J.J. Toothman

Episode Highlights:The Growth of Lone Rock Point [00:00:32] JJ discusses the growth of his agency, Lone Rock Point, from 4-5 people in spring 2020 to 16 people now.Remote-first Approach [00:02:29] JJ talks about adopting a remote-first organizational structure from the beginning and how they didn't miss a beat when the pandemic hit in 2020.Focus on Public Sector and NASA [00:04:02] JJ explains his background in government contracting and how his agency focuses on working with the public sector, particularly in the federal level, including clients like NASA.The federal government ecosystem [00:11:29] Discussion on the ecosystem and governance of federal government agencies, including guidance and policies.Starting Lone Rock Point [00:13:39] JJ's decision to start his own agency after exploring side hustles and feeling the desire to be more entrepreneurial.Niching down to WordPress [00:18:25] The growth and success of Lone Rock Point after focusing on WordPress as their main service offering.Topic 1: Using WordPress as a Content Management System [00:22:17] Discussion on using WordPress as a content management system and adapting WooCommerce for check payments.Topic 2: WordPress and the Public Sector [00:22:58] Exploration of using WordPress in the public sector, particularly in government agencies like NASA, for managing and publishing content.Topic 3: Web Modernization Project with NASA [00:28:26] Overview of a web modernization project with NASA, including evaluating different CMS options and deciding to invest in WordPress.The SEO and Accessibility Tools in WordPress [00:32:35] Discusses the real-time analysis tools in WordPress for SEO and accessibility, such as Yoast, and how they differentiate it from other CMS platforms.The Resources and Knowledge Sharing in the WordPress Community [00:34:57] Explains the abundance of resources, knowledge sharing, and community support available in the WordPress ecosystem compared to other CMS platforms.The Importance of Open Source and User Experience in WordPress [00:37:11] Highlights the significance of open source adoption in the public sector and how WordPress's user experience and inclusivity differentiate it from commercial solutions.🙏 Sponsor: GoDaddy ProManage your clients, websites, and tasks from a single dashboard with GoDaddy Pro. Perform security scans, backups, and remote updates to many sites on any host. Check up on site performance, monitor uptime and analytics, and then send reports to your clients. GoDaddy Pro is free — and designed to make your life better. 🔗 Mentioned in the show:Lone Rock PointWordPress NASAAutomatticWordPress VIPFedRAMPWordPress Agency Partnership ProgramRaytheonNasa Ames Research Center"Recoding America" by Jennifer PalkaWooCommerceWikisTicketflyIntegrated Digital Experience ActDrupalAdobe Experience ManagerWagtailContentfulGutenbergAtomic Design SystemYoastWordPress pluginsStack Overflow🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:JJ Toothman (Owner, Lone Rock Point)Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><strong>Episode Highlights:</strong></p><p>The Growth of Lone Rock Point [00:00:32] JJ discusses the growth of his agency, Lone Rock Point, from 4-5 people in spring 2020 to 16 people now.</p><p>Remote-first Approach [00:02:29] JJ talks about adopting a remote-first organizational structure from the beginning and how they didn't miss a beat when the pandemic hit in 2020.</p><p>Focus on Public Sector and NASA [00:04:02] JJ explains his background in government contracting and how his agency focuses on working with the public sector, particularly in the federal level, including clients like NASA.</p><p>The federal government ecosystem [00:11:29] Discussion on the ecosystem and governance of federal government agencies, including guidance and policies.</p><p>Starting Lone Rock Point [00:13:39] JJ's decision to start his own agency after exploring side hustles and feeling the desire to be more entrepreneurial.</p><p>Niching down to WordPress [00:18:25] The growth and success of Lone Rock Point after focusing on WordPress as their main service offering.</p><p>Topic 1: Using WordPress as a Content Management System [00:22:17] Discussion on using WordPress as a content management system and adapting WooCommerce for check payments.</p><p>Topic 2: WordPress and the Public Sector [00:22:58] Exploration of using WordPress in the public sector, particularly in government agencies like NASA, for managing and publishing content.</p><p>Topic 3: Web Modernization Project with NASA [00:28:26] Overview of a web modernization project with NASA, including evaluating different CMS options and deciding to invest in WordPress.</p><p>The SEO and Accessibility Tools in WordPress [00:32:35] Discusses the real-time analysis tools in WordPress for SEO and accessibility, such as Yoast, and how they differentiate it from other CMS platforms.</p><p>The Resources and Knowledge Sharing in the WordPress Community [00:34:57] Explains the abundance of resources, knowledge sharing, and community support available in the WordPress ecosystem compared to other CMS platforms.</p><p>The Importance of Open Source and User Experience in WordPress [00:37:11] Highlights the significance of open source adoption in the public sector and how WordPress's user experience and inclusivity differentiate it from commercial solutions.</p><p>🙏 Sponsor: <a href="https://poststat.us/godaddypro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GoDaddy Pro</a></p><p>Manage your clients, websites, and tasks from a single dashboard with GoDaddy Pro. Perform security scans, backups, and remote updates to many sites on any host. Check up on site performance, monitor uptime and analytics, and then send reports to your clients. GoDaddy Pro is free — and designed to make your life better.</p><p> </p><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3><ul><li><a href="https://lonerockpoint.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lone Rock Point</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress </a></li><li><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA</a></li><li><a href="https://automattic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Automattic</a></li><li><a href="https://wpvip.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress VIP</a></li><li><a href="https://www.fedramp.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FedRAMP</a></li><li><a href="https://wpvip.com/partners/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress Agency Partnership Program</a></li><li><a href="https://www.rtx.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raytheon</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/ames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nasa Ames Research Center</a></li><li><a href="https://www.recodingamerica.us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Recoding America"</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/pahlkadot?lang=bn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jennifer Palka</a></li><li><a href="https://woocommerce.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WooCommerce</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikis</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ticketfly</a></li><li><a href="https://digital.gov/resources/21st-century-integrated-digital-experience-act/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Integrated Digital Experience Act</a></li><li><a href="https://www.drupal.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drupal</a></li><li><a href="https://business.adobe.com/products/experience-manager/sites/aem-sites.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adobe Experience Manager</a></li><li><a href="https://wagtail.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wagtail</a></li><li><a href="https://www.contentful.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Contentful</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gutenberg</a></li><li><a href="https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/chapter-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Atomic Design System</a></li><li><a href="https://yoast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yoast</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress plugins</a></li><li><a href="https://stackoverflow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stack Overflow</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/jjtoothman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JJ Toothman</a> (Owner, <a href="https://lonerockpoint.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lone Rock Point</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Post Status Draft – The WP Agency Journey With J.J. Toothman Of Lone Rock Point

Rob Cairns

Top Takeaways:Website Security and Budgeting: Businesses must prioritize website security and allocate appropriate budgets for maintenance and protection. Websites are now integral to modern business operations, and their value should be recognized and treated as essential as physical security measures.Effective Client Communication: Clear and proactive communication with clients is crucial. Agencies should manage client expectations, set boundaries, and communicate any limitations, such as response times during vacations or other periods of unavailability. Managing client communication helps build trust and ensures a smoother working relationship.Community Engagement and Personal Well-being: Engaging with the WordPress community and participating in events like WordCamps can be valuable for networking, knowledge sharing, and staying updated with industry trends. Additionally, individuals need to prioritize their own well-being and take care of their health.🙏 Sponsor: WordPress.comBuild and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com.Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 🔗 Mentioned in the show:LastPassKathyPost StatusWordCamp BuffaloWordPress MontclairLinkedInCourtney RobertsonWordPress🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Rob Cairns (Founder, CEO, &amp; Chief Creator of Amazing Ideas, Stunning Digital Marketing)Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Website Security and Budgeting</strong>: Businesses must prioritize website security and allocate appropriate budgets for maintenance and protection. Websites are now integral to modern business operations, and their value should be recognized and treated as essential as physical security measures.</li><li><strong>Effective Client Communication</strong>: Clear and proactive communication with clients is crucial. Agencies should manage client expectations, set boundaries, and communicate any limitations, such as response times during vacations or other periods of unavailability. Managing client communication helps build trust and ensures a smoother working relationship.</li><li><strong>Community Engagement and Personal Well-being</strong>: Engaging with the WordPress community and participating in events like WordCamps can be valuable for networking, knowledge sharing, and staying updated with industry trends. Additionally, individuals need to prioritize their own well-being and take care of their health.</li></ul><h3>🙏 Sponsor: <a href="https://poststatus.com/wordpressdotcom" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a></h3><p>Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on <a href="https://poststatus.com/wordpressdotcom" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com.</a></p><p>Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts.</p><p> </p><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.lastpass.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LastPass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/kathyzant?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kathy</a></li><li><a href="https://poststatus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a></li><li><a href="https://buffalo.wordcamp.org/2023/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordCamp Buffalo</a></li><li><a href="https://montclair.wordcamp.org/2023/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress Montclair</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/courtneyr_dev" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Courtney Robertson</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/RobCairns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rob Cairns</a> (Founder, CEO, &amp; Chief Creator of Amazing Ideas, <a href="https://stunningdigitalmarketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stunning Digital Marketing</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Post Status Draft – The WP Agency Journey with Rob Cairns of Stunning Digital Marketing

Lyndi Zavy

Top Takeaways:Self-care is Essential for Leaders: Leaders need to prioritize their own well-being and practice self-care. Leaders need to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to lead and support their teams effectively.Leaders Must Practice Reflecting: Leaders must hold up a mirror to themselves. To address burnout and prevent talent loss, leaders should reflect on their own actions and behaviors. They should examine the role they play in creating a safe and supportive work environment and be willing to make changes to policies, procedures, and practices that may contribute to employee dissatisfaction.Communication and Vulnerability Are Key: Open and honest communication between leaders and employees is crucial. Leaders should ask questions, actively listen, and create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns. Encouraging vulnerability and empathy fosters a culture of support and helps identify potential issues before they escalate.🙏 Sponsor: ElementorElementor enables web creators to build professional, pixel-perfect websites with an intuitive visual builder. Quickly create amazing websites for your clients or your business with complete control over every piece without writing a single line of code. Join a vast community of web creators from all around the world who deliver exceptional websites using Elementor.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Lyndi ZavyRivers and RoadsCraft &amp; CommerceGoogleGoogle DocsZoom🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Lyndi Zavy (Founder &amp; CEO, Rivers and Roads)Cory Miller ( CEO , Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Self-care is Essential for Leaders</strong>: Leaders need to prioritize their own well-being and practice self-care. Leaders need to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to lead and support their teams effectively.</li><li><strong>Leaders Must Practice Reflecting</strong>: Leaders must hold up a mirror to themselves. To address burnout and prevent talent loss, leaders should reflect on their own actions and behaviors. They should examine the role they play in creating a safe and supportive work environment and be willing to make changes to policies, procedures, and practices that may contribute to employee dissatisfaction.</li><li><strong>Communication and Vulnerability Are Key</strong>: Open and honest communication between leaders and employees is crucial. Leaders should ask questions, actively listen, and create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns. Encouraging vulnerability and empathy fosters a culture of support and helps identify potential issues before they escalate.</li></ul><p>🙏 Sponsor: <a href="https://poststat.us/elementor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elementor</a></p><p><strong>Elementor </strong>enables web creators to build professional, pixel-perfect websites with an intuitive visual builder. Quickly create amazing websites for your clients or your business with complete control over every piece without writing a single line of code. Join <a href="https://elementor.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a vast community of web creators</a> from all around the world who deliver exceptional websites using Elementor.</p><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndi-zavy-phr-0214305/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyndi Zavy</a></li><li><a href="https://rivers-roads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rivers and Roads</a></li><li><a href="https://craft-commerce.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craft &amp; Commerce</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/docs/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Docs</a></li><li><a href="https://zoom.us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zoom</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/whateverlexy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyndi Zavy</a> (Founder &amp; CEO, <a href="https://rivers-roads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rivers and Roads</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> ( CEO , <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Post Status Draft – Veteran Executive Lyndi Zavy On Hiring & Leadership Burnout

Top Takeaways:Redefining Success and Goals: The idea of reevaluating one's definition of success. Instead of solely focusing on financial gain or external measures, there is a shift towards valuing the impact and value brought to others through one's work or personal projects. Success is viewed as creating something meaningful that brings joy or usefulness to users rather than solely pursuing monetary goals.Importance of Collaboration and Connection: The value of collaboration and building connections with like-minded individuals. The joy derived from hobbies or personal projects can be enhanced by sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and working together with others. Building lasting friendships and relationships through shared interests can be a source of support and fulfillment.Embracing the Process and Finding Fulfillment in the Journey: The importance of enjoying the process and finding fulfillment in the act of creating or working on something rather than solely focusing on the end result. The journey itself, the learning, the challenges, and the growth that occur along the way can be sources of joy and satisfaction. It's about finding meaning and enjoyment in the present moment rather than solely fixating on the outcome.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Crop.ExpressBalsamiqMeetup.comSlackWordPressTwitterInstagram🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Corey MaassCory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Redefining Success and Goals</strong>: The idea of reevaluating one's definition of success. Instead of solely focusing on financial gain or external measures, there is a shift towards valuing the impact and value brought to others through one's work or personal projects. Success is viewed as creating something meaningful that brings joy or usefulness to users rather than solely pursuing monetary goals.</li><li><strong>Importance of Collaboration and Connection</strong>: The value of collaboration and building connections with like-minded individuals. The joy derived from hobbies or personal projects can be enhanced by sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and working together with others. Building lasting friendships and relationships through shared interests can be a source of support and fulfillment.</li><li><strong>Embracing the Process and Finding Fulfillment in the Journey</strong>: The importance of enjoying the process and finding fulfillment in the act of creating or working on something rather than solely focusing on the end result. The journey itself, the learning, the challenges, and the growth that occur along the way can be sources of joy and satisfaction. It's about finding meaning and enjoyment in the present moment rather than solely fixating on the outcome.</li></ul><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://crop.express/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crop.Express</a></li><li><a href="https://balsamiq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Balsamiq</a></li><li><a href="https://www.meetup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Meetup.com</a></li><li><a href="https://slack.com/trials?remote_promo=f4d95f0b&amp;d=7013y000002pzGQAAY&amp;nc=7013y000002q165AAA&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=paid_search&amp;utm_campaign=ppc_google_amer_en_brand_selfserve_discount&amp;utm_content=slack-pg-ss-all-us-brand_7013y000002pzGQAAY&amp;utm_term=Slack_Exact_._slack_._e_._c_._611662283461&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwv8qkBhAnEiwAkY-ahrvtUlvMruMS8SCCYA3MqgkRfViYepC5CP2yCdrFJkc4X3xdPxz3sxoCzVcQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slack</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Corey & Cory Launch a WordPress Product Live - Session 18

Top Takeaways:Consider customer preferences. It is critical to understand customer preferences and needs when determining pricing plans. Exploring options, such as lifetime licenses and differentiating plans based on the number of sites, can help you strike a balance between value and affordability for customers.Seek feedback. Recognize the value of seeking feedback from others in relevant communities. Reach out for input and opinions. External perspectives can provide valuable insights and help refine your approach.Focus on website messaging and design. Acknowledge the importance of presenting information in a coherent and engaging manner. Consider using design elements to enhance a website's overall visual appeal and user experience.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Crop.ExpressEasy Digital DownloadsBackupBuddy🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Corey MaassCory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Consider customer preferences</strong>. It is critical to understand customer preferences and needs when determining pricing plans. Exploring options, such as lifetime licenses and differentiating plans based on the number of sites, can help you strike a balance between value and affordability for customers.</li><li><strong>Seek feedback</strong>. Recognize the value of seeking feedback from others in relevant communities. Reach out for input and opinions. External perspectives can provide valuable insights and help refine your approach.</li><li><strong>Focus on website messaging and design</strong>. Acknowledge the importance of presenting information in a coherent and engaging manner. Consider using design elements to enhance a website's overall visual appeal and user experience.</li></ul><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://crop.express/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crop.Express</a></li><li><a href="https://easydigitaldownloads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easy Digital Downloads</a></li><li><a href="https://ithemes.com/backupbuddy/?=matchtype=b&amp;keyword=backup%20buddy%20plugin&amp;cid=14487028719&amp;agid=132326792291&amp;device=c&amp;placement=&amp;creative=629501906087&amp;target=&amp;adposition=&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=backup%20buddy%20plugin&amp;utm_content=629501906087&amp;utm_campaign=search+-+na+-+backup+-+buddy&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyOyk30qMKQEhBpuZK9jf3naRBMo4QTSmwsJyLWPePozHgvkpdOO3tOBoCOroQAvD_BwE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BackupBuddy</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Corey & Cory Launch a WordPress Product Live - Session 17

In this episode, Cory Miller and Corey Maass explore the delicate balance between professionalism and creativity in branding and marketing. They also discuss the importance of incorporating feedback into the product development process, utilizing user testing and testimonials to refine features and continually improve. The impact of their collaborative efforts has led to clarity around the momentum of partnering can bring to the creative process.Top Takeaways:Balancing Professionalism and Creativity. The balance between professionalism and creativity in branding and marketing can be difficult. Even for playful, fun brands, there is a need to maintain a level of professionalism. Clean designs, corporate markets, and conveying value to potential customers are important.Using Feedback for Product Refinement. There is value in receiving feedback and incorporating it into the product development process. User testing, testimonials, and refining the features offer continual improvement opportunities. Creating a product that meets the needs of the target audience and continually improving it based on user feedback requires commitment.Leveraging Collaboration for Productivity. The productive nature of collaboration and bouncing ideas off each other is energizing. Take time to brainstorm, make suggestions, and provide insights that contribute to refining the product and marketing strategies with your teams. A collaborative approach helps generate new ideas, solve problems, and keep the momentum flowing.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Crop.ExpressOMGIMGChatGPTWordCampLindsey Miller🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Corey MaassCory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p>In this episode, <a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a> explore the delicate balance between professionalism and creativity in branding and marketing. They also discuss the importance of incorporating feedback into the product development process, utilizing user testing and testimonials to refine features and continually improve. The impact of their collaborative efforts has led to clarity around the momentum of partnering can bring to the creative process.</p><p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Balancing Professionalism and Creativity.</strong> The balance between professionalism and creativity in branding and marketing can be difficult. Even for playful, fun brands, there is a need to maintain a level of professionalism. Clean designs, corporate markets, and conveying value to potential customers are important.</li><li><strong>Using Feedback for Product Refinement.</strong> There is value in receiving feedback and incorporating it into the product development process. User testing, testimonials, and refining the features offer continual improvement opportunities. Creating a product that meets the needs of the target audience and continually improving it based on user feedback requires commitment.</li><li><strong>Leveraging Collaboration for Productivity.</strong> The productive nature of collaboration and bouncing ideas off each other is energizing. Take time to brainstorm, make suggestions, and provide insights that contribute to refining the product and marketing strategies with your teams. A collaborative approach helps generate new ideas, solve problems, and keep the momentum flowing.</li></ul><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://crop.express/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crop.Express</a></li><li><a href="https://www.omgimg.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OMGIMG</a></li><li><a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a></li><li><a href="https://central.wordcamp.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordCamp</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lindseymillerwp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lindsey Miller</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Corey & Cory Launch a WordPress Product Live - Session 16

Michelle Frechette talks with Marieke van de Rakt and Joost de Valk of Emilia Capital about their new company and their plans to invest in sustainable and female-led WordPress companies. They discuss their upcoming participation at WordCamp Europe, where they will be sponsoring and offering investment opportunities to new companies. They also delve into the challenges of running a profitable open-source software company and the importance of discussing business models in open-source software. Their passion for supporting sustainable and diverse businesses and their commitment to promoting gender equality through a year-round training and coaching program for women are inspiring! Top TakeawaysImportance of Fit: Finding a good fit when considering investments is crucial. Consider factors like valuation, adding value to the ecosystem, and the ability to contribute to and improve upon a product or service. The need for alignment between an investor's goals and the potential investment is paramount.Women Empowerment: Empowering women through focusing on personal and organizational change can shift the future. Programs that address both an individual's growth within a company and the organization's commitment to gender equality are needed. A comprehensive approach to empowering women in the workplace is necessary to bring real change.Growth and Excitement: Being passionate about your investments can lead to increased growth. Building on your investments within WordPress enables you to build momentum and enthusiasm to achieve real growth. It can also lead to new opportunities and partnerships.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Yoast Equalized DigitalWPCSExtendifyCastosWordCamp Europe🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Joost de Valk (Founder, Emilia Capital)Marieke van de Rakt ( Founder, Emilia Capital)Michelle Frechette ( Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/michelleames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Frechette</a> talks with <a href="https://twitter.com/MariekeRakt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marieke van de Rakt </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/jdevalk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joost de Valk</a> of <a href="https://emilia.capital/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Emilia Capital</a> about their new company and their plans to invest in sustainable and female-led WordPress companies. They discuss their upcoming participation at WordCamp Europe, where they will be sponsoring and offering investment opportunities to new companies. They also delve into the challenges of running a profitable open-source software company and the importance of discussing business models in open-source software. Their passion for supporting sustainable and diverse businesses and their commitment to promoting gender equality through a year-round training and coaching program for women are inspiring!</p><p> </p><p><strong>Top Takeaways</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Importance of Fit:</strong> Finding a good fit when considering investments is crucial. Consider factors like valuation, adding value to the ecosystem, and the ability to contribute to and improve upon a product or service. The need for alignment between an investor's goals and the potential investment is paramount.</li><li><strong>Women Empowerment: </strong>Empowering women through focusing on personal and organizational change can shift the future. Programs that address both an individual's growth within a company and the organization's commitment to gender equality are needed. A comprehensive approach to empowering women in the workplace is necessary to bring real change.</li><li><strong>Growth and Excitement:</strong> Being passionate about your investments can lead to increased growth. Building on your investments within WordPress enables you to build momentum and enthusiasm to achieve real growth. It can also lead to new opportunities and partnerships.</li></ul><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3><ul><li><a href="https://yoast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yoast </a></li><li><a href="https://equalizedigital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Equalized Digital</a></li><li><a href="https://wpcs.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WPCS</a></li><li><a href="https://extendify.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Extendify</a></li><li><a href="https://castos.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Castos</a></li><li><a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordCamp Europe</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/jdevalk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joost de Valk</a> (Founder, <a href="https://emilia.capital/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Emilia Capital</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/MariekeRakt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marieke van de Rakt</a> ( Founder, <a href="https://emilia.capital/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Emilia Capital</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/michelleames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Frechette</a> ( Director of Community Relations, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Emilia Capital Gets Creative with WCEU Sponsorship

In this episode, Cory Miller and Corey Maass discuss their progress on a project related to image generation and sharing. They explore the use of Open Graph (OG) images, social media platforms, and the importance of consistent branding. They mention the need for a logo and discuss the design concept, leaning towards a fun and vibrant style. They also touch on website development, pricing, and marketing assets. The conversation revolves around simplifying the image generation process and creating a user-friendly product. Overall, they aim to finalize the project's features, branding, and logo to move forward with the launch.Top Takeaways:Logo and Branding: The importance of creating a logo and establishing consistent branding for your project. You want a logo that represents image generation in a fun and vibrant way, potentially incorporating bright colors and a big, fun font. It should look good on different merchandise items like t-shirts and baseball caps.Image Generation and Sharing: The main focus of your project is image generation and sharing. Using a logo generation tool and exploring concepts related to image generation, sharing, and open graph images. The goal is to make the process of generating and sharing images easy and efficient for users.Project Progress: The project's progress, including bug fixes and updates. The plan is to address the bugs and implement additional features and improvements. Once the sitewide and post-level functionalities are handled, the project will be ready to share with others. Defining the project's style, including the logo and overall branding, is an important next step.🔗 Mentioned in the show:Crop.ExpressWordPressOpenAIPost StatusWP BeginnerFiverrWordCampMakeLogo.aiVova FeldmanSyed BalkhiOpen Graph Image🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Corey MaassCory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p>In this episode, <a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a> discuss their progress on a project related to image generation and sharing. They explore the use of Open Graph (OG) images, social media platforms, and the importance of consistent branding. They mention the need for a logo and discuss the design concept, leaning towards a fun and vibrant style. They also touch on website development, pricing, and marketing assets. The conversation revolves around simplifying the image generation process and creating a user-friendly product. Overall, they aim to finalize the project's features, branding, and logo to move forward with the launch.</p><p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Logo and Branding: </strong>The importance of creating a logo and establishing consistent branding for your project. You want a logo that represents image generation in a fun and vibrant way, potentially incorporating bright colors and a big, fun font. It should look good on different merchandise items like t-shirts and baseball caps.</li><li><strong>Image Generation and Sharing:</strong> The main focus of your project is image generation and sharing. Using a logo generation tool and exploring concepts related to image generation, sharing, and open graph images. The goal is to make the process of generating and sharing images easy and efficient for users.</li><li><strong>Project Progress:</strong> The project's progress, including bug fixes and updates. The plan is to address the bugs and implement additional features and improvements. Once the sitewide and post-level functionalities are handled, the project will be ready to share with others. Defining the project's style, including the logo and overall branding, is an important next step.</li></ul><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://crop.express/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crop.Express</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress</a></li><li><a href="https://openai.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OpenAI</a></li><li><a href="https://poststatus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a></li><li><a href="https://www.wpbeginner.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP Beginner</a></li><li><a href="https://www.fiverr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fiverr</a></li><li><a href="https://central.wordcamp.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordCamp</a></li><li><a href="https://makelogo.ai/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MakeLogo.ai</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/vovafeldman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vova Feldman</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/syedbalkhi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Syed Balkhi</a></li><li><a href="https://ogp.me/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Open Graph Image</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Corey & Cory Launch a WordPress Product Live - Session 15

Anil Gupta

In this episode, Cory Miller interviews Anil Gupta, CEO of Multidots, about WordPress in the enterprise space. They discuss the importance of collaboration in WordPress, particularly for enterprises, and how tools like Multi Collab can address content creation needs. They also touch on the ongoing developments in Gutenberg and the significance of AI in content creation. Key takeaways include understanding the enterprise requirements, leveraging collaboration tools, engaging with the WordPress community, recognizing the impact of AI, and embracing the flexibility and power of the WordPress platform. Top Takeaways:Collaboration is crucial: We should recognize the importance of collaboration in content creation platforms. Enterprises and users expect collaboration features similar to those offered by platforms like Notion, Canva, and Google Docs. Lack of collaboration functionality may lead users to explore alternative platforms. We also should stay updated on the Gutenberg roadmap and actively contribute to the development of collaboration features in WordPress.Keep up with evolving workflows: We should understand that changing workflows can have a significant impact, considering WordPress's imprint on the internet. It is important to keep up with evolving workflows and ensure that the necessary functions and features are available to meet users' needs. Gutenberg's ongoing development aims to democratize publishing on the web while adapting to changing requirements.Explore AI opportunities: Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents opportunities in content creation, which can have a significant impact on enterprise WordPress projects. We should explore and leverage AI technology to enhance content creation processes and deliver innovative solutions to clients. We should stay informed about AI advancements and explore how AI can be leveraged within WordPress to improve content creation workflows. AI-related developments in the WordPress ecosystem can lead to innovative solutions and opportunities for professional growth.🙏 Episode Partner: Gravity FormsGravity Forms is a powerful form builder for WordPress and the #1 choice for businesses and web professionals across the globe. Its vast array of features, intuitive drag-and-drop form editor, and extensive ecosystem of add-ons, ensure customers can design beautiful, intelligent, and accessible forms for any project requirement.🔗 Mentioned in the show:MultidotsWordPressMulti CollabNotion Canva Matt MullenwegOpen AI🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Anil Gupta (CEO of Multidots)Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p>In this episode, <a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> interviews <a href="https://twitter.com/guptaanilg?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anil Gupta</a>, CEO of <a href="https://www.multidots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Multidots</a>, about WordPress in the enterprise space. They discuss the importance of collaboration in WordPress, particularly for enterprises, and how tools like Multi Collab can address content creation needs. They also touch on the ongoing developments in Gutenberg and the significance of AI in content creation. Key takeaways include understanding the enterprise requirements, leveraging collaboration tools, engaging with the WordPress community, recognizing the impact of AI, and embracing the flexibility and power of the WordPress platform.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Collaboration is crucial:</strong> We should recognize the importance of collaboration in content creation platforms. Enterprises and users expect collaboration features similar to those offered by platforms like Notion, Canva, and Google Docs. Lack of collaboration functionality may lead users to explore alternative platforms. We also should stay updated on the Gutenberg roadmap and actively contribute to the development of collaboration features in WordPress.</li><li><strong>Keep up with evolving workflows: </strong>We should understand that changing workflows can have a significant impact, considering WordPress's imprint on the internet. It is important to keep up with evolving workflows and ensure that the necessary functions and features are available to meet users' needs. Gutenberg's ongoing development aims to democratize publishing on the web while adapting to changing requirements.</li><li><strong>Explore AI opportunities: </strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents opportunities in content creation, which can have a significant impact on enterprise WordPress projects. We should explore and leverage AI technology to enhance content creation processes and deliver innovative solutions to clients. We should stay informed about AI advancements and explore how AI can be leveraged within WordPress to improve content creation workflows. AI-related developments in the WordPress ecosystem can lead to innovative solutions and opportunities for professional growth.</li></ul><p>🙏 Episode Partner: <a href="https://poststat.us/gravity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gravity Forms</a></p><p><a href="https://poststat.us/gravity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>Gravity Forms</strong></a> is a powerful form builder for WordPress and the #1 choice for businesses and web professionals across the globe. Its vast array of features, intuitive drag-and-drop form editor, and extensive ecosystem of add-ons, ensure customers can design beautiful, intelligent, and accessible forms for any project requirement.</p><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.multidots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Multidots</a></li><li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress</a></li><li><a href="https://www.multicollab.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Multi Collab</a></li><li><a href="https://www.notion.so/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Notion </a></li><li><a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canva </a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/photomatt?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Mullenweg</a></li><li><a href="https://openai.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Open AI</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/guptaanilg?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anil Gupta</a> (CEO of <a href="https://twitter.com/multidots" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Multidots</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

The WP Agency Journey with Anil Gupta of Multidots

In this episode, Cory Miller and Corey Maass discuss implementing an image-generation tool for content marketing. They explore the idea of creating templates for generating images that can be used in blog posts, social media, and other channels. The tool aims to enhance the visual appeal of content, highlight key quotes and summaries, and make sharing easier. They envision a workflow where marketers can quickly generate various image templates based on their content, ultimately improving their posts' overall presentation and value. Top Takeaways:Continuous Learning: The WordPress ecosystem constantly evolves, so staying updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices is crucial. Engage in continuous learning through online resources, forums, and communities, and attend WordPress events and conferences.Security Measures: WordPress security should be a top priority. Implement robust security measures such as using strong passwords, keeping themes and plugins up to date, using reliable security plugins, regularly backing up your website, and staying vigilant against potential vulnerabilities.Performance Optimization: Website speed and performance are essential for user experience and search engine rankings. Optimize your WordPress site using lightweight themes and plugins, optimizing images, leveraging caching techniques, and minimizing HTTP requests. Regularly monitor and optimize your site's performance to ensure a smooth and fast user experience. 🔗 Mentioned in the show:Crop.ExpressInstagramVida Bars🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Corey MaassCory Miller (CEO, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

<p>In this episode, <a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a> discuss implementing an image-generation tool for content marketing. They explore the idea of creating templates for generating images that can be used in blog posts, social media, and other channels. The tool aims to enhance the visual appeal of content, highlight key quotes and summaries, and make sharing easier. They envision a workflow where marketers can quickly generate various image templates based on their content, ultimately improving their posts' overall presentation and value.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Top Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Continuous Learning: </strong>The WordPress ecosystem constantly evolves, so staying updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices is crucial. Engage in continuous learning through online resources, forums, and communities, and attend WordPress events and conferences.</li><li><strong>Security Measures:</strong> WordPress security should be a top priority. Implement robust security measures such as using strong passwords, keeping themes and plugins up to date, using reliable security plugins, regularly backing up your website, and staying vigilant against potential vulnerabilities.</li><li><strong>Performance Optimization:</strong> Website speed and performance are essential for user experience and search engine rankings. Optimize your WordPress site using lightweight themes and plugins, optimizing images, leveraging caching techniques, and minimizing HTTP requests. Regularly monitor and optimize your site's performance to ensure a smooth and fast user experience.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>🔗 Mentioned in the show:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://crop.express/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crop.Express</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://thevidabars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vida Bars</a></li></ul><h3>🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://twitter.com/coreymaass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Corey Maass</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/corymiller303" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lemonadecode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href="https://twitter.com/post_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Status</a>)</li></ul><p>The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝<br/><br/><a href="https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>, or <a href="https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. 🎧</p>

Corey & Cory Launch a WordPress Product Live - Session 14

Post Status Draft, Excerpt, Comments, and Live provide the interviews, news digests, community discussions, and live shows that matter — for WordPress professionals.

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Post Status Podcasts

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Brian and his co-host, Joe Hoyle, a co-founder and the CTO of Human Made, discuss some of today’s hottest, current WordPress news. In this episode of Draft, Joe and Brian discuss work life balance. We discuss working long hours, managing and preventing burnout, moonlighting and its challenges, side projects, embracing hobbies, and creating exercise routines. Links  Overcoming burnout People without phones in phone poses Epic procrastination series Don't moonlight long-term

<p>Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a> and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Brian and his co-host, <a href="https://twitter.com/joe_hoyle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joe Hoyle</a>, a co-founder and the CTO of <a href="https://hmn.md/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Human Made</a>, discuss some of today’s hottest, current WordPress news.</p> <p>In this episode of Draft, Joe and Brian discuss work life balance. We discuss working long hours, managing and preventing burnout, moonlighting and its challenges, side projects, embracing hobbies, and creating exercise routines.</p> <p>Links</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.carriedils.com/overcoming-burnout/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overcoming burnout</a></li> <li><a href="http://dangerousminds.net/comments/photographer_removes_smartphones_from_images_to_show_how_obsessed_we_are_wi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">People without phones in phone poses</a></li> <li><a href="http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Epic procrastination series</a></li> <li><a href="http://andyadams.org/why-you-shouldnt-moonlight/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Don't moonlight long-term</a></li></ul>

Work life balance

Miriam Schwab

Miriam Schwab is co-founder and CEO of Strattic, a business making a big bet on the future of WordPress — and in particular for using it to create static websites.They recently raised $6.5 million dollars in an oversubscribed round. Strattic aims to enable the power and flexibility of a dynamic WordPress website like we all know, with the security and speed of a completely static website.In this interview, Cory Miller talks to Miriam about her journey to this moment, the Strattic product, raising money, and more.Partner: YoastThis episode is brought to you by Yoast, the best WordPress SEO solution, hands down. You can upgrade to Yoast SEO premium, or take advantage of their great bundles that include outstanding training resources so you can fully take advantage of all the awesome tools Yoast SEO provides.

<p>Miriam Schwab is co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.strattic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Strattic</a>, a business making a big bet on the future of WordPress — and in particular for using it to create static websites.</p><p>They recently <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/26/strattic-raises-6-5m-to-bring-static-wordpress-to-the-masses/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">raised </a>$6.5 million dollars in an oversubscribed round. Strattic aims to enable the power and flexibility of a dynamic WordPress website like we all know, with the security and speed of a completely static website.</p><p>In this interview, Cory Miller talks to Miriam about her journey to this moment, the Strattic product, raising money, and more.</p><h3>Partner: <a href="https://poststatus.com/yoast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yoast</a></h3><p>This episode is brought to you by Yoast, the best WordPress SEO solution, hands down. You can upgrade to Yoast SEO premium, or take advantage of their great bundles that include outstanding training resources so you can fully take advantage of all the awesome tools <a href="https://poststatus.com/yoast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yoast SEO</a> provides.</p>

On static WordPress, with Miriam Schwab of Strattic

Post Status

After Post Status Publish's main talks concluded, Joe Hoyle and I recorded the podcast during the reception. It was a laid back format where we discuss the future of WordPress, including our own wishlist features, and then we spent the majority of the hour taking questions from the audience. We recorded this prior to the announcement of the new development schedule and changes to major releases, but most of our conversation remains relevant, as many of our wishlist items are within the three release focus areas that have been chosen. You can listen to just the audio, also on our podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Or watch the video on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe to my new channel on YouTube.

<p>After Post Status Publish's main talks concluded, Joe Hoyle and I recorded the podcast during the reception. It was a laid back format where we discuss the future of WordPress, including our own wishlist features, and then we spent the majority of the hour taking questions from the audience.</p> <p>We recorded this prior to the announcement of the <a href="https://poststatus.com/matt-mullenweg-state-word-2016/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new development schedule</a> and changes to major releases, but most of our conversation remains relevant, as many of our wishlist items are within the three release focus areas that have been chosen.</p> <p>You can listen to just the audio, also on our podcast, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher.</p> <p>Or watch the <a href="https://youtu.be/Xoteb83jmD8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">video on YouTube</a>. And don't forget to subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCndSWDwwIOmbuxC79Lv66NQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my new channel on YouTube</a>.</p>

What we want from WordPress in 2017, live from Post Status Publish

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards. In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss market segmentation across the WordPress ecosystem. The focus for this discussion focused entirely on the entry-level segment of site assemblers and their small-business clients as well as the mid-level market of contractors and agencies selling additional levels of service. The duo talked through a few different strategies employed in each segment, including service differentiation, regional focus, building a network of complementary contractors, systemizing processes, delivering quality customer support flow, and selling ongoing service.  In addition to this look at market segmentation, the Brians shared a few useful resources for both Gutenberg and WP-CLI. Links  Mike McAlister's Gutenberg News Ahmed Awais's create-gutenberg-block Delicious Brain's WP-CLI packages reviews WordPress Website: How much should it cost? Selling Ongoing Services with Sara Dunn  Sponsor: iThemesThis episode is sponsored by iThemes. The team at iThemes offers WordPress plugins, themes and training to help take the guesswork out of building, maintaining and securing WordPress websites. For more information, check out their website and thank you to iThemes for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards.</p> <p>In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss market segmentation across the WordPress ecosystem. The focus for this discussion focused entirely on the entry-level segment of site assemblers and their small-business clients as well as the mid-level market of contractors and agencies selling additional levels of service. The duo talked through a few different strategies employed in each segment, including service differentiation, regional focus, building a network of complementary contractors, systemizing processes, delivering quality customer support flow, and selling ongoing service. </p> <p>In addition to this look at market segmentation, the Brians shared a few useful resources for both Gutenberg and WP-CLI.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li>Mike McAlister's <a href="http://gutenberg.news/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gutenberg News</a></li> <li>Ahmed Awais's <a href="https://github.com/ahmadawais/create-guten-block" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">create-gutenberg-block</a></li> <li>Delicious Brain's <a href="https://deliciousbrains.com/wordpress-cli-packages-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP-CLI packages reviews</a></li> <li>WordPress Website: <a href="https://poststatus.com/wordpress-website-cost/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How much should it cost?</a></li> <li><a href="https://wpsessions.com/sessions/selling-ongoing-service/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Selling Ongoing Services with Sara Dunn</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: iThemes</h3>This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://ithemes.com/?utm_source=post_status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=ps_ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iThemes</a>. The team at iThemes offers WordPress plugins, themes and training to help take the guesswork out of building, maintaining and securing WordPress websites. For more information, check out their <a href="https://ithemes.com/?utm_source=post_status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=ps_ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and thank you to iThemes for being a Post Status partner.

WordPress Market Opportunities

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard. In this episode, Joe and Brian discuss WordPress themes, the functionality people put into them, and the challenges that face the WordPress ecosystem with the current state of theming. They also discuss various theme frameworks and how they are setup, common post types and how they can better be supported, and the popularity of page builders. Topics  What should a theme do? Theme vs. Plugin functionality -- and mobility potential between themes Canonical post types   Difference between commercial themes and .org distributed free themes Restrictions All-in-one solution "promises" Page builders and their role in theming Other theme options via the REST API  Links  On WordPress themes and frameworks Underscores CSS Zen Garden Hybrid Core Genesis WordPress.com and Jetpack should lead the way to standardizing CPTs  Sponsor: WP101The WP101 Plugin frees your time, enabling you to focus on what you do best, while providing our popular WordPress 101 tutorial videos directly in your client's dashboard. You can even add your own videos! Go to wp101plugin.com for more information, and thanks to WP101 for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>In this episode, Joe and Brian discuss WordPress themes, the functionality people put into them, and the challenges that face the WordPress ecosystem with the current state of theming. They also discuss various theme frameworks and how they are setup, common post types and how they can better be supported, and the popularity of page builders.</p> <h3>Topics</h3> <ul> <li>What should a theme do?</li> <li>Theme vs. Plugin functionality -- and mobility potential between themes<br><ul> <li>Canonical post types</li> </ul> </li> <li>Difference between commercial themes and .org distributed free themes<br><ul> <li>Restrictions</li> <li>All-in-one solution "promises"</li> <li>Page builders and their role in theming</li> <li>Other theme options via the REST API</li> </ul> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://poststatus.com/on-wordpress-themes-and-frameworks/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On WordPress themes and frameworks</a> </li><li><a href="http://underscores.me/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Underscores</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.csszengarden.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CSS Zen Garden</a></li> <li><a href="http://themehybrid.com/hybrid-core" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hybrid Core</a></li> <li><a href="http://my.studiopress.com/themes/genesis/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Genesis</a></li> <li><a href="https://poststatus.com/wordpress-com-jetpack-lead-way-toward-standardizing-custom-post-types/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com and Jetpack should lead the way to standardizing CPTs</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: WP101</h3>The <a href="https://wp101plugin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP101 Plugin</a> frees your time, enabling you to focus on what you do best, while providing our popular WordPress 101 tutorial videos directly in your client's dashboard. You can even add your own videos! Go to <a href="https://wp101plugin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wp101plugin.com</a> for more information, and thanks to WP101 for being a Post Status partner.</li></ul>

What is a WordPress theme anyway?

Scott Bolinger

In this episode, Scott and I dig into his world as an indie developer within the WordPress landscape.Scott has long used JavaScript as a core technology with AppPresser. I think he's on the forefront of thinking about various technologies that are newer to WordPress but out in full force in other worlds.Scott is really into JAMstack (JavaScript, APIs, Markup). He's working on Static Fuse now, which helps connect WordPress to Gatsby -- which has a lot of attention in the web space right now.We also dig pretty deeply into the challenges and opportunities facing independent developers, and the interest levels in WordPress from the indie dev crowd. It's an interesting episode and I learned a lot from Scott. I hope you enjoy.Other links from the showGraphQL and WPGraphQLScott's websiteThe Product Business podcastZac Gordon's JavascriptforWP courses Sponsor: Sandhills DevelopmentSandhills Development makes a suite of excellent plugins to power your WordPress website. Whether you need to sell digital downloads, restrict content, create an affiliate program, or manage an events calendar, they’ve got you covered. Thanks to Sandhills for being a Post Status partner.

<p>In this episode, Scott and I dig into his world as an indie developer within the WordPress landscape.</p><p>Scott has long used JavaScript as a core technology with AppPresser. I think he's on the forefront of thinking about various technologies that are newer to WordPress but out in full force in other worlds.</p><p>Scott is really into <a href="https://jamstack.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JAMstack</a> (JavaScript, APIs, Markup). He's working on <a href="https://staticfuse.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Static Fuse</a> now, which helps connect WordPress to <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gatsby</a> -- which has a lot of attention in the web space right now.</p><p>We also dig pretty deeply into the challenges and opportunities facing independent developers, and the interest levels in WordPress from the indie dev crowd. It's an interesting episode and I learned a lot from Scott. I hope you enjoy.</p><h3>Other links from the show</h3><ul><li><a href="https://graphql.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GraphQL</a> and <a href="https://www.wpgraphql.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WPGraphQL</a></li><li><a href="https://scottbolinger.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott's website</a></li><li><a href="https://theproductbusiness.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Product Business podcast</a></li><li>Zac Gordon's <a href="https://javascriptforwp.com/product-category/courses/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JavascriptforWP</a> courses</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Sponsor: Sandhills Development</h3><p><a href="http://sandhillsdev.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sandhills Development</a> makes a suite of excellent plugins to power your WordPress website. Whether you need to sell digital downloads, restrict content, create an affiliate program, or manage an events calendar, they’ve got you covered. Thanks to <a href="http://sandhillsdev.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sandhills</a> for being a Post Status partner.</p>

Scott Bolinger on WordPress, JAMstack, and the future of the independent developer

Professional WordPress Plugin Development was one of the most helpful books I've ever read. To see a new edition with two returning authors, nine years after the original, is very exciting.This edition of the book will be sure to offer a great resource for developer education for years to come. Brad Williams, Justin Tadlock, and John James Jacoby are each extremely talented developers and communicators. The work they can accomplish together is even greater.Cory talks to them about their histories, the book, the process, and much more. We hope you enjoy this episode of Post Status Draft.You can pre-order Professional WordPress Plugin Development now on Amazon. It is slated to be released June 10th.Brad's announcementJustin's announcementJohn's announcementEpisode Partner: Gravity FormsGravity Forms is the easiest, most trusted tool to create advanced forms for your WordPress-powered website. I use Gravity Forms on every WordPress site I own, and I know I can always rely on its power, flexibility, and reliability.Try Gravity Forms today.

<p>Professional WordPress Plugin Development was one of the most helpful books I've ever read. To see a new edition with two returning authors, nine years after the original, is very exciting.</p><p>This edition of the book will be sure to offer a great resource for developer education for years to come. Brad Williams, Justin Tadlock, and John James Jacoby are each extremely talented developers and communicators. The work they can accomplish together is even greater.</p><p>Cory talks to them about their histories, the book, the process, and much more. We hope you enjoy this episode of Post Status Draft.</p><p>You can <a href="https://amzn.to/3cWMJlB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pre-order Professional WordPress Plugin Development now on Amazon</a>. It is slated to be released June 10th.</p><ul><li><a href="https://strangework.com/2020/01/06/announcing-professional-wordpress-plugin-development-2nd-edition/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brad's announcement</a></li><li><a href="http://justintadlock.com/archives/2020/01/06/writing-a-wordpress-book-again" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Justin's announcement</a></li><li><a href="https://jjj.blog/2020/01/coauthoring-a-wordpress-plugin-development-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John's announcement</a></li></ul><h3>Episode Partner: <a href="https://poststatus.com/gravity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gravity Forms</a></h3><p>Gravity Forms is the easiest, most trusted tool to create advanced forms for your WordPress-powered website. I use Gravity Forms on every WordPress site I own, and I know I can always rely on its power, flexibility, and reliability.</p><p><a href="https://poststatus.com/gravity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Try Gravity Forms today.</a></p>

Professional WordPress Plugin Development: Interview with the authors

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard. In this episode, Joe and Brian talk about how they learned WordPress development, how employers should look at candidates for skill hiring, and various resources they find valuable for learning WordPress. Links  Just Build Websites Lynda.com WordPress tutorials WP in One Month WordPress Development Stack Exchange How to Become a Respected WordPress Developer  Sponsor: Gravity FormsThis episode is sponsored by Gravity Forms. Gravity Forms makes the best web forms on the planet. Over a million WordPress sites are already using Gravity Forms. Is yours? For more information, check out their website and thank you to Gravity Forms for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>In this episode, Joe and Brian talk about how they learned WordPress development, how employers should look at candidates for skill hiring, and various resources they find valuable for learning WordPress.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://justbuildwebsites.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Just Build Websites</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.lynda.com/in/WordPress" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lynda.com WordPress tutorials</a></li> <li><a href="https://wpinonemonth.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP in One Month</a></li> <li><a href="http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress Development Stack Exchange</a></li> <li><a href="http://wordpress.tv/2013/04/22/brian-krogsgard-going-for-it-how-to-become-a-respected-wordpress-developer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Become a Respected WordPress Developer</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: Gravity Forms</h3>This episode is sponsored by Gravity Forms. <a href="http://www.gravityforms.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gravity Forms</a> makes the best web forms on the planet. Over a million WordPress sites are already using Gravity Forms. Is yours? For more information, check out their <a href="http://www.gravityforms.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and thank you to Gravity Forms for being a Post Status partner.

Learning WordPress development and how employers should look at candidates

Matt Mullenweg

During contributor day of WordCamp US in Philadelphia, I was able to interview Matt Mullenweg to follow up on several items he announced in the State of the Word. We mostly discussed the new WordPress development cycle and how it will work with the three focus areas. We also discussed how that will affect other non-major updates and WordPress features. Matt also talked about the WordPress REST API, how he defines success for it, what he hopes to see out of it, and what he thinks would cause it to revert to a plugin only feature. And as this was the second and final year of WordCamp US in Philadelphia, we reflected on the event, and talked about what there is to look forward to in Nashville for WordCamp US 2017 and 2018.

<p>During contributor day of WordCamp US in Philadelphia, I was able to interview Matt Mullenweg to follow up on several items he announced in the <a href="https://poststatus.com/matt-mullenweg-state-word-2016/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">State of the Word</a>.</p> <p>We mostly discussed the new WordPress development cycle and how it will work with the three focus areas. We also discussed how that will affect other non-major updates and WordPress features.</p> <p>Matt also talked about the WordPress REST API, how he defines success for it, what he hopes to see out of it, and what he thinks would cause it to revert to a plugin only feature.</p> <p>And as this was the second and final year of WordCamp US in Philadelphia, we reflected on the event, and talked about what there is to look forward to in Nashville for WordCamp US 2017 and 2018.</p>

Interview with Matt Mullenweg on the new WordPress release cycle and more

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard. Joe and Brian discuss WordPress as a Headless CMS. They talk about what a Headless CMS is, WordPress’s strengths and weaknesses as a Headless CMS, popular frameworks to utilize, and offer up example websites to check out. Examples  The Guggenheim A Day of Rest Boston ustwo Skaled Modern Tribe  Links  Angular React React vs Angular 2 Lean, an Agular for WordPress framework Decoupled CMS What is a Headless CMS? We Need to Talk about the REST API Introducing the REST API Authentication Broker Human Made's REST API White Paper  SponsorToday’s show is sponsored by OptinMonster. OptinMonster allows you to convert visitors into subscribers. You can easily create &amp; A/B test beautiful lead capture forms without a developer. They recently released OptinMonster 3.0, with an all new builder interface and other great features.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>Joe and Brian discuss WordPress as a Headless CMS. They talk about what a Headless CMS is, WordPress’s strengths and weaknesses as a Headless CMS, popular frameworks to utilize, and offer up example websites to check out.</p> <h3>Examples</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.guggenheim.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guggenheim</a></li> <li><a href="https://adayofrest.hm/boston-2016/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Day of Rest Boston</a></li> <li><a href="https://ustwo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ustwo</a></li> <li><a href="http://skaled.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skaled</a></li> <li><a href="http://tri.be/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Tribe</a></li> </ul> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://angularjs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Angular</a></li> <li><a href="https://facebook.github.io/react/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">React</a></li> <li><a href="http://blog.scalac.io/2016/02/16/react-vs-angular-2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">React vs Angular 2</a></li> <li><a href="https://getmoxied.net/lean/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lean, an Agular for WordPress framework</a></li> <li><a href="https://pantheon.io/decoupled-cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Decoupled CMS</a></li> <li><a href="https://css-tricks.com/what-is-a-headless-cms/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is a Headless CMS?</a></li> <li><a href="http://petya.in/we-need-to-talk-about-the-rest-api-the-non-developer-guide-to-the-future-of-wordpress/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We Need to Talk about the REST API</a></li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2016/05/16/rest-api-authentication-broker/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Introducing the REST API Authentication Broker</a></li> <li><a href="https://hmn.md/2016/01/14/introducing-our-wordpress-rest-api-white-paper/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Human Made's REST API White Paper</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor</h3>Today’s show is sponsored by <a href="http://optinmonster.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OptinMonster</a>. OptinMonster allows you to convert visitors into subscribers. You can easily create &amp; A/B test beautiful lead capture forms without a developer. They recently released <a href="http://optinmonster.com/introducing-optinmonster-3-0-taking-your-conversion-optimization-to-the-next-level/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OptinMonster 3.0</a>, with an all new builder interface and other great features.

WordPress as a Headless CMS

Matt Medeiros

Today I talk to Matt Medeiros, in a wide-ranging conversation about the WordPress ecosystem. It's informal and we cover a lot of different topics, but they all narrow down to various fears and uncertainties some in the WordPress community are experiencing in recent years.What's the future of WordPress? How about the business community? Can smaller businesses make it? What threats exist: leadership, corporate, other platforms?We cover a great deal here. It's not very structured, but I do think it's valuable to be able to capture a common line of sentiment in the WordPress community. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to Matt for being so open with me in this episode.Links from the showMatt ReportMatt on TwitterWP GovernancePartner: JiltJilt offers powerful email marketing built for eCommerce. From newsletters to highly segmented automations, Jilt is your one-stop show for eCommerce email. Join thousands of stores that have already earned tens of millions of dollars in extra sales using Jilt. Try Jilt for free

<p>Today I talk to Matt Medeiros, in a wide-ranging conversation about the WordPress ecosystem. It's informal and we cover a lot of different topics, but they all narrow down to various fears and uncertainties some in the WordPress community are experiencing in recent years.</p><p>What's the future of WordPress? How about the business community? Can smaller businesses make it? What threats exist: leadership, corporate, other platforms?</p><p>We cover a great deal here. It's not very structured, but I do think it's valuable to be able to capture a common line of sentiment in the WordPress community. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to Matt for being so open with me in this episode.</p><h3>Links from the show</h3><ul><li><a href="https://mattreport.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Report</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mattmedeiros" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://wpgovernance.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP Governance</a></li></ul><h3>Partner: <a href="https://jilt.com/?utm_source=Post+Status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=Post+Status+Sponsorship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jilt</a></h3><p><a href="https://jilt.com/?utm_source=Post+Status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=Post+Status+Sponsorship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jilt</a> offers powerful email marketing built for eCommerce. From newsletters to highly segmented automations, Jilt is your one-stop show for eCommerce email. Join thousands of stores that have already earned tens of millions of dollars in extra sales using Jilt. <a href="https://jilt.com/?utm_source=Post+Status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=Post+Status+Sponsorship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Try Jilt for free</a></p>

Fear and uncertainty for WordPress, with Matt Medeiros

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard. Security -- in WordPress core, distributed plugins and themes, and in our custom code -- is a constant battle. It’s important to be vigilant with our security practices, from the perspective of managing our websites and when writing code. In this episode, Joe and Brian discuss the nature of WordPress security, best practices for writing secure code, and dig into various situations WordPress developers and site owners may run into. Links  Hardening WordPress About WordPress Security A Guide to Writing Secure Themes Writing Secure Plugins &amp; Themes by Ben Lobaugh $wpdb WP Scan Understanding Vulnerabilities  Sponsor: Pagely Pagely offers best in class managed WordPress hosting, powered by the Amazon Cloud, the Internet’s most reliable infrastructure. Post Status is proudly hosted by Pagely. Thank you to Pagely for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>Security -- in WordPress core, distributed plugins and themes, and in our custom code -- is a constant battle. It’s important to be vigilant with our security practices, from the perspective of managing our websites and when writing code. In this episode, Joe and Brian discuss the nature of WordPress security, best practices for writing secure code, and dig into various situations WordPress developers and site owners may run into.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Hardening_WordPress" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardening WordPress</a></li> <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/about/security/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">About WordPress Security</a></li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2015/05/19/a-guide-to-writing-secure-themes-part-1-introduction/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Guide to Writing Secure Themes</a></li> <li><a href="http://ben.lobaugh.net/uploads/writing-secure-plugins-and-themes/#/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Writing Secure Plugins &amp; Themes</a> by Ben Lobaugh</li> <li><a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/wpdb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">$wpdb</a></li> <li><a href="https://wpvulndb.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP Scan</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/03/understanding-wordpress-plugin-vulnerabilities.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Understanding Vulnerabilities</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: Pagely</h3> <a href="https://pagely.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pagely</a> offers best in class managed WordPress hosting, powered by the Amazon Cloud, the Internet’s most reliable infrastructure. Post Status is proudly hosted by Pagely. Thank you to <a href="https://pagely.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pagely</a> for being a Post Status partner.

WordPress Security -- Draft podcast

 Mike McAlister has been an active member of the commercial WordPress theme space since 2009. He started by selling themes on ThemeForest. He transitioned to the Okay Themes brand in December of 2011. And at the end of March of this year, Mike transitioned yet again to Array. While these transitions may seem like arbitrary branding, to me they represent broader shifts both in Mike’s style and the direction of the commercial WordPress space in general. He’s never really attempted to fit anyone else’s mold, but I believe he’s done quite well at predicting the market and staying ahead of the pack; and that’s why I love following his work. Mike consistently challenges himself to succeed in a saturated space by attacking the market in a different way than the rest of the crowd. http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/mike-mcalister-post-status-draft.mp3 Direct Download Selling WordPress themes on ThemeForest In 2009, Mike discovered WordPress and saw the opportunities of the commercial WordPress space. He quickly got his first ThemeForest theme put together, which he admits was probably sub-par code; but it got him started on his journey to consistently sell themes at a fairly early stage of the market. ThemeForest has always been a controversial space. From a consumer side, with nice designs and a huge selection, it’s an easy way to discover themes — hence the popularity and explosive growth of the marketplace. From the non-ThemeForest developer side (developers dealing with ThemeForest themes), it’s often a frustrating marketplace because good code is very difficult to quantify on ThemeForest themes, making it difficult to steer people away from bad themes. But there’s also the seller’s viewpoint. Exclusive sellers on ThemeForest start by making 50% of the revenue on a sale. Once they hit elite status ($75,000 in cumulative sales), they max out at 70%. But for non-exclusive partnerships, sellers only make 33.33% of the sale, which strongly encourages exclusive authorship for ThemeForest community members. More than four out of five ThemeForest authors are exclusive authors. Moving the market forward Selling on ThemeForest means that you accept the terms of the marketplace, both as a buyer and a seller. Over the years, this has resulted in a variety of public debates. Mike started one such debate on pricing, when he advocated for a change in the pricing model. The debate Mike helped start is what led Envato to establish the elite program, which at the time gave elite authors more flexibility for pricing, and higher rewards for various achievements. Throughout his tenure on ThemeForest, Mike was part of a core group of authors that helped move the marketplace forward. I saw Mike participate in community conversations regarding price, bucking design trends, methods for offering theme support, licensing themes, and more. Authors like Mike helped make Envato a better place. Establishing Okay One of the things Mike discovered as he became a more experienced theme developer was that support was easier with simpler themes. Also, simpler themes allowed him to make design decisions versus offering design options. In December 2011, Mike made the transition to simpler themes official with the launch of Okay Themes.  I don’t want that to be the bulk of my business. I don’t want to be answering questions about settings. You know, that seems adverse to everything I’m trying to do. So, yeah, I started ripping things out slowly over the years, taking out various settings and going with the mantra of ‘decisions not options’ – that kind of thing – and really just spending the time to make these decisions, you know, add the details where I thought they needed to be and just whitling it down to a very, very simple theme that just works.  Such a decision doesn’t come lightly. When the proven model is options-centered, taking the other route takes guts. Mike’s themes evolved into much simpler products. He tried to make a specific theme for a specific purpose versus creating a generic theme for any purpose that could be reused for dozens of sites. Okay Themes had successes and failures on ThemeForest, but Mike was able to establish a reputation and a brand around well designed, simple themes that are reliably free of the bloat ThemeForest is infamous for. It’s what made his themes a go-to recommendation for many WordPress developers, myself included. Over time, Mike realized he wanted to fully separate from Envato. Despite all of the positive change over the years from Envato leadership, it doesn’t make the consumer’s decision making skills any better. And Mike’s style of theme didn’t really fit perfectly any more with the style of customer ThemeForest tends to have. Selling themes on WordPress.com One way Mike has reached out to more user-centric customers, versus “flippers”, is through the WordPress.com marketplace. Mike was invited to the WordPress.com marketplace and launched Publisher in August of 2013. The experience was enlightening for him. Envato has theme reviews, but it has never reached anything close to the level of code critique that WordPress.com offers. Themes distributed to WordPress.com require complete review and assurances that they will be able to scale incredibly well. Therefore, all new authors are mentored under an Automattician “Theme Wrangler” that guides them as they prepare their theme for the marketplace. This experience led Mike to re-evaluate and improve (with the help of his team) nearly all of his themes. The result was that he became even more committed to simple themes that do a job and do it well. Okay is now Array The experience with WordPress.com and his desire to create a different kind of theme led Mike to further consider his relationship as a seller on Envato’s ThemeForest.  It’s hard to be a part of that, when ultimately my philosophy is quite drastically different these days, and I’m trying to target a different crowd. So, yeah, it culminated, and here we are in April, and Okay is now Array.  Mike completely rebranded Okay Themes to Array. The project included logo and identity work from Heavy Heavy, an entirely new website, and of course the new name. In the launch post, he assures that the change doesn’t mark a new “way of doing business,” but a transition:  Okay Themes will now be known simply as _ Array _. We (still) specialize in beautifully crafted, high quality WordPress goods. New name, new website, new logo, same way of doing business.  Pricing themes Array themes cost $69 each right now, or you can buy access to all of them for $199 per year. Currently Array does not auto-renew packages. We spent some time talking about how renewals work across the industry, as well as some ideas for creating licenses for longer update periods, and perhaps separating those from support pricing (okay, this was mostly me spouting off). Tools behind a theme shop We spent also spent some time going over the variety of tools Mike uses to power the Array website. Like many theme shops nowadays, Array is running eCommerce with Easy Digital Downloads, which manages both digital downloads as well as software licensing and updates. They also switched from Tender to bbPress for support, which I thought was interesting, since I feel like there’s been a trend of moving away from forums. The whole post about tools Array uses is really interesting and worth checking out. Advice to other theme authors As one of a number of theme authors that have taken the route from a theme marketplace to his own marketplace, I was curious what Mike’s advice would be to others aiming to start their own theme shop. In general, he would still encourage new authors to utilize a marketplace like ThemeForest to get started and get their name out there. We both largely agreed with Chris Lema’s post that a marketplace can be a great incubator for a WordPress product maker. However, if someone does start on a marketplace, they do need to be aware that when and if they make the switch to their own shop, they basically have to start over from an SEO and marketing perspective. SEO may seem like an odd thing to an outsider to the theme industry, but when the market is as saturated as it is, it takes a lot of work to get your themes out in front of a largely theme-uneducated audience. Mike’s primary advice was to “make it manageable” from the very beginning.  Make it as manageable as possible. Write clean code, not just because it looks nice, but because it’s manageable, and then you won’t spend a bunch of time rewriting it later. And just spread that throughout your whole business. Make it simple to begin with. Make it manageable. Use the right tools. Use quality tools that get the job done, and treat your customers with respect. It goes a long way when people actually get a nice quality response and conversation out of something.  Just talking themes I’ve tried to summarize much of Mike’s story in this post, as I’ve done with other interviews. However, we spent around 50 minutes talking about the ins and outs of WordPress themes, business, and other things. It was one of the most fun and laid back interviews I’ve ever had the privilege of conducting. I hope that you listen to the entire thing, and I hope that you enjoy it. I love doing these, and I hope to keep bringing them to you. That said, I’d also really appreciate any feedback readers and listeners have as to how I can make these posts better. Thanks to Mike for joining me for this interview, and everyone be sure to check out his excellent new adventure, Array.

<p> <a href="https://twitter.com/mikemcalister" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike McAlister</a> has been an active member of the commercial WordPress theme space since 2009. He started by selling themes on <a href="themeforest.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ThemeForest</a>. He transitioned to the Okay Themes brand in December of 2011. And at the end of March of this year, Mike transitioned yet again <a href="https://array.is/news/introducing-array/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">to Array</a>.</p> <p>While these transitions may seem like arbitrary branding, to me they represent broader shifts both in Mike’s style and the direction of the commercial WordPress space in general. He’s never really attempted to fit anyone else’s mold, but I believe he’s done quite well at predicting the market and staying ahead of the pack; and that’s why I love following his work.</p> <p>Mike consistently challenges himself to succeed in a saturated space by attacking the market in a different way than the rest of the crowd.</p> <p><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/mike-mcalister-post-status-draft.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/mike-mcalister-post-status-draft.mp3</a></p> <p><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/mike-mcalister-post-status-draft.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct Download</a></p> <h3>Selling WordPress themes on ThemeForest</h3> <p>In 2009, Mike discovered WordPress and saw the opportunities of the commercial WordPress space. He quickly got his first ThemeForest theme put together, which he admits was probably sub-par code; but it got him started on his journey to consistently sell themes at a fairly early stage of the market.</p> <p>ThemeForest has always been a controversial space. From a consumer side, with nice designs and a huge selection, it’s an easy way to discover themes — hence the popularity and explosive growth of the marketplace. From the non-ThemeForest developer side (developers dealing with ThemeForest themes), it’s often a frustrating marketplace because good code is very difficult to quantify on ThemeForest themes, making it difficult to steer people away from bad themes.</p> <p>But there’s also the seller’s viewpoint. Exclusive sellers on ThemeForest start by making 50% of the revenue on a sale. Once they hit elite status ($75,000 in cumulative sales), they max out at 70%. But for non-exclusive partnerships, sellers only make 33.33% of the sale, which strongly encourages exclusive authorship for ThemeForest community members. More than four out of five ThemeForest authors <a href="http://themeforest.net/make_money/become_an_author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">are exclusive</a> authors.</p> <h3>Moving the market forward</h3> <p>Selling on ThemeForest means that you accept the terms of the marketplace, both as a buyer and a seller. Over the years, this has resulted in a variety of public debates. Mike <a href="http://wpcandy.com/thinks/about-35-dollar-themes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">started one such debate</a> on pricing, when he advocated for a change in the pricing model. The debate Mike helped start is what led Envato to establish the <a href="http://elite.envato.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">elite program</a>, which at the time gave elite authors more flexibility for pricing, and higher rewards for various achievements.</p> <p>Throughout his tenure on ThemeForest, Mike was part of a core group of authors that helped move the marketplace forward. I saw Mike participate in community conversations regarding price, bucking design trends, methods for offering theme support, licensing themes, and more. Authors like Mike helped make Envato a better place.</p> <h3>Establishing Okay</h3> <p>One of the things Mike discovered as he became a more experienced theme developer was that support was easier with simpler themes. Also, simpler themes allowed him to make design decisions versus offering design options.</p> <p>In December 2011, Mike made the transition to simpler themes official with the launch of Okay Themes.</p> <blockquote> <p>I don’t want that to be the bulk of my business. I don’t want to be answering questions about settings. You know, that seems adverse to everything I’m trying to do.</p> <p>So, yeah, I started ripping things out slowly over the years, taking out various settings and going with the mantra of ‘decisions not options’ – that kind of thing – and really just spending the time to make these decisions, you know, add the details where I thought they needed to be and just whitling it down to a very, very simple theme that just works.</p> </blockquote> <p>Such a decision doesn’t come lightly. When the <a href="https://poststatus.com/themeforest-theme-nets-over-100000-per-month-sadly/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">proven model is options-centered</a>, taking the other route takes guts.</p> <p>Mike’s themes evolved into much simpler products. He tried to make a specific theme for a specific purpose versus creating a generic theme for any purpose that could be reused for dozens of sites.</p> <p>Okay Themes had successes and failures on ThemeForest, but Mike was able to establish a reputation and a brand around well designed, simple themes that are reliably free of the bloat ThemeForest is infamous for. It’s what made his themes a go-to recommendation for many WordPress developers, myself included.</p> <p>Over time, Mike realized he wanted to fully separate from Envato.</p> <p>Despite all of the positive change over the years from Envato leadership, it doesn’t make the consumer’s decision making skills any better. And Mike’s style of theme didn’t really fit perfectly any more with the style of customer ThemeForest tends to have.</p> <h3>Selling themes on <a href="http://WordPress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a></h3> <p>One way Mike has reached out to more user-centric customers, versus “flippers”, is through the <a href="http://theme.wordpress.com/?theme_shop=array" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com marketplace</a>.</p> <p>Mike was invited to the <a href="http://WordPress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a> marketplace and <a href="http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/publisher-zoren/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">launched Publisher</a> in August of 2013. The experience was enlightening for him.</p> <p>Envato has theme reviews, but it has never reached anything close to the level of code critique <a href="http://developer.wordpress.com/themes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">that WordPress.com offers</a>. Themes distributed to <a href="http://WordPress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a> require complete review and assurances that they will be able to scale incredibly well. Therefore, all new authors are mentored under an Automattician “Theme Wrangler” that guides them as they prepare their theme for the marketplace.</p> <p>This experience led Mike to re-evaluate and improve (with the help of <a href="https://array.is/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">his team</a>) nearly all of his themes. The result was that he became even more committed to simple themes that do a job and do it well.</p> <h3>Okay is now Array</h3> <p>The experience with <a href="http://WordPress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress.com</a> and his desire to create a different kind of theme led Mike to further consider his relationship as a seller on Envato’s ThemeForest.</p> <blockquote> <p>It’s hard to be a part of that, when ultimately my philosophy is quite drastically different these days, and I’m trying to target a different crowd. So, yeah, it culminated, and here we are in April, and Okay is now Array.</p> </blockquote> <p>Mike completely rebranded Okay Themes to Array. The project included logo and identity work from <a href="http://heavyheavy.com/work/array/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Heavy Heavy</a>, an entirely new website, and of course the new name. In the launch post, he assures that the change doesn’t mark a new “way of doing business,” but a transition:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>Okay Themes</em> will now be known simply as _ <strong>Array</strong> _. We (still) specialize in beautifully crafted, high quality WordPress goods. New name, new website, new logo, same way of doing business.</p> </blockquote> <h3>Pricing themes</h3> <p>Array <a href="https://array.is/pricing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">themes cost</a> $69 each right now, or you can buy access to all of them for $199 per year. Currently Array does not auto-renew packages.</p> <p>We spent some time talking about how renewals work across the industry, as well as some ideas for creating licenses for longer update periods, and perhaps separating those from support pricing (okay, this was mostly me spouting off).</p> <h3>Tools behind a theme shop</h3> <p>We spent also spent some time going over the variety of tools Mike uses to power the Array website.</p> <p>Like many theme shops nowadays, Array is running eCommerce with <a href="https://easydigitaldownloads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easy Digital Downloads</a>, which manages both digital downloads as well as software licensing and updates. They also switched from <a href="http://tenderapp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tender</a> to <a href="http://bbpress.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bbPress</a> for support, which I thought was interesting, since I feel like there’s been a trend of moving away from forums.</p> <p>The whole post about <a href="https://array.is/free-resources/tools-behind-wordpress-theme-shop/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tools Array uses</a> is really interesting and worth checking out.</p> <h3>Advice to other theme authors</h3> <p>As one of a number of theme authors that have taken the route from a theme marketplace to his own marketplace, I was curious what Mike’s advice would be to others aiming to start their own theme shop.</p> <p>In general, he would still encourage new authors to utilize a marketplace like ThemeForest to get started and get their name out there. We both largely agreed with Chris Lema’s post that <a href="http://chrislema.com/maybe-real-benefit-themeforest/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a marketplace can be a great incubator</a> for a WordPress product maker.</p> <p>However, if someone does start on a marketplace, they do need to be aware that when and if they make the switch to their own shop, they basically have to start over from an SEO and marketing perspective.</p> <p>SEO may seem like an odd thing to an outsider to the theme industry, but when the market is as saturated as it is, it takes a lot of work to get your themes out in front of a largely theme-uneducated audience.</p> <p>Mike’s primary advice was to “make it manageable” from the very beginning.</p> <blockquote> <p>Make it as manageable as possible. Write clean code, not just because it looks nice, but because it’s manageable, and then you won’t spend a bunch of time rewriting it later. And just spread that throughout your whole business. Make it simple to begin with. Make it manageable.</p> <p>Use the right tools. Use quality tools that get the job done, and treat your customers with respect. It goes a long way when people actually get a nice quality response and conversation out of something.</p> </blockquote> <h3>Just talking themes</h3> <p>I’ve tried to summarize much of Mike’s story in this post, as I’ve done with <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">other interviews</a>. However, we spent around 50 minutes talking about the ins and outs of WordPress themes, business, and other things. It was one of the most fun and laid back interviews I’ve ever had the privilege of conducting.</p> <p>I hope that you listen to the entire thing, and I hope that you enjoy it. I love doing these, and I hope to keep bringing them to you. That said, I’d also really appreciate any feedback readers and listeners have as to how I can make these posts better.</p> <p>Thanks to Mike for joining me for this interview, and everyone be sure to check out his excellent new adventure, <a href="https://array.is" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Array</a>.</p>

From ThemeForest to Array, the story of a theme business

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards. In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss meta data in WordPress, including the challenge of implementing data into new tools, such as the REST API and the Gutenberg editor. With the endless options of data complexity that’s historically possible with meta fields, the way these features are implemented into new projects has to be well thought out. There is continued activity with both the REST API and Gutenberg to make sure meta is well supported. There are several things that are worth knowing, if you are a consultant or a product maker in regard to working with WordPress meta. Links  Completing the implementation of meta data registration with the REST API Gutenberg, REST API, and You Fields Manager Advanced Custom Fields CMB2  Sponsor: Pippin's PluginsThis episode is sponsored by Pippin’s Plugins. Pippin’s Plugins creates a suite of plugins that work great alone, or together. Whether you need to restrict content, sell downloads, or start an affiliate program, they’ve got you covered. For more information, check out their website and thank you to Pippin’s Plugins for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards.</p> <p>In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss meta data in WordPress, including the challenge of implementing data into new tools, such as the REST API and the Gutenberg editor.</p> <p>With the endless options of data complexity that’s historically possible with meta fields, the way these features are implemented into new projects has to be well thought out. There is continued activity with both the REST API and Gutenberg to make sure meta is well supported. There are several things that are worth knowing, if you are a consultant or a product maker in regard to working with WordPress meta.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/04/26/completing-the-implementation-of-metadata-registration-with-the-rest-api/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Completing the implementation of meta data registration with the REST API</a></li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/04/23/gutenberg-rest-api-and-you/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gutenberg, REST API, and You</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alleyinteractive/wordpress-fieldmanager" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fields Manager</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Advanced Custom Fields</a></li> <li><a href="https://cmb2.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CMB2</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: Pippin's Plugins</h3>This episode is sponsored by Pippin’s Plugins. <a href="http://pippinsplugins.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pippin’s Plugins</a> creates a suite of plugins that work great alone, or together. Whether you need to restrict content, sell downloads, or start an affiliate program, they’ve got you covered. For more information, check out their <a href="http://pippinsplugins.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and thank you to Pippin’s Plugins for being a Post Status partner.

The meta episode

Chris Coyier

Chris Coyier is not a stranger to most of us web workers. He’s a designer at CodePen, a writer at CSS-Tricks, and a podcaster at ShopTalk. He uses WordPress on all three of his primary projects. For years, Chris has been a consistent advocate for the platform. He develops his own websites with WordPress, but his day-to-day interactions are as a user. Chris brings a unique perspective, I believe. He did some client work early in his career, but he’s been more involved in SaaS projects and membership websites; his current membership websites are on WordPress (CSS-Tricks) and Ruby on Rails (CodePen). I asked Chris about his projects, his perspective on various aspects of WordPress, and the community around it. I enjoyed learning from him, and I hope you do too: http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/chris-coyier-post-status-draft.mp3 Direct Download What have you learned from working on membership websites?   It’s just a good dang business idea.  Chris was sold on the idea of membership websites from his tenure at Wufoo and SurveyMonkey (where he worked once they acquired Wufoo). He uses Pippin Williamson’s Restrict Content Pro for managing The Lodge on CSS-Tricks. At CodePen, they spend time thinking about pricing, churn, and other membership metrics. They talk about some of these things (and much more) on the CodePen Radio podcast — an awesome podcast for anyone interested in SaaS, not just CodePen. Delivering value Another aspect Chris noted about membership websites is how it makes you want to continually deliver value for customers. He always wants to make people feel like they’re getting excellent features and value for the price of their membership. Another thing he and the CodePen team are learning is prioritizing feature requests. When you are building for members, you want to build features members want; and sometimes that goes against other fixes that are less glamorous. So they are consistently trying to balance time spent on customer-facing features versus behind the scenes development. Build the feature, get the reward Chris talked about how important it is for him to build something, then be rewarded for the work he does, versus selling something and then having to build the feature for it. He experience this with his big Kickstarter project for a CSS-Tricks redesign a couple of years ago, and said that mentality was really difficult for him. What do you appreciate more now about WordPress, after using other software? WordPress comes with a lot of built-in features that many of us (I do at least) may take for granted. Need a user system? Check. Need comments? Check. Need categorization? Check. Building CodePen, Chris is able to appreciate (even more than before) just how powerful WordPress is and how much thought goes into every feature. We dove into something seemingly simple as an example: tags. It turns out that something even that simple takes a lot of thought, consideration, and user experience considerations.  What it ends up as, is something you’ll have to iterate on for years to get anywhere close to how good the WordPress one works already. And that’s like the tiniest thing we could think about. Think about the login system, or something else.  So his advice was to focus on simplicity and decisions when building features, because required effort grows rapidly as a feature gets more complicated. How would you compare the WordPress community to other web communities? Chris has exposure to a much broader web community than I do. I’m pretty locked into the WordPress bubble. He sees the Ruby on Rails world, the more generic web world, and attends and speaks at a slew of non-WordPress conferences every year. Even though he says he’s mostly in a WordPress bubble himself (he’s not exactly attending Drupal conferences, he notes), he thinks that the WordPress community is pretty top-notch, and hasn’t seen other communities that are “better” than the WordPress community.  There’s definitely no other CMS that I’m jealous of that community.  What questions about WordPress are you always seeing on the ShopTalk Podcast Chris and his co-host Dave Rupert (seriously, follow Dave and gain laughs and knowledge in life) get a lot of questions about WordPress on the ShopTalk Podcast. Some of these questions are repeated pretty frequently, and they see trends of common issues. Working locally and syncing remotely For WordPress, the most common questions tend to come around syncing the local development environment with the live environment. They’ve been recommending WP Migrate DB Pro for people trying to get around that, though Chris says he doesn’t think it’s perfect for huge websites like CSS-Tricks. I think, to a degree, the common confusion is logical. WordPress development is really centered around three different layers of “stuff”: the content (posts, pages, etc), the files in the directory, and the site management database options. I think there is plenty of room for confusion when it’s not easy to decouple website management with website content, from a database perspective. Learning more about WordPress through the lens of a different audience I used this segment to talk about other confusing aspects of WordPress. We talked about database management, the degree of PHP knowledge required for WordPress theming, using pre-processors in distributed versus custom themes, responsive images, and the asset-itis of many WordPress websites that utilize plugins that each load their own scripts and styles. Regardless of the specific issues people are having, I find tremendous value listening to ShopTalk — which is not as hardcore of a WordPress audience as I have here — where the trends of people’s struggles help reveal real struggles that perhaps we could build better tools for in WordPress. It’s also worth noting that some of the “struggles” we talked about are very modern struggles, and WordPress has been around for over eleven years. WordPress iterates pretty quickly and does a great job of supporting modern web features, but it’s rarely immediate, especially in terms of core support. But plugin support and the shear number of people innovating on top of WordPress is significant and awesome. Just build websites!  So many people want to be told what to do and what to learn next. That’s for sure the #1 question on ShopTalk.  In the face of lots of new and changing technology, Chris is often asked about what to do first, or what to do next. He and Dave have a core mantra at ShopTalk to encourage people to “just build websites!”  The things that you learn will happen as a result of building those websites and things for other people.  The degree of paralysis by analysis they see is significant, and Chris and Dave hope that people will let their experiences guide them versus a to-do list of things they must learn today. You’re desirable Another note is that pretty much everyone has something they can do to provide value to others. People surely know something from a tooling perspective that’s worthwhile; even sans-modern tools, basic knowledge of HTML and CSS — the building blocks of the web — could be a great asset to lots of business. Even more important than tooling though, is the ability to solve problems. Chris used an example of a business that sells wrenches. If you can help a business that sells wrenches to sell more wrenches, then you are able to provide that business a lot of value; so focus on helping businesses do what they do better. Learn by sharing I admire Chris’ degree of sharing what he’s learning, through ShopTalk, CodePen Radio, and for years on CSS-Tricks. He doesn’t do anything special to write about what he learns. He keeps his drafts right there in WordPress. He doesn’t take special notes. He just writes, and he often writes about what he’s learning. Over time he’s been able to refine his writing and learn what to expect, as far as feedback goes. But at the core he just writes, and through that writing he’s been able to grow his own audience and get better at everything else he’s doing professionally. Staying consistent and avoiding burnout I was curious what Chris has done to stay so consistent online and avoid burnout. It seems to me that a lot of people get temporarily motivated and quickly disenchanted. I’ve learned in my own experience with the web that any measure of success takes lots and lots of consistent effort. Chris hasn’t done a lot to think about avoiding burnout, but figures there are some things he subconsciously does to stay motivated. That may be taking extended breaks from the web and disconnecting for a trip to the woods, or shorter breaks just in the day like stopping and playing the banjo for a few minutes. Stay in touch with Chris At the end of every episode of ShopTalk, Chris and Dave give guests an opportunity to plug whatever they want. Chris’ plug for our interview was to advise folks to take some time off from building their own product and instead go into their issues list and clean up after themselves and their project — which is what Chris and team are doing at CodePen right now. He also noted that nothing would make him happier than folks going Pro on CodePen. If you teach, interact with others, or want a way to store private pens, you should definitely check it out. And it’s affordable too, at only $75 for the year. While he didn’t take the opportunity to plug much of his own stuff, you should definitely still check out his various projects. I’ve learned a ton from Chris since I started my own journey on the web. If my learning journey on the web were a university, I’ve definitely taken multiple classes from CSS-Tricks and the ShopTalk Show. Chris’ business is built on a three-legged stool right now. Check them out:  CodePen – a playground for the front-end side of the web. ShopTalk Show – a podcast about front-end web design (and sound effects). CSS-Tricks – where the whole internet learns CSS.  Also check out Chris’ fun about page with his life’s timeline and follow him on Twitter. I’d like to thank Chris for the time he spent with me, and I hope that if you enjoyed this interview and write-up, that you’ll share it!

<p>Chris Coyier is not a stranger to most of us web workers. He’s a designer at <a href="http://codepen.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CodePen</a>, a writer at <a href="http://css-tricks.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CSS-Tricks</a>, and a podcaster at <a href="http://shoptalkshow.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ShopTalk</a>.</p> <p>He uses WordPress on all three of his primary projects. For years, Chris has been a consistent advocate for the platform. He develops his own websites with WordPress, but his day-to-day interactions are as a user.</p> <p>Chris brings a unique perspective, I believe. He did some client work early in his career, but he’s been more involved in SaaS projects and membership websites; his current membership websites are on WordPress (CSS-Tricks) and Ruby on Rails (CodePen).</p> <p>I asked Chris about his projects, his perspective on various aspects of WordPress, and the community around it. I enjoyed learning from him, and I hope you do too:</p> <p><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/chris-coyier-post-status-draft.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/chris-coyier-post-status-draft.mp3</a></p> <p><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/PostStatus/DraftPodcast/chris-coyier-post-status-draft.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct Download</a></p> <h3>What have you learned from working on membership websites?</h3> <blockquote> <p> It’s just a good dang business idea.</p> </blockquote> <p>Chris was sold on the idea of membership websites from his tenure at <a href="http://www.wufoo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wufoo</a> and <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SurveyMonkey</a> (where he worked once they acquired Wufoo).</p> <p>He uses Pippin Williamson’s <a href="https://pippinsplugins.com/restrict-content-pro-premium-content-plugin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Restrict Content Pro</a> for managing <a href="http://css-tricks.com/lodge/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lodge</a> on CSS-Tricks. At CodePen, they spend time thinking about pricing, churn, and other membership metrics.</p> <p>They talk about some of these things (and much more) on the <a href="http://blog.codepen.io/radio/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CodePen Radio</a> podcast — an awesome podcast for anyone interested in SaaS, not just CodePen.</p> <h4>Delivering value</h4> <p>Another aspect Chris noted about membership websites is how it makes you want to continually deliver value for customers. He always wants to make people feel like they’re getting excellent features and value for the price of their membership.</p> <p>Another thing he and the CodePen team are learning is prioritizing feature requests. When you are building for members, you want to build features members want; and sometimes that goes against other fixes that are less glamorous. So they are consistently trying to balance time spent on customer-facing features versus behind the scenes development.</p> <h4>Build the feature, get the reward</h4> <p>Chris talked about how important it is for him to build something, then be rewarded for the work he does, versus selling something and then having to build the feature for it.</p> <p>He experience this with his big <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chriscoyier/screencasting-a-complete-redesign" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> project for a CSS-Tricks redesign a couple of years ago, and said that mentality was really difficult for him.</p> <h3>What do you appreciate more now about WordPress, after using other software?</h3> <p>WordPress comes with a lot of built-in features that many of us (I do at least) may take for granted. Need a user system? Check. Need comments? Check. Need categorization? Check.</p> <p>Building CodePen, Chris is able to appreciate (even more than before) just how powerful WordPress is and how much thought goes into every feature.</p> <p>We dove into something seemingly simple as an example: tags. It turns out that something even that simple takes a lot of thought, consideration, and user experience considerations.</p> <blockquote> <p>What it ends up as, is something you’ll have to iterate on for years to get anywhere close to how good the WordPress one works already. And that’s like the tiniest thing we could think about. Think about the login system, or something else.</p> </blockquote> <p>So his advice was to focus on simplicity and decisions when building features, because required effort grows rapidly as a feature gets more complicated.</p> <h3>How would you compare the WordPress community to other web communities?</h3> <p>Chris has exposure to a much broader web community than I do. I’m pretty locked into the WordPress bubble. He sees the Ruby on Rails world, the more generic web world, and attends and speaks at a slew of non-WordPress conferences every year.</p> <p>Even though he says he’s mostly in a WordPress bubble himself (he’s not exactly attending Drupal conferences, he notes), he thinks that the WordPress community is pretty top-notch, and hasn’t seen other communities that are “better” than the WordPress community.</p> <blockquote> <p>There’s definitely no other CMS that I’m jealous of that community.</p> </blockquote> <h3>What questions about WordPress are you always seeing on the ShopTalk Podcast</h3> <p>Chris and his co-host Dave Rupert (seriously, <a href="https://twitter.com/davatron5000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">follow Dave</a> and gain laughs and knowledge in life) get a lot of questions about WordPress on the ShopTalk Podcast. Some of these questions are repeated pretty frequently, and they see trends of common issues.</p> <h4>Working locally and syncing remotely</h4> <p>For WordPress, the most common questions tend to come around syncing the local development environment with the live environment. They’ve been recommending <a href="https://deliciousbrains.com/wp-migrate-db-pro/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WP Migrate DB Pro</a> for people trying to get around that, though Chris says he doesn’t think it’s perfect for huge websites like CSS-Tricks.</p> <p>I think, to a degree, the common confusion is logical. WordPress development is really centered around three different layers of “stuff”: the content (posts, pages, etc), the files in the directory, and the site management database options. I think there is plenty of room for confusion when it’s not easy to decouple website management with website content, from a database perspective.</p> <h4>Learning more about WordPress through the lens of a different audience</h4> <p>I used this segment to talk about other confusing aspects of WordPress. We talked about database management, the degree of PHP knowledge required for WordPress theming, using pre-processors in distributed versus custom themes, responsive images, and the asset-itis of many WordPress websites that utilize plugins that each load their own scripts and styles.</p> <p>Regardless of the specific issues people are having, I find tremendous value listening to ShopTalk — which is not as hardcore of a WordPress audience as I have here — where the trends of people’s struggles help reveal real struggles that perhaps we could build better tools for in WordPress.</p> <p>It’s also worth noting that some of the “struggles” we talked about are very modern struggles, and WordPress has been around for over eleven years. WordPress iterates pretty quickly and does a great job of supporting modern web features, but it’s rarely immediate, especially in terms of core support. But plugin support and the shear number of people innovating on top of WordPress is significant and awesome.</p> <h3>Just build websites!</h3> <blockquote> <p>So many people want to be told what to do and what to learn next. That’s for sure the #1 question on ShopTalk.</p> </blockquote> <p>In the face of lots of new and changing technology, Chris is often asked about what to do first, or what to do next. He and Dave have a core <a href="http://shoptalkshow.com/mantra/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mantra at ShopTalk</a> to encourage people to “just build websites!”</p> <blockquote> <p>The things that you learn will happen as a result of building those websites and things for other people.</p> </blockquote> <p>The degree of paralysis by analysis they see is significant, and Chris and Dave hope that people will let their experiences guide them versus a to-do list of things they must learn today.</p> <h4>You’re desirable</h4> <p>Another note is that pretty much everyone has something they can do to provide value to others. People surely know something from a tooling perspective that’s worthwhile; even sans-modern tools, basic knowledge of HTML and CSS — the building blocks of the web — could be a great asset to lots of business.</p> <p>Even more important than tooling though, is the ability to solve problems. Chris used an example of a business that sells wrenches. If you can help a business that sells wrenches to sell more wrenches, then you are able to provide that business a lot of value; so focus on helping businesses do what they do better.</p> <h4>Learn by sharing</h4> <p>I admire Chris’ degree of sharing what he’s learning, through ShopTalk, CodePen Radio, and for years on CSS-Tricks.</p> <p>He doesn’t do anything special to write about what he learns. He keeps his drafts right there in WordPress. He doesn’t take special notes. He just writes, and he often writes about what he’s learning.</p> <p>Over time he’s been able to refine his writing and learn what to expect, as far as feedback goes. But at the core he just writes, and through that writing he’s been able to grow his own audience and get better at everything else he’s doing professionally.</p> <h3>Staying consistent and avoiding burnout</h3> <p>I was curious what Chris has done to stay so consistent online and avoid burnout. It seems to me that a lot of people get temporarily motivated and quickly disenchanted.</p> <p>I’ve learned in my own experience with the web that any measure of success takes lots and lots of consistent effort. Chris hasn’t done a lot to think about avoiding burnout, but figures there are some things he subconsciously does to stay motivated.</p> <p>That may be taking extended breaks from the web and disconnecting for a trip to the woods, or shorter breaks just in the day like stopping and playing the banjo for a few minutes.</p> <h3>Stay in touch with Chris</h3> <p>At the end of every episode of ShopTalk, Chris and Dave give guests an opportunity to plug whatever they want.</p> <p>Chris’ plug for our interview was to advise folks to take some time off from building their own product and instead go into their issues list and clean up after themselves and their project — which is what Chris and team are doing at CodePen right now.</p> <p>He also noted that nothing would make him happier than folks going <a href="http://codepen.io/pro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pro on CodePen</a>. If you teach, interact with others, or want a way to store private pens, you should definitely check it out. And it’s affordable too, at only $75 for the year.</p> <p>While he didn’t take the opportunity to plug much of his own stuff, you should definitely still check out his various projects. I’ve learned a ton from Chris since I started my own journey on the web. If my learning journey on the web were a university, I’ve definitely taken multiple classes from CSS-Tricks and the ShopTalk Show. Chris’ business is built on a three-legged stool right now. Check them out:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://codepen.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CodePen</a> – a playground for the front-end side of the web.</li> <li><a href="http://shoptalkshow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ShopTalk Show</a> – a podcast about front-end web design (and sound effects).</li> <li><a href="http://css-tricks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CSS-Tricks</a> – where the whole internet learns CSS.</li> </ul> <p>Also check out <a href="http://chriscoyier.net/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris’ fun about page</a> with his life’s timeline and <a href="https://twitter.com/chriscoyier" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">follow him on Twitter</a>.</p> <p>I’d like to thank Chris for the time he spent with me, and I hope that if you enjoyed this interview and write-up, that you’ll share it!</p>

Chris Coyier on WordPress, business, and building the web

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards. In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss a variety of news topics spanning design, development, and business. Tune in to learn about the history of WordPress and the web, the newest TechCrunch redesign, a WordCamp for WordCamp organizers, and more. Links  Leaky Paywall 2018 Design in Tech report Gutenberg Development Course TechCrunch redesign WordPress turns 15, via History of the Web Proposal for a WordCamp for WordCamp organizers   Sponsor: Gravity Forms Gravity Forms makes the best web forms on the planet. Over a million WordPress sites are already using Gravity Forms. Is yours? Thanks to Gravity Forms for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards.</p> <p>In this episode, Brian and Brian discuss a variety of news topics spanning design, development, and business. Tune in to learn about the history of WordPress and the web, the newest TechCrunch redesign, a WordCamp for WordCamp organizers, and more.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://zeen101.com/for-developers/leakypaywall/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leaky Paywall</a></li> <li><a href="https://designintech.report/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2018 Design in Tech report</a></li> <li><a href="https://gutenberg.courses/development/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gutenberg Development Course</a></li> <li><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/13/welcome-to-the-new-techcrunch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TechCrunch redesign</a></li> <li><a href="https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/the-story-of-wordpress/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress turns 15</a>, via History of the Web</li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2018/04/03/want-to-help-organize-a-wordcamp-for-organizers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proposal for a WordCamp for WordCamp organizers </a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: Gravity Forms</h3> <a href="http://www.gravityforms.com/?utm_source=post_status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=ps_ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gravity Forms</a> makes the best web forms on the planet. Over a million WordPress sites are already using Gravity Forms. Is yours? Thanks to Gravity Forms for being a Post Status partner.

Designing the news

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard. In this episode, I am joined by Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic. Just after releasing WordPress 5.0, and on the heels of WordCamp US, Matt and I review the event, the release, and discuss how he thinks things went, what could have gone better, and what he sees ahead. We also dig into WooCommerce, various plans around core development processes, Automattic, and more. I hope you enjoy. Full transcript is coming soon. Episode Links  Matt's blog Automattic WordCamp US State of the Word Post Status's coverage of WCUS 5 Stages of Grief  Sponsor: iThemes iThemes makes great WordPress plugins, themes and training to help take the guesswork out of building, maintaining and securing WordPress websites. I talk to iThemes CEO Cory Miller during the break to hear about what they are working on, and excited about for the coming year.Thanks to iThemes for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>In this episode, I am joined by <a href="https://ma.tt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Mullenweg</a>, the co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic.</p> <p>Just after releasing WordPress 5.0, and on the heels of WordCamp US, Matt and I review the event, the release, and discuss how he thinks things went, what could have gone better, and what he sees ahead.</p> <p>We also dig into WooCommerce, various plans around core development processes, Automattic, and more. I hope you enjoy. Full transcript is coming soon.</p> <h3>Episode Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://ma.tt/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt's blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://automattic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Automattic</a></li> <li>WordCamp US <a href="https://ma.tt/2018/12/state-of-the-word-2018/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">State of the Word</a></li> <li>Post Status's <a href="https://poststatus.com/state-of-the-word-2018/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">coverage of WCUS</a></li> <li><a href="https://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">5 Stages of Grief</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: iThemes</h3> <a href="https://ithemes.com/?utm_source=post_status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=ps_ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iThemes</a> makes great WordPress plugins, themes and training to help take the guesswork out of building, maintaining and securing WordPress websites. I talk to iThemes CEO Cory Miller during the break to hear about what they are working on, and excited about for the coming year.<br><p>Thanks to <a href="https://ithemes.com/?utm_source=post_status&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=ps_ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iThemes</a> for being a Post Status partner.</p>

Interview with Matt Mullenweg on Gutenberg, WordPress, and the future

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards. In this episode, the two Brian’s discuss the current conversations and controversy surrounding data collection and visitor privacy on the web. The duo dig in to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and what it means for you both as site visitors and site owners and, in particular, how WordPress core and plugin authors are (or should be) responding to the new regulation. It’s a pretty deep topic with many implications and ramifications. Be sure to follow the episode links, too, so that you can be best informed and prepared for when GDPR goes into effect on May 25, 2018. Links  CJR report on understanding the General Data Protection Regulation Core's roadmap for GDPR compliance Trac issues related to GDPR Pagely's GDPR guide Heather Burns' detailed GDPR analysis in Smashing Magazine  Sponsor: ValetThis episode is sponsored by Valet. Valet helps keep your clients happy &amp; coming back. They offer expert services and keep the websites they manage functioning flawlessly. They offer preventative care that provides peace of mind around the clock. For more information, check out their website and thank you to Valet for being a Post Status partner.

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Ih5egfxskgcec4qadr3f4zfpzzm?t=Post_Status__Draft_WordPress_Podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Brian Krogsgard and co-host Brian Richards.</p> <p>In this episode, the two Brian’s discuss the current conversations and controversy surrounding data collection and visitor privacy on the web. The duo dig in to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and what it means for you both as site visitors and site owners and, in particular, how WordPress core and plugin authors are (or should be) responding to the new regulation. It’s a pretty deep topic with many implications and ramifications. Be sure to follow the episode links, too, so that you can be best informed and prepared for when GDPR goes into effect on May 25, 2018.</p> <p>Links</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/understanding-general-data-protection-regulation.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CJR report on understanding the General Data Protection Regulation</a></li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/03/28/roadmap-tools-for-gdpr-compliance/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Core's roadmap for GDPR compliance</a></li> <li><a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=!closed&amp;keywords=~gdpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trac issues related to GDPR</a></li> <li><a href="https://pagely.com/blog/gdpr-wordpress-2018-resources/?mc_cid=a002d1fc74&amp;mc_eid=58d2ea272a" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pagely's GDPR guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/02/gdpr-for-web-developers/?mc_cid=a002d1fc74&amp;mc_eid=58d2ea272a" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Heather Burns' detailed GDPR analysis in Smashing Magazine</a></li> </ul> <h3>Sponsor: Valet</h3>This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://www.valet.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Valet</a>. Valet helps keep your clients happy &amp; coming back. They offer expert services and keep the websites they manage functioning flawlessly. They offer preventative care that provides peace of mind around the clock. For more information, check out <a href="https://www.valet.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their website</a> and thank you to Valet for being a Post Status partner.

All about you(r privacy)

Jonathan Williamson

Jonathan Williamson is the co-founder and COO of CGCookie, a membership website that provides as an educational resource for computer graphics and modeling. CGCookie has been around since 2008, and today is a network of five websites, has thousands of paying members, a team of six full time employees plus a number of contractors. CGCookie is built completely on WordPress and has a built in membership component. Some astute readers may recognize both the site and Jonathan's name; Jonathan is Pippin Williamson's identical twin brother, and Pippin has worked with Jonathan on CGCookie many times. So, in this interview, you're not listening to me talk to Pippin -- though it sounds like it -- but I'm talking to Jonathan Williamson. Jonathan is as passionate about CG, modeling, 3D printing, and the software that surrounds these disciplines as Pippin is about WordPress and programming. It was a pleasure to talk to Jonathan about what it's like to run a membership site that runs on WordPress. I think this interview will be beneficial for those that want to run a membership site, and also those that work with clients who make their living off of their website. How CGCookie evolvedCGCookie started as a blog with news, tutorials, and resources for CG enthusiasts. The first form of its monetization was by selling the source files for the various tutorials. Within about two years, Jonathan and co-founder Wes Burke decided to add a membership component that ended up working far better than they anticipated.Jonathan has been working full-time on CGCookie since around the summer of 2009. They originally launched on aMember, before eventually migrating to Pippin's Restrict Content Pro plugin, along with Easy Digital Downloads. Today, CGCookie has more than 120,000 free users, and they have around 4,700 paid members. Since 2008, CGCookie have managed to not have a full time web developer until February of 2014, when they hired Nick Haskins. You may recognize Nick as the founder of Aesop Stories as well. Nick manages front-end development for the site, and they still don't have a backend developer -- though a backend developer and designer are on their roadmap. How CGCookie's eCommerce setup runsConsidering Jonathan is using his brother's own plugins in the real world, it makes for a great avenue for feedback and insight for Pippin to improve those products.CGCookie is using Restrict Content Pro for memberships themselves, and EDD for their store. We talked about whether EDD could be used for both, or if there is room for improvement in the marriage between the two systems, and he believes there is and that it's a goal for the two plugins. For instance, currently, reporting and user management and a number of other features are independent between each plugin even though often times the users that utilize the system may overlap. I asked Jonathan about scaling WordPress and eCommerce for their large user base. He says that scaling for eCommerce has not been difficult, but with over a hundred thousand users, some default WordPress functionality has not scaled well; for instance, some admin areas create dropdowns for all users, which does not work well. Fortunately, there are some trac tickets in place currently to help solve some of these problems. Prioritizing goals for a membership siteWhen discussing challenges running a membership site, Jonathan highlights the internal battles: balancing new features versus iterative improvements. Based on my short experience managing this membership site, I completely agree.For an example, Jonathan told me about a potential question and answer system to help his members get answers for specific technical topics that may be beyond the scope of a specific course. They believe a Stack Exchange style setup that allows them to refer their courses to specific questions would allow them to better serve their customers with the same content they already have. How do you get people to find your content that answers their question, but you don't have a way of just explicitly saying that these are the questions this course answers?They're considering a method of post to post relationships that direct courses as question answers and vice versa. For this feature and others, they try to do things with a short return on investment, but they also don't want to be a slave to it. They sometimes do things "that are important to the quality of CGCookie, that never make a dime." They removed ads last year under that very premise, to make CGCookie a better learning experience.Not the only place to learnJonathan knows CGCookie isn't the only place to learn, so they focus on creating an excellent community and learning experience for their customers.Realizing that our sites aren't the only way to get certain information is an important thing to know to be able to better focus what we create for our users and why we create it. Pricing for CGCookieCGCookie has pricing for monthly, quarterly, or yearly pricing; all plans renew automatically unless explicitly cancelled. This is a feature they actively A/B test to see what's working and what's not.Behavior of customers varies between the three levels. Jonathan says that the users are more invested in their purchases (and getting more out of it) when they sign up for longer. Quarterly members have 10% longer lifetime memberships and spend three times longer on the site. However, they do have "a fair bit" of what I called "download and dash" members that sign up for a month, download a bunch of assets and cancel. Monthly memberships are also the most popular plan. They've considered locking down downloads for monthly signups but it's not something they want to do unless it becomes a bigger problem; however they do lose money on those customers that download gigabytes of files and videos but only stay subscribed for one month. TestingDuring A/B tests, they have found that people will be just as likely to sign up for quarterly as monthly if monthly isn't available, and quarterly members are more engaged. One thing they noted is that once people stick around for a few months, the average tenure of a user skyrockets; they have some users that have been a paying member as long as the site has been running.One of my big takeaways talking to Jonathan was about how significant testing can be. Their tests help them decide on the optimal pricing and payment plans to maximize a lifetime value. For testing, insights, and statistics they use both Optimizely, Mixpanel, and Google Analytics. Mixpanel allows you to create custom events in your software, and does require some code knowledge, but it can deliver valuable insights if you use it correctly. Jonathan notes, "It's basically as comprehensive as you make it." They can also mesh tools. They can track which A/B test from Optimizely a customer signed up with, and then use Mixpanel to track what they did and how they did it. They can get login metrics, renewal numbers, and more for each plan and signup flow. Mixpanel requires PHP and JavaScript knowledge to utilize, but Optimizely has an extensive visual interface that doesn't require code knowledge to utilize. What encourages membership signups"It varies day to day, week to week, month to month," in regard to how their signups work. A bad month in the economy can make their signups go down. Sometimes quarterly users will spike while monthly users are steady.Their biggest thing that affects signup rates is customer support. Some presale, but also support for new members to help answer questions and get people engaged. [pullquote align="right"]When they can help someone answer the question, "Where do I go next?", they are able to keep them for a long time.[/pullquote] They have one or two courses that drive a ton of traffic to their site, and it is therefore their largest onboarding channel for new members. However, they don't have a silver bullet for what it takes to get new users. They are always trying new things. On competing and the industryJonathan doesn't see themselves as a part of a singular industry. While many think of CG as a part of the film industry, it's one of dozens of potential applications, and they don't want to narrow themselves to a particular one.They also poll users to get a feel for who they are and what industry actual users come from. Based on around a thousand responses, they had no real pattern at all. The results were all over the board. So they don't want to compete with a film tutorials site or any other industry site. They want to focus on the tool itself. They want to teach people how to use Blender and show them how it can be applied to various industries their users are a part of. Advice for those running membership sites "Build your community would be the main one. It's one thing to offer a really good product. It's one thing to build a really good website. But if you don't have the community behind you that's going to be willing to trust in you with their wallet ... it's not going to go anywhere long term, sustainably."Jonathan says it's about building the community as well as the sense of trust within that community. He believes that customers will want to know that not only the content will be worth it, but that it will continue to be worth it -- and that the communication and support from the team behind the site will be consistent as well.He believes that subscriptions and products are very different. With a subscription, the interaction is just as or far more important than specific content itself. When he refers to community, he doesn't mean it has to be strictly through something like a forum. He considers it a broad term, and for them it evolved out of their Blender community user base. At the time we recorded this, they didn't have forums, a dedicated chat system, or an actual community integration part. But the community exists and thrives within comments and their gallery functionality. Wrapping upJonathan is full of great advice and I could listen to him talk about membership sites for a long time. I have no experience with CG but at the end of this interview he had me wanted to go build something with Blender.You can (and should) keep up with Jonathan on Twitter, or perhaps you'll see him at a conference near you -- but you'll probably think it's Pippin at first. Also be sure to checkout CGCookie's website; it's really great.

<p>Jonathan Williamson is the co-founder and COO of <a href="http://cgcookie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CGCookie</a>, a membership website that provides as an educational resource for computer graphics and modeling. CGCookie has been around since 2008, and today is a network of five websites, has thousands of paying members, a team of six full time employees plus a number of contractors.</p> <p>CGCookie is built completely on WordPress and has a built in membership component. Some astute readers may recognize both the site and Jonathan's name; Jonathan is <a href="https://twitter.com/pippinsplugins" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pippin Williamson's</a> identical twin brother, and Pippin has worked with Jonathan on CGCookie many times. So, in this interview, you're not listening to me talk to Pippin -- though it sounds like it -- but I'm talking to Jonathan Williamson.</p> <p>Jonathan is as passionate about CG, modeling, 3D printing, and the software that surrounds these disciplines as Pippin is about WordPress and programming. It was a pleasure to talk to Jonathan about what it's like to run a membership site that runs on WordPress. I think this interview will be beneficial for those that want to run a membership site, and also those that work with clients who make their living off of their website.</p> <h3>How CGCookie evolved</h3>CGCookie started as a blog with news, tutorials, and resources for CG enthusiasts. The first form of its monetization was by selling the source files for the various tutorials. Within about two years, Jonathan and co-founder Wes Burke decided to add a membership component that ended up working far better than they anticipated.<br><p>Jonathan has been working full-time on CGCookie since around the summer of 2009. They originally launched on aMember, before eventually migrating to Pippin's <a href="https://pippinsplugins.com/restrict-content-pro-premium-content-plugin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Restrict Content Pro</a> plugin, along with <a href="https://easydigitaldownloads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easy Digital Downloads</a>.</p> <p>Today, CGCookie has more than 120,000 free users, and they have around 4,700 paid members.</p> <p>Since 2008, CGCookie have managed to not have a full time web developer until February of 2014, when they hired Nick Haskins. You may recognize Nick as the founder of <a href="https://poststatus.com/aesop-medium-esque-story-engine-wordpress/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aesop Stories</a> as well. Nick manages front-end development for the site, and they still don't have a backend developer -- though a backend developer and designer are on their roadmap.</p> <h3>How CGCookie's eCommerce setup runs</h3>Considering Jonathan is using his brother's own plugins in the real world, it makes for a great avenue for feedback and insight for Pippin to improve those products.<br><p>CGCookie is using Restrict Content Pro for <a href="https://cgcookie.com/membership/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">memberships</a> themselves, and EDD for their <a href="https://cgcookie.com/shop/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">store</a>. We talked about whether EDD could be used for both, or if there is room for improvement in the marriage between the two systems, and he believes there is and that it's a goal for the two plugins. For instance, currently, reporting and user management and a number of other features are independent between each plugin even though often times the users that utilize the system may overlap.</p> <p>I asked Jonathan about scaling WordPress and eCommerce for their large user base. He says that scaling for eCommerce has not been difficult, but with over a hundred thousand users, some default WordPress functionality has not scaled well; for instance, some admin areas create dropdowns for all users, which does not work well. Fortunately, there are some trac tickets in place currently to help solve some of these problems.</p> <h3>Prioritizing goals for a membership site</h3>When discussing challenges running a membership site, Jonathan highlights the internal battles: balancing new features versus iterative improvements. Based on my short experience managing this membership site, I completely agree.<br><p>For an example, Jonathan told me about a potential question and answer system to help his members get answers for specific technical topics that may be beyond the scope of a specific course. They believe a Stack Exchange style setup that allows them to refer their courses to specific questions would allow them to better serve their customers with the same content they already have.</p> <blockquote>How do you get people to find your content that answers their question, but you don't have a way of just explicitly saying that these are the questions this course answers?</blockquote>They're considering a method of post to post relationships that direct courses as question answers and vice versa. For this feature and others, they try to do things with a short return on investment, but they also don't want to be a slave to it. They sometimes do things "that are important to the quality of CGCookie, that never make a dime." They removed ads last year under that very premise, to make CGCookie a better learning experience.<br><h3>Not the only place to learn</h3>Jonathan knows CGCookie isn't the only place to learn, so they focus on creating an excellent community and learning experience for their customers.<br><p>Realizing that our sites aren't the only way to get certain information is an important thing to know to be able to better focus what we create for our users and why we create it.</p> <h3>Pricing for CGCookie</h3>CGCookie has pricing for monthly, quarterly, or yearly pricing; all plans renew automatically unless explicitly cancelled. This is a feature they actively A/B test to see what's working and what's not.<br><p>Behavior of customers varies between the three levels. Jonathan says that the users are more invested in their purchases (and getting more out of it) when they sign up for longer. Quarterly members have 10% longer lifetime memberships and spend three times longer on the site.</p> <p>However, they do have "a fair bit" of what I called "download and dash" members that sign up for a month, download a bunch of assets and cancel. Monthly memberships are also the most popular plan. They've considered locking down downloads for monthly signups but it's not something they want to do unless it becomes a bigger problem; however they do lose money on those customers that download gigabytes of files and videos but only stay subscribed for one month.</p> <h3>Testing</h3>During A/B tests, they have found that people will be just as likely to sign up for quarterly as monthly if monthly isn't available, and quarterly members are more engaged. One thing they noted is that once people stick around for a few months, the average tenure of a user skyrockets; they have some users that have been a paying member as long as the site has been running.<br><p>One of my big takeaways talking to Jonathan was about how significant testing can be. Their tests help them decide on the optimal pricing and payment plans to maximize a lifetime value.</p> <p>For testing, insights, and statistics they use both <a href="https://www.optimizely.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Optimizely</a>, <a href="https://mixpanel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mixpanel</a>, and Google Analytics.</p> <p>Mixpanel allows you to create custom events in your software, and does require some code knowledge, but it can deliver valuable insights if you use it correctly. Jonathan notes, "It's basically as comprehensive as you make it."</p> <p>They can also mesh tools. They can track which A/B test from Optimizely a customer signed up with, and then use Mixpanel to track what they did and how they did it. They can get login metrics, renewal numbers, and more for each plan and signup flow.</p> <p>Mixpanel requires PHP and JavaScript knowledge to utilize, but Optimizely has an extensive visual interface that doesn't require code knowledge to utilize.</p> <h3>What encourages membership signups</h3>"It varies day to day, week to week, month to month," in regard to how their signups work. A bad month in the economy can make their signups go down. Sometimes quarterly users will spike while monthly users are steady.<br><p>Their biggest thing that affects signup rates is customer support. Some presale, but also support for new members to help answer questions and get people engaged. [pullquote align="right"]When they can help someone answer the question, "Where do I go next?", they are able to keep them for a long time.[/pullquote]</p> <p>They have one or two courses that drive a ton of traffic to their site, and it is therefore their largest onboarding channel for new members. However, they don't have a silver bullet for what it takes to get new users. They are always trying new things.</p> <h3>On competing and the industry</h3>Jonathan doesn't see themselves as a part of a singular industry. While many think of CG as a part of the film industry, it's one of dozens of potential applications, and they don't want to narrow themselves to a particular one.<br><p>They also poll users to get a feel for who they are and what industry actual users come from. Based on around a thousand responses, they had no real pattern at all. The results were all over the board.</p> <p>So they don't want to compete with a film tutorials site or any other industry site. They want to focus on the tool itself. They want to teach people how to use Blender and show them how it can be applied to various industries their users are a part of.</p> <h3>Advice for those running membership sites</h3> <blockquote>"Build your community would be the main one. It's one thing to offer a really good product. It's one thing to build a really good website. But if you don't have the community behind you that's going to be willing to trust in you with their wallet ... it's not going to go anywhere long term, sustainably."</blockquote>Jonathan says it's about building the community as well as the sense of trust within that community. He believes that customers will want to know that not only the content will be worth it, but that it will continue to be worth it -- and that the communication and support from the team behind the site will be consistent as well.<br><p>He believes that subscriptions and products are very different. With a subscription, the interaction is just as or far more important than specific content itself.</p> <p>When he refers to community, he doesn't mean it has to be strictly through something like a forum. He considers it a broad term, and for them it evolved out of their Blender community user base. At the time we recorded this, they didn't have forums, a dedicated chat system, or an actual community integration part. But the community exists and thrives within comments and their gallery functionality.</p> <h3>Wrapping up</h3>Jonathan is full of great advice and I could listen to him talk about membership sites for a long time. I have no experience with CG but at the end of this interview he had me wanted to go build something with Blender.<br><p>You can (and should) keep up with <a href="https://twitter.com/carter2422" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan on Twitter</a>, or perhaps you'll see him at a conference near you -- but you'll probably think it's Pippin at first. Also be sure to checkout <a href="http://cgcookie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CGCookie's website</a>; it's really great.</p>

Running a successful membership site in real life, with Jonathan Williamson

Welcome to the Post Status Draft podcast, which you can find on iTunes, Stitcher, and via RSS for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard. HTTPS and HTTP/2 are somewhat intertwined, and a lot has been going on lately in this realm. Google has made a big push to encourage the use of SSL for websites -- including making it a search ranking factor -- and LetsEncrypt and other services are offering new ways to deliver free SSL certificates, securely. And HTTPS is required for HTTP/2, which is making a big splash as well, quickly outpacing SPDY. Today, we’ll talk about what these terms are, and what it means for the web and for WordPress. Links  Let's Encrypt The Future Stack: Running WordPress with Tomorrow's Technologies OAuth HTTP/2 FAQs WordPress and HTTP/2 Software and services supporting HTTP/2 Transitioning from SPDY to HTTP/2 HTTP/2 and You Introducing HTTP/2 You're Listening to Delilah

<p>Welcome to the Post Status <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, and <a href="http://simplecast.fm/podcasts/1061/rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via RSS</a> for your favorite podcatcher. Post Status Draft is hosted by Joe Hoyle -- the CTO of Human Made -- and Brian Krogsgard.</p> <p>HTTPS and HTTP/2 are somewhat intertwined, and a lot has been going on lately in this realm. Google has made a big push to encourage the use of SSL for websites -- including making it a search ranking factor -- and LetsEncrypt and other services are offering new ways to deliver free SSL certificates, securely. And HTTPS is required for HTTP/2, which is making a big splash as well, quickly outpacing SPDY. Today, we’ll talk about what these terms are, and what it means for the web and for WordPress.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://letsencrypt.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let's Encrypt</a></li> <li><a href="http://wordpress.tv/2015/12/09/zack-tollman-and-aaron-jorbin-the-future-stack-running-wordpress-with-tomorrows-technologies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Future Stack: Running WordPress with Tomorrow's Technologies</a></li> <li><a href="http://oauth.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OAuth</a></li> <li><a href="https://http2.github.io/faq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HTTP/2 FAQs</a></li> <li><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/09/08/wordpress-and-http2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WordPress and HTTP/2</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP/2#Software_and_services_supporting_HTTP.2F2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Software and services supporting HTTP/2</a></li> <li><a href="http://blog.chromium.org/2016/02/transitioning-from-spdy-to-http2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transitioning from SPDY to HTTP/2</a></li> <li><a href="https://wordpress.tv/2015/07/29/zack-tollman-http-2-and-you/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HTTP/2 and You</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/introducing-http2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Introducing HTTP/2</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/nickrkm/youre-listening-to-delilah#.wa82qoMyR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You're Listening to Delilah</a></li></ul>

All things HTTP/2 and HTTPS

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