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Interesting move by Barn2, considering they started out as an agency.

Here’s the announcement: Simplify your web journey: Barn2 now offers full-service web development

Services offered are:

• New WordPress and WooCommerce websites
• Plugin installation and setup
• Plugin customization
• Website fixes and troubleshooting
• Speed optimization
• Ongoing website maintenance

More info here: https://barn2.com/services/

I wonder if this is part of a trend. It may be a topic worth covering via a more detailed post.

The report, by PR Newswire, is based on the analysis of over 100,000 press releases and surveying over 665 professionals in the US and Canada. As you can imagine, it makes a strong case for using Press Releases and is ultimately a lead gen piece. But there’s some interesting info to keep in mind:

• The main purpose is brand visibility
• Also used for building relationships with journalists and influencers
• Only 4% do it as part of an SEO strategy

The biggest challenge is not generating as much media pick up as one would expect, and not reaching the right people is the second concern.

60% of Press Releases are about  product or service news, followed by events (47%) and company news (42%).

The report covers AI too – 26% of those surveyed said that they used gen AI to craft press releases. About use to to write headlines.

The two more interesting stats relate to performance:

• Action verbs in headlines – The three more performing ones are ‘Announce’, ‘Launch’ and ‘Reports/Reported’
• The following days/times performed better – 10am to 4pm Monday to Thursday

The report covers much more. It’s free – you can download it here:

State of the Press Release Report

I think this is a very important initiative – a step towards a better model for social networking.

Good that Automattic is behind it, as reported by the Tavern.

Read about the launch here: Launch of Social Web Foundation.

Leaders of the open social networking movement have formed the Social Web Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to making connections between social platforms with the open standard protocol ActivityPub.

The “social web”, also called the “Fediverse”, is a network of independent social platforms connected with the open standard protocol ActivityPub. Users on any platform can follow their friends, family, influencers, or brands on any other participating network.

ActivityPub was standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 2018. It has attracted over 100 software implementations, tens of thousands of supporting web sites, and tens of millions of users.

Advocates of this increased platform choice say it will bring more individual control, more innovation, and a healthier social media experience. But there is work to do: journalism, activism, and the public square remain in a state of uncertain dissonance and privacy, safety and agency remain important concerns for anyone participating in a social network.

I’m going to list here all non-WP media articles about the Automattic Vs WP Engine ‘conflict’.

18 October 2024

Automattic offered employees another chance to quit over WordPress drama
The Verge

17 October 2024

Automattic offered employees another chance to quit — this time with nine months’ severance
TechCrunch

16 October 2024

The Wordpress drama and how it rings alarm bells for users
The Morning Context

Is Matt Mullenweg defending WordPress or sabotaging it?
MSN

About that brawl between the WordPress co-founder and WP Engine…
Computerworld

15 October

The WordPress drama could have major implications for the internet
Fast Company

Internal blog post reveals Automattic’s plan to enforce the WordPress trademark using ‘nice and not nice lawyers’
TechCrunch

What’s With the Open Source Drama Between WordPress and WP Engine?
CMS Wire

WordPress bans WP Engine from sponsoring or participating in user groups
The Register

WordPress vs. WP Engine: Who Will Survive the Hosting Brawl?
The India Herald

14 October

WordPress saga escalates as WP Engine plugin forcibly forked and legal letters fly
The Register

13 October 

WordPress acquires WP Engine’s ACF plugin amid legal disputes
NewsBytes

WordPress.org’s latest move involves taking control of a WP Engine plugin
The Verge

12 October 

In latest move against WP Engine, WordPress takes control of ACF plugin
TechCrunch

The Battle for 40% of the Internet
Slate Money (Paywalled)

11 October 

The Pettiest Drama in the Tech World Is Taking Place at … WordPress?
Slate

10 October 

WordPress vs WP Engine battle gets seriously stupid, with new login requirement
9to5Mac

The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained
TechCrunch

The ongoing feud between Wordpress and WP Engine is threatening open-source principles and good name
TechSpot

9 October

None

8 October

None

7 October

One-twelfth of Automattic staff leave over WordPress-WP Engine spat
CIO

How the WordPress vs WP Engine feud could impact the future of the internet
The Indian Express

WordPress executive director Josepha Haden Chomphosy resigns
The Hindu

After weeks of drama, SF tech CEO gives workers $30,000 to quit
SFGATE

Automattic CEO will pay staff $30,000 to leave if they oppose his legal battle with WP Engine
HR Grapevine

6 October

None

5 October

The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained
TechCrunch

Why WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has gone ‘nuclear’ against tech investing giant Silver Lake
CNBC

Executive Director Of WordPress Resigns
Search Engine Journal

WordPress co-founder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him
MSN

WordPress paying employees to leave if they disagree with co-founder
NewsBytes

4 October 2024

WordPress cofounder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him
The Verge

The latest on the WordPress fight over trademarks and open source
The Verge

159 employees leave WordPress founder’s company after extortion lawsuit
Engadget

Matt Mullenweg: ‘WordPress.org just belongs to me’
The Verge

Things get nasty in lawsuit between WordPress.org and WP Engine
CIO

WordPress Trying to Extort Competitor with Trademarks, Suit Says
Bloomberg Law News

WordPress cofounder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him
The Verge

WP engine sues WordPress
fudzilla

159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO’s fight with WP Engine escalates
TechCrunch

How the Argo Project Is Avoiding WordPress-Type Problems
The New Stack

The ‘WordPress’ fight is now a lawsuit
MSN

159 Automattic staff take severance offer and walk out over WP Engine feud
The Register

3 October 2024

WP Engine sues WordPress co-creator Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging abuse of power
TechCrunch

The ‘WordPress’ fight is now a lawsuit
The Verge

WordPress Co-Founder & Automattic Sued For Attempted Extortion
Search Engine Journal

Automattic demanded web host pay $32M annually for using WordPress trademark
Ars Technica

Automattic CEO Matthew Mullenweg sued for attempted extortion by WP Engine
TechRadar

What’s going on with the WordPress-WP Engine battle?
Silicon Republic

When Benevolence Fades
Tedium

WordPress founder sued for alleged libel and attempted extortion
Engadget

WP Engine sues Automattic CEO for ‘abuse of power’
Techzine

WP Engine Sues WordPress for Libel, Extortion
Slashdot

WordPress developer Automattic reveals it demanded 8% of revenue as licensing fee from WP Engine
Gigazine

The ‘WordPress’ fight is now a lawsuit
MSN

Developer Concerns Rise as WordPress and WP Engine See 19% Traffic Decline, Alternatives Thrive
Digital Information World

Latest in WordPress war: Automattic says it wanted 8% cut of WP Engine revenue
The Register

WP Engine files a lawsuit against Automatic and WordPress co-founder Matt Mulleweng
Tech Pluto

Automattic has been busy creating and expanding its Automattic for Agencies initiative across its WordPress brands – WordPress.com, JetPack, Pressable and Woo – and have just announced their WordPress.com Partner Directory.

“When you apply to the agency directory, your application will be reviewed to assess critical areas like security, performance, and adherence to different business requirements. Accepted agencies can showcase their profile across the Woo, Jetpack, and Pressable brand directories via a single listing.”

Visit the Partner Directory via this SEO optimized URL: https://wordpress.com/development-services/

I’m starting a list here but will add it to a Resources section of the website when it exists 🙂
Feel free to recommend ones you listen to too.

This Old Marketing | Marketing

Woo Biz Chat | Business

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway | Business

Masters of Scale | Business

Uncensored CMO | Marketing

Content Inc with Joe Pulizzi | Marketing

The B2B Playbook | Marketing

WP Product Talk | Business

Post Status Podcast | Business

Growth Colony | Marketing

The B2B Marketing Podcast | Marketing

The Marketing Book Podcast | Marketing

The Mi3 Podcast | Marketing

The new version introduces the Table Builder, a simple, visual interface that allows you to create beautiful tables effortlessly.

It’s a feature that a lot of customers had asked for, replacing the shortcode approach and making the process much more streamlined .

You can read the announcement here.

WooCommerce Product Table is one of Barn2’s bestselling plugins used by store owners to display product information clearly, in a tabular format (eg. like an invoice)  and on one page.

The episode is called Is WordPress’ Market share Declining? And What Should Product Businesses Do About it? and co-hosted by Matt Cromwell and Amber Hinds .

There were 4 guests split in two sessions:

• Part 1 – Joost de Valk (Yoast SEO founder, Emilia Capital) and Noel Tock (Human Made partner)
• Part 2 – Miriam Schwab (Strattic founder, Elementor’s Head of WP Relations) and Rich Tabor (Automattic Product Manager)

It’s definitely worth a listen, and when you do remember that the success of the project depends on both a top down and bottom up approach. That is, leadership and steer from a higher level and participation contributions from everyone else. How this can be made to work will directly impact its effectiveness.

This is a space for those looking to work for a WordPress business, to ask career advice, specific questions about roles posted in the Jobs section of this website, or if you are a hiring manager, questions and comments about recruiting the best people for your business.

Please note: This isn’t a bulletin board to ask for or advertise for jobs. 

If you are looking for work, feel free to post a link to your CV and/or LinkedIn profile and ask for feedback.

Don’t forget to read the Community Rules too.

How about that for click bait? 😉

If you follow Kevin Geary of Automatic.css (ACSS) and Frames, you will have heard of his new project: EtchWP.

In one of this email he says: “This is slated to be one of the biggest product announcements in the history of WP, if not the biggest.” Will it be?

Here’s the thing: he’s built a following and credibility. And two great products. Here’s earned the right to a slow, expectation-building reveal. However, if Etch isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, or even Top 5, he will have lost some of that credibility.

Etch will be revealed in September. Get your popcorn ready.

I keen on hearing it, at WordCamps, in podcasts,  and the various communities I part of: WordPress product owners, Devs and agencies need to do more marketing.

Here’s the thing: unless you are a Marketer… you just don’t know where to start. I’ talk about this here a little, but this is a topic that needs to covered as a course.

If you can answer this question it will help me figure out what topics to write about and how to structure the online course I intend to create.

So, what is your #1 blocker to growing your WordPress business?

Have a look: https://www.liquidweb.com

The new UI is quite conservative (compared to Kinsta’s recent efforts) but polished and on brand.

It provides real estate to their broad range of products. I’m not a big fan of sliders but I think the one they have adopted works well because it looks like one that I can scroll through myself.

This is what stands out, IMHO: Setting the standard in web hosting for 27 years

It’s hard to argue against the quality if a web product or service that is as old as the web itself 🙂

Interesting webinar that I think is of interest to both established and higher-traffic publications and smaller ones that are seeing their traffic increase.

Covering some of the more technical considerations:

• Performance optimization
• Scalability
• Integrations
• Headless

Speakers are from The Publisher’s Desk, 10up, Big Bite and WP Engine.

It’s free to attend

When: Thursday, August 22 at 12:00 pm EDT / 5:00 BS
Register: Webinar | WordPress for Media & Publishing Sites

Remote work is great unless you’re working for a globally distributed organization that hasn’t quite embraced async.

Twist addresses this, or so they say:

Builderius is a new page builder that features:

•  Full CSS Development Environment
• Global Components
• Tabbed Canvas Interface, Dynamic Data Previews
• To Publish Releases Straight from the Builder

You can see the walkthrough here: https://youtu.be/-ecvt6xrqCA

And test it yourself here: https://builderius.io/alpha/

Great piece by Equalize Digital comparing accessibility of websites built using a number of popular WordPress builders.

Kadence came top and Bricks, which is what I use on this website, was 8th out of 10, so not doing well at all. I’ll need to look into this for WP BizDev and make the necessary changes.

Read the article: WordPress Page Builder Accessibility Comparison

Instead, Chrome users will be prompted to opt in or out.

Anthony Chavez, vice president of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, said:

“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time”

Here’s his post: A new path for Privacy Sandbox on the web

It’s still not a done deal – they are discussing this new approach with regulators.

It’s also too early to speculate whether this means that it’s business as usual or whether businesses will still need to adapt to a new approaches and new solutions (that have been developed in preparation for a cookie-less world). We will have to wait and see how many people decide to turn cookies off.

In the meantime, businesses who are setting themselves out to capture first-party data should not change their plans. It’s still a solid strategy to adopt.

Ann0uncement: WP Engine Acquires NitroPack, Extending Leadership in Managed WordPress Site Performance

It will be added to their new ‘Tools & Plugins’ category of their refreshed brand architecture.

From the Content Marketing Institute:

“Marketers should stop using attribution models and return to a 1985-like measurement model if they want their brands to succeed in 2024 and beyond.”

That is, before the internet and the ad / distribution channels telling us that we can measure campaigns accurately.

Can a 1985 Marketing Playbook Fix Measurement Problems in 2024?

SparkToro and Datos (a Semrish company) have compared searches that end with a click with those that don’t, giving us insight into the former too:

Here are the key numbers (for American searches):

• 41.5% of searches feature a click (70.5% of which go to the open web, 1% to ads, and the rest to Google properties)
• 37.1% end up with.. no click
• 21.4% end up with another search

So, 58.5% are considered Zero-Click searches.

Source: 2024 Zero-Click Search Study: For every 1,000 EU Google Searches, only 374 clicks go to the Open Web. In the US, it’s 360, by SparkToro