styles</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/miscellaneous-block-editor-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Miscellaneous block editor changes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/28/take-more-control-over-inner-block-areas-as-a-block-developer/">Take more control over Inner Block Areas (as a block developer)</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/"></a><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/">Using multiple stylesheets per block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/13/posts-post-types-and-taxonomy-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Posts, Post types and Taxonomy changes in WordPress&nbsp;5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/locking-blocks-in-wordpress-5-9/">Locking Blocks in WordPress 5.9</a></li></ul>



<p>New Blocks</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/the-new-navigation-block/">The new Navigation block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/08/20/gallery-block-refactor-dev-note/">Gallery Block Refactor Dev Note</a></li></ul>



<p>If you need additional reading or if those are too developer centered for your taste, Birgit collected additional resource to a <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/whats-new-in-wordpress-5-9-a-reading-list-on-full-site-editing-and-block-themes/">Reading List</a> for developers, designers, site builders and content creators. </p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2022/01/wordpress-5-8-3-security-release/">WordPress 5.8.3 Security Release</a> Update Now! </p>



<h2 id="gutenberg-plugin-releases-versions-12-2-and-12-3">Gutenberg Plugin releases versions 12.2 and 12.3</h2>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/">What’s new in Gutenberg 12.2? (22 December)</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-2-focuses-on-user-experience-improvements">Gutenberg 12.2 Focuses on User Experience Improvements</a>.</li></ul>



<p></p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/">What’s new in Gutenberg 12.3? (5 January)</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-3-introduces-new-blocks-design-options-and-a-complete-core-blocks-reference">Gutenberg 12.3 Introduces New Blocks, Design Options, and a Complete Core Blocks Reference</a></li></ul>



<p>What&#8217;s in the Works or Discussed?</p>



<p><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/proposal-changes-to-javascript-coding-standards-for-full-prettier-compatibility/">Proposal: Changes to JavaScript Coding Standards for Full Prettier Compatibility</a></p>



<p><strong>January 17, 2022 8 pm ET / 1:00 am UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href="https://www.meetup.com/BoulderWP/events/282792359">What&#8217;s coming in WordPress 5.9</a></strong> Panel discussion w/ Brian Gardner, Courtney Robertson and Birgit Pauli-Haack via WordPress Meetup Boulder, Co</p>



<p class="has-large-font-size">Stay in Touch</p>



<div class="wp-container-61f191b64fd7a wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
<ul><li>Did you like this episode? <a href="https://lovethepodcast.com/gutenbergchangelog"><strong>Please write us a review </strong></a></li><li>Ping us on Twitter or send DMs with questions. <a href="https://twitter.com/gziolo">@gziolo </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/bph">@bph</a>.</li><li><em>If you have questions or suggestions, or news you want us to include, send them to <a href="mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. </em></li><li><em>Please write us a review on iTunes! <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/itunes/">(Click here to learn how)</a></em></li></ul>



<p class="has-large-font-size">Transcript </p>
</div></div>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 08 Jan 2022 20:00:23 +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:19:"Gutenberg Changelog";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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:150:"Gutenberg Times: Block Template for Custom Post Types, Reading list for WordPress 5.9, Grainy Gradient block and so much more – Weekend edition #198";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=19918";s:7:"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://gutenbergtimes.com/block-template-for-custom-post-type-weekend-edition-198/";s: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:28374:"<p><strong>Happy New Year!&nbsp;</strong>🎆 🙌 🎉🥂</p>



<p>I hope you all had wonderful time over the Holidays and you didn&#8217;t have to work. And if you had to work, that it was quiet time for reflection, catch-up and strategic planning. At Whistler, we encountered -21&nbsp;°C (-5.8&nbsp;°F) weather and this Florida Weather wimp had to put on about 15 pounds (ca. 7 kg) of layered clothes to feel warm enough to go outside. It is easy to forget what Real Winter feels like. I also was pretty amazed how fast one can adapt to anything, given enough time.</p>



<p>After a day and a half, we were ready to head up to the top of the mountain and all the suffering was definitely worth it. Look at the view! </p>



<img />Whistler &#8211; View from the Top (Photo by Birgit Pauli-Haack)



<p>Before I get out of the way of the curated list of fabulous Gutenberg content,  I want to express my wishes for you and the New Year: Good health, stay safe, prosperity, lots of laughter and loads of love for you and yours. </p>



<p>Yours, 💕<br />Birgit </p>



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<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost"><ul><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#block-editor-related-devnotes-for-wordpress-5-9">Block Editor related DevNotes for WordPress 5.9 </a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#gutenberg-plugin-12-2-and-12-3">Gutenberg Plugin 12.2 and 12.3</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#developing-for-gutenberg-and-block-building">Developing for Gutenberg and Block Building</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#updates-for-designers-and-theme-developers">Updates for Designers and Theme Developers</a><ul><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#getting-started-with-block-theme-development">Getting Started with Block Theme development</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#tools-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">Tools for Site Builders and content creators</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#upcoming-wordpress-events">Upcoming WordPress Events</a></li></ul></div>




<p>In the <a href="https://poststatus.com/excerpt/39/"><strong>39th episode of the Post Status Excerpt Podcast</strong></a> guest <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> talked with <strong>David Bisset</strong> about the delay of WordPress 5.9, Automattic, COVID’s impact on contributors, Full Site Editing, and the future of the Customizer.</p>



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<p>There&#8217;s a new <strong>Hallway Chats</strong> episode! <a href="https://hallwaychats.com/episodes/episode-156-a-chat-with-tammie-lister/"><strong>Topher and Cate DeRosia sat with Tammie Lister</strong></a>, Senior Product Designer at XWP, and talked about what it means to be a web designer these days, as well as how Gutenberg and the WordPress editor are changing and growing.</p>



<h2 id="block-editor-related-devnotes-for-wordpress-5-9">Block Editor related DevNotes for WordPress 5.9 </h2>



<p>About Themes</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/theme-focused-changes-and-filters-in-wordpress-5-9/">Theme-focused changes and filters in WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/state-of-the-customizer-with-block-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">State of the Customizer with block themes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/bundled-theme-updates-with-wordpress-5-9/">Bundled theme updates with WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/block-themes-a-new-way-to-build-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Block themes, a new way to build themes in WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/updates-for-settings-styles-and-theme-json/">Updates for Settings, Styles, and theme.json</a></li></ul>



<p>Block Building and extending Gutenberg</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/new-api-to-access-global-settings-styles/">New API to access global settings &amp; styles</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/miscellaneous-block-editor-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Miscellaneous block editor changes in WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/28/take-more-control-over-inner-block-areas-as-a-block-developer/">Take more control over Inner Block Areas (as a block developer)</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/"></a><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/">Using multiple stylesheets per block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/13/posts-post-types-and-taxonomy-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Posts, Post types and Taxonomy changes in WordPress&nbsp;5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/locking-blocks-in-wordpress-5-9/">Locking Blocks in WordPress 5.9</a></li></ul>



<p>New Blocks</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/the-new-navigation-block/">The new Navigation block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/08/20/gallery-block-refactor-dev-note/">Gallery Block Refactor Dev Note</a> </li></ul>



<p>WordPress 5.9 Release Candidate was released on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 and the version is on schedule to be released on January 25, 2022. </p>



<p>If you have a some spare time, <strong>Anne McCarthy </strong>has great instructions and topics on how you can <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/test/2021/11/30/help-test-wordpress-5-9-features/">Help test WordPress 5.9 Features</a>. It&#8217;s a huge release and test can help. </p>



<p><em>A <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/whats-new-in-wordpress-5-9-a-reading-list-on-full-site-editing-and-block-themes/"><strong>full reading list</strong> </a>about the Block editor updates for WordPress 5.9 for developers, site builders and content creators is in the works. <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/whats-new-in-wordpress-5-9-a-reading-list-on-full-site-editing-and-block-themes/">You can start reading here.</a></em><br /></p>




<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>




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<h2 id="gutenberg-plugin-12-2-and-12-3">Gutenberg Plugin 12.2 and 12.3</h2>



<p>Only Gutenberg features and enhancements until version 11.9 made it into the WordPress 5.9 version. Only Bug and UI fixes to existing features of later Gutenberg plugin version were backported to WordPress 5.9 </p>



<p><strong>Anton Vlasenko </strong>published the release notes: <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/">What’s new in Gutenberg 12.2? (22 December)</a>&nbsp;and points out as highlight the following: </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#seamless-navigation-between-the-site-editor-and-the-template-list">Seamless navigation between the Site Editor and the Template List</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#improvements-to-post-comments">Improvements to post comments</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#a-new-home-for-border-controls">A new home for border controls</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#new-font-sizes-in-the-fontsizepicker-component">New font sizes in the&nbsp;<code>FontSizePicker</code>&nbsp;component</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#improved-color-picker">Improved color picker</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/22/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-2-22-december/#preview-for-block-styles-in-the-widget-editor">Preview for Block Styles in the Widget Editor</a></li></ul>



<p>Justin Tadlock gave it a whirl in his post <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-2-focuses-on-user-experience-improvements"><strong>Gutenberg 12.2 Focuses on User Experience Improvements</strong></a>. </p>



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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/luisherranz"><strong>Luis Herranz</strong></a> released Gutenberg 12.3 and published the release notes on January 5th, 2021: <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/"><strong>What’s new in Gutenberg 12.3? (5 January)</strong></a>. </p>



<p>Highlighted PRs are listed as follows. </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/#new-blocks-to-build-with">New blocks to build with</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/#more-controls-to-customize">More controls</a> for Spacer and Group Blocks</li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/#set-your-site-icon-using-the-site-logo-block">Set your site icon using the Site Logo block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/#restrict-navigation-menu-creation-for-non-admin-users">Restrict Navigation Menu creation for non-admin users</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-3-5-january/#core-blocks-reference">Core Blocks Reference</a></li></ul>



<p>The last bullet point references the new Handbook page Core Block Reference and it is a big step forward to a complete and updated documentation of the core blocks. The blocks&#8217; block.json information feeds into this page automatically. </p>



<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> wrote about it in <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-12-3-introduces-new-blocks-design-options-and-a-complete-core-blocks-reference"><strong>Gutenberg 12.3 Introduces New Blocks, Design Options, and a Complete Core Blocks Reference</strong></a></p>



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<p><strong>Grzegorz Ziolkowski</strong> and I recorded the <strong><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-58-devnotes-for-full-site-editing/">58th Gutenberg Changelog</a></strong> episode on Friday, January 7th, 2022. We talk about WordPress 5.9 release and DevNotes for Full-site Editing and block themes, and Gutenberg 12.2 and 12.3. We also, answered listener questions, this time by <a href="https://twitter.com/adityakane">Aditya Kane</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jessicalyschik">Jessica Lyschik</a>. </p>



<h2 id="developing-for-gutenberg-and-block-building">Developing for Gutenberg and Block Building</h2>



<p>For those among us, who still rely on ACF for site data handling, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/Joey_Farruggio">Joey Farruggio</a></strong> built a command line tool to streamline the ACF blocks creation. You can read more about the context and the making of the CLI and what you can delegate to a script. <a href="https://github.com/joseph-farruggio/create-acf-block">The <strong>Create-ACF-Block CLI code</strong> </a>is available on GitHub. </p>



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<p>Speaking of scaffolding blocks, the <strong>official WordPress create-block</strong> received and update, too. Once you are done with developing your plugin, you can automatically assemble the plugin.zip that you can upload to WordPress or share with other users via the plugin directory. Here is a short blog post about it: <a href="https://icodeforapurpose.com/run-plugin-zip-for-create-block/"><strong>Run plugin.zip for create-block</strong></a>. </p>



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<p>In his <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanwelcher/status/1478737187738894339">tweet</a>, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/ryanwelcher">Ryan Welcher</a></strong> pointed to the most recent Block Plugin Checker updates. When you submit your single block plugin to the directory, the Plugin Checker now validates against the block.json schema and also has a check for unique plugin namespaces as well. You can read about the details in this trac ticket: <strong><a href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5303">Block plugin validation tool UI improvements</a></strong>. </p>



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<p>Only tangentially related to the block editor, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/gziolo">Grzegorz Ziolkowski</a></strong> published for the Core JavaScript team a proposal on <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/proposal-changes-to-javascript-coding-standards-for-full-prettier-compatibility/"><strong>Changes to JavaScript Coding Standards for Full Prettier Compatibility</strong></a>. Several contributor and developers have already commented. Let you opinion heard. </p>



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<p>In his post, <a href="https://carlosbravo.blog/2021/01/07/how-advanced-custom-fields-handle-blocks/"><strong>How Advanced Custom Fields handle&nbsp;blocks</strong></a>, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/c4rl0sbr4v0">Carlo Bravo</a></strong>, discusses how you can create blocks with ACF (the plugin Advanced Custom Fields), what advantage is has and what downsides are for the users of such blocks. If you try to decide to invest in learning how to create dynamic blocks or ACF Blocks it&#8217;s a great article to start the process. </p>



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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/CometMarie"><strong>Marie Comet</strong></a> explains in her post <a href="https://mariecomet.fr/en/2021/12/14/adding-options-controls-existing-gutenberg-block/"><strong>Adding options and controls to an existing Gutenberg block</strong></a>, how to extend core blocks with an additional button in its Toolbar or  more option controls in the sidebar. Sometimes extending existing blocks is faster than recreating features via Custom Blocks. </p>




<p><strong><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s main (trunk) branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>



<p><img alt="GitHub all releases" src="https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total" /></p>




<h2 id="updates-for-designers-and-theme-developers">Updates for Designers and Theme Developers</h2>



<p>Apart from the list of developer notes and reading list, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/angelasjin">Angela Jin</a></strong> published a <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/03/proposal-approving-block-pattern-directory-submissions/"><strong>Proposal for Approving Block Patterns Submissions to the directory</strong></a>. If you are a designer, or theme developer it might be interesting for you, and you might have an opinion how submissions should be curated on the official WordPress repository. </p>



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<p>Speaking of the WordPress repository, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/m_munirkamal">Munir Kamal</a> </strong>created his idea of a Theme directory via the Gutenberg Hub: <a href="https://gutenberghub.com/re-imagined-wordpress-themes-directory/"><strong>Re-Imagined WordPress themes directory</strong></a>. I really like the way how themes details on color schema, typography, and block styles can be surfaced to a Theme directory page. Kamal was right when he wrote: &#8220;This makes it much easier to find the theme that’s right for you without having to download and test multiple themes.&#8221; </p>



<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> at the WPTavern also took a look and wrote: &#8220;In the dawn of the block theme era, the WordPress theme directory could use a reimagining.&#8221; <a href="https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-hub-launches-a-block-based-wordpress-theme-directory">The rest of the article is ready for your purusal</a>.</p>



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<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/carolinapoena">Carolina Nymark</a>,</strong> write and developer on Fullsiteediting.com has a tutorial for you on <a href="https://fullsiteediting.com/lessons/creating-block-templates-for-custom-post-types/"><strong>how to use a php template to create a block template for Custom Post Type</strong></a>. Given how often I see the question on what about Custom Post Types, this is a very timely tutorial for Theme Developers. Nymark wrote: &#8220;The main pain point is that people are expecting to be able to create this type of template via the new&nbsp;<strong>Site Editor</strong>&nbsp;interface. This is a reasonable expectation, unfortunately&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/37407">the feature is not complete yet</a>&nbsp;and not included in WordPress 5.9.0.&#8221;. In her post she shows you a viable workaround, that doesn&#8217;t leave you with too much technical debt. </p>



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<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/carlodaniele">Carlo Daniele</a></strong> took a <a href="https://kinsta.com/blog/twenty-twenty-two-theme/"><strong>Deep Dive into Twenty Twenty-Two and WordPress Block Themes</strong></a> for Kinsta. The article describes the upcoming new WordPress default theme, that will be the first default block Theme. Kjell Reigstad and Jeff Ong worked on the design and development. The Theme will come out bundled with WordPress 5.9 </p>



<h3 id="getting-started-with-block-theme-development">Getting Started with Block Theme development</h3>



<p>If you like to get started on block theme development, there are a few choices depending on how you want to learn. </p>



<p>The <strong>Developer Handbook on WordPress.org</strong> hold all the documentation about <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/how-to-guides/themes/block-theme-overview/">Block Themes</a>. You start at the  Overview page, then walk along the <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/how-to-guides/themes/create-block-theme/">Create a Block Theme </a>tutorial to learn more about the templates, template parts, template hierarchy and all necessary files. A primer on theme.json enables you to control the feature set and setting for Global Styles. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Marcus Kazmierczak</strong>&#8216;s Devnote <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/block-themes-a-new-way-to-build-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/"><strong>Block themes, a new way to build themes in WordPress 5.9</strong></a> catches you up on the latest updates. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Another opportunity to is the Twitch live stream series by <strong>Ryan Welcher</strong> and <strong>Daisy Olsen Creating a block-based theme</strong>. <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1254807465?t=00h14m32s">Part 1 is available on Twitch</a>, and will later be posted on  YouTube. The start was a bit wonky with some audio issues that cleared up at the timestamp 14:32. The next session will be next week, Thursday at 10:30 am ET / 15:30 UTC</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>On January 12th, <strong>Daisy Olsen</strong> and <strong>Sarah Snow</strong> present the first installment of another series: &#8220;<a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283103474"><strong>Zero to Block Theme Series: Foundations&#8221;</strong></a> at 1pm ET / 18:00 UTC. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Kelly Choyce-Dwan</strong>, core contributor on the meta team,  takes you along her journey while <a href="https://ryelle.codes/2021/12/switching-to-a-block-based-theme"><strong>switching to a block based theme</strong></a>. She shares with you her process and her challenges and how she overcame them. Choyce-Dwan also surfaced a few things that are bugs and some have already been fixed. She also noticed that there is no way to give buttons or links hover state/colors, and CSS is your fallback. In conclusion, she wrote: &#8220;It was a fun experiment to refresh this site, and I really see the promise of block-based themes for easy site building. It’s a new framework to get used to, and sure there are bumps to work through, but it’s going to be great.&#8221;</p>



<h2 id="tools-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">Tools for Site Builders and content creators</h2>



<p>In her latest YouTube video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5fbGuTdPKw"><strong>Connecting The Dots: Level up with Query Loop</strong></a> block, <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> is showing off a real-world example of the Query Loop block, and she demonstrates how it saves her time. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>In his review <a href="https://wptavern.com/anariel-design-releases-bricksy-its-third-wordpress-block-theme"><strong>Anariel Design Releases Bricksy, Its Third WordPress Block Theme</strong></a>, Justin Tadlock gives Ana Segota, designer at Anariel Designs, and her theme high marks on beauty and versatility. It sports 32 Block patterns and also supports WooCommerce. Certainly, worth checking out. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Alexandra Yap</strong> introduced you to a new feature from the team at Stackable: Their plugins now gives you the option to start your design process directly in the Site editor. <a href="https://wpstackable.com/blog/how-to-wireframe-a-website-using-gutenberg/"><strong>Learn how you can use Gutenberg to wireframe a website.</strong></a> </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Although the block editor can handle Markdown in and of itself, it&#8217;s not the most convenient Markdown editor. The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/markup-markdown/"><strong>MarkUp MarkDown</strong></a> plugin seems to change that although it gives me unwanted flashback to pre-block editor times. In his review, <a href="https://wptavern.com/new-wordpress-plugin-offers-a-markdown-editor-solution"><strong>New WordPress Plugin Offers a Markdown Editor Solution</strong></a> Justin Tadlock, is of other opinion, so it was a worth a read for me. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Speaking of Flashback, read <a href="https://wptavern.com/a-throwback-to-the-past-retro-winamp-block"><strong>A Throwback to the Past: Retro Winamp Block</strong></a> by <strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> on his take on the block plugin that allows you to embed a Winamp player and skin into your 21st-century website.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/phil_webs">Phil Webster</a></strong> created the <a href="https://wptavern.com/a-throwback-to-the-past-retro-winamp-block"><strong>Newspaper Column </strong></a>block, and interesting approach to have this block automatically display text  over three or four columns automatically. It works best with paragraph and lists. Webster also plans to work on Accessible Block Collection to offer additional accessibility features for core blocks and build blocks that are missing for instance an Accordion block.  </p>



<p>As a sidenote, <a href="https://twitter.com/phil_webs/status/1479242474304552960">here</a> is a twitter exchange with Webster about <a href="https://twitter.com/phil_webs/status/1479242474304552960">what is best for the user: Single purpose blocks or bock collections.</a> What has been the better experience been for you? And would you pay for a single block premium plugin? And more. I found it quite insightful. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p>Good news for site owners looking for high-quality block themes: <a href="https://wptavern.com/wp-engine-acquires-brian-gardners-frost-opens-it-to-the-public"><strong>WP Engine Acquires Brian Gardner’s Frost, Opens It to the Public</strong></a> &#8211; now available for free. <strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> has the skinny for you. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p><strong>Kelly Choyce-Dwan</strong> released &#8216;a souped-up Spacer-type block&#8217;. With the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/grainy-gradient-block/"><strong>Grainy Gradient Block</strong></a> plugin end-users can decorate the area with various gradient backgrounds and spruce up their content with interesting forms and color combinations. <a href="https://wptavern.com/decorating-web-pages-with-the-grainy-gradient-block">Justin Tadlock took it for a spin</a> and shared ways he experimented with with the block on the WPTavern.</p>



<img />



<h2 id="upcoming-wordpress-events">Upcoming WordPress Events</h2>



<p><strong>January 12, 2022, 1 pm ET / 18:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283103474"><strong>Zero to Block Theme Series: FoundationsJoin this space</strong></a> via WordPress Social Learning Spaces<br /><br /><strong>January 14, 2022</strong> <strong>1pm ET / 18:00 UTC</strong> <br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283051937/"><strong>Demo: All About Colors with Full Site Editing</strong></a> with Roxy Kohilakis via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 17, 2022 3pm ET / 20:00 UTC</strong><br /><strong><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/282772979">Advanced Layouts with the Block Editor</a></strong> with Wes Theron via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>



<p><strong>January 17, 2022 8 pm ET / 1:00 am UTC</strong> <br /><strong><a href="https://www.meetup.com/BoulderWP/events/282792359">What&#8217;s coming in WordPress 5.9</a></strong> Panel discussion w/ Brian Gardner, Courtney Robertson and Birgit Pauli-Haack via WordPress Meetup Boulder, Co</p>



<p><strong>January 20, 2022 &#8211; 7 pm ET / 00:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/SF-WordPress-Users/events/283096780/"><strong>WordPress &#8220;Mega Meetup&#8221;: Block Patterns, WordPress 5.9</strong></a><br />South Florida WordPress Meetup Group</p>



<p><strong>January 26, 2022, 6:00 pm ET / 23:00 UTC</strong><br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/282773311/"><strong>Intro to Templates and Template Parts (Full Site Editing)</strong></a> with Wes Theron via WordPress Social Learning Spaces</p>




<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />



<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>



<form class="wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait" action="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/" method="post"><div class="ngl-form-container"><div class="ngl-form-field"><label class="ngl-form-label" for="ngl_email">Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class="ngl-form-input"><input type="email" class="ngl-form-input-text" name="ngl_email" id="ngl_email" /></div></div><button class="ngl-form-button">Subscribe</button><p class="ngl-form-text">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class="ngl-message-overlay"><div class="ngl-message-svg-wrap"></div><div class="ngl-message-overlay-text">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type="hidden" name="ngl_list_id" id="ngl_list_id" value="26f81bd8ae" /><input type="hidden" name="ngl_double_optin" id="ngl_double_optin" value="yes" /></form>



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide" />";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 08 Jan 2022 08:50:22 +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: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:47;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:67:"WPTavern: Microsoft Bing Releases New IndexNow Plugin for WordPress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128014";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:179:"https://wptavern.com/microsoft-bing-releases-new-indexnow-plugin-for-wordpress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=microsoft-bing-releases-new-indexnow-plugin-for-wordpress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3501:"<p>In July 2020, Bing <a href="https://wptavern.com/bing-launches-url-submissions-plugin-for-wordpress">released its first official plugin</a> for WordPress that allowed site owners to submit URLS and get their content indexed immediately, instead of waiting for the search engine to crawl the site. The IndexNow API, which <a href="https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/october-2021/IndexNow-Instantly-Index-your-web-content-in-Search-Engines">debuted in October 2021</a>, is the next evolution of the <a>Bing URL submissions API</a>, created by Microsoft Bing and Yandex. </p>



<p>Bing Webmasters has released a new <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/indexnow/">IndexNow plugin for WordPress</a> sites to take advantage of this new protocol. It makes it possible for websites to notify participating search engines whenever content is created, updated, or deleted, so that the site is indexed faster for updated search results. The Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools team anticipates that it will minimize the need for crawling:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>IndexNow is an initiative for a more efficient Internet: By telling search engines whether an URL has been changed, website owners provide a clear signal helping search engines to prioritize crawl for these URLs, thereby limiting the need for exploratory crawl to test if the content has changed. In the future, search engines intend to limit crawling of websites adopting IndexNow.</p><p>IndexNow is also an initiative for a more open Internet: By notifying one search engine you will notify all search engines that have adopted IndexNow.</p></blockquote>



<p>The IndexNow WordPress plugin tracks changes in content and automatically submits the URLS in the background. It comes with a few basic features and configuration options: </p>



<ul><li>Toggle the automatic submission feature.</li><li>Manually submit a URL to IndexNow.</li><li>View list of recent URL submissions from the plugin.</li><li>Retry any failed submissions from the recent submissions list.</li><li>Download recent URL submissions for analysis.</li><li>Status on recent successful and failed submissions</li></ul>



<p>The IndexNow protocol is supported by Microsoft Bing and Yandex. <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-is-testing-the-indexnow-protocol-for-sustainability-375932">Google is testing the protocol</a> to see if it makes sense for a more sustainable approach to indexing the web.</p>



<p>Bing Principal Program Manager Fabrice Canel <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/52900">proposed WordPress core integrate the IndexNow protocol</a> but contributors suggested Microsoft keep it as a plugin until it&#8217;s more widely adopted by major search engines and proves that it has a positive effect on reducing the need for crawling. </p>



<p>&#8220;By releasing this plugin, we aim not only to benefit right away WordPress websites adopting it, but also learn, tweak as needed to someday release IndexNow in WordPress core to benefit all websites and all existing and upcoming search engines adopting IndexNow,&#8221; Canel said on the ticket.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/indexnow/">IndexNow plugin</a> already has 800 active installs but it&#8217;s a long road for Microsoft to prove that its API is effective at streamlining indexing for search engines. If Google agrees to support it after testing, the protocol may gain enough momentum to attract other search engines&#8217; support.</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, 08 Jan 2022 03:14:05 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:61:"WPTavern: Decorating Web Pages With the Grainy Gradient 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:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=128020";s:7:"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:167:"https://wptavern.com/decorating-web-pages-with-the-grainy-gradient-block?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=decorating-web-pages-with-the-grainy-gradient-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:3198:"<p class="has-drop-cap">Yesterday, Kelly Choyce-Dwan released a souped-up Spacer-type block. However, instead of just empty space on the screen, end-users can decorate the area with various gradient backgrounds.</p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/grainy-gradient-block/">Grainy Gradient Block</a> is just the type of plugin that I look forward to tinkering with. It is not complex. It stays in its lane. And, it is just plain fun to use.</p>



<p>The block was inspired by the grainy gradient trend <a href="https://css-tricks.com/grainy-gradients/">touted by CSS-Tricks</a> in 2021. Now, users can use them directly in the WordPress editor.</p>



<p>The plugin&#8217;s single block has four variations, as shown in the following screenshot:</p>



<img />



<p>The variations are:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Default:</strong> Noisy/Grainy texture.</li><li><strong>Horizontal Grain:</strong> Horizontal lines.</li><li><strong>Vertical Grain:</strong> Vertical lines.</li><li><strong>Blob Grain:</strong> An effect similar to lava lamps.</li></ul>



<p>After far too much time attempting new design ideas with the plugin, I finally landed on something that I liked. I pulled a <a href="https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/52761c1391/">sunset image</a> from WordPress Photos by Mark Westguard and used it within a cover block. Then, I applied a couple of different Grainy Gradient blocks over it.</p>



<img />Grainy sunset over a lake.



<p>The goal was to give it an old, worn painting feel. I was happy with how it and several other variations I worked through turned out.</p>



<p>I wanted to see what I could do with some real-world art &#8212; I had paintings on my mind at that point. So, I grabbed a photo of a piece I completed a week or two ago and began anew.</p>



<p>This time, I used a similar process. I wrapped everything in a Cover block and applied a duotone filter over the image. Then, I placed the Grainy Gradient block inside and switched it to the Horizontal Grain variation.</p>



<img />Horizontal grain over an image.



<p>It turned out similar to a poor photocopy of a hand-drawn piece. Essentially, it was better than my original artwork.</p>



<p>Do not let my imagination fool you into thinking this plugin is limited to just a handful of ideas. There are 1,000s upon 1,000s of variations users can create. For example, just dropping it in a column next to a text-heavy section can spruce up a page&#8217;s design a bit:</p>



<img />Blob gradient next to text column.



<p>If I had one request, it would be to add grainy gradient backgrounds to the Group and Cover blocks. Both allow for gradients but not of the <em>grainy</em> variety. The effect is created via an SVG filter, which is how the duotone feature in core works. There seems to at least be some <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35359">appetite for other filter types</a>. Maybe we will see a more broad list of such options in the future.</p>



<p>For now, I think I will continue playing around with Grainy Gradient Block.</p>



<p>The development version of the plugin is also <a href="https://github.com/ryelle/grainy-gradients">available via GitHub</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 08 Jan 2022 00:35:39 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Justin Tadlock";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:49;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s: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:104:"Gutenberg Times: What’s new in WordPress 5.9 – a Reading list on Full-Site Editing and Block Themes.";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=19945";s:7:"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://gutenbergtimes.com/whats-new-in-wordpress-5-9-a-reading-list-on-full-site-editing-and-block-themes/";s: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:12967:"<p><em>Updates: Jan 24th, 2022</em>.</p>



<p>Today, I added the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMoeYcYgrrE">Customizer Video</a> and Jonny Harris Dev Note on the added <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/24/menus-endpoints-in-wordpress-5-9/">REST API Endpoints for Menus</a>. Last week, I added Anne McCarthy&#8217;s post on <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/how-5-9-creates-a-strong-foundation-for-the-future/">How 5.9 creates a strong foundation for the future</a></p>



<p><em>Created: Jan 7th, 2022</em>:<br />WordPress 5.9 Release Candidate 1 was released on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 and the version is on schedule to be released on January 25, 2022.</p>



<p>The WordPress 5.9 release mostly introduces Full Site Editing to WordPress user. It&#8217;s the biggest release since the roll-out of the block editor in December 2018.  The umbrella term Full-site Editing covers a multitude of editing features. </p>



<p>This reading list covers the latest publication of Developer Notes and User Documentation related to the Block Editor. </p>



<ul><li>The <a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#block-editor-related-devnotes-for-wordpress-5-9">DevNotes</a> are for extenders, plugin, and theme developers.</li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#user-documentation-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">End User documentation</a> is for site builders and content creators.</li></ul>



<p>Also, see the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/10/wordpress-5-9-field-guide/"><strong>WordPress 5.9 Field Guide</strong></a> with all DevNotes for the upcoming release. </p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="toolbelt-video-wrapper"></div>
</div><strong>Introduction WordPress 5.9 on WordPress YouTube Channel</strong>



<p><strong>Table of Content</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost"><ul><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#block-editor-related-devnotes-for-wordpress-5-9">Block Editor related DevNotes for WordPress 5.9 </a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#user-documentation-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">User Documentation for Site Builders and Content Creators</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#block-based-themes-ready-for-full-site-editing">Block-Based Themes, ready for Full-Site Editing. </a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#courses">Courses</a></li><li><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#social-learning">Social Learning</a></li></ul></div>



<p>Also don&#8217;t miss Anne McCarthy&#8217;s article on what&#8217;s still in the works for the next version of Full-site Editing and Block themes. </p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content"><a href="https://gutenbergtimes.com/how-5-9-creates-a-strong-foundation-for-the-future/">How 5.9 creates a strong foundation for the future</a></blockquote>
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<p>There were many questions regarding the Customizer after headlines like the Customers will disappear etc. It was a bit disconcerting for people. In this very short video Anne McCarthy tells you all you need to know about the Customizer in WordPress 5.9 </p>



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<h2 id="block-editor-related-devnotes-for-wordpress-5-9">Block Editor related DevNotes for WordPress 5.9 </h2>



<p>About Themes</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/theme-focused-changes-and-filters-in-wordpress-5-9/">Theme-focused changes and filters in WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/state-of-the-customizer-with-block-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">State of the Customizer with block themes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/bundled-theme-updates-with-wordpress-5-9/">Bundled theme updates with WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/block-themes-a-new-way-to-build-themes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Block themes, a new way to build themes in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/updates-for-settings-styles-and-theme-json/">Updates for Settings, Styles, and theme.json</a></li></ul>



<p>Block Building and extending Gutenberg</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/new-api-to-access-global-settings-styles/">New API to access global settings &amp; styles</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/04/miscellaneous-block-editor-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Miscellaneous block editor changes in WordPress 5.9</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/28/take-more-control-over-inner-block-areas-as-a-block-developer/">Take more control over Inner Block Areas (as a block developer)</a> </li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/"></a><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/15/using-multiple-stylesheets-per-block/">Using multiple stylesheets per block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/12/13/posts-post-types-and-taxonomy-changes-in-wordpress-5-9/">Posts, Post types and Taxonomy changes in WordPress&nbsp;5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/08/locking-blocks-in-wordpress-5-9/">Locking Blocks in WordPress 5.9</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/24/menus-endpoints-in-wordpress-5-9/">Menus endpoints in WordPress 5.9</a></li></ul>



<p>New Blocks</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/07/the-new-navigation-block/">The new Navigation block</a></li><li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/08/20/gallery-block-refactor-dev-note/">Gallery Block Refactor Dev Note</a> </li></ul>



<p>Learn more about the progress on performance improvement efforts coming to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/05/wordpress-5-9-performance-improvements/">WordPress 5.9 Performance Improvements</a> </p>



<h2 id="user-documentation-for-site-builders-and-content-creators">User Documentation for Site Builders and Content Creators</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/site-editor/">Site editor</a></strong></p>



<p>It is only available to content creators who are using a Block theme. When you are using the Site Editor, most changes here are made across your entire site.</p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/block-themes/"><strong>Block Themes </strong></a></p>



<p>A block theme is a theme that uses blocks for all parts of a site, including navigation menus, header, content, and site footer.</p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/styles-overview/"><strong>Styles Overview</strong></a>  </p>



<p>This is a new feature in WordPress 5.9 that comes included in&nbsp;Block themes&nbsp;that allows you to customize your site as much as you’d like with different colors, typography, layouts, and more</p>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/navigation-block/"><strong>Navigation block</strong></a></p>



<p>The&nbsp;<em>Navigation Block</em>&nbsp;is an advanced block in WordPress 5.9 that enables you to edit your site’s navigation menu, both in terms of structure and design. The&nbsp;<em>Navigation block</em>&nbsp;can be used with a&nbsp;block theme&nbsp;or a theme that has support for&nbsp;template editing.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/template-part-block/">Template part block</a> </strong></p>



<p>The&nbsp;<em>Template Part block</em>&nbsp;is an advanced block introduced in WordPress 5.9 that can be used with a block theme or a theme that supports&nbsp;template editing.</p>



<p><em>And more&#8230;</em></p>



<ul><li><strong><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/dimension-controls-overview/">Dimension Controls</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/template-editor/"><strong>Template Editor</strong></a></li></ul>



<h2 id="block-based-themes-ready-for-full-site-editing">Block-Based Themes, ready for Full-Site Editing. </h2>



<p>Ready to Test? To date, you&#8217;ll find 34 block Themes already in the WordPress repository that are prepared for Full-Site Editing. </p>



<p>I often get the question: &#8220;What are the few themes you like?&#8221; Here is my list: </p>



<p>I received similar questions at meetup gatherings. Here are the themes of my response.</p>



<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/themes/tove/" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tove by Anders Noren</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/themes/ona/" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ona by DeoThemes</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/themes/clove/" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clove by Anariel Design</a></li></ul>



<p>All three are from trusted theme designers, and were reviewed by Justin Tadlock at the WPTavern.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/tove-a-block-based-wordpress-theme-by-anders-noren" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tove: A Block-Based WordPress Theme by Anders Norén</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/ona-by-deothemes-just-raised-the-bar-for-wordpress-block-theme-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ona by DeoThemes Just Raised the Bar for WordPress Block Theme Design</a></li><li><a href="https://wptavern.com/clove-a-showcase-of-block-patterns-by-anariel-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clove: A Showcase of Block Patterns by Anariel Design</a></li></ul>



<p><strong>Automattic</strong> also published a set of themes, all focused on blogging and writing: </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/quadrat/">Quadrat&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/geologist/">Geologist&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/videomaker/">Videomaker</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/zoologist/">Zoologist</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/seedlet-blocks/">Seedlet Blocks</a>&nbsp;</li></ul>



<p>I am also a huge fan of the first WordPress default block theme, called Twenty-Twenty-Two. Carlo Danielle did a <a href="https://kinsta.com/blog/twenty-twenty-two-theme/"><strong>deep dive into the inner workings</strong></a> for Twenty-Twenty two.  and takes you along for the ride in his post for Kinsta. Designer-developers Kjell Reigstad and Jeff Ong worked on it with other contributors. It will be released with WordPress 5.9. New WordPress site will activate it out of the box. </p>



<p><em>Share in the comments if you find a block-based theme that you like or built. </em></p>



<h2 id="courses">Courses</h2>



<p>At <strong>Learn.WordPress.org</strong> the course <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/course/simple-site-design-with-full-site-editing/"><strong>Simple Site Design with Full Site Editing</strong> </a>is now available online. It&#8217;s part 1 in a series of 2 or 3 courses to come out soon. It&#8217;s free of charge</p>



<p>At <strong>Fullsiteediting.com</strong>, Carolina Nymark, contributor on the WordPress theme team prepared two courses</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://fullsiteediting.com/courses/full-site-editing-for-theme-developers/"><strong>For theme developers</strong></a></li><li><strong><a href="https://fullsiteediting.com/courses/full-site-editing-for-site-creators/">For Site Creators</a></strong></li></ul>



<p></p>



<h2 id="social-learning">Social Learning</h2>



<p>Social Learning events around the new features. Register on Meetup.com</p>



<ul><li>Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 10:00 am (UTC-08:00)<br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283103474"><strong>Zero to Block Theme Series: FoundationsJoin this space</strong></a></li><li>Friday, January 14, 2022, 10:00 am (UTC-08:00)<br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283051937"><strong>Demo: All About Colors with Full Site Editing</strong></a></li><li>Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 3:00 pm (UTC-08:00)<br /><a href="https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/282773311/"><strong>Intro to Templates and Template Parts (Full Site Editing)</strong></a></li></ul>



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<p><strong>Featured Image:</strong> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/17751217@N00/2558304478" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;Mitchell Library, Sydney (#24)&#8221;</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/17751217@N00" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christopher Chan</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/2.0/jp/?ref=openverse&atype=rich" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CC BY-NC-ND 2.0</a> found on <a href="https://wordpress.org/openverse">OpenVerse</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Fri, 07 Jan 2022 21:36:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18:"Birgit Pauli-Haack";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:"type";i:128;s:7:"headers";O:42:"Requests_Utility_CaseInsensitiveDictionary":1:{s:7:"*data";a:8:{s:6:"server";s:5:"nginx";s:4:"date";s:29:"Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:44:07 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:30:07 GMT";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:4:"x-nc";s:9:"HIT ord 1";s:16:"content-encoding";s:2:"br";}}s:5:"build";s:14:"20210104215436";}