WP-Tonic | WordPress | SaaS | Bootstrap SaaS | Startups

In this episode, we look at local development, and how that can help your workflow. What options are there for local development, and what do you do with a local site when it's time to deploy.

We examine why you need a local environment in your workflow, and some choices for getting started.

Our WordPress panel this week:

Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com

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Morten Rand-Hendriksen: https://www.lynda.com/

Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com

Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/

John Locke:  https://www.lockedowndesign.com/

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Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

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Table of Contents for Episode 188

0:00 Podcast intros.

4:08 WordPress News Story #1: Scaling WordPress Image Serving with Tachyon

14:57 WordPress News Story #2: Is The Design Firm an Endangered Species?

28:20 Main Topic: Local Development Environments in WordPress

28:28 Why should you develop locally? What advantages are there by incorporating it into your workflow?

30:50 Use the simplest possible setup for local development when you're getting started.

35:02 The panel has lots of thoughts on different local development setups.

50:28 You should always backup your database when working locally.

57:25 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

Amazon Web Services by Delicious Brains

Design Thinking (IDEO)

Teehan+Lax Partners Join Facebook Design (2015)

Discussion: The Future of the Digital Design Agency (2015)

"Anyone who influences what the design becomes is the designer."

DesktopServer

Installing and Running WordPress: DesktopServer

Migrate DB Pro

Moving WordPress with WP Migrate DB and DB Pro

Local by Flywheel

Bitnami

Mergebot

MAMP & MAMP Pro

XAMPP

Vagrant

Source Tree

Rethink.fm Schedule

WordPress: REST API

East Bay WordPress Meetups

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/188-local-development-environment-wordpress/

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Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

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WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

We sit down to talk with Dusty Davidson, the CEO and co-founder of Flywheel. He tells us how the hosting company got started, early years and growing, what they look for in hiring, their acquisition of Local, and much more.

We also ask Dusty about early years and growing, what they look for in hiring, their acquisition of Local,  and much more.

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Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 187

0:00 Podcast intros.

2:57 How did Flywheel get started? Why they decided to start a hosting company in the first place.

5:39 What gaps in the hosting market was Flywheel trying to fill?

9:06 Some common hosting problems that Flywheel sought to solve. Growing the company using pure hustle and guerrilla marketing.

16:47 What does Flywheel look for when hiring? What challenges have they faced when growing the company?

20:44 As Flywheel grew, who did Dusty look to for advice? How do organizations change as they grow?

23:21 Dusty's early involvement in Silicon Prairie News and the growing tech scene in the Midwest.

30:34 Bootstrapped vs. Venture Capital funded.

32:49 The trend of hosting companies consolidating services by buying other companies and tools. The decision process behind Flywheel purchasing Pressmatic (now Local by Flywheel). Thoughts on GoDaddy acquiring Sucuri.

39:21 Is the future bright for plugin developers? What's the future for themes and plugins? How does this affect the perception of other products in the WordPress space, like hosting?

46:44 What is the future for growth for WordPress the platform?

49:00 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

Silicon Prairie News

One Million Cups

Local by Flywheel

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast-episodes/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

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WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress podcast.

Lee Jackson returns to talk his other company, Event Engine. This is a web agency devoted entirely to website design for conferences, events, and expos.

We look the unique challenges faced by conference website managers, and some great tips for digital marketing for events, expos, and conferences.

Links

Event Engine

The Event & Expo Podcast

Angled Crown

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Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

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Table of Contents for Episode 185

0:00 Podcast intros.

3:29 What made Lee choose events and expos as a vertical? What led to him developing the Event Engine CMS?

6:50 What research went into adding features and modules to the Event Engine CMS? (built on top of WordPress). How did this product evolve?

11:09 How do they get in front of these event companies? What marketing methods work?

13:13 The benefit of publishing content year round for conferences and expos that only happen once a year?

17:07 Why giving away free content year round doesn't hurt ticket sales, but rather helps it. Tools for building a social element on a conference website.

19:40 Using the Facebook Pixel for retargeting and follow-up marketing. You can also do this on Twitter and LinkedIn.

22:39 Tips for marketing in person.

27:09 How Lee decided what to keep and what to turn off by default in the modules of Event Engine. Thoughts on the possibility of modules in WordPress. Backwards compatibility in WordPress.

30:28 Thoughts about WordPress growing the market share, and what it is happening to the market as a result.

37:10 Overcoming design by committee, and how Lee's process has changed over time to smooth this out.

41:22 Working with WordPress with outside apps using the REST API.

43:51 Podcast outros.

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Additional Links mentioned during the show:

BuddyPress

165 WP-Tonic: Mojca Marš – All About Facebook Ads

WP Innovator Podcast

WP Innovator YouTube channel

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/185-event-website-design/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is a WordPress maintenance company, and the publisher of a twice weekly WordPress business podcast.

We look at event management plugins, what they do, and when you will need specific ones. What if you run recurring events? Say you run a once a year event, and need to sell tickets? What if you're a musician or band posting gigs? We give our recommendations for these scenarios and more.

Our WordPress panel this week:

Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com

Kim Shivler: https://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com/

Lee Jackson: https://angledcrown.com/

Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com

John Locke: https://www.lockedownseo.com/

==================

Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 184

0:00 Podcast intros.

3:08 WordPress News Story #1: Advanced WordPress Facebook Group Moves to Curb Low Quality Content with Admin-Approved Posts

11:16 WordPress News Story #2: WordPress Editor Experience Survey Shows 75% of Respondents Don’t Use Distraction-Free Writing Mode

WordPress News Story #3: Recommended Reading: Resilient Web Design, a Free e-Book from Jeremy Keith

25:56 Main Topic: Event Management Plugins

26:12 The Events Calendar

31:05 Lee has a clever tip for creating event listings without a plugin.

35:20 Google Calendar Events

Event Organiser

Event List

Events Manager

39:10 Why you might need an events management plugin in the first place. Your blog is not the proper place for upcoming events!

41:09 Lee's thoughts on Event Espresso and Tickera

44:22 Plugins for bands and musicians: GigPress (recommended) and Gigs Calendar (Not actively maintained)

48:01 The competition isn't other plugins, but online services like Eventbrite.

50:18 Tips about buying tickets or registering with WooCommerce.

56:38 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

Grammarly

WP-Tonic Episode 162: Jeremy Keith on Resilient Web Design

Resilient Web Design

The Web is responsive by default

Getting the Perfect Website (2008)

Event Engine

Event Engine: The Event & Expo Podcast

WooCommerce Simple Registration

Hallway Chats

100k Freelancing: EP 0107 Real World Marketing with John Locke

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/184-wordpress-event-management/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress business podcast.

We look at what a marketing funnel is, and how they can help grow your business. Then we analyze how to build funnels in WordPress, methodologies for building funnels, and moving people down the funnel to close a sale.

At the top of the funnel is awareness, further down the funnel is interest, evaluation, and finally commitment, and closing the sale.

Our WordPress panel this week:

Adam Fout of Blue Steele Solutions

Sallie Goetsch of WP Fangirl

Jonathan Denwood of WP-Tonic

John Locke of Lockedown SEO

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Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

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Table of Contents for Episode 186

0:00 Podcast intros.

3:50 WordPress News Story #1: This (WordPress) community is not for the taking

12:14 WordPress News Story #2: Automattic to Host a Free, Remote Conference on Design and Exclusion on April 21

17:31 WordPress News Story #3: Transparency Report #26 – The Future of ThemeIsle and How Often People Change Themes

24:40 Main Topic: Marketing Funnels

24:44 The top of the funnel: Identifying potential customers and creating an avatar. Finding your target customers. Building awareness for people that they even have a problem that needs solving in the first place.

32:41 Other means of lead generation. Doing off-site and on-site marketing to build awareness. Moving from a generalist position to a vertical over time.

40:07 Lead nurturing:  email marketing, reaching out to engaged prospects, looking at data, measuring engagement. Picking up the phone is still effective.

43:21 Establishing your niche. Following up with referrals, and communicating with the people who send you send referrals and inquiries.

47:57 Lead nurturing by focusing your content, curating similar content, and having a consistent newsletter. Great content is table stakes.

51:11 Comparison and consideration. Strategies for overcoming objections. Your proposal shouldn't be a pitch, but things you have already agreed on.

57:25 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

)The Art of Paid Traffic Podcast (Rick Mulready

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHE0wmgljco8 Mile Final Battle

The Ultimate Customer Persona Template

East Bay Meetup

Five ways your auto body shop can bring in more work (Go Daddy Garage)

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast-episodes/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

Tom is a self-employed WordPress developer and a top contributor to the WordPress development community. Tom also runs a small business called Pressware, that builds web applications, sites, themes, plugins, and more – using WordPress.

He also works as the Tuts+ Code editor where he is responsible for overseeing all of the Web Development and CMS content that’s published via Envato.

You can find a lot of Tom’s open source work both in the WordPress Plugin Repository as well as on GitHub (though some of it’s quite old and outdated so be mindful of the dates in the repository). Tom tries to keep as many repositories as updated as possible, but contracts and clients come first, so those projects take a backseat.

TomMcFarlin.com

https://tommcfarlin.com/

Pressware

https://pressware.co/

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Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb and Beaver Builder.

Our first sponsor this week is Beaver Builder. What sets Beaver Builder apart from their competition is their thriving community, top-notch-support, and third-party ecosystem. The Beaver Builder 2.0 UI and Beaver Themer are also right around the corner. If you've been on the fence about using a page builder, now might be the time to give Beaver Builder a try.

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Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

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Table of Contents for Episode 183

0:00 Podcast intros.

4:04 How did Tom first get into web development?

7:50 What initially attracted Tom to the WordPress ecosystem?

14:12 Where did the decision to blog daily come from, and what impact did that have on Tom's career?

21:21 Where does Tom's passion for code quality come from? Is the WordPress ecosystem getting better at quality development?

29:04 WordPress is not the new hotness, but it is reliable and stable.

34:40 Thoughts on telemetry in 2017.

40:36 How the WordPress UI may evolve in 2017.

44:01 Quick thoughts on e-commerce and WordPress.

46:51 Podcast outros.

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/183-tom-mcfarlin/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress podcast.

In the world of web design and development, there is a divide between designers and developers. Many agencies have figured out how to bridge this communication gap, but many people out there don't know how to speak the language of the other side.

In this episode, we look at some of the communication issues that come up regularly, and how to solve them. We examine how our own processes for working with others has evolved over time. Lastly, we attempt to answer the question, "Should designers learn to code?" an ask a new question, "Should developers learn design?"

Every Friday at 9am PST we have a round-table discussion which combines the latest WordPress news with one main discussion topic. This week's main topic was “Collaborating with a Designer / Developer.” You can find a list of this months upcoming live recordings on the WP-Tonic's website.

https://www.wp-tonic.com/blab/

Our WordPress panel this week:

Nick Meagher: http://byprimer.co/

Morten Rand-Hendriksen: http://mor10.com/

Kim Shivler: https://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com/

John Locke: Lockedown SEO

Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com

==================

Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 182

0:00 Podcast intros.

2:25 WordPress News Story: The End of 80/20 and the Future of WordPress

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-8020-future-wordpress-morten-rand-hendriksen

22:21 Main Topic: Collaborating with a Designer or Developer

22:24 How did Nick find a process with his design partner, Hunter?

25:08 What sort of discussions are had about wireframes, and what each design component does?

26:21 Kim's experiences with corporate teams and cutting through the jargon, to find a common ground.

29:53 Morten's process at Pink and Yellow Media for designing and building a site.

35:50 John's experiences with working with designers, and how his process has changed over time.

37:57 Should designers learn to code? Should developers learns to design?

51:20 How do you find a good partner to complement your respective skills?

59:26 Podcast outros.

1:02:13 Bonus content.

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/182-working-web-designer/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

Jonathan Courtney is a UX designer and Product Strategist. He runs the cheeky design blog, UX Messiah. Originally from Ireland, Jonathan moved to Berlin and co-founded the UX Design agency AJ&Smart in 2011.

AJ&Smart has worked with some of the largest brands on the planet, including the UN, eBay, Lufthansa, and Zalando.

In this insightful interview, Jonathan talks about how he got into UX, what is broken in most agencies design process, and how AJ&Smart uses design sprints to get a high-fidelity prototype in the client's hands in less than a week.

Jonathan Courtney - UX Designer

http://jonathancourtneyux.com/

AJ&Smart on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ajsmartdesign/

==================

Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 181

0:00 Podcast intros.

2:40 How user experience has evolved over the last ten years, and how Jonathan defines UX.

4:15 Design thinking and how it has influenced UX.

6:29 How AJ&Smart innovated their design process with design sprints.

10:20 Why personas and user research failed where design sprints succeeded with AJ&Smart.

12:50 "Planning is guessing".

13:41 Taking an idea to a nigh-fidelity prototype quickly.

18:47 The collaborative effort that goes into storyboarding an app or a site.

24:01 Why getting to market quickly is better for iteration.

26:52 Every company HAS to have great UX and UI, where 10 years ago, this wasn't the case.

29:07 It's all about the process.

31:29 Metaphors in UX, and how previous conventions, and platform-specific design patterns influence UX decisions.

34:38 Thoughts on major refreshes on apps that millions that people use.

38:40 Does the physicality of a device influence how people use it, and how the design takes shape?

42:59 Are we  heading to a place where templated design puts us out of a job? What should you be focusing on if you are a UX designer?

45:20 "Solve problems, then decorate". The future is now when it comes to the ever-increasingly connected web.

48:28 Digital products are becoming formless.

49:36 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

United Nations: Increasing food donations with design sprints

The Lean Startup

Are We Hitting "Peak Design"?

Instagram’s big redesign goes live with a colorful new icon, black-and-white app and more (2016)

===================

Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/181-jonathan-courtney-ux-design/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance company, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress podcast.

WordPress development involves PHP, HTML, CSS, JS, MySQL – but what if you don’t know what any of this even means yet? Where do you go to learn WordPress if you’re still a beginner?

This week, we look at WordPress for beginners. We have covered tons of resources for learning WordPress as a complete beginner.

Our WordPress panel this week:

Bridget Willard: https://bridgetwillard.com/

Kim Shivler: https://whiteglovewebtraining.com/

Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/

John Locke: Lockedown SEO

==================

Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 180

0:00 Podcast intros.

2:32 WordPress News story #1: WordPress Plugin Directory Redesign: Why So Many People Feel Their Feedback Was Ignored

12:05 WordPress News story #2: What motivates WordPress spammers?

In-Depth Analysis of a Criminal Organization Targeting WordPress Websites

30:48 Main Topic: Learning WordPress as a Beginner

30:58 "If you want to be useful to WordPress, you have to know how to build websites without WordPress". - Quote by @mor10

36:09 Getting people comfortable with WordPress before throwing them in deeper water. How Bridget used immersion techniques to learn WordPress.

42:11 Why aren't there more apprenticeships in web development?

43:37 Resources for learning WordPress.

1:07:05 Podcast outros

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Links mentioned during the show:

Give - A WordPress Donation Plugin

Treehouse

CSS-Tricks

WPShout - Up and Running

W3Schools

Digging Into WordPress

WordPress Training and Tutorials on Lynda.com

Designing with Web Standards

The #ASKGARYVEE Audiobook Ch. #17: Self Awareness

The WP Crowd

WPwatercooler

WordPress Essentials Course – (Online starting April 19th, 2017)

Flexbox Froggy

Hello Dolly

WP Beginner

WP101

WordPress Codex

WordPress.tv

CSS Zen Garden

WordPress Training - OS Training

WordPress is not easy, and that's OK

WordPress: Harder Than You Think

Inspect Element in Firefox, Chrome, or IE

Easy WP Guide

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

WP-Tonic #180: WordPress For Beginners

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a twice weekly podcast for WordPress professionals.

In this episode, we talk about the history of WPShout, and we also get deep in connected to WordPress development and discuss the best ways a newbie WordPress developer can increase their skill level.

The crew from WPShout (Fred Meyer, David Hayes, Alex Denning) joins us to talk running a WordPress tutorial site, the state of WordPress education, how WPShout supports their agency Press Up.

We also discuss the re-launch of their course, Up and Running: A Practical Guide to WordPress Development.

Be sure to check out their boutique WordPress agency, Press Up.

==================

Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting.

Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.

==================

Table of Contents for Episode 179

0:00 Podcast intros.

2:52 How did each of the WP Shout members get into web development?

5:51 What is the origin story for WPShout?

9:40 Is there value in having a voice in the WordPress ecosystem, even if it doesn't bring in work directly?

11:41 What was the initial business plan for WPShout? And how did that change over time?

14:34 Is there still a big need for WordPress education?

17:01 What effect has concentrated marketing had on the recent success of WPShout?

18:47 When it comes to marketing their agency Press Up, what has changed over the years?

22:24 What are the key ares that beginners struggle with to learn WordPress? Understanding scope and other programming concepts.

34:24 How is JavaScript changing WordPress? Will PHP remain relevant in WordPress? How do JS frameworks integrate in WordPress?

41:52 What are some things WPShout would like to see covered in WordPress education? Who do they recommend?

48:00 Podcast outros.

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Links mentioned during the show:

WP Hacks

How to Migrate your Site to a New Host with All-in-One WP Migration

Data From Theme Reviews Shows Authors Need More Education on Developing Secure WordPress Themes

Carl Alexander: The Man in the Arena

Josh Pollock on Torque.io

JavaScript for WP

Making Your First WordPress Plugin

Engine Hounds

WordPRess REST AI - Josh Pollock

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Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:

https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/179-monetize-website-wpshout/

===================

Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2

===================

WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.