ZOOL

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the new and growing fight between Automattic/Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine. Back then, the two were mainly trading words, and dueling cease and desist letters. However, the scope seems to be continuing to expand, including WP Engine filing an actual lawsuit against Matt Mullenweg and Automattic.

As much as I love using WordPress, there are certain quirks about it that annoy me. One of those in particular is that the only default way to change your user profile photo is by linking it to a Gravatar profile. It’s not only annoying because it forces you to create an account with a service that you probably wouldn’t use otherwise, but then it also populates that same photo on any WordPress site you log into (if you use the same email address).

Over the past few years, we have seen increased efforts to better position and market the WordPress brand. Along with these efforts, we now have a Brand Writing Style Guide that defines how the WordPress voice should sound and what tone it should convey. The brand book was first created in August 2018 and has undergone several updates since then. It serves as a manual for all marketing messages, campaigns, and communication from WordPress.

If you follow WordPress at any level, it’s hard not to have heard about the drama surrounding Matt Mullenweg’s attack on WP Engine at the tail end of WordCamp US, something that marred what otherwise seemed like a very lovely event.

Recently, I was working on a rewrite of one of our theme list posts and in the process I tested over 30 themes. By the end, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that the majority were junk. My gut feeling was that the “shiny cover, empty box" syndrome I encountered was more widespread than only the niche I worked on. So I decided to fire up a test instance of WordPress and went through 31 additional themes in a separate niche. These are the results of my research.

Hey there, WordPress fans! I am checking in today to let you know that WordCamp US 2024 is about to kick off!

I’ve been working with WordPress hosting for years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about “cheap” WordPress hosting plans, it’s that they’re only cheap for the first year. After that, the renewal rates kick in, and suddenly…well, tough luck, pay up!

Ever since we started this site, we’ve been deeply involved in the topic of hosting a WordPress website. Personally, it wasn’t something I deliberately set out to learn that much about; rather, the topic found me. If you’re using WordPress, hosting is just essential, and there’s no way to ignore it. You just can’t run a site without it. So naturally, you’d want the best hosting available and steer clear of the sub-par options.

If you like ambitious projects, I think this news tidbit will be right up your alley. In late August, Matt Mullenweg and Automattic announced plans to migrate all of the existing Tumblr websites to WordPress. Given that Tumblr hosts more than half a billion blogs (yes – that’s a “B”), I think this might just be one of the largest migration projects ever undertaken.

If you’re attending WordCamp US 2024 in person or online, I have great news! In late August, we got our first look at the full lineup and schedule for this year’s event, which will be held in Portland, Oregon from September 17-20.