


<p>[00:15:21] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Oh, well, you said about the big text saying title. I look for, if I have to read a piece of news, not the list of news, but the single article of news to search for the news. I look for the heading level one. It&#8217;s an HTML code called heading.</p>



<p>There are six levels of headings. Heading level one is the most important, the most evident, it&#8217;s the title. If I have to search for a new site, a brand new site, I usually search for the main menu, a navigation menu. HTML has a semantic, it&#8217;s called semantic. The layout is associated to specific code.</p>



<p>You know that if it has four legs, a tail, it can be an animal. The website, the concept is very, very restricted because navigation menu is a type of code. And often developers and designers create visually with graphics what should be created by code. So screen readers do not detect information correctly.</p>



<p>So with the example of before, the animal, it has four legs, a tail, but it&#8217;s a cylindrical chair. Sighted people always protest when I say your product is not tested for accessibility, and a website rather than mobile app, or a physical product and so on.</p>



<p>Then if I create some content, an article, a text, a word document, whatever else, they always protest. Sighted people protest because I have not checked the formatting, the text is too small, or too big, or I have no color, and I say, why should you protest? If I have no sighted person testing my product before I deploy it publicly, why should you protest if a sighted people have not tested my product, and why should I not protest being blind if your product is not tested by blind? It&#8217;s the same, the same frustration, but they don&#8217;t understand.</p>



<p>[00:17:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, so with your screen reader you are going through and you are hoping to find cues inside the code of the website, for want of a better word. Let&#8217;s just say it like that. You&#8217;re hoping to find the H1s, which will indicate, this is a title, you&#8217;re hoping to find the H2s, which indicate this is a subheading if you like. And then, you know, H3 is under that, and H4 is under that, and all of that working out in a logical structure. So this semantic nature of everything.</p>



<p>[00:18:24] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Sequential.</p>



<p>[00:18:25] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, sequential. And my guess is that when you are browsing the web, this is very rarely the case. I&#8217;m going to ask you a question, it&#8217;s putting you on the spot a little bit. But if you had to put a percentage, so one through to a hundred, a percentage on how frequently you encounter a website which you can completely use without a great deal of effort. So it&#8217;s built exactly how you would expect it to be, how you would wish it to be. As a percentage, how often does that happen? If you were to visit a hundred websites, how many of them would satisfy you from an accessibility point of view?</p>



<p>[00:19:02] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Oh my god. Could I say 20, 30%? But the percentage would increase if, for example, some news websites, many of them are even based on WordPress, but the problem itself is not WordPress or the CMS, it&#8217;s the many, many, many advertising that they put inside. Moving advertising, moving sliders. Images without labels, or buttons without labels.</p>



<p>I had a very, very high frustration last week because Nathan was trying to interview me with a platform called SquadCast, but it did not give me the control for the microphone, the speakers, the headphones. It was labeled related to chat, help leave the call and so on, but not the setting of microphone. So no one could hear each other.</p>



<p>[00:20:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It was a profoundly moving experience actually. And I say that in all of the wrong senses of the word, moving for all the wrong reasons. Because I have interviewed hundreds, possibly thousands of people at this point, but I don&#8217;t believe that I&#8217;ve ever interviewed anybody who has no sight. And so you are a first. And so honestly the guilt I&#8217;m feeling is fairly profound.</p>



<p>I sent you the link in order to open up the platform in the same way that I do every single time, and then there was just this wave of one frustration after another. And it never stopped, did it? It was just one problem, then another, then another.</p>



<p>There&#8217;s things that we were trying to set up like selecting the headphones to use, which is typically a one second exercise, and selecting the microphone that you wish to use. Again, it&#8217;s another fairly straightforward exercise if you use it in the way that I do. But we must have spent, what, half an hour, something like that, just hitting obstacle after obstacle. And it really did give me a profound sense of, well, this is just wrong.</p>



<p>Here we are trying to carry out a normal thing, I&#8217;m eating up your time, and you are eating into my time, and so there&#8217;s this sense of guilt in both directions that, well, we&#8217;re wasting each other&#8217;s time and what have you.</p>



<p>All the while the frustration is building for you because literally nothing that you were hoping to achieve was possible. And so that was the sort of apology at the beginning. We are recording it on another platform today, which thankfully has proven to be an awful lot easier. I&#8217;m sure in many respects it&#8217;s not perfect as well, but we seem to be having a little bit more luck but, again, describe that, this isn&#8217;t perfect either.</p>



<p>[00:21:41] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Yeah, not to speak about the calendar. When I talk about semantic, another good example should be table. The calendar Nathan has to book the podcasts has no table structure and no keyboard commands to select the dates. Overall you have no semantic, it&#8217;s just a visual. The time zone, which date can be selected. So for example, I was trying the 16th of December for the new reschedule of the interview, and it just gave me, sent me a calendar, the calendar invitation on 11th of December.</p>



<p>[00:22:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The thing that I&#8217;m getting out of it is that the internet for me basically is a, how to describe this? The internet for me has usually been a place of joy. I go to it and everything, given the nature of what I have available to me, you know, my eyes function, my ears function, my arms and legs are all functioning, and I have a screen which is just at the right height for me and everything. Essentially everything in my scenario is working in the way that I would hope. And so the internet is this thing of joy. I go there and I can consume film, I can consume audio, I can write blog posts, I can take part in podcast interviews. It&#8217;s wonderful.</p>



<p>But I&#8217;m getting the impression that for somebody such as you, the internet is possibly anything other than joyful. I mean, maybe it is in some regards joyful, and that there&#8217;s no doubt moments where you&#8217;re profoundly moved by it, and it is wonderful. But I&#8217;m guessing also that it is also seriously annoying. It&#8217;s almost like you have to go the extra mile again, and again, and again, and again to do basic things.</p>



<p>And as we move more of ordinary life online, banking goes online. Booking things that you want to be delivered to your house goes online. The government, paying tax goes online. If it&#8217;s not set up for you, you are really being penalised for the way that the world is moving. And that must be frustrating and let all of that out if you want to, you know, is it a frustrating experience, the internet for you?</p>



<p>[00:23:55] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> I think that internet was given the wrong dimension, make it more utopia than it really is. Because let&#8217;s remember that internet is made by humans. So if humans do not pay attention to other humans, the issue is the same you can find in the street outside. It&#8217;s not something worse than real world.</p>



<p>It can be amplified if you have, for example, social networks hate speech. I sometimes ask people to describe photos for me because they don&#8217;t. They publish a screenshot on their posts on social networks, a screenshot regarding conversation, regarding even politics and so on. But then I do not read the line because it&#8217;s a screenshot.</p>



<p>And if I asked, can you describe the photo for me? They just say something to me. What, are you stupid? Did you not understand? People like you should not come to the social network. If you are blind, how can you read, and can you write? They doubt my identity. And so not to talk about voting, voting elections. I have a person helping me. They come to the cabin with me, the room where we have to vote. They take a pencil and trace the sign to the right politician or whatever I say, but I have no proof. I have no proof if they have actually voted what I asked for.</p>



<p>[00:25:39] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Gosh.</p>



<p>[00:25:40] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Yes, this is the reality.</p>



<p>[00:25:42] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You sound much more buoyant about it. I was maybe anticipating the wrong thing in a sense there, but it sounds like you, rather than being, I don&#8217;t know, miserable about the failings of the internet for people who are blind, but it feels like you&#8217;ve gone in the other direction. That you&#8217;ve gone more in the, I want to make people aware that this is going on. So you are advising people when they don&#8217;t put alt tags on their social media posts. You&#8217;ve done that to me, which was really helpful, because I then know that that&#8217;s a requirement. And also, you&#8217;ve got yourself in the WordPress space and are educating people.</p>



<p>So I&#8217;m just keen to know what your posture is there. Is it going to be your mission in the future basically to be helpful and to fight the good fight about accessibility?</p>



<p>[00:26:28] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> I try to help people and to help myself because just the frustration brings nowhere. If you just go on with frustration, it&#8217;s over. Online services give me a lot, for example, digital books, e-commerce and so on, online banking and so on. But if you do nothing for accessibility, you cannot expect others to do anything.</p>



<p>[00:26:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, good point.</p>



<p>[00:26:58] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Overall, you cannot expect politician to do anything.</p>



<p>[00:27:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> In terms of WordPress, let&#8217;s just shift the conversation to WordPress now. We have the new, well, it&#8217;s not new anymore, we have the Block Editor, the Site Editor and what have you. And I&#8217;m going to link to a few bits and pieces in the show notes. So if you go to wptavern.com and you search for this episode, and it will be on the page there, we&#8217;ll add the links to all of the bits and pieces we&#8217;re about to discuss. You&#8217;ve written a few articles where you say that WordPress has basically made leaps and bounds, and it&#8217;s become an interface which is much better for you to use.</p>



<p>Now, let&#8217;s just rewind the clock like 10 years or more, when we had what is now the classic editor. What was it like as a content writer, a story writer, a blogger who was blind? What was it like back then, and how has it improved with the block editor?</p>



<p>[00:27:55] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> So I have worked into the WordPress system. I knew it in 2003. My profile on wordpress.org is from 2005. And my activity in WordPress was very frustrating at the beginning, because I didn&#8217;t find very easily the controls on the classic editor. Strange, because many blind users I know are happy with the classic editor. For me, it&#8217;s different. Maybe it&#8217;s me, I don&#8217;t know. But when classic editor was the only one to use, I was using it in code mode. So I wrote HTML by hand. And in the end I abandoned the WordPress because it wasn&#8217;t so good.</p>



<p>But at that time, I was talking to the first Italian community manager, let&#8217;s say. He was called Paolo Valenti. And this guy was the first translator of WordPress. And he just said, remember you cannot leave WordPress totally, sooner or later you&#8217;ll come back. And he was right. This man, unfortunately, is no longer here. He died by cancer in 2022.</p>



<p>[00:29:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So in the day when you were using the Classic Editor, and for many people listening to this podcast, that will be entirely familiar. But for those people who&#8217;ve joined in the last five, six years or so, it may be something that you haven&#8217;t dabbled with.</p>



<p>Yeah, you really did have to, in order to make the full use of it and to add things onto the page, it was possible to write some text and then highlight it, and then potentially, I don&#8217;t know, select that you wanted it to be a paragraph or what have you. In many ways it was more straightforward to write the HTML itself, wasn&#8217;t it? So you would write the P tag and what have you.</p>



<p>And this became an incredibly frustrating experience, which probably that kind of experience was the thing which promoted the idea of using a block-based approach where you drop the block in and you begin writing, and you can do the forward slash and select the kind of block that you want, and you&#8217;re off to the races.</p>



<p>So how is the block editor better than the classic editor? And obviously we know that some of your friends would disagree with that sentiment, but for you, why do you find it better? What does it do differently and better in your experience?</p>



<p>[00:30:23] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Because the block is an interface, basically it&#8217;s an interface, and it&#8217;s from the rules from WordPress Core, they say it&#8217;s accessible, second level accessibility guidelines. I do not enter into technical details now. But my opinion on Block Editor is because you can rapidly move blocks up and down with a key combination. You can even check the style, the colours and so on. That&#8217;s not my task.</p>



<p>But having to select a single block and work on that block without harming the other content. The possibility to add a block manually with the add block function or by markdown. I use markdown syntax for titles, for headings. Not links, but many other functions because I do not take my hands away from the keyboard, the letters.</p>



<p>[00:31:26] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It hadn&#8217;t really occurred to me that the Block Editor kind of locks you into the block that you are currently working on in a way, doesn&#8217;t it? So you just said that you can&#8217;t kind of interfere with the other bits and pieces on a page unless you are editing within the confines of that block.</p>



<p>So if I&#8217;m in a paragraph block and I am writing, I&#8217;m in that paragraph. Whereas with the old Classic Editor, I was in all of the content, unless there was some plugin or something like that, that was going to inject something.</p>



<p>So an accidental keystroke could delete tons of content, including the markup that would&#8217;ve given that portion of the content some context. So, you know, it might have been the H1 tag. You could accidentally interfere with that, delete that somehow. Whereas all of that is then abstracted away inside the Block Editor, and it&#8217;s a selection you make, not a heading that you type. Although I suppose you could choose to do it that way. So that&#8217;s interesting. I hadn&#8217;t really thought about it like that. So it creates less mistakes, it&#8217;s easier to get started. And if you were to drop into somebody else&#8217;s piece of content, you&#8217;d be able to navigate your way around it more easily, right?</p>



<p>[00:32:31] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> And even the templating system, the Full Site Editing has changed my point of view on templating, because before I had to hire someone for coding and so on.</p>



<p>Now, I have also hired a person for helping me with the styling, with graphics and so on. But this woman who has helped me, who spoke to the WordPress Accessibility Day with me, she has helped me with the styles, but was just teaching me the interface for what&#8217;s about the content and the structure of the site. It&#8217;s mine. Gloria just did the colours, and the size, and what visual, and what I cannot verify in person.</p>



<p>[00:33:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay, so you were able to do the lion&#8217;s share as we describe it, the lion&#8217;s share of the work. And really the bit that, I think you said Gloria was doing there, Gloria was helping you just to have that appeal for somebody with sight. So she was sizing the text so that it looked appropriate on the page, but the majority of it you were able to do inside the Site Editor. Interacting with, what is what you get templates, as opposed to having to employ somebody to fiddle with template.php files and things like that.</p>



<p>[00:33:46] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Yes, she just helped me because she is a freelance web designer and WordPress trainer, and she has trained me on Full Site Editing. The good thing is that she has believed in me from the beginning.</p>



<p>When I supported another person in a Facebook group, she contacted me, and then we started the journey to WordCamps. I have spoken to a couple of WordCamps in Verona, and one is online. Those ones are in Italian. And I have also participated with Gloria in the WordPress Accessibility Day 2024.</p>



<p>[00:34:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> What does WordPress still have to get right? So although it sounds like you personally are very happy with the Block Editor and it&#8217;s brought a lot of benefits that you can make use of. I&#8217;m guessing that there&#8217;s an awful lot frustration still. What would be the things for the year 2025 that you would hope would be addressed? What are still some of the things which are frustrating about being, well, not just the Block Editor, being inside a WordPress site in general? But maybe the Block Editor is a good target to begin.</p>



<p>[00:35:00] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Oh, for example, a more targeted search block. Because now the search block, you have just the search field and button, it could be like that. But when you place that block in a navigation or somewhere, you should be able to choose where it can search. Because if you are, for example, I have my site talking about a real world and a fantasy world, I should be able to say, search for content just in the real world and just in the fantasy world.</p>



<p>So when they click in the menu, in the search box on the main fantasy world page, they just got content from that category or from that post type. In fact, I have created a multilingual, experimental, and very basic site by using just Gutenberg and template.</p>



<p>They should also give the possibility to duplicate a template. Because now, Gutenberg, you can duplicate post, duplicate page. But if you have, for example, I have Italian header and English header, I would like to be able to clone the Italian header and then translate the content inside.</p>



<p>[00:36:26] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> There&#8217;s always going to be things, isn&#8217;t there? Edge cases. It really hadn&#8217;t occurred to me that search being a front end thing was something that needed addressing. But it sounds like it does. But what about the sort of backend of things, if you like?</p>



<p>[00:36:36] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> The search block I mean is a backend thing that you can set up from the template. You can set up the block, the interface of the block in the block settings. That I mean.</p>



<p>[00:36:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> How do you feel about the importance that&#8217;s given to the direction the project in terms of accessibility? Do you feel it gets the attention it deserves?</p>



<p>In an ideal world it would obviously, every single thing about the WordPress project, the community, the code, everything would have accessibility front and centre. But we don&#8217;t live in that perfect world. We live in the world where we have the constraints on time, and the project has to move in certain directions, and maybe accessibility falls off for one of the releases and what have you.</p>



<p>But how do you feel, as a whole, WordPress does? Do you feel it is at the forefront? Do you think it&#8217;s lagging behind other platforms that you may have played with?</p>



<p>[00:37:28] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> WordPress for now is the best CMS for accessibility in backend with its Full Site Editing. But I think it has to become more consistent. Accessibility team should get more people inside I think for testing, for coders, skilled coders. Because I feel that it&#8217;s, not being neglected willingly, but because few people are working in that. This is my feeling.</p>



<p>[00:38:02] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Do you involve yourself in those communities? And if you do, are you able to tell us where you might go if having listened to this podcast, you think, actually, do you know what, that would be something I&#8217;d like to spend some of my time on.</p>



<p>So just drop some of the names of the, I don&#8217;t know, Slack channels or other places online that you go when you want to discuss WordPress accessibility.</p>



<p>[00:38:25] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> I mostly go to the GitHub platform of specific project. Let&#8217;s talk about ActivityPub, let&#8217;s talk about single plugins accessibility.</p>



<p>There is the Slack channel in Make WordPress Slack. But I do not participate often into Slack because unfortunately at work I have not that time. So it happens that I miss discussions. Sometimes I have helped the Polyglots in the Italian community, Polyglot, to translate WordPress.</p>



<p>[00:39:04] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It also sounds like you&#8217;ve been involved in real world events, plus some online events as well. I think you mentioned WordCamps that you&#8217;d attended as well, and I was wondering from an accessibility point how they have been.</p>



<p>But also you mentioned the WP Accessibility Day as well. Do you just want to mention your participation in those? Let&#8217;s start with WordPress events. How have they been from your perspective?</p>



<p>[00:39:27] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Accessibility, unfortunately it&#8217;s very difficult. Real world events are very difficult for accessibility because I need a person helping me to move through location, the WordCamp locations. It&#8217;s quite difficult without help.</p>



<p>There are many information that are conveyed by colours. The black signal is the track one, the white is track two, for example, and so on, or you have the locations. There are no, not many explanation. I must ask for help to move across tables on the contributor days. Now I am trying to apply to WordCamp Europe 2025. I don&#8217;t know how it goes.</p>



<p>I went to the WordCamp 2023 and to WordPress Core Day 2024. I got help from people there, but I had a person assisting me because otherwise I could not manage to go to the WordCamp alone. But the WordPress Accessibility Day was online.</p>



<p>[00:40:38] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So that was a more straightforward undertaking.</p>



<p>[00:40:40] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Yes. But let me say that in-person events are more useful for networking. You get to know people, you get to talk to people, you get to confront. In few words, you get to exist, because otherwise you are a voice, you&#8217;re a face, you&#8217;re nothing else.</p>



<p>[00:40:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Who are some of the people online in the WordPress space that you hang out with, who you communicate with? Do you want to just name drop a few people that it might be interesting for me to add into the show notes, so that people can follow them as well as you on maybe social media or something.</p>



<p>[00:41:14] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> I think you know Michelle Frechette. Matthias Pfefferle from ActivityPub. Yes, you know him because you just interviewed him. I knew about your event because I was following him and I got you to the Mastodon network.</p>



<p>[00:41:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Excellent. I&#8217;ll put some of those links into the show notes so people can follow them as well. But more importantly, Elena, where would people, if people have been listening to this and thought that they&#8217;d like to communicate with you and get your thoughts on the state of WordPress in terms of accessibility, where would we find you? Where&#8217;s the place where you hang out most frequently? I think you said Mastodon.</p>



<p>[00:41:50] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> On Mastodon and on LinkedIn.</p>



<p>[00:41:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Perfect. I will find the links for both of those and I will add them to the show notes. Anything else that we have mentioned today will also be in the show notes. Head to wptavern.com. Search for the podcast section, and within that search for Elena&#8217;s podcast. And from there you&#8217;ll be able to delve inside the show notes, and get a faithful transcription of everything that we said today as well, I hope.</p>



<p>So all that it remains for me to do is to say, Elena Brescacin, thank you so much for chatting to me today. I really appreciate it.</p>



<p>[00:42:23] <strong>Elena Brescacin:</strong> Okay.</p>
</div>



<p>On the podcast today we have <a href="https://mastodon.uno/@talksina">Elena Brescacin</a>.</p>



<p>Elena is an accessibility consultant from Italy who has been blind since birth, and working online since 2000 with Tangity Design, a part of NTT Data Company. Her journey with WordPress began in 2021, but she has been aware of it since 2003. A computer geek, Elena enjoys finding solutions to everyday challenges through technology.</p>



<p>Elena is here to discuss the significant accessibility advancements and challenges within WordPress, especially with the transition from the Classic Editor to the Block Editor. She shares how Full Site Editing has empowered her to manage most of her site content and structure without needing constant visual assistance, despite some areas needing further improvement.</p>



<p>We talk about her experiences navigating the internet using screen reader software, the importance of adhering to HTML semantics for accessibility, and her involvement in the WordPress community, including her contributions to the Italian Polyglots and speaking at WordPress events.</p>



<p>Elena also reflects on the evolution of the internet, personal experiences with various web accessibility tools, and her advocacy work in digital spaces. We get into real-world challenges, such as inaccessible event venues, and the advantages of online events for better accessibility.</p>



<p>Elena shares her frustrations and triumphs in web accessibility, her insights on the impact of proper semantic website design, and her continued efforts to raise awareness and support a more inclusive internet.</p>



<p>If you’re curious about web accessibility, particularly how WordPress is used to create content, this episode is for you.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Useful links</h2>



<p><a href="https://mastodon.uno/@talksina">Elena&#8217;s Mastodon</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/talksina/">Elena on LinkedIn</a></p>



<p><a href="https://tangity.global/"> Tangity Design</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b89FIDsI3SY">Share to fight prejudice</a>, Elena on TEDxAssisi</p>



<p><a href="https://2024.wpaccessibility.day/sessions/same-editor-same-language/">Same Editor, Same Language: How Gutenberg’s Accessibility Enhances Creativity and Inclusion</a> at WordPress Accessibility Day 2024</p>



<p><a href="https://verona.wordcamp.org/2023/session/blind-blogging-e-indipendenza-wordpress-senza-vedere/">BlIND – Blogging e indipendenza: WordPress senza vedere</a> at WordCamp Verona 2023</p>



<p><a href="https://italia.wordcamp.org/2021/session/wordpress-a-dieci-dita-creare-un-sito-con-la-sola-tastiera/">WordPress a dieci dita: creare un sito con la sola tastiera</a> at WordCamp Italia 2021</p>



<p><a href="https://events.wordpress.org/rome/2024/coredays/interview-with-elena-brescacin/">Interview with Elena Brescacin</a> at WordPress Core Days, Roma 2024</p>



<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAWS_(screen_reader)">JAWS (screen reader)</a></p>



<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refreshable_braille_display"> Braille Display</a></p>



<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NonVisual_Desktop_Access">NonVisual Desktop Access</a></p>



<p><a href="https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/voiceover/welcome/mac">Voiceover for Mac</a></p>



<p>Elena&#8217;s <a href="https://plusbrothers.net/english/about/">Plus Brothers</a></p>



<p><a href="https://heropress.com/essays/defeating-silence-and-stigma-with-wordpress/">Defeating silence and stigma with WordPress / Sconfiggere silenzio e stigma con WordPress</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.letsenvision.com/blog/ally-ai-hiv-stigma">How Elena Brescacin Uses ally to Break HIV Stigma and Champion Accessibility</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Nathan Wrigley";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:68:"WPTavern: Hosting and Themes Teams Announce Representatives for 2025";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184991";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"https://wptavern.com/hosting-and-themes-teams-announce-representatives-for-2025";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2941:"<p>The Themes and Hosting teams has unveiled their representatives for 2025. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Themes Team Reps&nbsp;</h3>



<p>In November, the Themes Team <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2024/11/13/nominations-call-for-the-themes-team-representatives-2025-edition/">announced</a> their search for community members familiar with WordPress theme development to serve as representatives for 2025. The call for nominations was open to everyone, allowing individuals to nominate themselves or others.</p>



<p>Interestingly, several comments on the announcement post suggested re-nominating the 2024 representatives. After consulting with current and former team representatives, the Themes Team decided to retain the existing team reps for another term:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/acosmin/">Alexandru Cosmin</a> from Romania is sponsored by <a href="https://extendthemes.com/">Extend Themes</a> as a part-time reviewer. He released his first WordPress theme in 2008, and since then, has played diverse roles—serving as a reviewer, developer, and team representative.</li>



<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/kafleg/">Ganga Kafle</a> from Nepal is a full-time WordPress contributor sponsored by <a href="https://rankmath.com/">Rank Math</a>. Active in the community since 2012, he is an organizer for WordCamp Asia 2025 and a moderator for WordPress-related podcasts like <a href="https://gowithwp.com/">Go With WP</a>.</li>



<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/shivashankerbhatta/">Shiva Shanker Bhatta</a> from Nepal is the founder/CEO of AF Themes. With over a decade of experience in WordPress, he focuses on themes, plugins, and community contributions.</li>
</ul>



<p>In <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2024/12/30/a-year-in-themes-team-2024/">2024</a>, the Themes Team closed a total of 39,796 tickets, with Alexandru Cosmin, Ganga Kafle, and Shiva Shanker Bhatta collectively handling 1,708 reviews. Ganga Kafle and Alexandru Cosmin were the top reviewers last year.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hosting Team Reps</h3>



<p>After a <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/2024/11/29/voting-for-hosting-team-reps-2023-2/">Call for Nominations</a>, four candidates were proposed for the Hosting Team Rep positions: Matthias Pfefferle, Javier Casares, Zunaid Amin, and Lucas Radke. However, Matthias and Javier declined the opportunity. Following an anonymous survey, the team announced the following representatives for 2025:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/zunaid321/">Zunaid Amin</a> from Bangladesh is joining as a new Hosting Team Rep. He is a WordPress Engineer at Rocket.Net.</li>



<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/crixu/">Lucas Radke</a> from Germany is the Product Manager at WordPress VIP. He is continuing as Hosting Team Rep.</li>
</ul>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:14:20 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:52:"Gravatar: How to Customize Your WordPress Author Box";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:32:"http://blog.gravatar.com/?p=2702";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:58:"https://blog.gravatar.com/2025/01/07/wordpress-author-box/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12263:"<p>An author box in WordPress might seem like a simple addition to any blog, but it’s actually one of the most important elements. Showing author credentials builds content authority – something that&#8217;s becoming increasingly vital in an era of AI-generated content and information overload. When readers can verify the expertise and background of the person behind an article, they&#8217;re more likely to trust and engage with the content.</p>



<p>WordPress includes basic author bio functionality, but the default options often fall short when trying to showcase author credentials and links effectively. If you want to connect with your audience, you need something that does more than just display a name and photo.</p>



<p>To help you with that, we’ll show how to create dynamic, professionally styled author boxes using the free <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/">Gravatar Enhanced plugin</a>, helping you transform basic author information into compelling author profiles that update automatically.</p>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/"><img width="3243" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_enhanced_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2634" /></a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Why would you want to customize your WordPress author box?</strong></h2>



<p>The internet is a place where literally anyone and anything can post content, humans and bots alike. But that doesn’t mean that they are experts in their field or that the posted piece is something users can trust.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A well-designed author box with verified links does just that – it shows the face behind the words and puts your content above the millions of spammers and bots, <strong>building trust and showcasing expertise</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Besides that, <a href="https://www.google.com/">Google</a> and other <strong>search engines look for signals that demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T)</strong> when ranking content. An author box with verified credentials, professional links, and relevant expertise helps strengthen these signals. For example, if you&#8217;re writing about medical topics, displaying your medical credentials and links to professional profiles helps validate your authority on the subject.</p>



<p><strong>Okay, but what if you have a site with multiple authors?</strong> Well, it becomes even more complicated. Without additional tools, you’d have to create separate WordPress profiles for each author and add their credentials to the post. A better alternative is to find a profile management tool that lets you pull author information from a central database and updates automatically as their profiles update (hint: It’s <a href="https://gravatar.com/">Gravatar</a>!)</p>



<p><strong>Finally, author boxes also improve reader engagement.</strong> When readers can verify who&#8217;s writing the content and see the author&#8217;s expertise, they&#8217;re more likely to trust and engage with the material. Plus, social proof through professional network links and credentials helps establish a stronger connection with your audience.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Default customization options for author boxes in WordPress</strong></h2>



<p>WordPress comes with basic author box functionality, but its default options can feel limiting. By default, each author gets two main elements: a Gravatar-powered profile picture and a biographical text field found in the <em>Users</em> section of the WordPress dashboard.</p>



<img width="892" height="372" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/default-user-information-1.png" alt="Default user information in WordPress" class="wp-image-2705" />



<p>Getting your author box to look exactly how you want proves challenging with these basic tools. The visual styling depends entirely on your active WordPress theme, which means changing how it looks often requires diving into template files and custom CSS. You can change the background color and the padding of the box, but that’s pretty much it,&nbsp;</p>



<img width="1449" height="966" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bio-default-wordpress-settings.png" alt="Default settings for the author biography box in WordPress" class="wp-image-2706" />



<p>Any customizations made through template files must be implemented through a child theme to prevent them from disappearing during theme updates. This creates an ongoing maintenance burden, especially for multi-author sites that need consistent styling across different contributors.</p>



<p>The biographical text field also has limitations. Authors can&#8217;t easily add social media links, credentials, or other dynamic content that might change over time. Each update requires logging into WordPress and manually editing the bio text – a time-consuming process when managing multiple authors.</p>



<p>These restrictions often push site owners to look for better solutions that don&#8217;t require constant maintenance or coding knowledge. The need for more flexibility in design and easier profile management has led to the development of tools that expand on WordPress&#8217;s built-in author box capabilities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Gravatar Enhanced: The best way to customize your author box in WordPress</strong></h2>



<img width="1217" height="530" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gravatar-enhanced-plugin.png" alt="Gravatar Enhanced plugin download page" class="wp-image-2707" />



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/">The Gravatar Enhanced plugin</a> rethinks how author boxes work in WordPress. At its core, the plugin&#8217;s Profile Block pulls information directly from Gravatar profiles, offering a fresh approach to displaying author information that&#8217;s both dynamic and easy to manage.</p>



<p>The Profile Block stands out by eliminating the need for manual updates. Authors can modify their profiles once at <a href="http://gravatar.com">Gravatar.com</a>, and these changes automatically appear across every site using the block. This centralized management saves significant time, especially for authors who contribute to multiple WordPress sites.</p>



<p>For guest authors, the process becomes remarkably simple. Instead of creating WordPress user accounts, site owners just add the Profile Block and enter the author&#8217;s email address.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The block automatically fetches and displays their Gravatar <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/11/18/create-online-profile/">profile information</a>, including professional credentials, <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/11/11/how-to-list-social-media-handles/">social media links</a>, and biographical details.</p>



<p>Customization options are extensive but user-friendly. Through the block settings panel, you can:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Adjust the background color to match your site&#8217;s design.</li>



<li>Modify padding and spacing for better visual balance.</li>



<li>Choose which profile elements to display.</li>



<li>Customize border styles and box shadows.</li>



<li>Set the width and alignment.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1226" height="793" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gravatar-profile-block-customized-1.png" alt="Customization options for the Gravatar profile block" class="wp-image-2708" />



<p>All these features integrate smoothly with WordPress&#8217;s block editor, making it simple to add author boxes to any post, page, or custom post type. The block inherits your theme&#8217;s typography settings by default, ensuring a consistent look across your site. If you want, you could also further customize it through CSS, giving you even more flexibility in how they look on the front end. For example, you could add border animations on hover or put semi-transparent overlays for a more interesting design.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As you can see, unlike traditional author boxes that display basic information, the Profile Block acts as a verified digital <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/11/08/creating-a-digital-business-card/">business card</a> – readers know they&#8217;re seeing authentic, current author information pulled directly from the author&#8217;s Gravatar profile.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How to set up your customized author box with Gravatar Enhanced&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Getting started with a more powerful author box takes just a few simple steps. First, <a href="https://gravatar.com/connect/?gravatar_from=signup">create a Gravatar account</a> using your WordPress email address – this forms the foundation of your enhanced author profiles.</p>



<p>Setting up your Gravatar profile is straightforward:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Upload a professional photo for your avatar.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1471" height="529" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/uploading-profile-pic-to-gravatar.png" alt="Uploading a profile picture to Gravatar" class="wp-image-2709" />



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add a detailed bio highlighting your expertise.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1452" height="1123" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gravatar-about-section.png" alt="Adding a bio section to your Gravatar profile" class="wp-image-2710" />



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Include relevant social media profiles and professional links.</li>
</ul>



<img width="660" height="334" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/verified-accounts-gravatar-new.png?w=660" alt=" Linking verified accounts to a Gravatar profile" class="wp-image-2711" />



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add any certifications or credentials that build trust – either through custom links or photos.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>Next, install the Gravatar Enhanced plugin on your WordPress site.&nbsp;</p>



<img width="1515" height="723" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/search-gravatar-plugin.png" alt="Installing the Gravatar Enhanced plugin to WordPress " class="wp-image-2712" />



<p>Once activated, you&#8217;ll find the Profile Block ready to use in the block editor. Add it to your single post template or anywhere you want author information to appear, input the author&#8217;s email connected to their Gravatar profile, and the plugin will automatically generate the profile block using their profile information.</p>



<img width="1526" height="521" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gravatar-profile-block-in-editor.png" alt="Adding a profile block in WordPress" class="wp-image-2713" />



<p>Because the Gravatar profile is dynamic, every single change will be immediately updated on the block as well. No need to juggle multiple author bios or worry about outdated information.</p>



<p>For multi-author sites, simply repeat the process for each contributor. They&#8217;ll control their own profiles through Gravatar.com while you maintain a consistent, professional look across all author boxes on your site.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Transform your WordPress author boxes with Gravatar Enhanced</strong></h2>



<p>Moving beyond WordPress&#8217;s basic author box functionality opens up new possibilities for showcasing writer expertise and building trust. The Gravatar Enhanced plugin replaces manual profile management with automatic, real-time updates while adding excellent customization options and privacy protections.</p>



<p>Instead of wrestling with template files or juggling multiple author accounts, you get a streamlined system where authors manage their own profiles.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Ready to upgrade your author boxes? <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/">Get started with Gravatar Enhanced toda</a>y and give your content the professional polish it deserves. </p>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/"><img width="3243" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_enhanced_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2634" /></a>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 07 Jan 2025 19:01:48 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Ronnie Burt";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:54:"Do The Woo Community: Kicking Off 2025 with Do the Woo";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:28:"https://dothewoo.io/?p=88714";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:53:"https://dothewoo.io/kicking-off-2025-with-do-the-woo/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:91:"As we kick off 2025, we are on the cusp of Do the Woo, version 5.0 and our 7th Anniversary.";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 07 Jan 2025 10:46:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:86:"Do The Woo Community: Strategies to Elevate Your Personal Brand and Agency on LinkedIn";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:43:"https://dothewoo.io/?post_type=blog&p=88438";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:90:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/strategies-to-elevate-your-personal-brand-and-agency-on-linkedin/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:147:"LinkedIn empowers agencies and founders to connect and grow by sharing authentic content, engaging actively, and building meaningful relationships.";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:15:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:59:"WPTavern: WordPress.org Services Resume After Holiday Break";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184826";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:70:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-services-resume-after-holiday-break";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1980:"<p>Automattician Alex Shiels of the Meta team has <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2025/01/03/welcome-back-everyone-the-holiday/">announced</a> the resumption of WordPress.org services after the holiday break of two weeks. Users can now register new accounts, submit plugins, themes, and photos, and review plugins once again.</p>



<p>Last month, Matt Mullenweg declared WordPress.org&#8217;s <a href="https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-declares-holiday-break-for-wordpress-org-services">first-ever holiday break</a>. He said, “In order to give myself and the many tired volunteers around WordPress.org a break for the holidays, we’re going to be pausing a few of the free services currently offered.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Initially, WP Engine was the sole exception, retaining full access to WordPress.org. Later, user registrations were reopened to support WordCamps following a ticket raised by Joost de Valk of Emilia Capital on <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/wordcamp.org/issues/1450">WordPress GitHub</a>. The ticket highlighted that a WP.org account is required to purchase WordCamp tickets.</p>



<p>Matt did not share a specific date for resuming the services, stating, “I hope to find the time, energy, and money to reopen all of this sometime in the new year.”</p>



<img width="1174" height="1866" src="https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Create-WordPress-account.png" alt="WordPress.org new account registration page." class="wp-image-184827" />



<p>To create a <a href="https://login.wordpress.org/register">new account</a>, users must provide their email address and a username. The registration form includes three checkboxes: confirming acceptance of the Privacy Policy (mandatory), subscribing to the WordPress Announcements mailing list, and the infamous <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-makes-pineapple-pizza-checkbox-optional">pineapple pizza</a>. Only accepting the Privacy Policy is required to proceed.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 04 Jan 2025 21:52:58 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:105:"WPTavern: Nick Hamze’s Call to Make WordPress Themes Weird and Exciting Sparks Accessibility Discussion";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184802";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:113:"https://wptavern.com/nick-hamzes-call-to-make-wordpress-themes-weird-and-exciting-sparks-accessibility-discussion";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9329:"<p>Nick Hamze has <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2025/01/wordpress-themes-need-more-weird-a-call-for-creative-digital-homes/">called</a> for making WordPress themes exciting and the web weird again. “WordPress desperately needs your creativity, your weird ideas, your willingness to break the visual rules. The future of the web shouldn’t be a monochrome landscape of identical layouts.”, he said.</p>



<p>He believes there are plenty of good themes in the Repository but no great themes with “designs that break the mold and spark excitement.”&nbsp;</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>We need more themes that make people say “Wow!” or “That’s different!” rather than “That’s clean and professional.” The web needs more personality, more risk-taking, more fun.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>According to him, great themes should:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Have a distinct point of view</li>



<li>Embrace specific aesthetics boldly</li>



<li>Design for specific use cases</li>



<li>Break some rules thoughtfully</li>
</ul>



<p>Hamze&#8217;s call comes amid growing uncertainty about the future of WordPress themes. While the repository now hosts over 13,000 free themes, recent community discussions have often cast a grim outlook.Some of the discussions/articles published on the fate of themes include:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.wpwatercooler.com/wpwatercooler/ep421-the-theme-is-dead-long-live-the-theme/">The Theme Is Dead, Long Live the Theme</a></li>



<li><a href="https://wickydesign.com/wordpress-themes-are-dead/">WordPress Themes Are Dead</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.binarymoon.co.uk/2019/09/the-end-of-wordpress-themes-is-in-sight/">The End of WordPress Themes is in Sight</a></li>



<li><a href="https://freemius.com/blog/full-site-editing-death-wordpress-themes/">Will Page Builders &amp; Full Site Editing Be the Death of WordPress Themes?</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Wordpress/comments/gxon74/is_wordpress_theme_business_dead/">Is WordPress Theme Business Dead?</a></li>



<li><a href="https://infinum.com/blog/gutenberg-wordpress-themes/">WordPress Themes Are Dead. Long Live WordPress Themes!</a></li>
</ul>



<p>Vova Feldman of Freemius too <a href="https://x.com/vovafeldman/status/1874755673051046316">recently</a> highlighted the stagnation in the WordPress theme market: “The WordPress Theme Market is in big trouble! Over the past six years, the annual single-site pricing for themes has shown little to no growth. In fact, the average price has decreased by 9%, dropping from $55.78 in 2019 to $50.75 in 2024.”</p>



<p>Many will remember the excitement generated by the <a href="https://olliewp.com/">Ollie theme</a>, but it <a href="https://wptavern.com/ollie-theme-faces-pushback-from-wordpress-theme-review-team">faced pushback</a> from the Theme Review team. Though Matt Mullenweg, Josepha Haden Chomphosy and Justin Tadlock supported the theme, in the end, it was featured on the repository only after dropping its <a href="https://wptavern.com/contentious-review-process-leads-ollie-theme-to-remove-innovative-onboarding-features-amid-stagnating-block-theme-adoption">innovative onboarding features</a>. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Accessibility Challenges</h3>



<p>Amber Hinds, CEO of Equalize Digital (the team behind the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/accessibility-checker/">Equalize Digital  Accessibility Checker plugin</a>) noticed some accessibility issues with Hamze&#8217;s post and she <a href="https://x.com/heyamberhinds/status/1875008828963459458">drew attention</a> to them. She said, “WordPress themes need more #a11y and expected interfaces that convert. Not &#8220;weird&#8221; designs that confuse people or kill time on site.”</p>



<p>Matt Mullenweg joined the conversation and <a href="https://x.com/photomatt/status/1875185846204444871">replied</a>, “You’re tipping into net negative contribution territory. Like at what point do you say a Rothko painting isn’t high contrast enough?”</p>



<a href="https://x.com/heyamberhinds/status/1875008828963459458"><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdeHt8-2pgs_pe3wTiEqhq4Kx8XmJe16Qqw37VixJ7x9bvDcxo6SAMkwHhBJdEoSPlqPWb5rIR7t3gDR5qJs4FuKDNktDuSwdhRXCPGswaWvUqVEGlzwJ-XydZ9WeZEzVScaNIRCw?key=DI5V1CDAajrWF-CBcBeB8lsn" alt="Tweet from Amber Hinds about accessibility issues with Hamze's post  and replies from Matt Mullenweg." /></a>



<p>However, this sparked backlash. Katie Keith of Barn2Plugins <a href="https://x.com/KatieKeithBarn2/status/1875459920713429205">questioned</a>, “Why would the leader of the WordPress project say something so disrespectful to one of the community’s top accessibility experts simply for highlighting some accessibility issues? THAT is tipping into net negative contribution territory.”</p>



<p>WordPress developer Earle Davies also shared his <a href="https://x.com/EarleDavies_/status/1875201740301365454">thoughts</a>, “Wonder why accessibility in WordPress sucks? When experts highlight accessibility flaws, it’s considered a net negative contribution by the leader of the project. No surprise a8c employees argue why they choose design &gt;accessibility. WP/GB accessibility sucks. Indisputable fact.”</p>



<p>Accessibility Expert Alex Stine <a href="https://x.com/alexleestine303/status/1875552325760381230">tweeted</a>, “Matt has always taken this stand-offish approach to accessibility and I quit trying to figure out why.” He also <a href="https://x.com/alexleestine303/status/1875252730241093729">said</a>, “Accessibility and inclusion are important. Sure, themes should be eye popping fun. That doesn&#8217;t mean they shouldn&#8217;t be accessible too.”</p>



<p>Accessibility Advocate Anne Bovelett <a href="https://x.com/Bovelett/status/1875199415335432657">added</a>, “If a theme is not accessible by contrast, it may look like a Porsche Carrera to the site owner and a good part of the visitors, but it will be a Porsche with windows that can’t be seen through from inside nor outside with doorknobs that won’t budge, to a large percentage of visitors.” She also shared her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HS0tDxkotI">YouTube video</a> showing examples of how many people experience the web and suggested organizing Design Days like Core Days.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Designer Brian Gardner had this to <a href="https://x.com/bgardner/status/1875617016599761153">say</a>: &#8221; I’m all for creative WordPress themes—whether bold and quirky or plain but practical. As far as I’m concerned, they should ALL be accessible. At a bare minimum, every theme should pass basic color contrast requirements.&#8221;</p>



<p>“Rothko should be fine as long as no one needs to access the painting to order medical supplies or pay their water bills. Although, a text/audio alternative to the painting is very beneficial for those with low or no vision.”, <a href="https://x.com/stevejonesdev/status/1875220751076487668">tweeted</a> Steve Jones, Co-Owner and CTO at Equalize Digital.</p>



<p>Jenni McKinnon, CEO of WP Pros(e) <a href="https://x.com/iamjennialways/status/1875501922356285500">asked</a>, “If the Rothko painting was on a website, then wouldn&#8217;t the WCAG point to what is (or isn&#8217;t) &#8220;high contrast enough?&#8221;” while Courtney Robertson of GoDaddy <a href="https://x.com/courtneyr_dev/status/1875191954918773021">emphasised</a>: “Democratizing publishing is for all. WordPress must ensure no one is excluded from creating or consuming content.”</p>



<p>Kevin Geary of Digital Gravy also does not support Nick Hamze. He <a href="https://x.com/thekevingeary/status/1875560264982261890">said</a>, &#8220;WP &#8220;themes&#8221; are dead. It&#8217;s a dead concept. If you don&#8217;t realize this, you&#8217;re completely out of touch with how sites are built and managed. It&#8217;s especially antithetical to the fundamentals of a block editor&#8230;.WP needs actual leadership and real improvements to the software. We&#8217;d all LOVE a &#8220;sanitized and professional&#8221; wp-admin right about now. &#8220;Weird themes,&#8221; not so much.&#8221;</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://x.com/carolinapoena/status/1875395756288569594">Carolina Nymark</a> of Yoast (former team representative for the Themes Team), “Themes can be art and experimental and still be accessible and high quality. You just have to decide that is what you want to build.” And for WordPress developer <a href="https://x.com/briancoords/status/1875577961736499471">Brian Coords</a>, “True creativity often thrives within constraints. Weird for weirdness sake is not art or self-expression. Creating something meaningful that inspires a shared experience between people (regardless of how they navigate the web) should be the ideal.”</p>



<p>Discussions are still going on about accessibility. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined AI accessibility startup <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/ftc-orders-ai-accessibility-startup-accessibe-to-pay-1m-for-misleading-advertising/ar-AA1wVcNt">accessiBe</a> to pay $1M for misleading advertising. </p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Sat, 04 Jan 2025 20:07:13 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:87:"WordPress.org blog: WordPress Themes Need More Weird: A Call for Creative Digital Homes";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:35:"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=18358";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:102:"https://wordpress.org/news/2025/01/wordpress-themes-need-more-weird-a-call-for-creative-digital-homes/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4728:"<p>The modern web has gradually shifted from a vibrant tapestry of personal expression to a landscape of identical designs, where millions of websites share not just similar structures, but identical visual language, spacing, and interaction patterns. As we collectively gravitate toward the same “proven” layouts and “conversion-optimized” designs, we’re not just losing visual diversity – we’re ceding control over how we present ourselves to the world. This matters because genuine self-expression online isn’t just about aesthetics – it’s about maintaining spaces where authentic voices can flourish.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When every blog has the same hero section, when every portfolio follows the same grid, when every restaurant site looks interchangeable, we create an echo chamber of sameness. The cost isn’t just visual monotony – it’s the slow erosion of the web’s ability to surprise, delight, and showcase truly individual perspectives. WordPress, with its emphasis on complete ownership and control, offers an opportunity to break free from this convergence of design, allowing creators to build digital spaces that truly reflect their unique voice and vision.</p>



<p>Think of WordPress themes like album covers. They should have personality and create an immediate visual impact. The web has become too sanitized, with everyone chasing the same minimal, “professional” look.</p>



<p>Great themes should:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Have a strong point of view – like how Kubrick (the classic WordPress theme) defined an era with its distinctive header gradient. Don&#8217;t try to be everything to everyone.</li>



<li>Embrace specific aesthetics boldly – whether that’s brutalist design, pixel art, hand-drawn elements, or distinctive typography. Create themes that excite people rather than just working for everyone.</li>



<li>Design for specific use cases – like a theme for photographers that’s all about full-bleed images or a theme for writers that treats typography as art or a theme for musicians that feels like an album cover.</li>



<li>Break some rules thoughtfully – because not every theme needs a hamburger menu. Not every theme needs to be mobile-first. Sometimes constraints create character.</li>
</ul>



<p>We need more themes that make people say “Wow!” or “That’s different!” rather than “That’s clean and professional.” The web needs more personality, more risk-taking, more fun.</p>



<p>After spending countless hours digging through the WordPress theme repository, searching for designs that break the mold and spark excitement, I came up nearly empty-handed. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of well-built themes out there. But where’s the daring? The personality? The unexpected?</p>



<p>If you&#8217;ve got a wild theme idea burning in your mind – that portfolio theme that looks like a vintage trading card collection, that blog theme inspired by zine culture, that restaurant theme that feels like a hand-drawn menu – now&#8217;s the time to build it. WordPress desperately needs your creativity, your weird ideas, your willingness to break the visual rules. The future of the web shouldn&#8217;t be a monochrome landscape of identical layouts. Let&#8217;s make WordPress themes exciting again. Let&#8217;s make the web weird again.</p>




<a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/psychedeli" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2024/12/psychedeli.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="Psychedeli theme" class="wp-image-18360" /></a>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/kawaii-chan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2024/12/kawaii.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="Kawaii-Chan theme" class="wp-image-18362" /></a>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/lowfi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2024/12/lofi.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="LowFi theme" class="wp-image-18361" /></a>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/bedrock" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2024/12/bedrock.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="Bedrock theme" class="wp-image-18364" /></a>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/feelingood" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2024/12/feeling.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="Feelin’Good theme" class="wp-image-18363" /></a>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 02 Jan 2025 18:53:06 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10:"Nick Hamze";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:55:"WPTavern: India to Host Three WordCamps in January 2025";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184532";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:66:"https://wptavern.com/india-to-host-three-wordcamps-in-january-2025";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3418:"<p>The Indian WordPress community is set for an exciting start to 2025, with three WordCamps scheduled for January, as per <a href="https://central.wordcamp.org/schedule/">WordCamp Central</a>. India has a thriving WordPress community&nbsp;and&nbsp; according to the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/">WordPress Meetup global trends report</a> (January 2023 to June 2024), published by the Community Team, Indian cities Ahmedabad and Mumbai recorded the highest engagement for in-person events.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WordCamp Ahmedabad </h3>



<p>The fifth edition of <a href="https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2025/">WordCamp Ahmedabad</a> will take place on January 3 and 4, 2025, at the AUDA Auditorium in Shela, Gujarat. The first day is dedicated to WordPress contribution and Showcase while the <a href="https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2025/schedule/">schedule</a> for the second day features a single track of sessions, covering topics such as WordPress contributions, digital marketing, accessibility, and AI.</p>



<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdWNtdIQjRA_C-nsvmH3vWVVOeGKRgfvts1Nxn3fmz1-eiV8ZJx63tpBugRLtLWM4j8kUvMEoGXVhtidwJXB6LBWXvNKgb5Da3PLrBaNfEw42sWsT9CBR1qiWMhfZW7m4ny-LuO0A?key=lJ1ZD8aYOQDoIBUAS0AGGSDs" alt="WordCamp Ahmedabad Wapuu inspired by Gujarat’s International Kite Festival—Uttarayan" />



<p>The event’s mascot, <a href="https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2025/meet-our-wapuu/">Wapuu</a>, is inspired by Gujarat’s International Kite Festival—Uttarayan—symbolizing the limitless possibilities of WordPress. Adding to the excitement, the organizers have announced a <a href="https://ahmedabad.wordcamp.org/2025/get-ready-for-the-wcahmedabad-social-media-contest/">Social Media Contest</a> with prizes for the best photo, reel, and group selfie, encouraging attendees to share their experience creatively.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WordCamp Kolhapur </h3>



<p>The first edition of <a href="https://kolhapur.wordcamp.org/2025/">WordCamp Kolhapur</a> is scheduled for January 11 and 12, 2025, at D.Y. Patil School of Engineering and Management, Kasaba Bawada, Maharashtra. As a debut event, it has generated significant interest.</p>



<p> A few <a href="https://kolhapur.wordcamp.org/2025/call-for-sponsors/">sponsorship slots</a>, including Silver, Bronze, and Micro levels, are still open, and limited no-swag <a href="https://kolhapur.wordcamp.org/2025/tickets/">tickets </a>are available for those interested in attending.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WordCamp Kolkata</h3>



<p><a href="https://kolkata.wordcamp.org/2025/">WordCamp Kolkata</a> will return for its third edition on January 18, 2025, at Viveka Tirtha, West Bengal. Previously held in 2019 and 2022, this edition promises an enriching experience.</p>



<p>The event will feature sessions on eCommerce, translation, accessibility, and design, along with workshops on Gutenberg, WP-CLI, headless WordPress, and core contributions, conducted across two tracks.</p>



<p>The event is still accepting <a href="https://kolkata.wordcamp.org/2025/call-for-sponsors/">Sponsors</a> and <a href="https://kolkata.wordcamp.org/2025/call-for-media-partners/">Media Partners</a>.</p>



<p>With these three events on the calendar, January 2025 promises to be a remarkable month for the WordPress community in India.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 01 Jan 2025 19:30:52 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:34:"HeroPress: Growing Up in WordPress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:56:"https://heropress.com/?post_type=heropress-essays&p=7713";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:120:"https://heropress.com/essays/growing-up-in-wordpress/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=growing-up-in-wordpress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9353:"<img width="1024" height="512" src="https://heropress.com/wp-content/uploads/3024/12/121724-min.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Pull Quote: WordPress is the fertile soil in which I got to grow." /><h3 class="kt-adv-heading7713_ca85c7-49 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">Coming from the girl with the bag: Not here to code.&nbsp;</h3>



<p>The growth and success I have found in my 15 years as a marketing professional has absolutely been impacted by WordPress, more specifically, the WordPress community.&nbsp;</p>



<p>10 years ago I was working in a corporate marketing environment and I was really coming into myself as a professional. I was figuring out how to batch work and align strategic planning with task blocking while collaborating with sales teams in the field.</p>



<p>I was operating a $750k budget in addition to the $1.5M budget that I co-operated with sales and product dev, and it was <em>amazing</em> what I could do with those resources. Our regional division was leading the company in pre-sales, lead conversion rates, engagement across our digital platforms and I was setting a new bar for marketing divisions across the country. I was helping to drive tens of millions of dollars into our pipeline.</p>



<p>Then I got fired.</p>



<h4 class="kt-adv-heading7713_fd7d38-67 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">Dealing With The Yuck</h4>



<p>Why? I became a whistleblower against some good-ol-boy business practices which interfered with&nbsp; my ability to be *absolutely* amazing instead of regular amazing. The VP of Sales had a suspicious relationship with one of our marketing vendors, and despite me finding a better solution for more than half the price, I was asked to “drop it” and to leave the vendor securely in our budget (full story available over wine any time if I see you irl).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Long story short, I was eventually dismissed on the spot, I received a severance package, and I resolved to never let others’ lack of integrity compromise my work again. I used those funds as fuel and started MKConsulting.</p>



<p>What does this have to do with WordPress or the WordPress community?</p>



<p>Nothing, yet.</p>



<h4 class="kt-adv-heading7713_1a49f0-78 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">Finding Something New</h4>



<p>Honestly at this point in my marketing career I had actively worked to remove websites from WordPress in a number of jobs I had because it was clunky and ugly, and I didn’t get it.&nbsp; I had spent 6 years dealing with WP off and on and never even knew the community existed.</p>



<p>I spent the next two years learning how to be a business owner and how to run a marketing agency. Or was I just freelancing? I wasn’t really sure. I got my MBA so I could learn more about entire business operating systems and to break up the exclusive sales/marketing/user lens I had leveraged to date. I spoke at local events, I joined clubs, the hustle was real.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I found my way into start-ups, as they were a great place for me to really showcase my market research abilities, strategic go to market positioning skills, and love for brand building.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One particular startup led me to a connection that brought me my first long term retainer customer &#8211; a WordPress hosting company. That startup, and the connections that came from it, are still driving major work, joy, and passion for me, bittersweetly and tragically fracturing into different aspects of my life.</p>



<h4 class="kt-adv-heading7713_1908c0-b0 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">Finding WordPress</h4>



<p>I followed one of those fellow executives for work, as he was now the CEO of my new client, and he invited me to this thing called a Word Camp.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I got to travel to Seattle for my first time &#8211; and my life changed forever. Bridget Willard took me on an introduction tour at the speaker/sponsor pre dinner and it was so different from anything else I had experienced in my corporate marketing career.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After the initial shock to my system wore off caused by the sheer number of t-shirts, and the utmost display of casual community I had ever witnessed at a conference (by then I had attended dozens of tech conferences and other corporate industry events), there was something special about it &#8211; it was real. These were real humans that cared about being successful in more than one way. And honestly, it really took me getting to my first WCUS before it all really clicked for me.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For the first time in my career I found an intersection of desire for business growth AND ethical display of integrity and sustainable values, seamlessly co-existing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The people were warm and welcoming and cared about my human plight more than my value as a productive professional.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This was confusing for me. As a people pleasing perfectionist that adorned my self worth with my ability to make money for others and “do a good job” was inherently all I had ever known as an adult, and in many ways as a kid too.</p>



<h4 class="kt-adv-heading7713_6c80b5-8b wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">A Time Of Growth</h4>



<p>This community opened my eyes to ask questions like, who is my whole person, beyond being good at marketing and business growth strategies?&nbsp;</p>



<p>The authentic and raw relationships I encountered within the WordPress community showed me that choosing between good business and being a good human could sustainably co habitate. There are good people doing good business, and my corporate experience had not really shown me that side of what is economically sustainable. There was a thirst to do things the right way.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I began aligning with clients and teams who shared my values, opening doors to remote work and global collaboration.</p>



<p>The access to remote work, remote culture, and the discovery of a global community that shared these values, promoting work life balance as well as viable technology products and services became key skills beyond marketing that I was able to foster and that would help me propel myself for years to come.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The combination of being good at my job within the reliable ecosystem of web tech provided stability to continue to work in the remote world.</p>



<p>Ultimately this safety gave me the freedom to begin to reconciling my own growth as a person and my growth as a professional, beyond the growth in pipelines for my clients.</p>



<p>When COVID-19 hit, my experience in remote work positioned me uniquely. I was able to niche myself as one of few marketers in the world operating in the US that could go beyond successfully executing smart marketing campaigns in a remote environment &#8211; but I could build remote culture, manage global asynchronous teams and empower dozens of others to be successful at marketing, sales, customer support, account management and talent acquisition too.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I leveraged this to diversify beyond web tech clients and found bio tech, climate tech, and ag tech companies to even further align my passions with my skills and my conscience as an ethical, sustainable marketer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>My underlying passions for teaching and sharing my expertise continued to serve me as I became a Fractional CMO. I was an early adopter of this framework of employment and the balance it gave me pushed me more and more into my own personal growth.</p>



<h4 class="kt-adv-heading7713_5341e7-36 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading">The Future</h4>



<p>About 3 years ago the work-life balance lines blurred further as I got better at managing my time, my passions, my teams, expertise and work product. I was finally ready to grow up as a marketing agency owner. I sunset MKConsulting, and Frameworks MKTG entered the market. We broker marketing, sales, and growth talent off and on as needed for one person marketing departments around the world.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Through it all, I&#8217;ve had my heart broken while working with climate tech and bio tech clients. But web tech has been a great home to grow in, and that is largely because the WordPress community connecting me to amazing humans, all around the world.</p>



<p>I’m more confident than ever that showing up as my fully authentic self is what keeps me happy. When I can keep my family, friends, clients, teammates, and investors happy we all stay much more aligned to thrive. Thriving is a natural byproduct when I get to be real, and to maintain my stress levels and just do what I do.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Coming to this clear view of what my professional timeline can be is once again, life changing.</p>



<p>I will not waste the opportunities afforded to me, I am determined to become the best version of my whole human self. I&#8217;m determined to continue being a part of proving how sustainable business growth is possible and reliable.</p>



<p>So thank you, WordPress community.&nbsp; You are the fertile soil in which I got to grow.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Love yall. See ya in Slack.<br />Or maybe another WC somewhere.<br />Or maybe come visit me in Texas.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://heropress.com/essays/growing-up-in-wordpress/">Growing Up in WordPress</a> appeared first on <a href="https://heropress.com">HeroPress</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 01 Jan 2025 15:33:06 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"MK Keefer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:96:"WPTavern: Community Team Proposes Women-Centric WordPress Events for International Women’s Day";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184491";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:104:"https://wptavern.com/community-team-proposes-women-centric-wordpress-events-for-international-womens-day";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1804:"<p>The WordPress Community Team has <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/12/19/hosting-wordpress-events-for-women-on-international-womens-day/">proposed</a> hosting women-centric events on International Women&#8217;s Day through local WordPress communities to celebrate, empower, and inspire women. These events are envisioned as platforms where women can connect, share experiences, and enhance their skills in an inclusive and supportive environment.</p>



<p>These events could take various forms, such as networking sessions, workshops, talks, learning activities, or mentorship opportunities. Local communities interested in organizing such events can apply through the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/other-event-formats/nextgen-wordpress-event/">&nbsp;Creative WordPress Events Form</a>. Approved communities will receive a dedicated website and a stipend of $100 – $500 USD to support the event.</p>



<p>The team is also seeking volunteer designers to create a banner and logo for the event, as well as a sticker sheet featuring female Wapuu designs.</p>



<p>Pooja Derashri shared the vision of the team regarding this event: “By organizing women-centric WordPress events on International Women’s Day, we can spark meaningful conversations and encourage more women to join, lead, and contribute to WordPress. It’s an opportunity to strengthen our community and amplify women’s voices in open source.”</p>



<p>The WordPress community has a history of organizing women-only events/initiatives. Notably, <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2023/11/shirley/">WordPress 6.4</a> and <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2020/12/simone/">WordPress 5.6</a> were led by teams composed of women and underrepresented gender groups.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 31 Dec 2024 19:14:44 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:66:"WPTavern: Plugins Team Unveils Roadmap for Phase 2 of Plugin Check";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=184481";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:77:"https://wptavern.com/plugins-team-unveils-roadmap-for-phase-2-of-plugin-check";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3622:"<p>Chris Christoff of the Plugins Team has published the roadmap of <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2024/12/24/plugin-check-goals-roadmap/">Phase 2</a> of the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-check/">Plugin Check plugin</a>. According to the statistics shared at this year’s State of the Word, 41% fewer issues were reported per approved plugin after launching the Plugin Check tool, enabling the team to approve 138% more plugins each week and significantly reducing the review queue length.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the words of David Perez, “Plugin Check is a tool for testing whether your plugin meets the required standards for the WordPress.org plugin directory. With this plugin, you will be able to run most of the checks used for new submissions and check if your plugin meets the requirements.”</p>



<p>David Perez also shared that the Plugin Check plugin significantly reduced the time for reviews, bringing the average wait time down from 37 weeks to 9 weeks, even as plugin submissions have almost doubled.</p>



<p>In <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2024/09/17/introducing-plugin-check-pcp/">Phase 1</a>, Plugin Check was released to the community as a plugin available through WordPress.org. It currently has 2000+ Active installations. In October this year, it became a <a href="https://wptavern.com/wordpress-enforces-plugin-check-and-2fa-for-new-plugin-submissions">requirement </a>for new plugin submissions to the Plugin Directory and for relisting plugins that were removed due to security issues.</p>



<p><a href="https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2024/12/24/plugin-check-goals-roadmap/">Phase 2</a> of Plugin Check will expand its coverage to include updates made by plugin authors to plugins already listed in the Directory. Planned improvements for the second phase include enhanced documentation, more intuitive messaging, a revamped UI, conditional rule application, the addition of an experimental checks feature, easier output customization for better integration, and retroactive directory integration.</p>



<p>The Plugins Team revealed that the Plugin Check project also aims to help plugin authors keep up with the latest best practices by allowing them to quickly scan their plugins for performance improvements and best practice opportunities. The PCP team will also collaborate with other teams to support plugin authors.</p>



<p>Currently, Plugin Check evaluates plugins based on best practices across five categories: General, Plugin Repo, Security, Performance, and Accessibility. The Plugin Team encourages all plugin authors to integrate Plugin Check into their development workflows.&nbsp;</p>



<img width="1909" height="1145" src="https://wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/image-18.png" alt="Errors shown when Classic Widgets plugin is checked with Plugin Check" class="wp-image-184483" />



<p>Specific rollout timelines and processes for Phase 2 will be shared in a future Make Plugins post as its release approaches. Those interested in contributing to the plugin can do so on its <a href="https://github.com/wordPress/plugin-check/">GitHub repository</a>.</p>



<p>Details on the specific timeline and processes for Phase 2 will be shared in an upcoming ‘Make Plugins’ post as the release date approaches. Those interested in contributing to the project can do so through its <a href="https://github.com/wordPress/plugin-check/">GitHub repository</a>.</p>



<p>Also check out <a href="https://pascalbirchler.com/wordpress-plugin-check/">Pascal Birchler’s post</a> on Why you should start using Plugin Check.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 31 Dec 2024 17:59:09 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:44;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:72:"Do The Woo Community: Highlights from a Q and A with James Kemp from Woo";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:43:"https://dothewoo.io/?post_type=blog&p=88445";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:76:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/highlights-from-a-q-and-a-with-james-kemp-from-woo/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:380:"James Kemp, Core Product Manager at Woo, recently shared updates and plans for the platform during a Q&#38;A episode on Woo ProductChat. His insights shed light on the current direction of WooCommerce and its commitment to empowering both merchants and developers. Integrating Premium Extensions into WooCommerce Core To simplify the experience for users, WooCommerce is [&#8230;]";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 31 Dec 2024 10:50:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:45;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"WPTavern: WordCamp Europe 2025: Tickets and Diversity Scholarship Now Available";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=183631";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:89:"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-europe-2025-tickets-and-diversity-scholarship-now-available";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2556:"<p>WordCamp Europe has <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/tickets/">released tickets</a> for the 2025 edition of the event scheduled for June 5-7 in Basel, Switzerland.</p>



<p>There are two types of tickets: the General ticket, priced at €50, and the Micro-Sponsor ticket, which costs €250. Both options include access to all sessions and Contributor Day on June 5, though separate registration is required for Contributor Day.</p>



<p>The Micro-Sponsor ticket, priced closer to the actual cost of attendance, is a great way to support the event if you’re able to contribute more. Tickets are refundable, and you can transfer ownership by editing the attendee details using the link provided in your purchase confirmation email. To purchase tickets, you’ll now need a <a href="https://login.wordpress.org/register">WordPress.org account</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WordCamp Europe 2025 Diversity Scholarship</h3>



<p>WordCamp Europe 2025 is introducing a <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/apply-now-for-the-wordcamp-europe-2025-diversity-scholarship/">Diversity Scholarship</a>, an initiative previously exclusive to WordCamp Asia. This program has been extended to the Europe event following recommendations from members of WordPress Community Support PBC and Queeromattic to allocate surplus funds from the 2024 flagship event budgets toward DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) initiatives. </p>



<p>To qualify, applicants must be active contributors to the WordPress project, have never attended a flagship WordCamp (Asia, US, or Europe), require financial assistance to attend, and belong to an underrepresented demographic among open-source contributors. Applicants should also demonstrate a commitment to using their experience to help grow their local WordPress community or the WordPress community in Europe.</p>



<p>The scholarship covers travel expenses to Basel from the recipient’s home city, accommodation during the event, and a ticket to WordCamp Europe 2025. However, it does not include airport transfers, meals, or other incidental expenses.</p>



<p>Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until<strong> January 31, 2025</strong>. </p>



<p>For more details, visit the WordCamp Europe <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/apply-now-for-the-wordcamp-europe-2025-diversity-scholarship/">website</a>.</p>



<p>Last year’s event in Torino, Italy, saw nearly 3,000 attendees, and the 2025 edition is expected to draw between 3,500 and 4,500 participants.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:59:10 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:46;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:66:"Gravatar: Advanced Tips for Creating a Successful Online Community";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:32:"http://blog.gravatar.com/?p=2532";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:61:"https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/12/27/create-online-community/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:24623:"<p>Building an online community takes dedication, skill, and strategic thinking – but the rewards make it worth every bit of effort. A thriving community can transform your business, whether it&#8217;s your main focus or supplements your existing offerings.</p>



<p>Starting a community might seem deceptively simple. After all, people naturally want to connect with others who share their interests. And social media makes it easier than ever to gather people in one place.</p>



<p>But creating a community that genuinely serves its members while meeting your goals? That&#8217;s a different challenge entirely. Most communities struggle with low engagement, unclear purpose, or lack of sustainable growth.</p>



<p>This guide breaks down advanced strategies for building a community that lasts. You&#8217;ll learn practical approaches to choosing the right platform, creating engaging experiences, and fostering meaningful connections among members. Each section includes specific tactics you can implement right away, backed by examples from successful communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Define your reason for creating an online community</strong></h2>



<p>Starting an online community requires significant time and resources. Before diving in, you need a clear purpose that guides every decision you make.</p>



<p>The most successful communities serve specific, well-defined goals. A vague aim like &#8220;connecting people&#8221; won&#8217;t provide enough direction. Instead, focus on concrete objectives such as:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Supporting customers through peer-to-peer problem solving.</li>



<li>Building brand loyalty through exclusive experiences and early access.</li>



<li>Creating collaborative learning spaces where members share expertise.</li>



<li>Gathering feedback to improve products or services.</li>



<li>Providing specialized networking opportunities in niche fields.</li>
</ul>



<p>Your community&#8217;s purpose shapes everything from platform choice to content strategy. An educational community focused on live workshops needs different tools than a support community built around troubleshooting forums.</p>



<p>Ask yourself: <strong>Will this community be central to your business model or support existing offerings?</strong> A course creator might build their entire business around a learning community, while a retailer might use community spaces to enhance customer experience through product discussions and reviews.</p>



<p>The clearer your purpose, the easier it becomes to make decisions that serve both your members and your goals.</p>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Define your ideal persona and why community is important for them</strong></h1>



<p>Success in community building starts with deeply understanding who your members are and what draws them to connect with others. Going beyond basic demographics reveals what truly motivates participation.</p>



<p>Take these specific examples:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Remote tech workers seeking professional growth might join to share career advice, discuss industry trends, and build relationships outside their immediate team.</li>



<li>Home bakers learning artisan bread techniques want to troubleshoot recipes, showcase their creations, and find motivation from fellow enthusiasts.</li>



<li>Independent artists could gather to share business tips, critique works in progress, and find potential collaborators.</li>
</ul>



<p>Each group has distinct needs that shape how they&#8217;ll engage. Remote workers might value structured networking events and skill-sharing sessions, while bakers might prefer photo-rich discussions and live-streaming demonstrations. Artists might engage most with portfolio showcases and project collaboration tools.</p>



<p>Study where your ideal members currently gather online. What frustrates them about existing spaces? What makes them stick around? Use these insights to craft experiences that solve real pain points.</p>



<p>And remember – your community will attract different types of participants. Some will actively create content, others will moderate discussions, while many will simply absorb information. Design your space to support all these interaction styles.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Selecting the right format and channels for your online community</strong></h2>



<p>Your community&#8217;s format directly impacts how members interact and engage. Each option offers distinct advantages for different community goals:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Forums</strong> excel at organizing in-depth discussions by topic, making it easy for members to find relevant conversations and contribute meaningfully. They&#8217;re particularly effective for technical support or knowledge-sharing communities.</li>



<li><strong>Live events</strong> build excitement and real-time connection. Whether through video workshops, AMAs, or virtual meetups, synchronous gatherings create shared experiences that strengthen community bonds.</li>



<li><a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/07/11/enable-comments-in-wordpress/"><strong>Comment sections</strong></a> work well for focused discussions around specific content pieces. They&#8217;re ideal for communities built around blogs, courses, or media content where context matters.</li>



<li><strong>Activity feeds</strong> keep members updated on community happenings, highlighting recent discussions, achievements, and contributions. They help maintain engagement between deeper interactions.</li>
</ul>



<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/">WordPress</a> offers the flexibility to mix these formats without platform restrictions. Unlike social media networks, you control the experience and aren&#8217;t subject to algorithmic changes or paid reach limitations. It also gives you an opportunity to create an engaging community platform with <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/05/09/wordpress-profile-page/">customized profile pages</a> and personalized recommendations based on user data.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Whatever the format is,<strong> we recommend starting with free channels to build your initial audience.</strong> For example, many fitness channels offer free training videos on YouTube and then a paid membership option for subscribers who want to join specific programs. Similarly, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GoodMythicalMorning/community">Good Mythical Morning YouTube channel</a> nurtures viewers before inviting them to join their premium <a href="https://www.mythicalsociety.com/">Mythical Society community</a>. This approach lets you demonstrate value and build trust before asking for a deeper commitment.</p>



<img width="660" height="314" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/mythical-society.png?w=660" alt="The Mythical Society" class="wp-image-2535" />



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Creating member profiles for your community&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Member profiles form the foundation of community identity and connection. <a href="https://gravatar.com/">Gravatar</a> helps website owners with this crucial element by linking profiles to email addresses, enabling consistent identity across platforms with minimal setup time.</p>



<p>The &#8220;Update Once, Sync Everywhere&#8221; feature saves valuable time for both administrators and members. Instead of creating new profiles for each community space, Gravatar allows all integrated platforms to pull in and auto-populate profile data.</p>



<p><a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/08/26/gravatar-api-tutorial-for-app-developers/">Two powerful APIs</a> make implementation straightforward:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The <a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/api/avatars/images/">Avatar API</a> pulls member photos and basic details</li>



<li>The <a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/rest-api/">Profile API</a> imports comprehensive profile information</li>
</ul>



<p>This automation speeds up the <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/09/06/onboarding-user-experience/">user onboarding</a> significantly. New members arrive with pre-filled profiles, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood they&#8217;ll engage right away. Familiar avatars across different sections of your community help members recognize each other easily, strengthening relationships.</p>



<p><img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/2728.png" alt="✨" class="wp-smiley" /><em>If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to build beautiful profile pages, check out our article on </em><a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/06/05/user-profile-page-examples/"><em>user profile page examples</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>



<p>Privacy remains in members&#8217; control. They choose what information to share and can maintain multiple identities for different community roles – perfect for separating member and moderator profiles.</p>



<a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/getting-started/"><img width="3242" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_integration_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2632" /></a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Creating community guidelines and moderation strategies</strong></h2>



<p>Smart moderation strategies keep communities healthy while encouraging authentic interaction. Advanced approaches include:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>AI-powered content filtering to catch obvious violations automatically.</li>



<li>Multi-tier moderation systems where trusted members help maintain community standards.</li>



<li>Living guidelines that adapt based on community feedback and real situations.</li>
</ul>



<p>Gravatar&#8217;s universal profiles enhance these efforts by:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Using verified email addresses to reduce fake accounts and spam.</li>



<li>Building trust scores based on member history across platforms.</li>



<li>Speeding up issue resolution through integrated reporting systems.</li>
</ul>



<p>Balance strict rules with community self-regulation. The <a href="https://stackexchange.com/">Stack Exchange network</a> demonstrates this well: Experienced members gain moderation privileges through consistent positive contributions, creating a sustainable system where the community largely moderates itself.</p>



<p>Clear consequences for guideline violations matter, but focus more on rewarding positive behavior. Highlight exemplary members, celebrate constructive contributions, and create paths for members to earn additional privileges through helpful participation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Strategies for launching and growing your community</strong></h2>



<p>A successful community launch builds momentum that drives sustained growth. Smart tactics maximize early engagement and set the right foundations.</p>



<p>Reward early adopters with exclusive perks like special &#8220;founding member&#8221; badges displayed on profiles. Besides the badges, members with this level could also have direct access to community leadership, the right to give input on future features and direction, and even early access to new content or features.</p>



<p>However, you should nurture all members, not just the early adopters. Create achievement systems that encourage meaningful participation:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Recognition for quality contributions.</li>



<li>Special roles for consistent, helpful answers.</li>



<li>Progress tracking tied to learning goals.</li>



<li>Visible milestones on member profiles.</li>
</ul>



<p>You can measure how successful your efforts are by measuring engagement metrics – number of comments, new members, etc. However, it’s best to go beyond the basics and track indicators that show real community health:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ratio of new discussions to responses.</li>



<li>Time between member questions and first answers.</li>



<li>Number of connections made between members.</li>



<li>Quality and depth of conversations.</li>
</ul>



<p>Finally, think of different ways you can scale engagement through time. Partner with micro-influencers who genuinely connect with your community&#8217;s purpose – their authentic enthusiasm will attract members who share your values.</p>



<p>As your community grows, personalize the experience based on member behavior and interests. Use Gravatar profile data to:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Customize onboarding paths.</li>



<li>Suggest relevant discussions.</li>



<li>Connect members with shared interests.</li>



<li>Highlight content matching expertise levels.</li>
</ul>



<p>Keep in mind that small, active communities often provide more value than large, disengaged ones. Focus on fostering quality interactions rather than chasing member numbers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Fostering engagement and participation in your online community&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Engaged communities don&#8217;t happen by accident. They need thoughtful content, smart incentives, and active leadership. This section explores advanced strategies that go beyond basic engagement tactics, helping you create an environment where meaningful interaction happens naturally.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Creating compelling community content and discussions&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Strong content sparks conversations that keep members coming back. Focus on creating material that taps into your community&#8217;s specific interests and motivations:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Frame discussion topics as practical problems to solve rather than digital queries.</li>



<li>Share behind-the-scenes insights that make members feel like insiders.</li>



<li>Create content series that build anticipation and regular participation.</li>



<li>Use polls and surveys to gather opinions on controversial industry topics.</li>
</ul>



<p>Mix content formats to suit different learning and interaction styles:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Short-form videos for quick tips and demonstrations.</li>



<li>Long-form articles for deep dives into complex topics.</li>



<li>Audio content for on-the-go consumption.</li>



<li>Interactive workshops for hands-on learning.</li>
</ul>



<p>Encourage member-generated content by:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Featuring expert members in community spotlights.</li>



<li>Running themed challenges that showcase member work.</li>



<li>Creating dedicated spaces for member success stories.</li>



<li>Setting up peer mentoring programs.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Implementing gamification and rewards for active members</strong></h3>



<p>Gamification transforms passive members into active participants when implemented thoughtfully. The <a href="https://www.duolingo.com/">Duolingo</a> language learning community demonstrates this perfectly – their streak system and XP leaderboards turn daily practice into an engaging challenge.</p>



<img width="660" height="290" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/duolingo-daily-quest.png?w=660" alt="Example of Duolingo completed daily quest" class="wp-image-2578" />



<p>Achievement paths should reflect genuine community values. A tech support community might award &#8220;Problem Solver&#8221; status to members who consistently provide validated solutions. These members then receive special privileges, like the ability to mark answers as official solutions or mentor newcomers.</p>



<p>Collaborative challenges build stronger connections between members. Take <a href="https://www.strava.com/challenges">Strava&#8217;s monthly distance challenges</a> – they motivate individual achievement while fostering a sense of shared accomplishment. Your community might organize team projects that combine different skill sets, such as writers partnering with designers to create resources for the community.</p>



<img width="660" height="270" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/strava.png?w=660" alt="Strava’s monthly distance challenges" class="wp-image-2538" />



<p><strong>The most effective rewards provide real value. </strong>This could mean exclusive access to industry experts, featured spots in community content, or early access to new features. One gaming community successfully uses a point system where active members earn credits toward premium content and merchandise.</p>



<p>Track achievements through Gravatar profiles to make recognition visible and persistent. Members can showcase their expertise badges, contribution streaks, and impact metrics across all community spaces, building consistent reputation and authority.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Staying involved and active as a community leader</strong></h3>



<p>Leadership visibility builds trust and encourages participation. Make your presence felt through:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Regular &#8220;state of the community&#8221; updates.</li>



<li>Direct responses to member concerns.</li>



<li>Personal stories that demonstrate vulnerability.</li>



<li>Clear communication about community decisions.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Balance hands-on involvement with empowering others.</strong> Train moderators to handle day-to-day management, spotlight emerging community leaders and create opportunities for members to take ownership of initiatives.</p>



<p>Remember that your consistent presence shows members their participation matters.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Scaling and building your community</strong></h2>



<p>Growth presents both opportunities and challenges for community builders. A strategic approach helps maintain quality while expanding reach.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Start with a detailed roadmap that outlines growth phases.</strong> Map specific initiatives to member count milestones – what works for 100 members likely won&#8217;t serve 10,000. Include plans for things like expanding moderator teams, adding new content formats, introducing advanced features, and upgrading the technical infrastructure of your platform to accommodate increased traffic.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Make data-driven decisions</strong> by tracking meaningful metrics:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Member retention rates across different joining cohorts.</li>



<li>Response times for member questions.</li>



<li>Active participation percentages.</li>



<li>Content engagement patterns.</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li><strong>Gather and act on member feedback systematically.</strong> Monthly surveys, feedback threads, and one-on-one conversations with active members reveal pain points before they become major issues.</li>



<li><strong>Maintain community culture through growth spurts.</strong> The Reddit community r/AskHistorians demonstrates this well &#8211; they&#8217;ve scaled to over a million members while maintaining strict quality standards for historical discussion.</li>



<li><strong>Be cautious about growing too quickly. </strong>Rapid member influx can overwhelm moderation systems and dilute community culture. Focus on attracting members who align with your community&#8217;s core values rather than chasing pure numbers.</li>
</ul>



<p>And remember: <strong>bigger isn&#8217;t always better.</strong> A focused community of 500 engaged members often provides more value than one with 50,000 lurkers. A great example of this is <a href="https://join.creatorscience.com/#pricing">Jay Clouse’s highest-tier community</a>, which has a cap of 200 members. He knows that exclusivity is one of the most important perks, and having fewer subscribers allows him to pay more attention and provide those people with unique benefits.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How to monetize your community strategically</strong></h2>



<p>Smart monetization enhances member value while creating sustainable revenue. The trick lies in aligning monetary goals with community benefits. Here’s what you can do:&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Paid memberships: </strong>Premium memberships work well when they unlock genuine value. <a href="https://www.sarahbethyoga.com/">Sara Beth Yoga</a>, for example, offers basic classes through her YouTube channel while reserving expert-led workshops and specialized support groups for paying members. Members gladly pay because the premium features directly serve their goals.</li>



<li><strong>Sponsored content: </strong>Brand partnerships succeed through authentic alignment. A photography community might partner with camera manufacturers for exclusive tutorials or early product access. Both the brand and community benefit, while members gain valuable insights.</li>



<li><strong>Virtual events:</strong> These can include workshops taught by community experts, industry <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/06/16/how-to-network-at-a-conference/">conferences</a> featuring member speakers, mastermind groups for specific topics, and behind-the-scenes tours or demonstrations.</li>



<li><strong>Digital products</strong>: If members frequently ask similar questions, package those answers into comprehensive guides or courses. Let community input shape product development to ensure relevance.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Affiliate marketing: </strong>Sign up for affiliate programs to earn commissions on products you’ve personally tried and you believe your audience will find useful or interesting.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>Always maintain transparency about monetization. Explain how revenue supports community growth and improvement. Many successful communities, like <a href="http://dev.to">DEV.to</a>, openly discuss their business model and gather member input on monetization decisions.</p>



<p>Start small – test ideas with core members before full rollout. Their feedback helps refine offerings that truly serve the community.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Scaling your thriving community: Gravatar&#8217;s role in sustainable expansion</strong></h2>



<p>Building a thriving online community requires careful planning, consistent effort, and the right tools. Each element covered in this guide is vital in creating spaces where people genuinely want to connect and contribute.</p>



<p><a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/06/03/profiles-as-a-service/">Gravatar&#8217;s profiles-as-service system</a> removes major technical hurdles from community growth. This frees you to focus on what matters most – fostering meaningful connections between members.</p>



<p>The platform supports sustainable expansion through several key features:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Streamlined registration</strong> eliminates common friction points. New members arrive with pre-populated profiles, making them more likely to engage immediately. No more abandoned signups due to lengthy forms.</li>



<li><strong>Multi-platform identity management</strong> helps members maintain consistent presence across community spaces. A member&#8217;s contributions in your forums, comments, and events all link back to their unified profile on <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a>, <a href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a>, and other integrated platforms.</li>



<li><strong>Rich profiles </strong>enable deeper connections. Members can showcase relevant expertise, interests, and achievements. This makes it easier for them to find like-minded peers and contribute meaningfully to discussions.</li>



<li><strong>Privacy controls</strong> give members confidence in participation. They can manage multiple identities and control exactly what information appears in different community contexts. This flexibility encourages authentic engagement.</li>



<li><strong>Developer-friendly integration</strong> speeds implementation through well-documented APIs and SDKs. You can focus on building unique community features instead of recreating basic profile functionality.</li>
</ul>



<p>Ready to start building your community? <a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/">Explore how Gravatar can help</a> lay the foundation for sustainable growth while creating engaging member experiences.</p>



<a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/getting-started/"><img width="3242" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_integration_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2632" /></a>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Fri, 27 Dec 2024 16:11:49 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Ronnie Burt";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:47;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:96:"WPTavern: WordPress Training Team Launches New Course for Designers: Beginner WordPress Designer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=183334";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:106:"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-training-team-launches-new-course-for-designers-beginner-wordpress-designer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1749:"<p>The Training Team has launched a new course on Learn WordPress specifically for designers: <a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/course/beginner-wordpress-designer/">Beginner WordPress Designer</a>. This learning pathway is crafted to help designers new to WordPress gain the skills needed to create professional websites.</p>



<p>The course covers essential topics such as building a style guide, understanding block themes, and adopting a block-first approach to design. It also teaches best practices in web design, theme customization, layout composition, and working with media blocks.</p>



<p>This learning pathway is free and open to everyone and consists of 24 lessons organized into 6 sections, requiring approximately 4 hours to complete:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Introduction to designing with WordPress</li>



<li>Getting to know WordPress</li>



<li>Web design best practices</li>



<li>Customizing themes and templates</li>



<li>Layout composition</li>



<li>Working with media blocks</li>
</ul>



<a href="https://x.com/dcwhatwhat/status/1870036926087954635"><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcsB3IrCP79JgZlCcxR20I-kjT0wy8FAiSG471vrHErMhi3tkleO2KwZ8wwJU-LmAuauVD-D6FwKOe3NdOdEeSzfPhZbETKhQCGAuUuUwoZQs4jySI_OqjSX2UaGOyiZY9GUXZt2g?key=9To1fAJHQrfgfCSDChmn5_yZ" alt="Tweet from WordPress Training Team rep Jamie Madden: " /></a>



<p>Lesley Sim, Co-founder of Newsletter Glue <a href="https://x.com/lesley_pizza/status/1870045335906832793">tweeted</a>, “This looks so good and so useful.”</p>



<p><a href="https://learn.wordpress.org/">Learn WordPress</a> is an educational initiative by the Training team aimed at helping users of all levels improve their WordPress skills.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:57:54 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:48;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:76:"WPTavern: Matt Mullenweg Asks What Drama to Create in 2025, Community Reacts";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=183317";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:86:"https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-asks-what-drama-to-create-in-2025-community-reacts";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9860:"<p>On Christmas Eve, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg took to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/what_drama_should_i_create_in_2025/">Reddit</a>, causing quite a stir by asking what kind of drama he should create in 2025. He posted, “What drama should I create in 2025? I’m very open to suggestions. Should we stop naming releases after jazz musicians and name them after Drake lyrics? Eliminate all dashboard notices? Take over any plugins into core? Change from blue to purple? I think we can brainstorm together and come up with way better things than I could on my own. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/263a.png" alt="☺" class="wp-smiley" /> Also, Merry Christmas! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f384.png" alt="🎄" class="wp-smiley" />”</p>



<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/what_drama_should_i_create_in_2025/">What drama should I create in 2025?</a><br /> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/photomatt/">u/photomatt</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/">WPDrama</a></blockquote>
</div>



<p>The post quickly amassed over 500 comments. However, the community was far from being amused, and a good portion of the replies urged him to stop posting, step down, seek professional help, or take a break and avoid creating any drama. “For someone in your position, creating extraneous drama for these people is not only disrespectful, it&#8217;s outright psychopathic to the extent that it affects their ability to work and be productive.”, read one <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3ovebk/">comment</a> from Stubby_Shillelagh.</p>



<p>Redditor WillmanRacing referenced a Sherman Act violation, suggesting sarcastically, “I have a fantastic idea for some drama we can get up to. Why don&#8217;t we create a <a href="https://wordpressfoundation.org/">charitable foundation</a> governing our open source software product, instead of <a href="https://automattic.com/">our for-profit company</a>. Why don&#8217;t we also operate our main website as its <a href="https://wordpress.org/">own separate entity</a>, with employees and volunteers provided by <a href="https://audrey.co/">yet another entity</a>. Then, why dont we have all of these entities take action against one of our competitors and their entire customer base, refusing to do business with any customers until they stop working with our competitor. Why don&#8217;t we ban ALL of those people from our services, and try to compel them to use our service instead?” </p>



<p>Many expressed frustration and hoped for a return to normalcy. One Redditor <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3om7bh/">shared</a>, “I&#8217;ve been a huge fan of WordPress for the longest time, and I hate to see all this drama happening. Learning WordPress is actually how I landed my first official programming job. I really hope everything will get back to normal soon.”</p>



<p>Responding to calls for taking a break, Matt quoted Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Life&#8217;s but a walking shadow, A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”</p>



<p>Matt also hinted that some exciting things are on the way. He said, “I&#8217;m really excited for people to experience Phase 3 of Gutenberg, things like real-time co-editing done completely peer-to-peer with WebRTC.”&nbsp;</p>



<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf07lUKH9MXt_vqFieCzYniY92OBQ5zYieFbWFRkWW7EbOBWMx3wBq0OGn14WjHmtgfdAPR9NaJnV3eFmIN7szRoueCIZ-MYVZX10IpkgBG6skYhRTWHbs1KTsa3n6sl6OD7AKt3Q?key=VJAxsFxouUADeL7bmQ2E84-5" alt="" />



<p>Another person <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3q58tc/">chimed in</a>, “Matt is doing to WordPress.org what broadcom is doing to VMware. WordPress used to be such a happy place with a rich thriving developer community, but now everyone is scared shitless that Matt will do a rug pull because he feels like it.”</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>It (WordPress) has a very special place in my heart, as well. I think WordPress&#8217; brightest days are ahead of it. </p>



<p>&#8211; Matt Mullenweg</p>
</blockquote>



<p>Matt was also criticized for not grasping the gravity of the situation. One Redditor <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3ohcq4/">said</a>, “How can you write such a post in a time like this? The WordPress community needs stability and a leadership to trust again. It doesn’t matter if you want to be funny, this is not the right time. Do you think people see this post and think, &#8220;yeah, that’s a project I want to contribute to?&#8221; Contributors are leaving, even getting banned. Clients are worried. Users looking for alternatives. A court is involved. But your actions don’t really look like you get the seriousness of this. It’s really sad to watch.”</p>



<p>Another Redditor too shared this opinion and Matt replied, “I hope you see how much this is unique to WPE and not something that has happened before or since with others. <strong>Silver Lake holds things for 4-6 years and then flips and moves on. Myself and many others are in this for decades. We have seen their type come and go in the past.</strong>”</p>



<p>When a Redditor asked about choosing Shopify or sticking with WordPress, Matt recommended, “Use WordPress if you value freedom, autonomy, and want to be in complete control of your digital future. Shopify can be expensive but a good proprietary solution if you want to do exactly what they offer and not color outside the lines too much.” Most of Matt’s comments in Reddit were downvoted. </p>



<p>Some supported Matt’s recent actions. “Thanks for your &#8220;drama&#8221;. Had it been successful, this would have set the best precedent ever for the all the hyper-capitalist leeches leeching off the free work of others. But everyone is selfish, and short-sighted. They should have taken the opportunity to back you, and dealt with you later, but alas. All fools.”, read one <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3r7q2u/">comment</a>.</p>



<p>Another one <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WPDrama/comments/1hlp08d/comment/m3rbe7k/">said</a>, “If you want to make the change you claim you want to see and Matt take a more ethical stance on his business practices, then maybe give WordPress back to the people for free as it was intended. Until then we should appreciate the guy who brought us to the dance. Does not mean we need to like him, more successful people are not liked, something very sad about watching a group of people attack a man who gave 50% of the net to the world for free.”</p>



<p>The community also offered Matt various suggestions, both serious and playful:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Provide steady leadership.</li>



<li>Listen to the community.</li>



<li>Show restraint and consider how his actions affect the rest of the community.</li>



<li>Publicly promise that no plugins from the Repo will be taken over.</li>



<li>Endorse a successor to WordPress</li>



<li>Federate the Repos and take the hosting costs off Automattic.</li>



<li>Introduce a built-in way to create a simple contact form&nbsp;</li>



<li>Hand over WordPress.org to a community-run group.</li>



<li>Make Gutenberg absolutely awesome.</li>



<li>Offer WordPress with three options right out of the box: Classic only, Gutenberg only, or both.</li>



<li>Name WordPress releases after meteors/poets/songwriters.</li>



<li>Charge $.05 per request to anything at WordPress.org</li>
</ul>



<p>Regarding the ongoing drama, Matt said, “We&#8217;ll look back on the WPE drama next year as something that seemed like a big deal at the time but isn&#8217;t that notable in the grand arc of history.”</p>



<p>&nbsp;He signed off, saying, “I really do enjoy talking with people on the internet, even if we don&#8217;t always agree, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to share their perspective. Forums like this is how I got my start as a teenager. If you think Reddit is spicy, you should have seen Usenet and IRC back in the day! I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and very happy new year.”</p>



<p>The discussion spilled over to Twitter, too. Ryan Duff <a href="https://x.com/ryancduff/status/1871708268755869736">dubbed</a> it “Just another day of very unhealthy and toxic behavior from WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.”</p>



<p>Takis Bouyouris <a href="https://x.com/takisbig/status/1872231107594535031">tweeted</a>, “Either Matt has crossed some sort of personal Rubicon, or it is hard to imagine how such pettiness could have been the attribute of one who lead the project for so many years. Being lonely at the top, detached from reality and without healthy consult is a sign of a fading ruler. The Autumn of the Patriarch, by Gabriel García Márquez is a great novel on the topic.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Duane Storey <a href="https://x.com/DuaneStorey/status/1871773196795691345">tweeted</a>, “Matt looking down at the #WordPress community on Reddit this Christmas eve, wondering why we are all still singing and enjoying ourselves without our WordPress.org toys.”</p>



<p>Kellie Peterson <a href="https://x.com/kellie/status/1871701861369340395">exclaimed</a>, “What fresh hell? This is what Matt Mullenweg is doing on Christmas Eve. He could be spending it with his alleged many godchildren, his mother, and his sister but instead he&#8217;s sowing chaos.”</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:13:05 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:49;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"Gravatar: The Future of Blog UX: 6 Trends and Tools You Need";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:32:"http://blog.gravatar.com/?p=2562";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/12/23/blog-ux-best-practices/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20196:"<p>Even though great content is an important part of any blog, it’s only a small part of <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/08/16/user-experience-personalization/">creating great user experiences</a>. Everything on your site should be focused on making sure readers can actually find, enjoy, and interact with what you&#8217;ve written.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A well-designed user experience keeps visitors reading longer, encourages them to explore more posts, and makes them more likely to take a desired action, whether that&#8217;s signing up for your newsletter or checking out your products.</p>



<p><strong>Search engines care about user experience too. </strong>Google specifically looks at how people interact with your blog, making UX a significant factor in where your content appears in search results. And according to <a href="https://lawsofux.com/jakobs-law/">Jakob&#8217;s Law</a>, which tells us users prefer websites that work similarly to ones they already know, creating a familiar yet modern interface can dramatically increase engagement.</p>



<p>Ready to make your blog easier to use and more engaging? Let&#8217;s explore some proven practices and tools to help create an outstanding experience for your readers. Plus, discover how <a href="https://gravatar.com/">Gravatar</a> can boost your blog&#8217;s credibility and user interaction.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1. Ensuring your blog homepage is easy to navigate and well-organized</strong></h2>



<p>The homepage of your blog sets the tone for the entire reading experience. Getting it right means implementing smart navigation features that help readers find exactly what they want.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Start with an intelligent search system. </strong>Add auto-suggest functionality that predicts what users might search for as they type and weigh the results based on popularity and relevance. Make sure search results can be filtered by date, category, or content type to help readers narrow down their options.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1647" height="919" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/example-search-system-woo.png" alt="WooCommerce’s search function" class="wp-image-2565" />



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Structure your content with a clear taxonomy.</strong> Limit your primary categories to 5-7 options – any more can overwhelm readers. Build nested subcategories for more specific topics and use dynamic tag clouds to show popular subjects. This creates clear pathways for readers to explore related content.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1687" height="771" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar-category-overview.png" alt="Gravatar’s category overview" class="wp-image-2566" />



<p>How you load content matters, too. For blogs with lots of posts, choose between:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Infinite scroll:</strong> Great for casual browsing and image-heavy content.</li>



<li><strong>Pagination:</strong> Better for readers who want to track their progress or return to specific pages.</li>
</ul>



<p>On mobile devices, focus on these essential elements:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>A clean drawer menu that slides in from the side.</li>



<li>Floating action buttons for quick access to searches or categories.</li>



<li>Headers that stay visible while scrolling.</li>
</ul>



<p>For content previews on your homepage:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Keep excerpts between 120-160 characters.</li>



<li>Use 16:9 ratio images for consistency.</li>



<li>Create custom layouts for different types of posts (tutorials, news, reviews).</li>
</ul>



<p>Remember to test your navigation with real users. Watch how they browse and search, then adjust based on their behavior. <strong>The best blog homepage design is one that feels natural and helps readers discover more of your content without thinking about it.</strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2. Optimizing the visual experience on your blog posts</strong></h2>



<p>The main goal of great blog design is to make content easy and pleasant to read. Let&#8217;s look at specific techniques that enhance readability and keep readers engaged.</p>



<p>Typography needs precise measurements to work well:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Set body text between 16-18px for comfortable reading.</li>



<li>Use a line height of 1.5-1.6 to create breathing room between lines.</li>



<li>Keep line length to 60-75 characters to prevent eye strain.</li>



<li>Pick fonts that render crisply on all screen sizes.</li>
</ul>



<p>Make long posts easier to navigate with these structural elements:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add a sticky table of contents that follows as readers scroll.</li>



<li>Show a progress bar indicating how far through the post they are.</li>



<li>Create clear visual separation between sections using whitespace.</li>



<li>Include &#8220;jump to section&#8221; links for quick navigation.</li>
</ul>



<p>The first screen readers see (the &#8220;above-fold&#8221; area) should give them immediate context:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add a clear summary box highlighting the main points.</li>



<li>Display estimated reading time prominently.</li>



<li>Keep at least 15-20% of space empty to avoid visual clutter.</li>



<li>Use subheadings to break up text into scannable chunks.</li>
</ul>



<p>For complex or technical posts:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Create expandable sections for detailed explanations.</li>



<li>Add tooltips to explain specialized terms.</li>



<li>Use bullet points and numbered lists for step-by-step instructions.</li>



<li>Include relevant screenshots or diagrams.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Most importantly, maintain consistency across all posts. </strong>Readers shouldn&#8217;t have to relearn how to navigate each time they visit. This follows Jakob&#8217;s Law – when elements work the same way throughout your blog, readers feel more confident exploring your content.</p>



<p>Overall, visual design should support your content, not compete with it. Every element should serve a purpose in making the post easier to read and understand.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. Performance optimization: Speeding up your blog with dynamic content loading</strong></h2>



<p>A fast-loading blog keeps readers happy and engaged. Here&#8217;s how to serve content quickly and efficiently using modern loading techniques.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Start with progressive loading to prioritize what matters</strong>, such as text and critical elements. Defer less important elements until after the main content appears and use resource hints to tell browsers what to load next. For example, you can implement the intersection observer API to load images only as readers scroll through them.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Structure your JavaScript smartly</strong> by splitting code into smaller chunks that load only when needed. Use dynamic imports for features like comment sections or sharing buttons, load third-party scripts (like analytics) after core content, and apply virtual scrolling on index pages to handle large archives efficiently.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Optimize images for better performance</strong> by compressing them without noticeably reducing quality. We recommend generating WebP versions of all images and creating multiple sizes for different screen widths. You could also use content-aware loading to prioritize visible images.</li>



<li><strong>Set up technical optimizations</strong>, including browser caching with appropriate cache-control headers, skeleton screens (placeholder content) while posts load, and a CDN that will serve assets from locations close to your readers. Make sure you monitor Core Web Vitals regularly to catch performance issues early.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Include infinite scroll implementations</strong> like pre-loading the next set of posts before readers reach the bottom, keeping memory usage in check by removing posts far outside the viewport, saving scroll position when readers click through to a post, and showing loading indicators only when new content is actually loading.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>4. Making your blog more authoritative through E-E-A-T best practices</strong></h2>



<p>Building trust with users means showing them exactly why they should value your content. Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) help readers – and search engines – understand the credibility behind your posts.</p>



<p>The best way to do that is by creating <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/10/23/upgrade-author-profiles-with-the-gravatar-block-for-wordpress/">comprehensive author profiles</a>:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>List relevant credentials and certifications.</li>



<li>Highlight years of experience in specific topics.</li>



<li>Link to other published work and research.</li>



<li>Show professional achievements and awards.</li>



<li>Connect social media profiles to establish a reliable <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/04/10/personal-branding-tools/">digital presence</a>.</li>
</ul>



<p>Gravatar makes managing author identities simple across multiple platforms. Contributors have to create just one profile, and their information appears on Gravatar-supported websites, including every <a href="http://wordpress.com">WordPress.com</a> blog. There, the integration happens automatically – perfect for blogs with multiple contributors or authors who write across different sites.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For <a href="http://wordpress.org">WordPress.org</a> sites, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/">Gravatar Enhanced plugin</a> adds powerful profile features:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Customizable author profile blocks.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1548" height="742" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/profile-block-example.png" alt="The Gravatar profile block on WordPress" class="wp-image-2567" />



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Automatic profile card embedding in posts.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Social media integration.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Custom biography sections.</li>
</ul>



<img width="1542" height="724" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/customizable-author-biography.png" alt="Example of a customizable author biography section " class="wp-image-2568" />



<p>You can use these features to build authority with your audience and create dedicated pages showcasing each author&#8217;s expertise. And if your users don’t have a Gravatar profile, you can set up an automated email sequence inviting them to create one.&nbsp;</p>



<img width="660" height="198" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar-plugin-invitation.png?w=660" alt="Example of an invitation to create a Gravatar profile" class="wp-image-2569" />



<p><img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/1f4a1.png" alt="💡" class="wp-smiley" /><em>If you’re not on WordPress (org or com), don’t worry! You can use Gravatar on any platform thanks to its easy-to-implement </em><a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/06/03/profiles-as-a-service/"><em>REST API</em></a><em>.</em></p>



<p>Now, going beyond author profiles, you can build authority by structuring your archives effectively. For example, you can create Group posts by topic to demonstrate subject knowledge and display engagement metrics like comment counts. When you have someone who’s been contributing for a while, you can feature their most popular or influential posts or add testimonials from industry peers or readers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We also recommend that you make expertise visible throughout your content, not just through design:&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add &#8220;About the Author&#8221; sections within posts.</li>



<li>Include relevant credentials in article introductions.</li>



<li>Link to author&#8217;s research or cited works.</li>



<li>Show expertise indicators next to author names.</li>



<li>Feature author contributions to industry publications.</li>
</ul>



<p>The Gravatar API lets you enhance these profiles further:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Pull in verified professional achievements.</li>



<li>Display unified author information across platforms.</li>



<li>Show real-time updates to author credentials.</li>



<li>Create custom profile layouts for different content types.</li>
</ul>



<p>Whatever your approach is, the best strategy is authenticity. Focus on highlighting genuine expertise and real accomplishments rather than inflating credentials. Readers appreciate honesty and will trust authors who demonstrate their knowledge through quality content backed by verifiable experience.</p>



<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/"><img width="3243" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_enhanced_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2634" /></a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>5. Boosting engagement and user interactions on your blog</strong></h2>



<p>There are several strategies you can implement for a successful and engaging experience.&nbsp;</p>



<p>First, you must <strong>ensure that your internal linking structure is logical</strong> – you don’t need to link to everything, just the posts that make sense. When you’re smart about it, you can keep readers exploring your content naturally through connections based on topics, skill levels, and reader interests. So, place contextual links within your content where they add value, and use automated related post sections that adapt based on what similar readers have found useful.</p>



<p>Now, it’s a great thing to guide your readers throughout the blog, but you also need to <strong>motivate them with concrete but meaningful calls to action</strong>. Don’t bombard them with popups; analyze your scroll depth data to understand where readers are most receptive to taking action. Test different CTA positions, designs, and messages with various user segments to find what resonates best.</p>



<p>Want to create a successful newsletter? <strong>Think beyond basic signup forms.</strong> <a href="https://wordpress.com/newsletter/">WordPress.com&#8217;s native newsletter</a> functionality allows for sophisticated subscriber management. You can segment your audience, deliver automated post notifications, and track which content drives the most engagement. Plus, you can show different content blocks depending on whether someone&#8217;s already subscribed.</p>



<p>However, perhaps the most powerful way to <strong>build engagement is through an active comment section</strong>. Here&#8217;s where Gravatar&#8217;s universal profile system really shines. When readers comment, their <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/06/05/user-profile-page-examples/">verified profiles</a> automatically sync across any Gravatar-enabled platform. This builds a sense of community as readers recognize familiar faces and can trust they&#8217;re interacting with real people.</p>



<img width="1784" height="992" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar-comment-section.png" alt="Example of a comment section with Gravatar profiles" class="wp-image-2570" />



<p>With the <a href="https://jetpack.com/">Jetpack</a> plugin, you can enhance this further by enabling <a href="https://support.gravatar.com/profiles/hovercards/">hovercards</a> – detailed profile previews that appear when readers hover over a commenter&#8217;s name. These cards can display social connections, verified links, and complete user information, encouraging meaningful discussions while reducing spam and low-quality comments. This feature is automatically enabled on WordPress.com websites.&nbsp;</p>



<img width="1036" height="569" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/hovercards-example.png" alt="Example of hovercards" class="wp-image-2571" />



<p>Want to set up commenting on your WordPress site? Check out our detailed <a href="https://blog.gravatar.com/2024/07/11/enable-comments-in-wordpress/#:~:text=Enable%20comments%20on%20specific%20posts&text=Go%20to%20the%20Discussion%20panel,and%20click%20on%20Allow%20comments">guide on enabling and managing comments</a> effectively.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>6. Creating multimedia elements that add genuine value to articles</strong></h2>



<p>Adding images, videos, and interactive elements can enhance understanding – but only if they&#8217;re implemented thoughtfully. Your multimedia content should support your message without slowing down your blog.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Data visualization demands careful attention to detail:</strong> Interactive charts and graphs have to work across screen sizes while maintaining readability. Before adding a visual element, ask whether it makes complex information clearer. And remember to A/B test different visualization styles to see which ones readers engage with most.</li>



<li><strong>Video integration requires balancing quality with performance: </strong>Implement lazy loading so videos only download when readers scroll near them. This keeps your pages fast while still offering rich content. Match your video player controls to your blog&#8217;s design, and add clear thumbnails that tell readers what they&#8217;ll learn.</li>
</ul>



<p>Whatever multimedia elements you choose, optimize them for <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9205520?hl=en">Core Web Vitals</a>:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Compress files without sacrificing quality.</li>



<li>Set proper width and height attributes to prevent layout shifts.</li>



<li>Use modern formats like WebP for images and WebM for video.</li>



<li>Ensure all content works well on mobile devices.</li>
</ul>



<p>Most importantly, <strong>make your multimedia content accessible</strong>. Add descriptive alt text for images, provide transcripts for videos, and ensure interactive elements work with keyboard navigation and screen readers.</p>



<p>Think of multimedia as a powerful tool, not a requirement. Each element should serve a clear purpose in helping readers better understand your content. When used strategically, these additions can transform complex topics into engaging, memorable experiences.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Boost your blog’s UX with Gravatar integration</strong></h2>



<p>Ready to put these UX improvements into action? Gravatar offers a simple way to enhance your blog&#8217;s user experience through automated profile management.</p>



<p>The Gravatar Enhanced plugin makes implementation straightforward, with customizable profile blocks that showcase author expertise and build reader trust. Hovercards add depth to your comment sections, displaying detailed user information when readers hover over profile images. This creates a more dynamic, engaging experience that encourages meaningful discussions.</p>



<p>For developers, the Gravatar API enables custom profile displays tailored to your blog&#8217;s specific needs. Build unique author showcases, create advanced comment systems, or integrate user profiles in creative ways. Plus, built-in privacy controls let users manage exactly what information they share.</p>



<p>Whether you’re a developer or a passionate blogger, you can use Gravatar to transform your blog into an engaging, professional platform where readers can connect with authors and each other meaningfully. Check out the <a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/">Gravatar REST API</a> or the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/">Gravatar Enhanced plugin</a> today!</p>



<a href="https://docs.gravatar.com/getting-started/"><img width="3242" height="729" src="https://blog.gravatar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gravatar_integration_cta.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2632" /></a>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:24:17 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Ronnie Burt";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:"type";i:128;s:7:"headers";O:48:"WpOrg\Requests\Utility\CaseInsensitiveDictionary":1:{s:7:"*data";a:9:{s:6:"server";s:5:"nginx";s:4:"date";s:29:"Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:47:58 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:30:31 GMT";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:16:"content-encoding";s:2:"br";s:7:"alt-svc";s:19:"h3=":443"; ma=86400";s:4:"x-nc";s:9:"HIT ord 2";}}s:5:"build";s:14:"20211221050300";}