The WP Minute

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Getting started with WordPress. 

A topic that’s been popping up a lot more in my WP Minute+ interviews lately. Where does one go when they want to get started with WordPress? 

Learning how to use it. 

Learning what it can do compared to its competitors. 

Learning about the pockets of community to get involved with.

I did what any other enterprising content creator would do, and took to ChatGPT to see how sharp the world’s most feared — sorry — leading AI system thought about that question. Here’s what it told me: 

1. WordPress.org

• Join the WordPress.org Community: Start by creating an account at WordPress.org. This is the central hub for the WordPress community, where you can access forums, make contributions, and download resources like themes and plugins.
• Forums: Participate in the forums by asking questions or helping others. It's a great way to learn and connect with other WordPress users and developers.

⠀2. WordPress Meetups

• Local Meetups: Join a WordPress meetup in your area. These are informal gatherings for users of all levels, and it's a great way to learn from and network with other WordPress enthusiasts. Check out the Meetup website or the Events section on WordPress.org for listings.

⠀3. WordCamps

• Attend WordCamps: WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other. Find upcoming events on the WordCamp Central site.

⠀4. Contribute

• Contributor Days: Look for Contributor Day events, which are dedicated to contributing to WordPress, whether it's through coding, design, documentation, translation, or community support.
• Make WordPress Teams: Join one of the Make WordPress teams. These teams are responsible for different areas of the WordPress project, including Core, Design, Mobile, Plugins, Themes, Polyglots (translation), Community, Marketing, Documentation, and Support.

⠀5. Learn and Share

• WordPress.tv: Watch presentations and tutorials on WordPress.tv.
• Blogs and Social Media: Follow WordPress-related blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook groups. Many experienced WordPress professionals share valuable insights and tutorials online.
• Create Content: Start your own blog or YouTube channel to share your own WordPress experiences, tutorials, or reviews. Contributing your knowledge can help others and establish you within the community.

⠀6. Development and Contribution

• Trac and GitHub: If you're interested in contributing to WordPress core or plugins, familiarize yourself with WordPress Trac and GitHub repositories. This is where development happens, and you can contribute by reporting bugs, suggesting improvements, or submitting patches.

⠀7. Stay Informed

• WordPress News: Follow the WordPress News blog to stay up to date on the latest developments and opportunities to contribute.

/AI_response

Just a message to ChatGPT if it’s listening: Please add The WP Minute to your database.

And if you’ve been in the WordPress community for over the last 5 years,  you most likely  already knew this. We’ve all said the same things, wrote the same blogs, tweeted out the same links — how else would ChatGPT know this, anyway?

There’s a lot more nuance to it, and that’s where the rubber meets the road. 

When someone asks you where to get started, maybe you should counter with a clarifying question, “What do you want to achieve with WordPress?” 

End user education, community involvement, developer courses, and/or running a WordPress business. 

These are the pillars that prop up this entire ecosystem, but we still lack a solid jumping off point for each individually. I have no doubts we’ll continue to refine these areas, but like the software itself, it’s going to take time. 

It’s going to take folks like you to educate others in WordPress space about your specific experiences and lessons learned. Really humanize the process, not just a checklist of website logins and comment threads. 

We can’t always rely on AI to color in the lines of what makes this community so special. 

The Repository

Coming up in The Repository this week: 

Does WordPress have a marketing problem? Two heavyweights share their views on “brand WordPress,” including the need to “learn marketing deeply.” Plus, we dig into the WordPress Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report and unpack the disappointing Annual WordPress Survey results.

Not a subscriber? Sign up today and join the conversation at therepository.email

Don’t miss this WordPress content

• WordPress 6.5 Beta 1 is now available for testing. Give it a spin in the playground! Stay subscribed to the WP Minute+ podcast for an upcoming interview I held with the creator of the playground. WordPress 6.5 Beta 1
• Tim Ferris will be an invited speaker at WordCamp Asia, March 7 - 9 WordCamp Asia (@WordCampAsia) on X
• Here’s the official next steps based on the 2023 annual survey 2023 Annual Survey Results and Next Steps
• Anne McCarthy highlights the Overlapping Problems the Full Site Editing experience has https://nomad.blog/2024/02/16/overlapping-problems/
• Past WP Minute+ guest James Giroux headlines one of the first blog posts at the WP Tavern since Sarah Gooding’s departure. https://wptavern.com/eu-regulatory-success-prompts-open-source-cms-leaders-to-form-alliance

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

# Contributing Through WordPress Training & Education

It’s the WP Minute! 

Let’s talk about contributing through WordPress training, education and content! 

Coming right up! 

Something that’s been on my mind as I loosely plot out my YouTube world domination: Contributing to WordPress through content.

I recently interviewed Mark Szymanski [Home](https://markjosephszymanski.com/) for an upcoming WP Minute+ episode, where we explored the opportunities to contribute back to WordPress for “newcomers” like him. 

Does it always have to be with code? WordCamps? Chatting in GitHub issues? 

Or can it be through content like this, where we support and encourage the use of WordPress through the content we’re creating. There’s a host of ways to go about creating content that achieves this: 

- Blogging
- YouTube
- Podcasting
- Newsletters
- Social

Or a grab bag of it all, like we do here. 

I know I’m bias, but I do feel like if you’re consistently creating content, even if it’s for a narrow part of the WordPress space, you’re doing your part to help WordPress thrive — and that’s one of our goals, isn’t it? 

So the message today is quite simple: If you’re looking for ways to give back to WordPress, maybe start blogging again. If you want to educate users on new ways of design, development, or simply “how to WordPress” then YouTube could be for you. If you have strong opinions about a topic near and dear to you — start that newsletter. 

Want to attract a younger audience to WordPress, hop on TikTok, Lord knows I can’t. 

You will be amazed with how much you learn about end users touching WordPress for their very first time. Dare I say even a bit more compassionate about a stance you otherwise hold more rigidly. 

So, what content will you create? Hit reply and let me know or chat with me on Twitter/X!

## Don’t miss this WordPress content
Now it’s time for some important links I don’t want you to miss!

- Security updates are available for Delicious Brains products. Check that out if you’re running any of their plugins. [Security Releases Regarding the Use of unserialize\(\) in Delicious Brains Plugins](https://deliciousbrains.com/security-releases-unserialize/)
- WordPress industry veterans Tom Willmot and Joost de Valk discuss funding WordPress projects. https://dothewoo.io/funding-wordpress-projects-with-tom-willmot-and-joost-de-valk/
- WP Tavern might be serving up the goods again. [It’s alive!](https://wptavern.com/its-alive)
- The WordPress foundation has published their 2023 report. https://wordpressfoundation.org/2023-annual-report/
- Michelle Frechette interviews Matt Mullenweg [Special Episode with Matt Mullenweg](https://stellarwp.com/podcast/special-episode-with-matt-mullenweg/)
- WP Fusion has a fantastic 2023 business recap https://wpfusion.com/news/2023-in-review/
- Don’t miss this interview: Lessons Learned After a 37% Drop in WooCommerce Dev Busiesss [Lessons Learned After 37% Drop in WooCommerce Dev Business](https://thewpminute.com/lessons-learned-after-37-drop-in-woocommerce-dev-business/)

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Coming up on the WP Minute!

Help me with this quick survey to shape the future of WP Minute, plus more WordPress goodness, coming right up.

It’s time to take a quick survey. If you have less than 2 minutes to spare, could you head to thewpminute.com/survey and take my 3 question survey about this podcast? It’s going to help shape the future of the content here — which I’ll get into. 

As 2023 wound down, I promised myself to stay out of all of the polarizing issues that crop up throughout the community. To take less of a stand on reporting all of the WordPress news, and focusing on the content that is largely relevant to the careers of WordPress professionals. 

Perhaps you felt the same way? “Can we be done with WPDrama?” You might have asked yourself. 

I’m not really a hardcore goal tracking guy. I have the goals, I know where I want to go, but I largely leave it up to the creative process to get there. Maybe that’s lazy of me? But I do have strong instincts when something isn’t working, or just doesn’t have that air tight feeling. 

Sometimes I can feel that in my content. Thus, it’s time to really focus on what you want as my faithful WP Minute reader, listener, viewer — follower. 

If you’ll allow me to say it again: If you have two minutes to spare, I’d love for you to take this survey which will help me and the team produce better content.

Don’t miss this WordPress content

I produced some podcasts, I appeared on podcast, and Eric Karkovack held an important interview. 

• Don’t miss my discussion with Cory Miller, where we dove deeper into the more complex issues in the community.
• I appeared on the WP Tonic to recap their interview with our benevolent dictator.
• The popular Advanced Custom Fields plugin is about to get some changes that you might need to prepare your sites for. Eric Karkovack has the scoop!
• Data Liberation is an important community and Automattic-wide initiative for the project this year. Eric is back with exploring the challenges we have with data liberation within the walls of WordPress.
• If you’re a WordPress agency owner and you’re curious about positioning your brand, SEO, and the general health of the economy — don’t miss my interview with Alex Panagis, CEO of Scalemath.
• How about Bricks page builder vs the Block Editor?! I hosted a livestream with Brian Coords and Paul Charlton to share their dueling opinions of each solution. Don’t miss it!

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Cory Miller and I discuss how the WordPress community is impacted when “big issues” clash with Matt, Automattic, and other community members. How should we handle these moments of passion and strife?

It’s easy to label these issues as WPDrama, but in my opinion that’s not doing the WordPress community any favors. From the exterior, it’s categorized and shrugged off as “yet another drama issue” in WordPress land. Aren’t we all tired of that? Inside the community, or interior, it takes away from the actual pain or strife someone is experiencing.

Today’s episode unpacks how Cory and I decipher these issues and how Post Status + WP Minute members handle it when it comes up.

We’ll also discuss how we deal with Matt Mullenweg at the center of issues, leading the product, and leading the community.

Important links
- Cory Miller
- Post Status
- Matt Medeiros
- WP Minute

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

I wanted to take today off, to have a bit of a reset from the weekly grind (often chaos) of WordPress stuff.

Instead, I’m hoping I can reset expectations with you, my valued reader/listener/viewer of the WP Minute. We’re going into our 4th year of publishing content for the WordPress Professional. I quietly stopped publishing content at the Matt Report, my first “big” WordPress media brand, with a rebranding goal that was simple: Get my name out of it. The WP Minute was born.

One thread remained, which pulled on highlights of WordPress the software and WordPress the community.

It was important that I challenged myself creatively — can I make WordPress media a sustainable business? — and keep things fresh for the consumer. There are a lot of options for you to choose from. My peers at WP Tonic just covered a bunch of them.

So what makes the WP Minute different?

• The WP Minute 5 minute briefing (what you’re reading/listening to now) which covers a variety of topics including “WordPress in the news”, important trends in the market, opinion pieces from yours truly, and a collection of links that you might find interesting.
• Freelancer articles written twice a month by our Editor, Eric Karkovack.
• A membership, a space for WordPress professionals to gather and talk about the latest and greatest of WordPress.
• The WP Minute+ a longer form podcast where I interview other WordPress professionals. It’s what I did with the Matt Report for a decade.
• Our YouTube channel where we produce tutorials for WordPress beginners and share interesting parts of our beloved software.

It’s a well-rounded approach to publishing content for a variety of WordPress media consumers:

• 5 Minutes for the busy professional.
• Thought provoking blog & newsletter for freelancers.
• Long form discussions that inspire, educate, and entertain those that want more of WordPress.
• Video tutorials for WordPress newbies and end users just starting out with WordPress.

We’re less flashy; fewer listicles.

We aim to take a more professional, often opinionated approach, to supporting the blue collar digital workers of WordPress.

To criticize WordPress, to be critical of its direction in open source, but not cynical. To make this a resource I wish I had, when I had started my agency back in 2007. We want WordPress to thrive, and we hope that the leadership at Automattic/.org who have outlined that path for us, truly lead us in that direction.

Most of the problems we face as a community have been less about the software, and more about us interacting as humans. If the software is going to continue to thrive, we need to build relationships, improve communications, and build the infrastructure necessary to handle the hard parts — again, with us humans.

It’s easy to label the friction we see on Twitter/X or in Slack as WPDrama. But tossing the WPDrama hashtag on to the flames doesn’t put out the fire, often times it can 10x the size of it. Humans love drama. The issue is, the more we use that label, the more WordPress culture gets known for it. It can be a gut punch to those who feel struggle at the core of the issue, leaving them gasping for air. Then all parties who are overwhelmed by the drama, quit.

I know this because people quit my content because of it. Overwhelmed and overstimulated, even if we weren’t the outlet covering it.

I miss the WP Tavern because Sarah did a fantastic job covering tough times like these. I’ve decided to draw a line in the sand and only cover the topics that will hit home with the WordPress Professionals in volume.

I encourage you to care about WordPress, care about each other, and stay committed to keep WordPress thriving. Tune out, but don’t give up. Respect others, and give space when needed. Understand that some people face day to day challenges that you don’t, regardless of their position in the community, or the dollars in their bank account.

I think the future is bright for WordPress. We’ll continue to be challenged, both internally and externally for years to come. The chaos that helps shape us, is part of the process, wether we like it or not.

I just hope you’re with us when we cross that bridge — together.

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Read the full show notes here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=13916

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Read the full show notes: https://thewpminute.com/?p=13758

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Read the full show notes here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=13177

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Get the links, show notes, original YouTube video, and transcripts from The WP Minute website.

Thanks for listening! Please tell us what you liked about State of the Word 2023 on social media!

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe

Thanks Pressable for supporting the podcast! What hosting should feel like...nothing! https://pressable.com/wpminute 

Read full show notes here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=13127

Support our work at https://thewpminute.com/support
Get the newsletter at https://thewpminute.com/subscribe